Every dollar counts, so use this website for planning either a short-term vacation or an extended stay. Then use the site and app to connect with like-minded travelers.
Name: FlyingYak.com
What it does: Breaks down costs for more than 1,000 cities across the globe. Get basic financial information such as the cost of an apartment, electricity, transportation, groceries or an inexpensive restaurant meal. It also provides travelers with an overview of health care, crime, nightlife, pollution and religion. The site also connects you with other travelers so that you can glean tips or share experiences on the road.
What's hot: Got wanderlust? So do the creators of this website and corresponding app. Their belief that "investing in experiences is so much smarter than buying things" is demonstrated by FlyingYak's strong research tools, which are especially valuable for travelers who want to stay in a city longer than just to see the sights. Don't miss the compare cities feature. Once I had "followed" a few cities that met my criteria (fast Wi-Fi, food and culinary arts, beach, history and culture, clean air, female safety), I could then compare two of them by cost. It turns out that Lisbon is 33 percent less expensive than San Sebastian, Spain. Open up the cost-category boxes and you'll see how they got that figure, item by item.
What's not: It was time-consuming to use the add-a-city button. It would be much easier _ and faster _ if users could click off cities (or at least larger metro cities and travel hubs) from a list for a fast start.
