Traveler resources

There are many tips and tricks that make life easier for travelers in the form of websites and apps, whether for getting around the world, accommodation, transportation or communication. You can also save money with some credit cards without fees, as well as with discounts on travel insurance. Here is a short list that I hope you find useful. If I discover others, I will add them.

REVOLUT CARD

Revolut is the favourite card of many travellers (at least as of 2024). The main reason: you can pay with it in any currency in the world WITHOUT COMMISSIONS and withdraw up to 200 euros per month at any ATM compatible with Visa or MasterCard. The physical card has a small cost (6.99 euros as of 2024); in exchange you will be able to save a lot of money every time you pay or withdraw money, whether you are travelling around Bosnia Herzegovina, Indonesia or Angola. It works all over the world.

Revolut also works as a virtual wallet, allowing you to transfer money from other bank accounts and even cards conveniently (with a single click and without fees). That is, you can add money in small amounts from another account whenever you need it. So, if you lose your card or if the account is hacked, the risk would be losing a small amount of money.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Traveling with insurance is essential. After so many years on the road and having tried several insurances, these two are the ones I recommend the most, both with very good benefits.

IATI

Backed by many travellers, it offers the best coverage on the market, with a wide range of plans. Customer service is good (both when it comes to managing assistance to a medical centre and with respect to reimbursements) and it can be contracted/renewed while traveling from any destination (without having to be in your country of origin). In addition, if you travel with a dog, IATI is one of the few companies that have a policy that also covers pets. However, for the moment (2025) only in the IATI Escapadas plan, travelling through Europe. Hopefully they will extend it to other policies very soon.

Take a look at the different IATI plans through this link, with which you have a 5% discount.

GO! ASSISTANCE

This is also an insurance with many plans, covering both high and low range coverages. Unlike most insurance companies, GO! ASSISTANCE offers some very affordable coverages, which is why I especially recommend it to backpackers and budget travelers. Customer service is good and fast (at least in my experience) and you can also purchase it while you are already on the road (for example, I renewed it while in India and also from Cameroon). In addition, their plans include insurance for dogs (and cats) with no destination restrictions, which is appreciated.

Check out the different GO! ASSISTANCE plans through this link, which gives you a 5% discount.

More information about these travel insurances here.

MAPS.ME

An app with dozens of maps to download so you can navigate through countries (or areas of countries), seeing points of interest of all kinds, such as tourist sites, hotels, campsites, restaurants, shops... and being able to mark them. It works OFFLINE, so you don't need internet (something that many travellers value) and, best of all, it can be used as a GPS, showing where you are at all times, being able to calculate estimated distances on foot or by vehicle, the gradient (very useful if you travel on foot or trekking) and much more. Without a doubt the app I have used the most when travelling.

IOVERLANDER

“A database of places for overlanders and travelers. Includes campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, mechanics, water, propane filling, and other categories. Details are listed for each place, including amenities, photos, date of last visit, and GPS coordinates” (app description).

It's similar to Maps.me, but more focused on the "vanlife" world. It's great because you can use recommendations from travelers who have been to a certain place before you (however little explored it may be) and thus, for example, spend the night more safely or find out if a border is open or closed. It's more useful if you're traveling with your own vehicle, but it's also highly recommended for hitchhikers, cyclists and people who travel by public transport.

TRACTIVE

It's my favourite device... and my mum's too! This GPS is attached to our dogs' (and cats') collars, allowing us to find them in case they stray too far or (hopefully not often) get lost. I've only used it so far in Spain and Africa, and to my surprise it has worked in almost all countries (the only exceptions have been Benin and Congo). This is because Tractive has agreements with most countries in the world. It requires an internet connection, so you have to buy a SIM card from the country you're travelling through (I have a collection of African SIMs), and there will be remote places where the signal doesn't reach and therefore you can't locate your friends, but generally it works well and, regardless of whether you have to use it a lot or a little, the best thing is that it gives you peace of mind when travelling with dogs. Especially if you have an escape-loving companion like I do with Chai.

In addition, you can share your location with other phones, and in my case my mother has been following us around Africa, like the eyes of Big Brother. This is also an advantage in terms of security, as your whereabouts are recorded.

There are several devices to choose from, and you can get a discount on all of them with my affiliate link: TRACTIVE WITH DISCOUNT.

More information about Tractive here.

BLABLACAR

Blablacar (www.blablacar.es) is an application that allows people who want to travel to the same place on a given day to organize themselves to travel together. Gasoline costs will be shared and we will pollute less in the process. It works mainly in Europe, but also in other countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Turkey or India. It will surely be extended to other territories.

It's very simple to use: you have to register (FREE) and start searching. You select the travel date, the origin and the destination... and your potential travel companion will appear. That is, the driver. You may have several options and you will see that each driver sets a price. You can also use it by being the one who provides the car, filling in your trip information and assigning a price per passenger. In addition, there is an option to see who accepts dogs in their car. Tip: even if they don't say that they accept dogs you can write to them and offer them an extra. It usually works.

I highly recommend hitchhiking though. You can read more about it here.

HITCHWIKI

A collaborative website where travellers can share information about hitchhiking (or other cheap ways to get around) in different countries based on their experience. I haven't used it much to be honest, but it's the Bible for many hitchhikers. Check it out here: www.hitchwiki.org

COUCHSURFING (Y WARMSHOWERS)

Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) is a platform where people can offer their homes to others in a completely altruistic way (beyond the fact that they want to do things with you or have you cook them something typical from your country). What is no longer free is having an account. Before 2020, it was free to create an account and enjoy the platform, but without prior notice, Couchsurfing blocked access to all users and, with the excuse of the pandemic in 2020, established a usage fee. Registration today is about 15 euros per year, but you also have to verify the account, which, even if it is only a payment, means another almost 60 euros.

I used it until 2020, but I still recommend using it now too. Beyond the savings on accommodation, the really cool thing about Couchsurfing is the people you get to meet. They are people who are opening the doors of their homes to get to know you, help you, share... It's true that you can find the wrong person, but you have the references of other travelers to give you an idea of ​​what you're getting into. I've had very good experiences, and I've even been able to go to houses with dogs. Hosts usually specify whether they allow dogs, but if they don't, you can ask them.

Warm Showers (www.warmshowers.org) is similar, but for cycle travellers. The annual fee, I believe, is $30 (in 2024).

TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS

This website/app (www.trustedhousesitters.com) connects house owners who have to go away, usually on vacation, with trustworthy people who want to take care of their homes and animals (usually dogs and cats). That is, you offer your time and take care of their animals in exchange for enjoying FREE accommodation, from a weekend to several months. I haven't tried it yet, but I have friends who have and they love it. I think it's great for everything: on a trip there are times when you need to rest and here they are giving you a FREE house, and on top of that your "job" is to take care of the animals.

The only downside is that the annual subscription is not cheap: the basic one is 119 euros (due in 2024) and the standard one is 149. However, if you use it a little, you will have already paid for it. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that while it is very popular in the West, there are countries where it is hardly used. Mainly because there is not much of a culture of having animals as pets/family. For example, in many African countries there are no registered houses.

WORKAWAY, WOOFING, HELPX AND OTHER VOLUNTEERING PLATFORMS

Three of the most popular volunteering platforms. For an annual fee you can choose between different projects to work on for a few weeks (or months) in exchange for accommodation and food. It can be a farm, educational activities, with dogs… The country is also up to you. In reality, the experience will depend on who is in charge of that specific volunteering, so if you are afraid of ending up with some jerk you can use the references that other travelers have written. If all goes well, in addition to learning something new (languages, construction, agroecology, etc.), it is a very cool way to get to know a place and the people who live there in a deeper way.

Of the three, I have only used Helpx, which I recommend because it is the cheapest (20 euros for two years). Here are the links:

WorkAway: www.workaway.info

Woofing: www.wwoof.es/es/

Helpx: www.helpx.net 

GOOGLE TRANSLATOR

I love to use my creativity to communicate with people from different countries using gestures, but Google Translate works wonders. This multilingual automatic translation system will allow you to develop deeper communication, beyond greetings and basics (I am hungry, thank you, etc.).