When I started out travelling I didn’t have a clue, I just booked and flight, packed my bags and went for it. Now after over 10 years of travelling, planning and making mistakes I’ve managed to collate some of the best travel resources I use for every trip! No more searching endlessly for answers, it’s all here!
What are travel resources? They are the services and products that make travel planning easier and more affordable. It includes everything from accommodation to help forums for answers to specific questions you can’t find anywhere else.
Each resource listed below is one that I regularly use and I believe you to find them useful also.
Websites
Great for all countries but extra useful for those less visited countries, Wikitravel is an essential travel resource that I simply couldn’t travel without. It is my favourite resource for those off the beaten track destinations and helps a great deal with up to date safety situations, most of which aren’t exaggerated.
Booking a tour a restaurant or a hotel and want to read some reviews of fellow travels then tripadvisor is the website for you. I tend to scan over the reviews since we are experiencing an epidemic of fake reviews so be cautious as to what you believe. It’s also a great tool to find things to do in a city, region or country. The forum section is also great to answer any other specific travel queries, similar to The Lonely Planet forum.
The amount of questions already asked on this platform is so impressive that your query may already be answered. Like the trip advisor forum it is full of experienced travellers ready to help you out with visa, transport and general travel advice you might be struggling to find on the internet.
Flights
They all do the same thing, it just depends which you prefer using. A good option is choosing “anywhere” as the destination and if you are flexible with your travel dates then you can also choose “cheapest month” to be sure that you’ll get a good deal!
If you are extra flexible with your travel dates and don’t mind spending £35 a year on the subscription then Jacks Flight Club is a great option. They will email you through the year with the cheapest fares leaving from your country, the savings you can make are incredible. An example I got was London to Manila in peak season for £300…..RETURN!
Need to book a flight to apply for a visa but don’t want to risk losing the cash if your visa gets rejected? Then get onto fake flights and spend £5/flight, something I have had to do quite a bit for a few of my African visas.
Apps
Completely necessary to increase security when surfing the web, not to mention the ability to watch home television you would have since missed. Another huge benefit is the ability to use Facebook, Google, Whatsapp amongst many more in countries that have decided to outlaw them.
Want to keep track of which countries you have visited then Been app is the one for you. Been displays as interactive map and list to show you exactly where you have and have not “Been”.
A free and enjoyable app I used extensively before my trip to South America and one that helped me greatly. With just 30 minutes a day you would be surprised how easy it is with Duolingo.
Travel Insurance
To this day I am shocked that people travel long periods of time without insurance. I have been omitted to hospital and lost my luggage on 4 separate occasions, so for me it will always be 100% necessary. World Nomads are reliable and helpful when things go wrong which means you can worry less and continue on with you trip.