Written on 6/06/2008 by Abhijeet Mukherjee, of Jeet Blog

Since there are different needs for everyone planning to go on a vacation, there are huge number of websites on the internet offering different solutions to those needs. Today I decided to pick seven such general websites which can be of immense help to a traveler, irrespective of his travel destination.

1: WikiTravel

WikiTravel, like Wikipedia, is a user-powered travel guide offering thousands of articles, reviews, pictures, etc., of different travel destinations around the world. Since it is user-powered, you will find both positive and negative reviews of places. Hence this can be useful if you want to check out merits and demerits of your travel destination, in terms of different aspects like weather, transport, locations etc.

2: Google Maps

Google Maps undoubtedly is a must-have resource for a person planning to go on a vacation. Apart from giving accurate directions from one point to other, it also locates the local businesses and hot-spots like restaurants, theaters, malls, etc., on the map. You can take printouts of the various maps, before you travel.

3: Kayak / Sidestep

As I mentioned, there are lot of websites offering you various deals and travel packages. So how do you figure out which are the best deals on hotels, flights, cruises, lodgings or rental-cars? That’s when Kayak or Sidestep come into picture. Both the sites act as travel search engines and let you find the best deals by searching through hundreds of travel sites.

4: Lonely Planet / iExplore

Both Lonely Planet and iExplore have extensive information about the various regions of the world including minute details such as a Chinese restaurant in a particular locality in a city. They offer travel guides, videos, pictures, facts, figures and a lot more. Another nice feature is that they have forums and communities, where you can ask your travel related questions and get relevant answers from other members. You could also find a fellow traveler through these sites and probably team-up with him.

5: Airlinemeals.net

If you travel a lot on airplanes then you must be one of those who are concerned about the meals airlines offer and usually tend to choose a particular airline over another due to the fact that it offers better meals. Airlinemeals.net is an amazing website which has a huge collection of information about meals provided by different airlines around the globe. It is user-contributed and you’ll find thousands of images of different meals on different flights. You will also find meal details based on the airline, the class, the flight and if you browse further, you can find special meals, crew meals and almost every thing which can relate to an airline meal. Worth browsing.

6: Weather.com

The details about the weather of a particular region are not difficult to find on the internet and many websites offer that. However weather.com goes one step ahead and shows weather forecast for a particular city for the very next day and up to 10 days and also provides further details about the climate. So you may want to check this website before you leave in order to be prepared for that sudden change in weather of your travel destination.

7: Google local search

No matter how many websites you browse through, there may be some questions in your mind about your vacation, which remain unanswered and unexplained. Hence, last but not the least, mighty Google is always there to the rescue. Just do a Google search for that particular city and browse through the results. I am sure you’ll find what you were looking for.

I hope the above websites help you in planning your trip in a better manner and let you have a great vacation.

-Abhijeet