Going on a vacation sure is fun. But planning for it out can be tedious. From selecting the perfect holiday spot to figuring out accommodation and what to do, drawing up a holiday itinerary can be a painstaking process.

Enter travel planning portals and apps that help you plan your travel and make the bookings.

Picking a destination

It all begins, of course, with your destination. Based on your budget, theme preference such as a romantic place, or one where your kids will have a good time, travel planning sites throw up a variety of choices. The number of days you will be on vacation is also a factor to be considered.

For instance, Incredibleindia.org from the Ministry of Tourism lets you explore destinations based on region and interest. You can get a glimpse of the area, info on weather and points of interest in and around the vicinity. Links to the relevant State tourism website are provided for detailed descriptions.

Other websites such as Tripadvisor.com and Lonely Planet provide such information for international destinations as well. You can even estimate how much your vacation is likely to cost. For example, the KitnaPadega calculator from Tripigator ( www.tripigator.com/KitnaPadega ) gives you the approximate cost per person for a tour package based on your hotel preference, number of days and group size.

Detailed itinerary

Many sites also provide insightful articles and pictures on the destinations which will make it easier for you to zero in on your destination or hotel or working out your itinerary.

There are apps, such as mygola, to discover things to do in a city; this can help you plan in detail. Triphobo.com provides the itineraries of other travellers who are willing to share it, to give you an idea.

Triphobo also uses information such as when the destination’s attractions are open; distance between locations, and so on, for a more realistic schedule, says Saket Newaskar, co-founder and CTO, TripHobo. Oyelife, an app from Must See India, helps you discover activities and events as well as lesser-known places in a city says Vikas Rana, CEO and co-founder, Must See India. Tools such as these use updated local information to factor in possible delays or closures. You can rely on suggestions given in the attractions’ descriptions to figure out the best time to visit, says Mukul Garg, co-founder, Tripigator. If you'd rather make it up on the go, turn to apps such as Tripigator’s “Near Me Now”. The feature guides you to attractions that are close by. Many travel apps partner with other sites, such as Zomato.

Navigating international airports can often be confusing, and apps such as Trip38 guide you here, says Niranjan Gupta, its founder and CEO. But if you find it too much of a bother to chalk out your own plan and prefer to go the agent way, websites can still be your friend.

Selecting agents

Portals such as traveltriangle.com aggregate itineraries from tour service providers.

You can thus compare itineraries given by providers based on your interest and budget, read up on user reviews and finally request bids. You can then pick what works best for you, says Sankalp Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder, Travel Triangle. You can even customise your tour bookings online and the portals also answer questions you may have about the travel agent or itinerary. You can also reach out in case of any issues faced during the trip. Then there are portals such as pickyourtrail.com . which help you create your own itinerary working with a curated travel agent. This is especially useful for overseas destinations, says Hari Ganapathy, co-founder, Pick Your Trail. The itineraries cater to your requirements, such as pace of travel. The service can cost you between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 depending on your desination.

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