Useful links for travellers

I thought I would put together a list of useful links for those interested in global travel:

Information:

Health

http://www.who.int/ith/en/index.html
provides detailed maps of risk areas for known diseases

http://www.who.int/countries/en/
Find out anything and everything related to the health of all UN member nations here.

http://www.who.int/ith/ITH2009Countrylist.pdf
Yellow Fever and Malaria document which states vaccine requirements for entry

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/travel/clinic-eng.php
Official Listings of travel clinics in Canada

http://www.istm.org/
Listings of travel clinics in U.S.

Tousism Information

http://www.unwto.org/index.php -
World Tourism Organization - The leading international organization in the field of tourism. The site provides a hub for official tourist websites of 176 countries around the world.

http://projectvisa.com/
No matter where you are coming from or going to in the world this site will help you find out visa information.

http://www.island-search.com/
A complete directory for island destinations

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/They have been the leading travel advisers for a number of decades. Every trip I've taken, these books accompany me.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html -
CIA World Fact Book - information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military and culture.  Very extensive details about every country in the world! Also includes maps of the world and a standard time zone map of the world.

http://www.canuckabroad.com/ - dedicated to helping Canadians plan trips, however this site has a wealth of information for all travelers including flight, train, hotels and hostel, and all inclusive directory searches.  It also offers travel advice, destination guides, translators, and even oversea jobs.

http://www.travelprofessor.com/default2.asp - all kinds of discounts and ads for travel around the world

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ - all in one directory

http://www.gapadventures.com/ - international adventure travel company with the best prices hands down.  They also do eco-tours and provide volun-tourism opportunites.

http://www.voluntourism.org/ - everything you need to know about your next volunteer-tourist experience

Transportation

Planes:

There are literally dozens of sights that claim to offer the best prices. Here are a few of my favourites.  For the past few trips, I 've used these sights to provide information about which airlines frequently fly in and out of destinations and have actually managed to find better rates through the airline itself ie.virginairways directly.  This is especially useful if there are no direct flights to your destination.

http://www.cheapflights.ca/
http://cheaptickets.onetravel.com/ - cheap air fair from US destination
http://cheaptickets.ca/en/home/ - canadian counterpart - hotels, flights, package, deals
http://www.cheapticketscanada.com/
http://www.redtag.ca/flights.php
http://www.flightnetwork.com/
http://www.cheapoair.com/
http://www.flyforless.ca/
http://www.travelocity.ca/ca
http://www.travelzoo.com/
http://www.expedia.ca/Flights
http://www.flightcentre.ca/
http://www.lastminute.com/site/main/locale-redirect.html (Europe, Australia, U.S)
http://www.klm.com/travel/generic/indelx.html
Trains:

http://www.eurail.com/ - official euro rail site
http://www.viarail.ca/en - official canadian passenger rail
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage - American passenger trains
http://www.railserve.com/Passenger/North_America/ - complete directory of North American passenger rail and transit including commuter,and tourist trains
http://www.traintraveling.com/usa/ - train travel guide for USA

Automobiles: once you arrive at your destination you may want to hire a car...here's a list of international companies to try.
http://www.quick-car-hire.co.uk/
http://www.budgetinternational.com/
http://www.europcar.com/
https://www.alamo.com/ cheap rentals in several international destinations

Where to Stay:

Hotels:
http://www.hotelalliances.com/
http://www.hotwire.com/
http://www.gtahotels.com/
http://www.discounthotels.com/

Hostels:
http://www.canuckabroad.com/hostels/youthhostels.html This site will find you a hostel in just about any city

Blogs:

http://www.travellerspoint.com/guide/ - yet another massive blog site with all kinds of information written by the people who've travelled the lands.  Also has  pretty extensive guide to many many countries, cities and places.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/ - with over 1 million subscribers this might be the most useful travel site you come across.  It has guide sections, hotel recommendations, help with planning trips and also a large forum section where you can ask the community of travellers their opinions and suggestions.

http://www.realtravel.com/