Click here to see the Times Online selection of the top 100 travel websites. Don't agree with our choices? Know of one that merits inclusion? Let us know

ROAD

www.carrentals.co.uk
To compare car rental deals from a number of suppliers and brokers on one screen, try this site.

insurance4carhire.com
This site is a gem if you want to avoid getting stung by car rental firms for excess charges. For an annual premium of £49 you can get cover for the total amount of excess for which you are liable if the car is damaged or stolen, and also for damage to the roof, undercarriage, windows and tyres.

www.nationalexpress.com
Connect to Europe's largest coach network for affordable travel across the continent, plus trains, airport transport and some local bus services. And for coach travel in the US try www.gotobus.com.

www.transportdirect.info
Enter your A to B route and the search returns a range of options, including public transport and travel by car, comparing journey times, and sometimes prices, best used in conjunction with Google maps, www.viamichelin.com or other directions service, such as AA Route Finder or RAC Route Planner. The site has a live-travel news feed, highlighting road and rail incidents, although the Highways Agency website is more regularly updated.

RAIL

www.seat61.com
The absolute authority on international rail travel - this is the place to start your planning.

www.nationalrail.co.uk
Exhaustive website covering the railways across Britain. You can book journeys, find out about engineering works or service disruptions, view network maps, link to the various UK train operators and gather trainspotter stats if you're a real rail buff. You can sign up to travel alerts for a specific journey or your everyday commute. Also see www.thetrainline.com to sign up to receive an email alert when rail fares go on sale (usually about three months ahead).

www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk
Informative site that has everything you need to know about train travel in northern Europe. Although the site focuses on Germany there are rail card offers for a selection of European countries and the train booking service is comprehensive and hassle-free.

www.raileurope.co.uk
Book, research or just browse European rail services from Eurostar to Motorail. The recently-added videos are good for first-timers, albeit in a "holiday show" style.

CRUISE

www.cruisecritic.co.uk
Big and bold website with both in-house and member reviews that cover cruises all over the world, plus there are regular news updates, features, deals and videos.

FERRY

www.sailanddrive.com
The website of the Passenger Shipping Association, which offers advice on travel by ferry, has an interactive map showing routes, frequencies and sailing time and has links to ferry operators. Also check out www.ferrybooker.com for short breaks by ferry and car.

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