Travel Resources
Some links in this post contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you use the links at no extra cost to you! Happy reading 😀
As someone who has travelled, backpacked on and off for the past 10 years AND worked as a digital nomad on three continents, I’ve become quite the expert on how to save money and find the best travel resources.
In the list below, I’ve listed all of the resources we use whilst working and travelling full-time. Note these have all been used and tested by myself and Tom (I would never recommend something I don’t truly believe in).
Oooh, and be sure to check the information next to the link – some include discount codes!
Budget backpacking and first-time travellers
VOLUNTEERING ABROAD – WORLDPACKERS
Worldpackers is the ultimate way to travel cheaply (or even for free).
With volunteering opportunities all over the world, you can immerse yourself in the local culture and make a real difference in a country of your choice.
From farming to teaching, content creation and photography, there are volunteering jobs to suit just about anyone!
➡ You can use my code JENNIEWANDERS for $10 off when you sign up, or just click this Worldpackers link!
SAFE INTERNET CONNECTIONS – SURFSHARK VPN
We’ve used Surfshark for over 7 months now whilst backpacking through Central America. It’s one of the best purchases we’ve made – we haven’t missed out on any British TV (I can keep up with MAFs!) and our connections are always secure and private in public spaces when we are co-working (I know, I know, this is the most important thing. But TV…)
➡ You can sign up for Surfshark here, and add the promo code ‘WANDERS’ for 83% off and 3 extra months free
CHEAPEST BACKPACKER ACCOMMODATION – HOSTELWORLD.COM
Without a doubt, the best website to book hostels on. If you’re backpacking for the first time, be sure to use Hostelworld to read the reviews, check out the photos, read the description and check hostel nightly prices.
My favourite feature? A few days before your trip, you will be invited to the “location” group chat. This means you can connect with like-minded backpackers BEFORE your trip even begins! It’s a no-brainer for solo and budget backpackers.
➡ Check out Hostelworld here!
BEST BACKPACKER INSURANCE – SAFETYWING
It is so important to have travel insurance. And if you ended up on a post that’s called ‘epic party tips’, you know (just as well as I do) that you definitely need travel insurance.
Personally, I recommend SafetyWing. As a digital nomad and world traveller myself, I can confirm it is the best travel insurance out there. And one of the cheapest – they have deals that start at just $42 USD per month.
I know, I know, you’re thinking ‘but I can’t afford that!’. I was the same! It’s tough to fork out $42 a month on something ‘you might not need’. But what if something DOES happen? That extra Mezcal shot results in you falling down the stairs, or you eat something dodgy from a street food van.
If you need medical help at any point whilst in Central America, you need travel insurance.
With SafetyWing, you’re covered on travel emergencies, basic medical costs and medical expenses throughout your trip, so you can travel without worry (at a backpacker’s price!)
FREE ACCOMMODATION TO TRAVEL THE WORLD – TRUSTED HOUSESITTERS
Want to stay in free accommodation across the world? Trusted Housesitters is a place where backpackers can exchange their time, care and expertise for interesting homestays and unique travel experiences.
Some of these house sits involve looking after animals; meaning pet parents get real peace of mind knowing their pets (and home) are cared for while they’re away.
We had our first Trusted Housesitters experience in 2022, and it was one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had. We were able to spend Christmas in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, whilst falling in love with two beautiful pups.
➡ If you’re travelling on a budget, check out Trusted Housesitters. Using this link you’ll also get 25% discount on your membership!
COMPARE BUS, FERRY AND TRAIN PRICES ALL OVER THE WORLD – BOOKAWAY
Bookaway was one of our favourite resources when travelling around Central America. It helped us to book bus tickets and find easy routes and journeys between different locations.
Founded by travellers for travellers, Bookaway is an online ground transportation booking platform that takes the stress out of travel so you can enjoy your trip stress-free.
➡ Check out the Bookaway routes now!
BEST FLIGHT COMPARISON SITE – SKYSCANNER
Skyscanner is without a doubt my go-to when booking flights. It’s the quickest, easiest and cheapest comparison site out there.
Struggling to find cheap plane tickets? Type ‘EVERYWHERE’ into the search bar, and find the cheapest flights to destinations all over the world!
➡ You can try out Skyscanner here!
If I use Booking.com, it’s usually because I want to stay in a hotel. They’re a great comparison site and are user-friendly. You can also filter to ensure you get free cancellation right up until the day/week before your stay!
➡ Check out prices on Booking.com here!
CHEAP LAST-MINUTE DEALS – LASTMINUTE.COM
Lastminute is great for cheap flights and accommodation. It might take a bit of digging, but there are some amazing deals on there!
➡ Check out the latest deals on Lastminute.com now!
Digital nomad resources
BECOMING AN ONLINE TEACHER EBOOK
A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to starting your online teaching career and working from anywhere in the world.
If it wasn’t for online teaching, we wouldn’t have been able to leave England in 2022 to become full-time digital nomads.
Whilst I no longer need to supplement my income with online teaching, it supported me through the initial stages of my remote journey. And for that, I am so grateful!
➡ Want to start your own digital nomad journey? You can check out my online teaching ebook here!
FREE ‘BECOMING A DIGITAL NOMAD’ EBOOK
Want to become a digital nomad? It isn’t easy! I still count my lucky stars that I took a risk to leave everything I had known behind to become a digital nomad. Now I have total location freedom, and if that’s not living the dream, I don’t know what is.
If you’d like to become a digital nomad, you can download my FREE ebook about how I got started (and how you can too).
Don’t just take my word for it, check out this happy reader’s opinion below ↓
➡ Download my FREE ebook now!
BEST FREELANCE WEBSITE – FIVER
For either finding freelance work to earn money yourself (freelance writing, SEO writing, graphic design, coding, even advertising your online teaching skills) or hiring an expert to help with your website, social media or online brand.
I personally use Fiverr all of the time as a travel blogger. Sometimes there are just technical parts to the website that are way too hard for me to understand. I’ll pop onto Fiverr and find an expert to help me!
➡ You can view Fiverr services or advertise your own freelance skills here.
BEST DESIGN WEBSITE – CANVA
For professional-looking graphic design (ebooks, teaching posters, Instagram stories, Pinterest pins…) if you are creating your own brand.
Again, I use Canva on a daily basis. From creating ebooks to resizing photos, it’s one of my most used creator tools.
➡ You can check out Canva here.
BEST AFFILIATE PROGRAM – TRAVELPAYOUTS.COM
Travel Payouts is how I’m able to make a consistent monthly income from my blog!
Photography & Tech
Airtags: To track your luggage! This is the single best purchase I have ever made. An Apple airtag that tracks your checked baggage gives you total peace of mind when travelling internationally. Just make sure you get a keyring to go with it and keep it safe!
GoPro: I use my GoPro on every trip, whether it’s for vlogging or underwater footage. It’s also great to use when it’s raining and you don’t want to get your camera wet.
Camera for high-quality photos: Well, it’s a little more advanced, but if you want to take high-quality photos, make sure you invest in a good camera. This doesn’t have to be thousands of pounds, and our favourite is the Canon EOS 6D Mark II.
Vlogging Camera: This is my absolute favourite vlogging camera. It’s well-known to be an amazing vlogging camera, and I couldn’t recommend any others that even come close to it! With 20.1-megapixel, vertical 4K Video, 3.5mm Mic Input, Tilt-Up LCD Touchscreen, USB Charging, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, it’s pretty unbeatable.
Hard drive: If you’re planning on taking lots of photos and videos, having a hard drive is essential. Use it to move your photos off of your laptop and onto a giant TB hard drive. It will also speed up your laptop!
An extra memory card: Similar to the hard drive, if you’re looking to take a lot of photos, you may want to bring a few extra memory cards. We have hundreds!
Tripod: Solo travelling but still want to take photos? I’ve found the most perfect adjustable tripod that’s lightweight and easy to set up (you don’t want any awkward moments alone, I know how it feels!)
Drone: The best drone on the market for travellers and backpackers who want to share their footage on social media.
Apple Macbook: If you’re planning on working abroad and becoming a digital nomad, I’d recommend getting a Macbook. They are expensive, but they’re worth it!
Earphones: If you’re solo travelling, don’t forget to take earphones for busy public transport. Listening to a podcast or tuning out from the noise is a lifesaver on a busy city trip!
Xebec Tri-Screen: For those wanting to uplevel their digital nomad life on the road. Boost productivity with this easy-to-use, portable and versatile additional screen for your laptop! Check out the full review here.
Best Group Tours
Intro Travel: One of the BEST tour groups if you are moving to another country. I did Intro Travel when I moved to Australia, and they sorted everything out for me, including my visa and onward travel. Plus I met some of the best friends I could have asked for, and even ended up travelling the East Coast with them after!
Kiwi Experience: Kiwi Experience in New Zealand is undoubtedly the best way to see the country if you’re a backpacker. We travelled all over both North and South island, whilst doing activities and bucket list experiences.
Plus, I met my soul mate on the bus. Yep, Tom and I met on the Kiwi bus! Just look at us now…
Read my detailed Kiwi Experience review here.
Get Your Guide: GYG is great for solo travellers wanting to do day trips and tours.
Contiki: Contiki is another awesome group tour company that’s perfect for solo backpackers! They have tours taking place all over the world.
Rental Car & Van Resources
Rental Cars: Rental Cars are a great car rental company if you’re in the UK, USA or other countries and want cheap hire. We’ve used them all over the world, and have no complaints!
Thrifty: Another great rental car company that can be used all over the world. We rented from Thrifty when we road tripped Jordan, and again, it was seamless (and the cheapest!)
Busbud: Not into having a car for yourself? Use Busbud! It works all over the world, and is one of the main ways we found cheap buses for Mexico and South America. Busbud is a website and an app that provides you with instant access to a global network of buses.
Backpacking packing essentials
Portable charger: Don’t get caught short and lose your phone battery whilst travelling! If you’re solo travelling, you’re going to rely on it to get you from A to B.
World travel adapter or an extension lead: so you’re not using more than one plug! Especially ideal for staying in hostels.
Extra phone chargers: I cannot count the amount of times I’ve left phone chargers in hostels or Airbnbs. They can also be quite tricky to pick up in some countries, so I recommend taking a few spare.
Microfibre towel: If you’re planning on swimming anywhere, make sure you pack a Microfibre towel (and this one linked is super pretty too). They make life so much easier when getting in and out of the water.
They’re portable and easy to carry on any kind of trip. I’ve had mine for years and use it on every backpacking trip!
Dry bag + waterproof phone case: Swimming and have valuable tech on you? Don’t forget to buy a waterproof phone case (so you can still take photos!) and a dry bag. You’ll never have to worry about damaging expensive tech again!
Hanging wash bag: My absolute go-to when it comes to staying in hostels. Keep your toiletries in one place, without having to leave them on a wet floor or all over the place!
Easily hang up on your bunk bed or if you have a private bathroom, and you’ve got all your toiletries in one place.
Packing cubes: Bit of an over-packer? I have the answer! I use these handy packing cubes for every trip, meaning I can pack nearly 2 times as much as I could without! They are so worth investing in!
A padlock: to keep your valuables secure when you leave your hostel room.
Speakers: because, well, who doesn’t love music? Just make sure everyone in your room gets a chance to pick a song! (And no one minds you playing the music)
Making Friends Abroad
Facebook groups: Facebook groups are a great way to make friends when backpacking. If you’re feeling a bit lonely, type in ‘destination + backpackers’ or ‘destination + digital nomads’ on Facebook, and join some of the relevant groups.
It’s a great way to meet new people in the area and make friends!
Meetup.com: Another great website is Meetup. They host a variety of events all over the world, where anyone is welcome.
You might just want to vet the groups and what the event is first to make sure it matches your vibe!
Hostelworld: Book through Hostelworld to meet friends in your accommodation. Hostelworld even have a way on their app to see who is staying at your hostel before you arrive, meaning you can make friends way in advance!
They’re definitely one of the best ways to make friends whilst backpacking.
Showing Proof of Onward Travel for Visa Reasons
For visa reasons, when arriving in certain countries, you may need to show proof of outbound travel. To get around this, you can:
- Book a REFUNDABLE flight. This is my favourite way to show outbound travel, and it really is so easy (as long as you check the airline’s T+C’s). Refundable flights are usually found directly via an airline. You usually have up to 24 hours before the flight to cancel. It’s a perfect way to show outbound travel without having to lose any money.
- Book a ‘fake’ or ‘rented’ ticket. This may sound scary, but it isn’t, I promise! There are a lot of ‘fake’ plane ticket generators online now, that create 100% legit plane tickets for you to show as outbound travel. Fake Flight Tickets is one of the most popular, but from a quick Google search there are loads!
- Actually buy a cheap plane ticket. This is obviously the most expensive option, but it’s the most legit. Enter the location you will be in, and then find the cheapest flight out of there (even if you have no intention of boarding). Some places will have £10-15 flights available if you’re lucky!
Bonus resources for first-time travel
Extra colour copies of your passport: If you lose your passport whilst backpacking, the easiest way to get a flight to fix the solution is by having coloured copies of your passport. I recommend taking 3-5 copies and ensuring you keep them in different places (one in your hand luggage, one in your backpack, etc).
Photoaid: My experience with the digital nomad lifestyle taught me to cut costs and save time wherever possible. That’s why I love PhotoAiD. It’s a photo tool that allows you to get pictures for any official document – passport, ID, different kinds of licenses, or cards – without wasting time visiting an on-site photographer and for a lower price. (And honestly, it was the first time I was not ashamed of my document picture!)
As always, if you have a question about these resources (or anything else travel or blogging-related) you can contact me over on Instagram or on my contact me page.
Happy travelling!
Jennie 😀 x
Hey you! 🙋♀️ I quit my job in 2021 to become a full-time travel blogger + visit as much of the globe as possible. Come and join me on my chaotic and hilarious travel journeys!
📷 Instagram: @jennie_wanders
🎥 Youtube Channel: Jennie Wanders
📍Pinterest: Jennie Wanders Travel Blog
Pssst! Want to know a secret on how to travel for free?!
Yes, you read that right. FREE!
There IS a secret we travel bloggers use to be able to travel for free (or at a very low price).
Drumroll please…
WORLDPACKERS.
Worldpackers is one of the best and cheapest ways to travel the world for a very small price (or even free!).
With volunteering opportunities all over the world, you can immerse yourself in the local culture and make a real difference in a country of your choice.
From farming to teaching, content creation and photography, there are volunteering jobs to suit just about anyone!
And the best thing? It’s CHEAP!
Most opportunities are work exchange programs (where you work for accommodation), OR you pay a small fee of under $10 a day to stay. Sign me up!
We’ve booked in for a Worldpackers experience in Colombia in 2022 (follow along here!), and have so many other volunteering plans up our sleeves.
From the Amazon Rainforest to the heart of the African savannah, Worldpackers is the BEST way to travel on a budget.
Like the sound of it?
***Use my code: JENNIEWANDERS for $10 off your membership! (click here to join) ***
Oooh, and don’t worry, it’s super cheap to join, and your fee lasts an entire year!
It’s perfect for budget backpackers and solo travellers, and I just wish I had found Worldpackers sooner!