With the sheer number of travel guides out there, it’s hard to find one that will satisfy your wanderlust or inspire your next trip. Luckily for you, we’ve found all the best places to find travel inspiration. Keep reading to see all the best travel guide websites to help guide you on your next trip!
While some prefer to travel with a paperback guide in hand, others prefer to outsource well-detailed itineraries tailored to our preferences. Pundits, perfectionists, and avid travelers want to take matters into their own hands and plan trips themselves. They also need guidance and recommendations to help with their research and planning.
Well, fret not, folks, because our list of the best travel guide websites for 2022 has them all covered. Regardless of where you fall on the travel planning spectrum, you’ll find a travel guide that will inspire and prepare you for your next trip. Use these awesome travel guides and start planning your trips with our Travel Planner Pilot!
1. Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is another magazine and travel guide website that caters to luxury travel experiences. Despite the fairly expensive stay, this website is a ripe source of travel inspiration. On the plus side, there is some focus on budget travelers as well. Nevertheless, we think it is one of the best travel guide sites with the most up-to-date information.
The articles in this travel entertainment magazine cover a wide range of topics, from the best pizza places to famous movie locations to activities for kids while traveling. At Condé Nast Traveler, you can browse the best lodging and dining options and travel content on style and art. This is a good website to get travel ideas from industry experts.
You’ll also find travel news and tips to help you plan and navigate. For those interested, Condé Nast Traveler also offers a subscription plan to have their digital and/or print magazine copy delivered to you. Costs vary based on your country.
Pros
- Great, informative content
- Travel news updated instantly.
- Focus on unique locations and attractions
Cons
- Expensive
- Not for budget backpackers.
- No trip booking feature.
2. Travel + Leisure
Of course, no list of the best travel sites is complete without mentioning this well-known travel and entertainment magazine. Although Travel + Leisure focuses primarily on exotic vacation destinations, high-end vacations, its high-quality content is worthy of every traveler. From the best places to travel to the best gadgets to take along, this is a very informative resource that informs travelers how to best prepare for the upcoming trip.
Travel + Entertainment offers unique accommodation, dining, attractions at various locations. You’ll also find the latest travel news, deals, tips, accessories, and inspiration on the site. In the ‘Travel Guides’ section, you can filter guides based on location, language, best time to visit, and activities.
Last year, the magazine launched its trip booking and subscription features. The Travel + Leisure Go platform allows you to book trips to destinations published on the website and other exclusive travel guides. Subscribers to Travel & Leisure magazine ($9.95 a month) can enjoy discounts on accommodation and other services.
Pros
- Very informative and updated content
- Covers a wide range of travel related topics.
- Easy travel booking feature
- Travel deals
Cons
- Limited places under ‘Travel Guides’
- Does not offer detailed itinerary.
- Expensive subscription fees
3. Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura is all about getting people excited to travel with their engaging and quirky guides and travel content. It publishes stories focusing on nature, science, culture, history, food, and hidden wonders. If you like places that are hidden, strange or rare, then this travel guide is perfect for you.
It has a vast collection of content on unusual attractions and cool dining spots around the world. They look very informative and attractive to add to the itinerary. Community forums under each destination help you discuss travel-related topics with fellow users.
Another specialty of Atlas Obscura is their guided tours of the amazing locations they describe. Most of these are adventure trips to less-traveled destinations, so there’s no doubt that travelers are in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Traveling Guide website also offers virtual travel experiences.
Although you can browse travel content for free, membership is required to access the experiences and events hosted by Atlas Obscura. There are both monthly and annual plans to choose from.
Pros
- Amazing and high quality travel guides
- Focuses on unique attractions.
- Availability of virtual experiences and guided tours
Cons
- There aren’t many places to get travel guides and tips.
- Not ideal if you’re looking for a guide to general tourist attractions.
- Paid membership
4. Localeur
Localeur is one of the best travel websites for travelers who want to avoid the tourist trap and enjoy local and authentic experiences. It offers useful insights and recommendations from local insiders compared to tourists. Currently, it covers more than 200 locations and has 5 million users worldwide.
You can get recommendations on everything from road trips to places to eat to shopping tips on the platform. Their local expert base consists of writers, artists, foodies and other experts from various fields. It is great to plan your trip and cover the best attractions in your itinerary.
Key features of Localeur are offered only to its subscribers. You can go for a $150 lifetime membership or a $10 monthly membership. You get bi-weekly emails with recommendations, personalized travel guides, and travel inspiration.
But, you can still view its travel content, featured guides and recommendations, and ‘locals’ for free. Subscription to their newsletter is also free. Read our full review of Localeur here!
Pros
- Reliable and quality recommendations
- Information from local experiences
- Wide range of choices
Cons
- Expensive membership
- Limited destinations
- Recommendations may be biased.
5. Tripadvisor ‘
Of course, you know Tripadvisor, which is famous for both its usefulness and weird reviews. It’s a place to read travel guides, get advice and tips, make reservations and plan trips.
Tripadvisor is one of the most popular travel apps that travelers use to get advice and recommendations from locals or other travelers. It’s a great place to find and read reviews – just about any restaurant, hostel, attraction, or different travel experience anywhere in the world. If you don’t find any reviews or discussions about the topic, you can start a discussion in their forum!
You’ll also find plenty of content to inspire travel, including travel guides from passionate travelers and ‘to do’ lists of various destinations. Apart from expert guidance, you can use Tripadvisor to book hotels, tours, activities, accommodation, etc. This is one of the best websites for travel deals.
You can save your favorite places and experiences to a destination and view them on a map. However, if you’re looking for a planning tool, we recommend trying a better travel planner.
Pros
- free
- Active travel forum for trip guidance and tips
- Lots of user reviews to help you make decisions
- Loads of travel stuff
- Attractive travel deals
- A mobile app for convenience
Cons
- Notorious for fake or biased reviews
- An awesome checkout cart, not great for inspiration.
- Saving and managing bookings isn’t always smooth sailing.
6. Frommer’s
Frommer’s is one of the best travel sites because it has so many resources for travelers. Frommer’s offers guidebooks, podcasts, and the latest travel information for wanderlusts. They are one of the oldest travel guide publishers.
Its titles cater to a variety of travel styles, covering every major destination around the world. His travel guidebooks are available in both e-book and paperback formats. The books are quite similar to other books in the market.
Frommer’s website has a wealth of travel content, and you can browse them by ‘destination’ or ‘trip ideas’. There is also a separate section for travel ‘Tips and News’‘. This is especially helpful as travel rules and restrictions are constantly revised and updated on pandemics.
There is also a ‘Deals and Bookings’ section to help you get great discounts on accommodation, airfares, cruises, and car rentals. Even if you don’t want to buy travel guides, Frommer’s is a good website for up-to-date travel information.
Pros
- Latest travel information
- Over 350 travel guidebooks
- Good choice of accommodation
Cons
- Guidebooks only cover the main highlights.
- The website looks outdated.
7. ViaHero
If you’re more inclined towards personalized travel guidebooks by locals, ViaHero is one of the best to consider. The platform promises to take the hassle out of planning by outsourcing the day-to-day travel guide to an expert, aka ‘Hero’. However, the good thing is that you will be updated about every step of the planning.
You can select a destination and review the heroes available there. Each hero has a detailed bio that outlines their personality, journey characteristics and skills. You can also see reviews left about them by past travelers. All you have to do is choose a hero and specify your requirements. A customized itinerary costs $40 per day.
Hero won’t go with you, though you’ll stay in touch via email or messaging. ViaHero also posts travel articles for users to read and be informed about the destinations they plan to visit. If you want to know more, check out our ViaHero review.
Pros
- easy
- Travel guides focus on local and uncrowded attractions.
- Quality, well detailed itineraries
Cons
- Service is available for limited locations only.
- Expensive
8. Rough Guides
Initially, Rough Guides focused solely on selling travel guidebooks in paperback and e-book formats. These books are still a popular choice among travelers today. They provide:
- Itinerary
- background information.
- Maps to help you find your way.
- Independent recommendations of the author.
- Detailed regional coverage.
Books are available at different prices.
Currently, Ruff Guides also specializes in providing tailor-made travel guides as per your personal preferences. You can contact a local expert to create a customized itinerary for you by entering your budget, destination, accommodation and food choices, preferred activities and other details. Depending on what you need, you can get everything planned and booked by a local expert or just rely on insider tips. Prices vary based on the type of service you need.
In addition, you can find articles on travel tips, top destinations, and other travel-related topics on the website. So, even if you’re planning a trip on your own, Rough Rides is a good place for inspiration.
Pros
- A wide range of travel guidebooks
- Personal itineraries
- Local information and recommendations
Cons
- Not free.
- Not very user friendly.
9. Fodor’s Travel
Fodor’s Travel is another popular website that offers travel guides for destinations around the world. Their specialty is guidebooks that are available in both print and e-book versions. They have more than 300 travel guides covering more than 7000 destinations. The website also has plenty of information, insider tips, and engaging visual content at various points. It’s great for inspiration and general information.
Fodor’s forum is a great place to find recommendations, tips, and insider tips that will be useful for your travel plans. It has an active community, so you’re more likely to receive quick responses. You must be a member to access all its features.
You can access Fodor’s Travel website and forum for free. But, the guides have to be purchased either from the website or from sites like Amazon. On average, prices range from $10-$20. You can read our in-depth review of Fodor’s Journey here.
Pros
- Helpful forums for seeking advice
- Good recommendations
- Covers a lot of ground.
Cons
- Incomplete guidebooks (complaints about missing pages)
- Lack of local recommendations
10. Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a dominant brand in the travel industry, offering both travel guides and other resources on destinations around the world. It is primarily designed for backpackers on a budget.
Its travel guidebooks, available in both digital and print formats, fall under various categories such as regions, countries, cities, hikes, treks, etc. -Path attractions, and other useful information.
You can subscribe to their services for a monthly fee of $4.99 or an annual fee of $39.99. This will give you access to resources on their website and app. You can also buy Lonely Planet books individually.
Although Lonely Planet isn’t as resourceful and updated as it used to be, it’s still one of the best travel sites for reviewing destinations. You can also book accommodation and food options through the website. Check out our full Lonely Planet review here.
Pros
- A collection of over 825 guides
- Phrase books for learning the local language.
- Covers many destinations around the world.
- General travel information about countries is free.
Cons
- Complaints about outdated information
- Unbelievable customer service
- Travel forum “Thorn tree” is no longer available.