Travel Resources
Here is a list of some of my favorite travel resources, including accommodation, airfare, and the travel gear I use on the road. Everything here I’ve used for a while, tested, and highly recommend to make your travels better. Many of the links below are affiliate links and should you happen to purchase anything through those links, I’ll get a small commission back that will go towards maintaining this site and keeping my travels going. Also, here is a general Amazon link as well for anything not on the list. I’ll regularly update this list of travel resources to make it as complete as possible.
ACCOMMODATION
– Agoda.com – Agoda is probably the best search engine for booking guesthouses and hotels in Asia. They always seem to have the most options and the best prices.
– Airbnb.com – Airbnb is really great when you’re traveling with a couple of friends and want to rent a whole apartment or house. Get a $25 travel credit when you sign up for Airbnb using this link.
– Booking.com – Booking.com is great for hotel and apartment bookings around the world. Get a $25 travel credit when you use this link.
– Hostelworld.com – As you probably know, I love staying in hostels. As long as I’ve been traveling I’ve been using HostelWorld. I’ve used their platform to book hostels in lots of different countries and never had any issues. The best part are the ratings and reviews on each hostel you can check out before you book. I usually pick one based on some combination of rating and price and the booking process is short and simple.
– HotelTonight – HotelTonight is great for last-minute bookings, but they recently started allowing advance bookings as well. You can get up to 50% off at hotels wherever you end up at, plus other discounts the more you use the app. I’ve used this a lot over the past few months and saved a ton of money. Get a $25 travel credit when you sign up for HotelTonight using this link.
– Hotwire.com – If the specific hotel brand doesn’t matter to you, you can save quite a bit of money booking through Hotwire. You tell them how many stars you’d like and they guarantee a hotel in that range at a significant discount. Then as soon as you book they tell you the hotel name. I use Hotwire quite a bit for hotels and rental cars, sometimes getting package deals for booking both.
AIRFARE
– Google Flights – Currently my #1 favorite flight booking site. I always find the best deals here.
– Kayak.com – Also one of my favorite booking sites. Like Google Flights, I really like their Explore feature and if you haven’t tried it out before, it might change your (travel) life.
– Skyscanner.com – Skyscanner can be good if you don’t have a specific destination in mind. For example, you can select ‘United States’ to ‘Everywhere’ for whatever dates you’re looking at and it’ll give a listing of the cheapest flights available. Skyscanner also picks up some of the smaller airlines that the other search engines miss.
– Momondo.com – I just recently discovered Momondo and one cool feature is that it searches non-English language booking sites. Sometimes it’ll take you to a German booking site and you can use Google Translate and save a bit of money that way.
– Vayama.com – Vayama is best for finding deals on international flights and is a good starting point for your long-haul flights.
TRAVEL GEAR
– World Nomads Travel Insurance – I like World Nomads a lot because for a relatively insignificant amount of money it protects all of your gear, plus most anything that might happen to you when you’re out adventuring. They have Standard plans and then higher-level Explorer plans that cover pretty much anything you could get yourself into. Some of the Explorer activities include scuba diving, cliff jumping, rock climbing, skydiving, and loads of other things.
– REI.com – REI is one of my favorite stores in the world. It’s basically like an adult playground and there have been times I’ve spent hours wandering around checking out all the new gear they have. Plus if you sign up for a membership (only $20 to be a lifetime member) you get an annual 10% dividend on all your purchases, member-only sale days, and they send coupons all the time.
Electronics
– iPhone 11 Pro 256 GB (Unlocked) – Basically the swiss army knife of travel gear. This serves as my phone, GPS and maps, language translator, music and podcast player, and countless other functions when I travel. I make sure to get the unlocked version (or the Verizon version in the U.S.) because the first thing I do when I touch down in a new country is to get a local SIM card (for data) in the airport. The new iPhone 11 Pro has 3 cameras and they are ridiculously good.
– Apple Airpods Pro – The Airpods Pro are a new addition to my collection. These are my first pair of Airpods, and the combination of noise cancellation and customizable silicone tips to fit the size of your ear make these (in my opinion) the best wireless ear buds on the market. Great for switching between calls and music/podcasts throughout the day.
– 13.3 inch Macbook Pro – MacBook Pro laptops are incredible. I sprung for the 8 GB memory and 512 GB hard drive as they’re not easily upgradeable later on.
– Kindle Paperwhite – As it’s difficult to carry more than 2-3 physical books with you on the road, the Kindle Paperwhite has been a lifesaver. I can now carry hundreds of books with me anywhere. Plus, the screen is great for reading in pretty much any conditions, whether that’s at the beach, on a plane, etc. Keep it in airplane mode and the battery lasts a long time.
Camera Gear
– Sony a6000 Camera – Since my last camera lost a battle with a waterfall, I picked up this one and I love it. As of right now, I’m just using it with the 16-50mm kit lens. The autofocus is practically instant and having a viewfinder has been invaluable.
– GoPro Hero 8 Black – The newest version of a great adventure camera. I’ve used my GoPro a lot for diving and exploring places where I wouldn’t want to get my main camera wet.
– XShot Pocket Camera Extender – I use this selfie stick to get that perfect shot with my GoPro. It’s also really good to use underwater to get shots in awkward places I might not be able to get into myself. (Here’s the full-size version for a little extra reach).
– Wasabi GoPro Accessory Pack – This pack comes with 2 extra batteries and a wall charger. The extra batteries have saved me many times, especially when shooting videos.
Bags
– Aer Travel Pack – My current go-to travel bag. I spent a lot of time looking at various options in the all-in-one carry-on category, and I couldn’t be happier with this bag. The ultimate convenience is to travel with only 1 carry-on bag for your trips. With lots of pockets and a separate padded compartment for my laptop, I think I’ll be using this bag for a while.
– Osprey Atmos 50 Backpack – Although I’ve been using something a bit smaller recently, I’ve been using this backpack for the past few years and it’s been great. It’s extremely durable and even after going on several trips and being beaten up, it still looks like it’s fairly new.
– CamelBak Cloud Walker Hydration Pack – This is a new daypack that I recently picked up and I love it. Great for day trips and festivals as it has a 2-liter hydration pouch for water.
– Timbuk2 Messenger Bag – My daily messenger bag to hold things like my laptop, Kindle, notepads, etc.
OTHER STUFF
– Eurail – Riding the train around Europe is a fun way to see the countryside between your destinations and considerably more comfortable than some of the budget airlines. You can buy everything from single tickets up to unlimited 3-month passes good for the entire European Union. The passes are significantly cheaper if you’re under 26, but can still be a reasonable deal if you’re not.