Photo credit: jonrawlinson / Foter / CC BY
Traveling is easier now than it ever was. The world is not connected thanks to the internet and you can find flights, hotels, activities, tours, and even friends with just one click. While in many ways I believe this takes away some of the magic of travel, I cannot deny that sometimes it helps keep the stress away. I am a nomadic traveller, meaning that I travel the world full time and these are my favourite apps and websites:
Making Friends
Penroads – Penroads is the perfect way to meet friends when you are traveling. The road can often get lonely and Penroads helps you connect with other travellers who happen to be in the same place as you.
Accommodation
Couch Surfing – In Couch Surfing, you can search for a couch to sleep in free of charge in a local’s home. Even though CS is not what it used to be a few years back, it is still a great place to find a place to stay, host or meet new people who might show you around and help you see your destination of clothes from a local’s point of view.
Trustroots – The same as Couch Surfing but the community is smaller, which is a good thing as everyone here is looking to get the old couch surfing community feeling back.
Airbnb – Rent a place from a local. Often Airbnb is great as it helps you feel more at home than in a hotel or hostel. You can either rent a whole place, a room at a local’s home and sometimes even quirky options such as tree houses and igloos.
Flights
Skyscanner – Skyscanner will search for the cheapest flights available on the date you choose. I prefer Skyscanner over any other website as it lets you look for flights during a whole month and even the whole year. It also gives you the option to search “Anywhere”, which is useful if you are unsure where to go!
FlyOnward – For those who are like me and travel full time, chances are you don’t want to be tied up to a certain schedule and leave the option to stay longer in a certain place open. Often, when flying or applying for a visa, you might be asked for a return flight to make sure you are not intending to stay illegally. FlyOnward lets you rent a return flight for $9.99.
Return Flights – This is the same as FlyOnward but free. The downside is that the flights are not real and you never know if the immigration officer might check if the booking is real.
Transportation
GoEuro – GoEuro is for those travelling in Europe. It will find the fares for any day’s trains and buses running from the city you are in to the city you wish to go. This is a great time saver as it will search almost the whole net for the best prices.
BlaBlaCar – Carpool with a local, meaning, if you want to go somewhere, you can search for locals going to the same place who will let you get in the car for a fee. Usually, it is cheaper than taking a bus or a train.
Tripda – The same as BlaBlaCar but focused on other countries.
Hitchiwiki – Perfect for beginner hitchhikers! Hitchiwiki will tell you the best tips, stories and spots to hitchhike out and into almost any place in the world.
Finding Stuff To Do
Insiders – Insiders uses your location to find the best attractions, shops, hotels, restaurants and any place of interest located nearby to you. It is a Condé Nast application and often features recommendations by famous people and publications such as Vogue and the likes. This means that it finds more up-scale places, but it is not always the case. You can also create and account and post your findings and tips.
Work in Exchange for accommodation
Find a job that will not pay you in cash, but in accommodation and sometimes food. This is the best way to really experience a place and the easiest way for you to travel if you don’t have much money available. Jobs range from hostel jobs to helping out in vineyards and farms. Some of the websites where you can find opening are: HelpX, Wwoof, Workaway
Updated: September 9, 2015
