Last week, I told you about my favorite website for finding flights: Google Flights. This is typically going to be your first step when planning a trip, especially if you’re looking to travel internationally. But what happens once you’ve reached your destination?

Here’s where another website will come in handy:
Rome2Rio

How I found this site, I’ll never remember. But it’s a blessing and will save you so much time, so much money, and so many headaches along the way.

How it works – the basics:
For this site, you should know where you’re traveling from and to.

STEP 1:
Type in your “from” and “to” and click “search”

On the left, options will be listed with brief descriptions, approximate costs, and symbols as to which type of transportation is associated with the suggested journey.

STEP 2:
Click on one of the choices that attracts you. I typically ignore those involving a car/ “Drive” as I don’t have that option. For this journey, I’ll check out the one that suits my tastes best: “Fly from Edinburgh”

STEP 3:
Click on “Fly from Edinburgh”
A new tab will swing open, showing the journey in more detail.
We see a bus, plane, and car.

PHASE 1: 
Click on the bus.

Yet another tab will open, showing you the exact website where you can purchase the first lag of your journey, the bus from Edinburgh Center to Edinburgh Airport (EDI). It also shows you an approximate fare. Local bus fairs rarely fluctuate and therefore are typically accurate.

Click on the website link provided, and book your ticket or find more information on that website before returning to Rome2Rio.

Once back at Rome2Rio, click on your previous page (the left facing arrow) to return to “Fly from Edinburgh”

PHASE 2:
You’ve already examined the bus phase, so now it’s time to look at flights. Click on the airplane row. You’ll see a new page pop out. This will have different flight schedules listed, as well as the option to select “One Way” or “Return” (there and back), and to list the dates of your journey. This will allow more accurate prices and schedules to be listed. On the right, you can click on “Show airfares” – or if you’ve grown accustomed to Google Flights, simply check out that website for airfares.

PHASE 3:
Return once more to “Fly from Edinburgh” and click on your final phase: The Car.
When we look at it, it appears the only option is a rental car.  This is rarely the case. But here’s where Google can play another role.

Open a new web page and type in something simple. In this case “Jersey airport to St. Helier”

Look at that! You can take a bus for just 2 pounds, rather than rent a car. Follow the link to complete your journey.

 

 

Okay, so this is just one example. Of course, every journey is different and will provide you with different routes and options. To practice, test out a route that you’re familiar with. For example – how to get from your local airport to your home. Or try something more adventurous: maybe how to get from one relative’s house to another’s. Note: if you put in a huge distance, especially if it crosses water, you’ll end up with lots of flight options. Be creative and try something more fun like… Minneapolis to Nicaragua. (Really, try it: Click HERE!)

What do you think? Have you used Rome2Rio before? Are you a first-timer? Have you come across another site that lets you plan journeys similar to this? Share your ideas in the comments below!

And as always, Happy Travels! xxAnika