TripAdvisor

If you’re going to take a couple weeks off of work and spend the cash on a trip to Phuket or Prague, you want to know whether it’s worth it. No one knows better than the world travelers at TripAdvisor, who don’t hold in back in elaborating on the pros and cons of restaurants, hotels, and other accommodations around the world. TripAdvisor doesn’t just hook you up with plane tickets and hotel reservations; rather, the site is like a knowledgeable friend—like many knowledgeable friends, really, all in one room—looking out for you when you’re booking your trip. Hotels and restaurants are listed in order of their ranking on TripAdvisor’s Popularity Index, and flights are listed in order of their price. Detailed user reviews tell it like it is, letting you know exactly what to expect, from the cleanliness of the rooms to the manners (or lack thereof) of the restaurant’s wait staff. You can even tap into the site’s user-uploaded photos to get an unvarnished look at your would-be accommodations. (“They bill it as a resort,” wrote one reviewer. “It’s actually a glorified dormitory. The TV was circa the ’70’s. It only displayed 2 colors: orange and green.”) When you’re ready to book your vacation, TripAdvisor does all the hard work for you: It compares prices from around the Web and then connects you to your choice. Talk about handy.