Specialist Travel – Sporting Travel – Luggage Accessories

Travel Planning

Trip Advisor

Don't book a hotel anywhere without checking it on this site stuffed full of user generated content. Read the glossy advertising for the hotel of your choice and then check up on it here - you may find that things are not quite what you expect.

BAA.com

Check if your flight departure or arrival is on time, which terminal it'll be going in or out of and book your car parking here as well for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and other UK airports.

Great British Life - Bringing Together Countrywide Information and Magazines

This is a fascinating website to browse - A National portal uniting content from more than 40 premium county, regional and city magazines ranging from Scotland to Cornwall.

It's a clever combination of the magazines themselves (plus an archive so you can have a look at the ones you've missed) which include what's going on, food and drink, local celebrity interviews and more, and reader generated content such as blogs, photographs and forums.

Whatever you want to find out about what's going on near you or where you're about to visit, you'll almost certainly find it here.

C N Traveller

Whether you're looking for inspirational destination ideas, travel guides, hotel and restaurant reviews or stunning travel photography this is a great place to start your holiday research. Its famous "Truth In Travel" policy means complete impartiality, making it a site you can trust. The site is beautiful to look at and updated daily.

Via Michelin

If you want to know where to stay in Paris or Milan or how to drive from Glasgow to Bath (and where to stop on the way) then this is the site for you, with maps, directions, hotels, restaurants and more clearly laid out.

Relais & Chateaux

For lovers of luxury everywhere here is the essential guide on where to find the best hotels and restaurants around the world, from large resorts to hidden gems. You can select your perfect destination or choose your holiday by themes such as culture, sports, family or oenology (wine tours to you and me). There are also special offers and a gift shop.

Frommers

If you're planning a trip to the US or Canada you'll need this website (they also cover other areas but this is their main area of expertise). One of the best things about this site is that you don't need to know much about the country when you start, they offer you a wealth of information; once you've decided on a City or place to visit you can find out about nightlife, restaurants, shopping, walking tours, activities and everything else you can possibly think of.

National Rail

If you're thinking of going by train and want to know how to get from A - B this site is ready and waiting to tell you. Just a piece of advice: very often reduced fares aren't published until a certain number of days before your trip so if you're going from London to Ed call the station as well to check.

Don't Forget Your Toothbrush

I don't know about you, but every time I make out the holiday packing list I leave something off. Well now there's no excuse. On this clever website you'll be able to tick off every possible item for lots of different types of holiday. You just check the boxes and print off your list. You do sometimes have to pay a small charge for a year's subscription although they have free offer periods as well but I think you'll find it worth it.

Frommers

If you're planning a trip to the USA you'll need this website (they also cover other areas but this is their main area of expertise). Frommers are the experts on trips across the pond, helping you with hotels, flights, cars and cruises. One of the best things about this site is that you don't need to know much about the country when you start, they offer you a wealth of information; once you've decided on a City or place to visit you can find out about nightlife, restaurants, shopping, walking tours, activities and everything else you can possibly think of.

Tripadvisor

Filled with USG (User Generated Content) and links to where you can book, this is the place for unfiltered personal views on hotels and places to visit with visitors’ own photographs, so those hotels trying to hide behind professionally taken pics and their own reviews can no longer do so. It’s important to look at all the reviews for a specific place and not just go by the one or two exceptionally bad or good ones, and the average ratings will tell you more than anything else, provided there are enough, of course.

Via Michelin

Via Michelin will help you with all your European travel planning; whether you want to find a restaurant in Paris, a road map of Zurich or a hotel in Milan - it's all there ready and waiting. This is the online version of the famous Red Guides but unlike the Red Guides, where the road maps are extremely limited (the town maps are excellent) here you just key in your starting point and your destination and it'll tell you exactly how to get there, no matter how many borders you're crossing. It'll give you hotels and restaurants on the way and even tell you how much the tolls are going to be.