How to Make Domestic and International Trips Easier With Rome2rio

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Rome2rio is a free resource that can save time and money when you want to travel to a new destination and keep costs down.

Enter where you want to visit and the site will show you how to get there by plane, train, bus, ferry, or car.  And it gives you prices for each transportation option.  It even works for trips with multiple stops.

So whether you’re looking to fly around the world or just take a road trip within the US, Rome2rio is a useful research tool!

I’ll show you how Rome2rio works!

Why You Should Check Rome2rio Before You Travel

Link:   Rome2rio  

Link:   World Travel 101

Rome2rio is a one-stop travel planning tool.  The site use lots of data to help you research costs and travel times to destinations all over the world.

I’ll share a step-by-step guide to using the site in a moment.  But as an example, let’s say you’re planning to travel from New York to Boston.

You can enter your departure location and travel destination.  Rome2rio will show you transportation options, travel times, and estimated price for your journey.

Even if you’re a seasoned traveler, Rome2rio might suggest ways to save money on a trip.  Like flying to an alternative airport and taking a train or bus to your destination.

Besides its planning features, Rome2rio can also redirect you to book your trip.  The site partners with Skyscanner for flights, Booking.com for hotels,  and Rentalcars.com.

Rome2rio won’t give you prices for award flights.  But it’s still a good starting point for folks using miles & points to figure out which airlines fly on certain routes.

You can use the Rome2rio website, or you can also download the app for your Apple or Android device.  Overall, the mobile apps get positive reviews, but some folks prefer the ease of use with the website.

And you don’t need to create a account to access most features of Rome2rio, which is great!  Here’s how to use Rome2rio!

Step 1.   Enter Your Departure Location and Travel Destinations

First, enter your starting location and the destination.

The locations do NOT have to be specific airport codes or cities.  You can enter exact addresses, or just the name of a country.

In this example, I searched from Chicago to the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome.

Step 2.   Select a Travel Option

Next, you’ll see potential travel options with estimated travel times and prices.

In this example, you have the choice to fly from Chicago to either of Paris’ airports.  I selected the option that includes a flight to Paris (CDG).

After choosing an option, you’ll get more details on the estimated travel time and costs for each part of your journey.

In this example, Rome2rio shows everything from the initial train ride to the airport in Chicago to the walking directions to the hotel in Paris.

I find this part of Rome2rio to be very helpful.  Because you’ll see the estimated time each part of your trip takes all on 1 screen.

Step 3.   View Specific Travel Options

Now that you have an idea on estimated travel times, you can dive deeper to find specific flights and transportation options.

I clicked on the flight portion of the trip.

Then, a new screen appears, that lists airlines that fly the route along with dates and flight times.

At this step, you’ll have the option to search for specific flights to see prices and times.  This information comes from Skyscanner.

If you decide to book on this screen, you might be redirected to a 3rd-party booking site.  I recommend checking the price on the airline website to make sure you’re getting the best deal!

Besides researching flights, you can also view estimated prices and travel times for other parts of your journey.  Or compare alternate transportation options.

For example, I clicked on the first part of the journey, which first suggested a train ride to the airport.

When you scroll down, there are options to take a taxi or shuttle to the airport instead of a train.  So you can select one of these to update the estimated travel time and cost of the trip.

Step 4.   Add Multiple Travel Destinations

If you plan to travel beyond the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, you can add a new destination to the end of your trip.

For example, I entered Italy.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be a specific address.

The results show lots of ways to travel from Paris to Italy.  You can take a plane, train, bus, or drive.

This is a fantastic perk of Rome2rio.  Because if you’re planning a trip to multiple countries, you’ll get an idea of the total estimated travel time and costs.

And there’s no limit.  You can continue adding destinations to your journey!

Step 5.   Print, Share, or Save Your Trip

After you’re done researching your trip, you can print, share, or save your trip.

I like the “Print View” because it shows a nice layout of each part of your trip.

To save your travel plans, you’ll need to sign-up for a free account.

Rome2rio Drawbacks and Alternatives

Rome2rio is a terrific way to begin researching and planning a vacation or adventure.  But there are some parts of the site that could use improvements.

For example, I found the price estimates for flights to be inaccurate.  The Chicago (ORD) to Paris example showed an estimated one-way flight price range from $260 to $700.

But when I searched on Google Flights, I couldn’t find a one-way flight for less than ~$500 on most dates.

I think an upgrade to the site would be using your travel dates to pull in real time pricing information instead of estimates.

There are not many alternatives apps or sites that provide you with as much information as Rome2rio does by just entering your departure and destination locations.

For example, you can use Google Maps.  But when you enter the same criteria in the earlier example, you only get flight options.

Google Maps can work for multi-destination trips like Rome2rio.  But you’ll have to enter specific addresses for your journey, which takes more time.

Bottom Line

Rome2rio is a free and helpful tool for folks looking to plan a travel adventure.

The site can save you time and money by suggesting multiple travel options.  You just have to enter your departure location and travel destination to get started!

You’ll find the estimated travel time and costs for each part of your journey, which can include travel by plane, train, bus, ferry, or car.

If you like what you see on the Rome2rio trip itinerary, you can book through other websites like Booking.com or Rentalcars.com to purchase parts of the trip.

For folks who use miles & points to book travel, Rome2rio can be a great starting point to see which airlines offer specific routes.

Have you used Rome2rio?  I’d love to hear your experience!