Check out my list of trip planning resources I highly recommend. They are my go-to links of products and websites I personally use from 10+ years of travel – they help make my travels easier, save me money while seeing the world, or leave a positive impact where I visit. Some links include affiliate, discounts, or promo codes so you can save too. Full disclosure here
Volunteer
Excellent, extensive database of free or low-cost volunteer opportunities around the world. Each organization is vetted by the publisher to ensure they are ethical and socially-responsible.
An amazing organization that helps get medical supplies to low-income countries by way of travellers who are already going there. They helped me pack an extra suitcase to deliver to a local clinic on my trip to Haiti.
A free resource for volunteer opportunities in NGOs and community projects around the world in exchange for accommodation and meals.
A meaningful way to contribute by using extra space in your suitcase to deliver needed supplies for community projects in the places you visit.
Wine to Water – an amazing organization helping to end the global water crisis. Wine to Water provides clean water filters and sanitation education to families in Nepal, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Dominican Republic.
English in Mind Institute – a non-profit school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Entirely led by Haitians, it teaches valuable English skills to adults to empower and improve opportunity. I absolutely loved my volunteer experience in Haiti.
IDDI – Non-profit organization helping to alleviate poverty and empower families in the Dominican Republic. One of my most rewarding experiences was helping to build a concrete floor for a family near Puerto Plata.
Courageous Kitchen – a grassroots initiative in Thailand that lifts vulnerable children and families out of extreme poverty, malnutrition, and lack of access to education and safe shelter.
Social Impact TOURS
Cuba – Tours at Locally Sourced Cuba in and around Havana, Vinales, and the country are non-state run and guided by local Cubans so your money directly helps support them.
Colombia – The tours at Impulse Travel tours are locally-run with a mandate of supporting peace and preserving culture. Get 10% off any of their tours in Medellin, Bogota, Cartagena, the coffee region and more. Use the link or enter code CHASE10 at check-out.
India – Reality Tours is a social enterprise offering city tours in various parts of India. Profits go to underprivileged communities to fund education programs through their NGO, Reality Gives.
Romania – Interesting Times Bureau tours in Bucharest are designed by artists, activists, and social entrepreneurs, primarily with the needs of the city in mind, and secondarily to the needs of the tourism market.
Czech Republic – Pragulic tours help reintegrate the homeless back into society. When you book a tour you’re helping to improve the lives of tour guides by providing jobs, opportunity, and socio-economic support.
I Like Local – Platform for booking local tours in Asia and Africa while ensuring direct income for local people. 100% of the money asked by local guides is directly paid to them.
Freetours.com – List of free, budget or tip-based walking tours around the world to support local guides.
Local TOURS
Probably the most extensive list of day trips, multi-day trips, and city tours based on budget, theme, or travel style. Pay online and immediately receive your tour voucher.
Small group city tours with low impact. Their series of In Focus tours also support start-up projects, local NGOs and social enterprises that address community issues. Get 10% off when you book any tour in Europe using my promo code CTM10 at check-out.
HOw I Travel For Free
House sitting has become our primary mode of travel. We use Trusted Housesitters because it has the most extensive list of assignments for house and pet sitting. Use my referral link to get 25% off when you sign up.
Smaller, less competitive platform for house and pet sitting assignments. We found our very first house sit on MindMyHouse.
If we are not pet sitting, we love doing home exchanges. We sometimes swap our apartment in Budapest with other home owners. We stay for free in someone’s home while they stay in ours. You can also exchange using points. Use our link to get 250 points when you sign up.
Accommodations
Airbnb – We love Airbnb for the local feel and especially because it helps support local homeowners rather than a corporation.
Generator Hostels – Stylish, designer boutique and luxury hostels in Europe where you can get luxury at a cheap price.
Hotellook.com – A price comparison engine created by the folks at JetRadar. Search for accommodations across multiple platforms. Fees and taxes are included in the price you see.
Getting Around
JetRadar – I use JetRadar aggregator to find and compare flights including multiple airlines and the smaller budget ones too. I sometimes use Skyscanner but I find options from low-cost carriers are few and JetRadar prices tend to be better.
Rome2Rio – Multi-transport aggregator that shows you how to get from point A to point B worldwide using plane, train, or bus, from cheapest to most expensive, and shortest to longest route.
Omio – Similar to Rome2Rio, this platform is for mapping your route around Europe.
Hopper App – An app that predicts the best time to book flights and alerts you before prices are about to drop or climb.
City Maps2Go – The absolute best offline map, hands down. I use this free app for all my trips. I especially love that I can pin places I want to visit, return to later, or save for future. It’s like creating my own personal map.
Money
I use TransferWise to send and receive money in different currencies to avoid the high fees that the traditional banks charge. Use my referral link and TransferWise will waive the fee on your first transfer up to 500 EUR.
Finally, just one global SIM card for every country. No more switching SIM cards. I use it every time I travel to avoid roaming fees. Choose pay-as-you-go rates or unlimited data packages starting at $3.99/day.
Travel insurance plans that are actually flexible especially for nomads and backpackers in multiple countries. Assistance is 24hrs and you can buy, extend, and claim online.
I use the tools at Ratehub.ca to find and compare different finance options in Canada where I am from. I found my favourite foreign currency exchange credit card. There’s no transaction fees with my Visa Infinite Passport, just a straight exchange rate. Plus I get free lounge access at airports around the world.
Financial Independence
Questrade – Stock investing is one of the best and fastest ways I generate passive income to help me travel more and longer. If you sign up using my affiliate link I get a small referral reward and you get $50 in commission-free trades when you open a self-directed account. At the moment, Questrade is only available to Canadian residents.
Airbnb – I love being an Airbnb host. Sharing our home with other travellers has been a really fun experience and one of the best decisions we’ve made to grow our revenue stream.
EQ Bank – My primary bank for growing my savings. It’s the only bank in Canada that offers a high interest that actually matches the rate of inflation. EQ Bank will give you $20 when you sign up with my referral link and deposit your first $100 within 30 days.
Tools
Siteground – if you’re looking to start a travel blog I highly recommend SiteGround. I recently switched to their web hosting service because they are one of the most secure providers at good value. I don’t have to worry about annoying tech glitches anymore and I’ve saved me a lot of money for my blog business.
Books That Changed my Mindset
Understand the importance of time – The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
Best book by a travel journo – A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout
