Travel Resources

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As someone who has travelled on and off for the past 10 years (and about to full-time travel from October 2022!), I’ve become quite the expert on travel resources.

I’ve listed all of my travel resources in the list below – which are ALL personally tried and tested by me.

Use them to make sure your next backpacking trip is as stress-free as possible!

Travelling on a Budget

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!

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!

Couch Surfing: Staying on someone’s sofa is the ULTIMATE way to travel on a budget. Couchsurfing is a safe and secure website you can use to find locals who can host!

Earning money whilst travelling

Want to become a digital nomad?

As well as free blogging tips on my Instagram, you can download your FREE DIGITAL NOMAD EBOOK to get started.

If you’re not sure about the ways to earn money online, or whether the nomad life is for you, have a read!

Finding Cheap Flights

Skyscanner: Skyscanner is without a doubt my go-to when booking flights. It’s the quickest, easiest and cheapest – ALWAYS!

Plus, if I’m struggling with where to go, you can enter ‘EVERYWHERE’ into their search bar, and find the cheapest flights to destinations all over the world!

You can try out Skyscanner here!

Google Flights: People are always surprised that Google Flights is another resource I use when booking flights, but it really is one of the best comparison sites (after Skyscanner)!

Momondo: The best thing about Momondo is its user experience. At the top of your search, you’ll see a detailed bar chart informing you of the cheapest flights, on the cheapest dates.

I can easily and quickly see which day is best to fly to my chosen destination.

To my knowledge, there’s no other flight comparison site that makes visually seeing the cheapest flights on the best days this clear and easy.

Jack’s Flight Club: If you haven’t already signed up for JFC, I recommend it. I get regular emails directly to my inbox listing the best deals at that current time. I’ve used it to book flights a few times!

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!

Overcoming Jet Lag

Time Shifter: I’ve only recently come across this, but wow, it’s one of the best travel resources I’ve found! If you’re prone to jet lag, this app plans everything you need to do (pre and post-flight) to avoid it. From caffeine intake, hours of sleep, when to sleep and avoiding bright lights, it’s scientifically based and even used on astronauts to prepare for space. If it works for them, it’s going to work for us on our long haul flight!

Staying Safe Whilst Backpacking

World Nomad Insurance: World Nomads is known for its insurance for backpackers. It’s the best travel insurance for solo travellers, female travellers and digital nomads.

Money belt: If you’re travelling solo (or with anyone else, to be honest) it’s good to use a money belt to keep your cash or cards in. It’s the safest way to keep your belongings hidden.

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).

Best Accommodation Resources

Hostelworld: Hostelworld will always be my go-to when booking accommodation. Even if you’re booking with a boyfriend or friend, you can cheaply book private rooms and check out the best social hostels in the area.

Hostels are one of the best ways to make friends whilst travelling, so I highly recommend them!

Just be sure to check the reviews first, and make sure it’s the type of hostel you’ll be comfortable staying in.

For more info on hostels, check out my posts:

• Making Friends in Hostels: A Complete Guide
• Tips for Staying in Hostels: A First Timer’s Guide
• Shared Hostel Rooms: 8 Ugly Truths & Harsh Realities

Airbnb: Airbnb is best for couples or backpackers who want their own space. You can filter your search to find entire apartments or houses that you’ll have to yourself.

Booking.com: 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!

Lastminute.com: Last Minute isn’t just great for flights, but it also has deals on accommodation. Check them out if you’re looking for a last-minute deal!

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!

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

CampToo: The best van or motorhome rentals in the UK. We hired our van for our Scotland road trip from Camptoo and it was seamless!

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!)

You can check out my driving in Jordan guide here.

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.

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)

Internet Abroad

Surfshark VPN: If you’re a digital nomad, having a VPN is vital. Keep your digital freedom and security while using unprotected networks in cafes or shared workspaces, as well as being able to view content from all over the world (such as Netflix from different countries).

My personal favourite is Surfshark, as they have a small monthly fee and are known for being one of the best VPN providers for digital nomads.

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.

Blogging + Working Online

Bluehost: The best hosting platform for bloggers. Their customer service is 10/10 – I’ve had multiple problems with my blog and they’ve always been able to fix it.

Canva: My absolute go-to when it comes to anything creative! I use Canva for everything – my Pinterest pins, my website design, templates, masterclasses, slideshows, posters, banners, Instagram stories…it’s a must-have for any creatives!

WordPress: The best website builder out there! Just make sure you use WordPress.org if you want to monetise your site.

Surfer SEO: This platform has skyrocketed my traffic. It is the best SEO tool on the Internet.

Jasper AI: An AI writing tool. Use to write your content faster! Just be sure to edit it to your style and tone of voice after.

Awin: A global affiliate program that allows you to join multiple companies like Waterstones, Interrailing UK, Lastminute.com and may others.

Amazon Affiliate Program: Every blogger should be using Amazon as one of their affiliate programs.

It’s easy to apply, and you just need to make a few sales in the first 90 days to be accepted.

However, I recommend having at least 1k monthly sessions before applying, as you don’t want to be declined before your 90 days are over.

Hemingway Editor: A great tool that analyses your writing for grammar mistakes, awkward sentence structure, passive voice and how easy your writing is to read.

A must for any beginner blogger.

Clickup: The ultimate organisation tool. I use Clickup on a daily basis to check off my CEO tasks!

17th Avenue Themes: Fast, cheap and beautiful WordPress themes! I highly recommend for beginner bloggers.

Grammarly: Another great tool that analyses your writing for grammar mistakes, whilst you’re typing your blog posts!

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!

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