I love discovering new travel websites that provide helpful and fun tools before and during trips. Sometimes it can be difficult to trust online recommendations. You haven’t been there and you don’t know any better. That is why I always try out new websites in Seattle, where I live. This way I can test out if the site is just listing the same mumbo jumbo tourist spots that every destination guide lists, or if there are interesting and authentic ideas. Here are some of my favorites that pass my local test.

1. My current favorite website is Triposo. I have the app on my phone and constantly use it to get ideas of what to do, where to eat, and even check what the weather is. When my husband was in San Francisco without me last week, I kept texting him info from Triposo. “It’s supposed to be sunny today. You should go walk around the Japanese Tea Garden.” I’ve found the restaurant recommendations to be pretty good as well.

2. Entry Fee Compare is simple and perfect. If you are planning to visit a big city, like Rome, and want to figure out whether it is more economical to buy a Roma Pass or buy each ticket separately, this website is wonderful. No longer to do you have to go to each individual website and write them all down yourself to compare. Major sites are conveniently listed out in a printable format.

3. Trover is just fun. Here you can browse people’s travel photos by location or category, which is great for inspiration, or you can upload your own photos to inspire others. 

4. Spotted by Locals gives your plenty of restaurant an activity ideas that aren’t necessarily touristy. Local writers for each city post daily articles about their newest discoveries that you should enjoy too. 

5. Atlas Obscura is for those of us who like discovering what makes a city unique and sometimes strange. This quirky website includes major tourist spots, like the Space Needle, but also more obscure curiosities like the “Mystery Soda Machine” in Capital Hill. This 70s era soda machine is always stocked for 75 cents a pop and has a “Mystery” button for those with a sense of adventure. 

6. Travellr is handy for asking questions to other travellers. It’s similar to travel reddit, but really just focused on asking and answering questions.

7. Pal Prices is the easiest go-to for figuring out your budget. You enter in your destination to get an estimated total cost of your trip, compare the cost of two cities, or enter in your total budget to see what destinations are in your price range.  There are also filters to make your estimation more personalized to your interests and comfort level. 

8. Trip Hobo is a site where you can create your own itinerary or look at other people’s itineraries for ideas.  When creating your own trip, you can drag and drop your choice of activities onto a timeline. What I love is that you can also click on the activity and Trip Hobo will list all of the information you need, like hours, price, time required, and nearby food and transportation options.  

9. Google’s Explore Flights generator is awesome for getting a general idea of the average costs of flights anywhere in the world on different days and months of the year. If you don’t have a specific destination or you don’t have a specific date that you have to stick to, this is a handy tool to play around with.

10. I visit The Flight Deal–Seattle pretty much every day to see the latest and greatest flight deals.  This website is especially useful for anyone who isn’t limited by dates because these deals all have limitations. For example, an amazing deal posted on Feb. 24, roundtrip from Seattle to Tokyo was priced at $680! However, under Fare Availability, it clarifies, “Valid for travel on the outbound from March 31st – May 31st for Sunday through Thursday departures with a 5 day minimum stay.”

What are your favorite travel websites?