Travel Resources
Planning a trip can get complicated quickly, so I’ve gathered the exact booking platforms, gear, and travel services I rely on out in the field. To make things easy, I’ve organized this page chronologically—following the natural timeline of how a trip actually comes together, from your early inspiration to the final items you drop into your backpack.
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1. Early Planning & Travel Protection
The foundational tools, financial setups, and safety nets required before pulling the trigger on bookings.
Capital One Venture X Credit Card
My primary choice for earning heavy travel rewards, unlocking elite airport lounge access, and getting reliable built-in rental car protection.
SafetyWing
The absolute best and most flexible medical travel insurance for digital nomads, long-term backpackers, and remote workers on a subscription model.
World Nomads
Designed explicitly for adventurous travelers. Choose this if your trip involves high-octane gear, scuba diving, trekking, or extreme sports.
Squaremouth
A fantastic comparison engine if you want to contrast standard trip-cancellation policies across dozens of providers to find the cheapest rate.
WorldTrips
A dependable, comprehensive travel medical option ideal for vacationers, groups, and families seeking customized coverage limits.
2. Flights & Accommodation Booking
Airfare Tools
Going (Formerly Scott's Cheap Flights)
Set your home airport and let unbelievable mistake fares and deep flight price cuts drop straight into your email inbox.
Global Aggregators
My trusted fallback engines when I need to quickly compare global routes or bundle flights alongside rental cars for extra savings.
Preferred Regional Airlines
My primary carrier choices when flying routes within South America, Europe, or Southeast Asia respectively.
Stays & Lodging
Global Hotel & Home Search
Use Booking.com for global hotels and VRBO to lock down private vacation properties.
Hostelworld
The premier social hub for solo travelers and budget backpackers looking for vibrant hostel stays and walking groups.
TrustedHousesitters
An amazing community platform that lets you stay in beautiful local homes around the world for free in exchange for watching lovely pets.
Regional Stays Specialists
Your targeted lodging experts: Agoda and Trip.com for unbeatable rates across Asia, NH Hotels for reliable European city hotels, and Casa Andina for Peru.
3. Long Distance Ground Transit
Moving from city to city, across border lines, or between regional islands.
Rail Europe
The easiest all-in-one engine to buy high-speed cross-border European train tickets and train passes without navigating clunky local sites.
FlixBus
My preferred provider for affordable, modern city-to-city buses in Europe and North America, complete with free Wi-Fi and power outlets.
Busbud
Perfect for aggregating thousands of local and regional bus lines throughout North and South America, allowing you to book effortlessly in your own language.
12Go
The absolute golden standard for booking complex transits, shared minivans, regional trains, and island ferries across Southeast Asia, but also over 140 countries around the world.
Bookaway
An outstanding traveler-friendly transfer platform specializing in local ferries, private vans, and train routes in over 120 countries globally.
5. Day Tours, Excursions & Hiking
Guided urban activities, remote backcountry trails, and curated regional highlights.
Excursions & Attraction Tickets
My core day-trip toolkits. GetYourGuide rules European booking, Viator offers massive variety globally, and TripAdvisor excels at crowd-sourced reviews.
GuruWalk
The premier directory for finding passionate local guides who run excellent "free" walking tours in almost every major city on earth.
Culinary, Food Tours & Cooking Classes
Ditch the tourist traps. Eating Europe curates historical food walks, Secret Food Tours hits global street markets, and EatWith connects you directly with locals for immersive home-cooked dinner parties and private cooking classes.
AllTrails
The mandatory app for anyone hitting the trails. Download precise offline maps, review recent track conditions, and discover hidden viewpoints.
Adventures & Multi-Day Retreats
Your travel package heavy-hitters: G Adventures for ethical small groups, PlanetaEXO for sustainable Brazil treks, and BookSurfCamps for dedicated coastal surfing weeks.
✨ PlanetaEXO Code: Use NOMAPSAMBER for 5% off your booking!
4. Local Transportation & Car Rentals
Navigating within your destination city or taking command of your own road trip.
DiscoverCars
An award-winning comparison tool that checks global and local vehicle providers simultaneously to secure the cheapest rental car rates.
Welcome Pickups
Pre-book a trusted, English-speaking private driver to meet you directly at the airport arrivals gate for the exact same cost as a standard line taxi.
GetTransfer.com
An excellent bidding marketplace for longer inter-city transfers. Local drivers bid on your route, ensuring you get the absolute best custom price.
inDrive
A highly popular ride-hailing app in Latin America and Central Asia where you negotiate and agree on the fare directly with the driver before stepping in.
BikesBooking.com
The ultimate platform for reserving bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, and quad bikes across thousands of vacation destinations worldwide.
6. Travel Tech, Connectivity & Logistics
Digital utilities to keep your phone connected, your data secure, and your hands free.
International Mobile Connectivity
Skip expensive carrier roaming fees. Use SIM Local for instant local electronic data plans (eSIMs) or Drimsim for a physical universal traveler SIM card.
Travel Security & VPNs
Secure your private passwords and banking details when logging onto unvetted public airport WiFi networks while smoothly bypassing regional video blocks.
Language Learning Apps
Learn key phrases before arrival. Pick Pimsleur for excellent audio-based conversation skill building, Babbel for standard grammar, or Rosetta Stone for visual immersion.
Radical Storage
Don't drag heavy luggage around on your checkout day. Securely store your bags at vetted local businesses and shops for a low flat daily rate.
7. Trusted Packing & Outdoor Gear
The exact durable physical items, luggage, and technical apparel I rely on out in the field.
Premium Travel & Trail Packs
The industry gold standards for load-bearing weight distribution. Turn to Osprey for urban travel bags, and Gregory for ultimate back comfort on technical trails.
Core Gear Outlets
My primary outfitting shops. Shop REI Co-op for high-end technical outdoor clothing and gear advice, and Amazon for quick packing cubes or wall adapters.
Technical Apparel & Layers
Brands that build gear to last a lifetime. Patagonia leads for ethical insulation layers, KUHL for incredibly tough hiking pants, and Mountain Hardwear for shell protection.
BUFF
The simplest, most essential piece of multi-use gear I own. Works instantly as a neck gaiter, sun protectant, sweatband, or dust shield.
Now that you’ve seen all the gear, tools, and resources I recommend for travelers, you can save on many of them! Check out my Latest Deals & Discounts page for the current sales, coupons, and seasonal promotions from these brands — a simple way to get the gear you need while supporting the blog.
Travel Guides
in-depth insight into the all of the best sites, bites, stays, and experiences in the places i’ve wandered just a few steps ahead of you
Packing Lists
Travel Perspectives
3 ways to join me on the journey
The Travelogue
The travelogue is a catch-all for personal, diary-style storytelling from the journey and insight into what’s happening behind-the-scenes of this blog.
The Blog
The blog is where you’ll find more of the sort of practical content you’d expect on a travel blog, things like restaurant roundups, day trip ideas, and cultural insight.
The Foot Tracks
The foot tracks are literally where I ate, stayed, and explored in each city, pulled together for easy reference should you desire to follow in my foot tracks.
After nearly a decade of full-time travel, this is the gear at the top of my packing list each and every trip.