There are so many great travel resources out there that can make traveling more affordable and meaningful. You don’t need thousands of dollars to travel or to explore the far reaches of the world. All you need is the right information and the confidence to make it happen. There are several programs and organizations that can help cut the cost of your travels immensely and also help make moving around much easier. Here are my picks for travel resources that I personally have used or have researched thoroughly and trust.
Hostel World and Hostels.com – Booking nights at a hostel are one of the cheapest ways to save money on accommodations and it’s also a great way to meet people while traveling. Hostel World and Hostels.com are two sites I use when I am booking a hostel and I completely trust the reviews that users leave on the site.
Kidmoto – Kidmoto focuses on providing safe and reliable airport transfers, equipped with properly installed child car seats for infants, toddlers, and young kids. It’s not available everywhere yet, but the location list is growing!
Compare Travel Insurance – A handy guide that gives the basics about different types of coverage travelers can expect on a typical travel insurance policy. This is a very useful resource on the importance of purchasing travel insurance coverage while abroad for any length of time.
CIS Study Abroad- In college? By signing up for a study abroad program through your university, you might be able to get financial aid to cover your travel and living expenses abroad. If you are considering to study abroad, make an appointment at the study abroad office on campus as soon as possible in case spots are limited for the country you want to study in.
Traveler’s Health – The CDC provides a page that lets you know what type of vaccinations are needed for any of the countries you are visiting. You should take care of your vaccinations well before you begin your travels in case they’re expensive and you don’t have health insurance or will need several vaccinations over a period of time. If you don’t have health insurance, you should contact your county or city’s health department for low cost vaccinations.
Airalo e-Sims – With most unlocked smartphones, you can now get international e-sims for a week to a month for $15-$60 USD depending on how many GB and days you purchase. Airalo is one popular and reputable option.
Visa Travel Mapper – Visa Travel Mapper is a good source to see if you don’t need a travel visa to the country you’re visiting and includes things like whether you can get it on arrival or need to apply for one ahead.
XE- Currency converter with iOS and Droid apps available that will come in handy anywhere you travel to.
AwardWallet – AwardWallet helps you keep track of your frequent flier miles and points and notifies you when they’re close to expiring. Treat your miles like gold, they can get a free flight or even a free night at a fancy hotel in Europe. (Let me know if you register using my link, I can provide you with an AwardWallet upgrade code! )
SquareMouth – Please, please please don’t travel without travel insurance. SquareMouth helps you compare quotes and purchase travel insurance from different providers. It’s easy to navigate and has major/popular providers for comparisons.
WhatsApp- Whatsapp is one of the most popular texting/phone apps in the world and allows you to make phone calls and send text messages using wifi. Before leaving for a trip, make sure that the people who you will want to keep in touch with you have the app downloaded. While you’re traveling, you will also find that most people use WhatsApp as their main text/phone service to get in touch with your AirBnb host for example.
Uber- The convenience of Uber while traveling is that users are able to book a ride without having to deal with physical money so for example, if you have just landed and had not had a chance to exchange money yet or you’re short on cash.
Cabify – An alternate rideshare app that is available in several South American countries, Spain and Mexico, which connects you to drivers. The benefit of this is that payment is made via the app.
Rome2Rio – Great app to plan out how you will travel from point A to B, which shows options for different modes of transportation, the pricing, time schedule for essentially, any where in the world.
ITA Matrix – Whether you’re taking a complex multi-destination trip, need to make a massive mileage run simply just want to make sure you are getting the best deal possible, the ITA Matrix shows deeper results per whatever your flight specifications are.
Great Circle Mapper – Another great tool to map out your itinerary, especially if you are on top of your points and miles game.
Xoom – Did you lose your cash or credit cards while traveling? Traveling for an extended period of time and are not comfortable traveling with a stack of bills. Take a deep breath. You can send yourself cash through your bank for pickup through Xoom. Xoom is similar to Western Union but has lower fees and sometimes a better exchange rate.
Do you think I missed any good travel resources? Let me know!