Free Travel Resources

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase.

After a lot of trial and error testing out a countless number of apps and travel sites over the years, I’ve compiled my favorite travel tips and resources for you in this post. The main thing I want you to know is that travel is within your reach and does not have to be expensive! Here’s to taking some fun trips this year!

Safety

Sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (US Citizens and nationals only)
- Receive important info from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country and help family and friends contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
Compare Airline safety records using this tool.

Active & Adventure Travel

Goodwill Ambassadors Volleyball Tours
Race2Adventure – 8-day tours with daily races – they go all over the world!
Patagonian Expedition Race
LivinRVision – Tips for Full-Time RV Living

Travel Hacks & Saving Money

My 10 Best Travel Hacks and Packing Tips
The Best Way To Earn Free Flights And Lodging
Student Universe – Exclusive discounts on flights, hotels and tours for students and young adults under 26
Tripoto – social sharing community where you can earn discounted travel. Use referral code emilyedgrenadams when you sign up to earn free credits.
SpareFare – Sell non-refundable flights and hotel reservations that you cannot use

Credit Card Points – The Best Card For Earning More Free Lodging

Marriot Rewards Visa

Pro Tip: Do not get joint cards with your significant other, that way you can get a good deal two times. Sometimes an additional user on a card will preclude that person from getting their own card.

Budget Lodging & Work Exchanges

TalkTalkBnb – Free lodging in exchange for practicing language skills
AwardMapper – Search for hotels based on points required
AwardHacker – Plug in your destination to find the lowest amount of points for a reward flight
Holiday Swap – Seen that movie called The Holiday? It’s like that!
WWOOF – Volunteer on organic farms in exchange for room & board
Hostelworld – View reviews on hostels before booking.
HelpX – Volunteering in exchange for food and lodging
Workaway – Sustainable and cultural exchange

Pro-tip for hotel and car reservations: most can be canceled up to 24 hours before the day, so make your reservation and then check back often for cheaper prices. Rebook if you find something better.

Get a Priority Pass Membership today with 20% off across all tiers and receive up to $150 off in a Roam Luggage.

Cruises

Pemco – Cruises that clean the ocean
Uncruise – Adventures on small ships
Tips For First Time Cruisers
Cruise Compete – Compare offers from multiple travel agencies
Start at Rakuten to get cashback on your cruise booking (I use Expedia)

Passports & Visas

RushMyPassport
Check to see if your destination requires a Visa HERE.
Get your FREE passport photo here

Funding A Honeymoon

We used Honeyfund for our wedding registry and this was a huge reason we were able to take a month-long journey to St. Lucia, Europe, and Morocco for our honeymoon!

Looking for a dream honeymoon destination? Check out this Maldives Honeymoon Guide

Tour Companies

G Adventures – Insanely affordable tours
Intrepid – Balkan Adventure Review
Contiki – Review of Western European Horizon Tour
Urban Adventures – Day tours led by locals
Global Greeters – Free tours led by locals

Booking Flights / Trip Planning

Skiplagged – cheap deals found through hidden fares
Secret Flying – this is an AMAZING site that shows super low-cost error fares and creative ways to reach your destination cheaply. Check it often because deals go quickly!
Hopper – a good tool for tracking changes in flight prices
Wikibuy – use the extension to make sure you’re getting the cheapest flights
Kayak – the Explore feature is helpful if you’re not sure where you want to go but want to see the cheapest destinations.
SeatGuru – check out your seat map before you fly
Rome2Rio – helps you plan your route and shows you the cheapest option to get from point A to point B. I use this on almost every trip I take!
Tripsavvy – A great site to find out the best things to do in your destination.

Pro Tip: When asking for an accommodation of some type, such as ‘can you get us on an earlier flight’, or ‘can I have a car class upgrade’ if you do not get the answer you want, ask someone else (discreetly). Try asking up to 3 people to see if you can get the answer you want.

Pet Lovers

BringFido – Pet-Friendly Hotel and Travel Directory
TripHound – booking travel through this site donates money to save shelter dogs!
Trusted Housesitters – for an annual fee, you can find housesitting opportunities around the world for free lodging in exchange for caring for pets.
Rover – Find verified pet sitters (or sign up as a pet sitter/walker) with reviews to care for your fur baby while you’re away traveling. We have used this site a few times and had good experiences. You can get $20 off your first booking by using my link.

Navigation

Citymapper – Find the best combination of public transportation
Maps.me – downloadable offline maps – great for places you won’t have WiFi
Google Maps – my go-to when I can access my network or can access WiFi.

Communication

Whatsapp and Viber – useful apps for free texting overseas
WeChat – useful texting/calling app for those traveling in China
Google Voice – set up a number before you travel internationally to save on calls
Duolingo – learn many different languages in a fun, interactive way

Food

GlobeTips – Tipping etiquette based on country
Zomato – Find good restaurants based on your interests and book reservations through the app. A Foodie’s BFF.
Eatwith – Dining experiences, food tours and cooking classes around the world

Travel Insurance

6 Top Choices for Travel Insurance – This research-based guide will help you choose the option that is best to protect you. I have personally used Allianz and can vouch for it being a great option.

Flight Sanity

How To Overcome Flight Anxiety
Google Podcasts
Amazon Kindle – download books to read on your flight on your Kindle or in the Kindle App
Noise- Cancelling Headphones

Transportation

Book with Autoslash To Get The Cheapest Rental Car Rates
Lyft – Earn Delta SkyMiles through booking a ride with Lyft. Use code EMILY6454 for your first ride.
Turo – a car-sharing app that lets you rent your car to others while not driving
Bla Bla Car – like Uber but for Europe. Shared carpooling.
Grab – An app for taxi service, food service, etc in Southeast Asia
A Single Stop for European Rail Travel
Boatsetter.com

Put Your Shopping To Work Toward Travel Expenses

Saving, Building Credit And Reducing Debt

Saver Life – Earn a free $60 just for consistently making savings deposits each month for 6 months
Givling – Trivia App that pays off student loans (lottery system)

Pro Tip: Keep one solid credit card open and in use forever. It helps your credit score and will help you get approvals for new cards.

Packing and Luggage

PackPoint App – free customized packing list based on destination and weather
Travelon – anti-theft purses and backpacks
Packing cubes – The way I recommend keeping your luggage organized and avoid overpacking
My Baggage – reasonable rates for shipping your luggage worldwide. Sometimes if you’re moving overseas, it’s more economical to ship rather than to pay for many extra bags on the plane!

Nutrition & Fitness (read my longer post HERE)

No-Equipment Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
My Amazon Storefront – easily access all the supplements and other products I use on my travels to stay healthy and fit.
Evidation – Earn money for activities such as walking, meditating, logging food, sleeping, tweeting, answering surveys or opting into a challenge.
StepBet – Make a profit by meeting your activity goals.
Google Fit – A simple app to help you keep track of your daily activity goals.

Checking In On Loved Ones While Traveling

Stay tuned as I will regularly be adding to this list of resources. I hope you find this list helpful. If you do, would you drop me a comment to let me know what has worked well for you? Also, let me know what other tools you use in your travels!

Until next time, thanks for reading and please share on your favorite social network so others can benefit from these resources as well.

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