From websites to apps, travellers are inundated with recommendations and reviews of places to eat, drink and visit. But often a scribbled note from a friend is the best guide. Founded on this idea, Travelboxe is an online friend-to-friend recommendation network.

Trip4real is an online community which helps travellers find alternatives to the beaten tourist track. The platform also allows locals to 'add an experience' onto the site which users can then sign up for.

With a third of Brits spending over 10 hours researching a holiday, a new generation of apps is refining the process. As mobile becomes indispensable for travellers, rome2rio maps out journeys door-to-door to minimise both travel and planning time.

You've booked a room through Airbnb, but what do you do when you get there? The room sharing platform is testing a new feature called 'Local Companion', a concierge service that connects you to locals at your destination, who can tell you where's hot and what's pop.