One of the great things about working for an online travel company is that you get to spend a large part of your working day looking at pretty pictures of wonderful holiday destinations and checking out various travel and holiday websites.
So, in no particular order here are 7 of my favourite holiday-related sites. I probably should have done a “top 10” but I’m easily distracted. Some are useful, some are pretty, some are fascinating, but all are worth a visit.
Amazing panoramic views
AirPano.com is part of a not-for-profit project created by a team of Russian photography enthusiasts and provides breath-taking ariel panoramic views of the world’s best-known cities and landmarks, both inside and out. Whether you’re looking for a dizzying view of the interior of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona or swoop over the Manhattan skyline, AirPano will blow you away.
Taxi!
So you want to know how much is the taxi fare from the airport to your hotel in London, New York, Paris, Munich or wherever you’re planning to visit next. Well, look no further. WorldTaximeter.com estimates (very accurately) taxi fares in over 400 cities, even allowing for the time of day (but not allowing for unscrupulous taxi drivers who might try to rip you off).
One for the geeks
This is one for the plane spotters, anoraks and would be air traffic controllers. Flightradar24.com shows in (almost) real-time how many planes are in the skies at any given time, their flight plans and exactly where they are. It also integrates with Google Earth so you can see a virtual view from the cockpit. Not sure if it’s actually useful but definitely pretty cool.
Money, money, money
Need to know what the currency is in Croatia (the kuna) or how many Czech koruna you’ll get for your euro (27.4)? XE.com is where you need to go. It gives you instant exchange rates for just about every currency imaginable.
More pretty pictures
Italy is one of my favourite holiday destinations and the I love Italy Google+ page has a wonderful selection of photos from all over Italy. If you’ve never been, they’ll make you want to go. If you have been, they’ll make you want to go back.
What’s the weather like?
Whether you want to know what the forecast is for Lanzarote next week or what the average rainfall is in the Algarve, Holiday-Weather.com has the answer. It’s a simple to use website with clear, concise information.
ClickandGo.com
And finally, I’d probably be fired if I didn’t include ClickandGo as one of my favourite holiday websites. Great deals – easy to use – definitely check it out!
