Seatguru.com: Enter your flight number in this clever little site and it will tell you which seats are the best (and worst). You can also check baggage allowances for your airline.

Kayak.com: This great search engine will trawl through hotels, flights and car rental firms to find the best available prices.

Hostelworld.com: Book hundreds of user-rated hostels around the globe in different currencies.

Tripadvisor.com: The ultimate hotel rating website, with millions of users across the globe. If a particular venue isn’t up to scratch, Trip Advisor will expose it.

Airbnb.com: Search thousands of properties worldwide, and get a fresh approach to travelling by staying with a local.

Couchsurfing.com: Stay for free on someone’s sofa. Just create an online account and become a member of the couchsurfing community.