Travel Resources

FreeNow App

This is a great option for ordering a taxi, at least in the cities where it’s available. FREENOW is currently available in 9 countries (Austria, France, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK), including over 150 cities. The FREENOW app allows you to input the pickup and drop-off locations (making things more comfortable if you don’t speak the local language), see a cost estimate, and view your driver location. The app gives you a taxi number so that you know you are getting into the right taxi. Save payment information for future rides, prebook trips, and save favorite locations. We prefer this app for it’s ease of use and reliability. We always check to see if it’s available in the cities we are visiting.

AppTaxi

In Italy the AppTaxi app dispatches a taxi from RadioTaxi; one of the most widely available taxi services in Italy. In some locations, you are allowed to schedule future rides in advance. Reliability will depend on how many taxis are available in the city you are in. For example, sometimes we are successful in requesting a taxi in Lucca Italy, and other times there aren’t any available. Occasionally if we try again immediately after it magically finds one. In other cities, the app will always find you a taxi because they have so many. To make the request process quicker you can save your payment information and favorite locations.

Cabify App

We downloaded this app while we were in Spain several years ago. A quick Google search said it was a great way to book travel to an airport. The app is easy to use and we tend to use it whenever we are in Spain. You can save your payment information for future rides and request rides in advance. This is super convenient when you need an early ride to the airport. The app is available in Spain and Latin America, but no longer available in Portugal and Brazil.

Rome2Rio App

Our holy grail for deciding what it will take to get from A to B and C too. This is great when you are deciding where you want to go as well. We often run all sorts of ideas just to see what our options could look like. Search results will include travel by bus, train, ferry, air, rideshare or foot and the cheapest way to do it. The site will give you cost estimates and tell you who the operators are. Then you can book on your own or book through the links provided by Rome 2 Rio.

Google Maps App

Google Maps is obviously a go-to for directions from one place to another. You are probably used to using this when you are driving or walking somewhere that you haven’t been before. Did you know that you can use it to get biking directions and e-scooter directions? If there are app-based rentals nearby. We like to use Google Maps to get an idea of what public transportation operators to use. And then we verify with those companies. Battery and data saving tip: queue up walking directions and switch to airplane mode. You will still get step-by-step guidance. You can also save all the places you plan to go during your travels. While you are out and about you can easily identify them on your map .

AirBnB App

Airbnb is probably one of the most recognized of home rental platforms. It’s a great way to stay in a local neighborhood, often with more amenities than a hotel room will have. We particularly love this if we need to do laundry on our travels.

Agoda App

Agoda is a marketplace of hotels and vacation rentals. We check here to see if there are any pop-up deals that we can take advantage of.

Booking.com

Booking.com is another marketplace for hotels and vacation rentals. While this may seem obvious to some, booking.com may not be as obvious to the inexperienced traveler. Many travelers don’t know that you can find vacation homes on booking.com. There are always deals to be found if you are searching at the right time for the right place. We like the booking feature that allows you to search using a map.

Chase

Chase travel options are always on our list. With a Chase Saphire Preferred card, you get a $50 hotel credit once a year. They often have the same price or better for any hotel that you can book through Chase.

Glasgow Food & Drink Tour

When we went to Glasgow we were so pleased to find “The Glasgow Food & Drink Tour”. We highly recommend them. This tour gave us a real sense of the food scene in Glasgow, which did not disappoint! This tour is a personal recommendation. We had a lovely time exploring the city and trying Scottish dishes (including haggis). What’s a food tour if you aren’t adventurous?

With Locals

With Locals is a great opportunity to tour a new city with a local. This could be a walking tour, a food tour, or something else entirely. Often times these locals will create a custom experience for you if you tell them what you want to do. The majority of the tours are private, so in some cases you may find others on your tour. Generally, this is not an opportunity to meet other travelers, only to enjoy the ones that you are traveling with. Excellent if you are traveling with a large group or want something more personalized.

Get Your Guide

Get Your Guide is becoming increasingly popular and offering more tours every day. This is somewhat of a marketplace for tours. This means that they most likely don’t operate the tour, it’s operated by a local tour company. Get your guide can help you find out what is popular to do or learn about in your destination. You can compare tours and reviews to find the best one for you.

Viator

We found Viator over a decade ago and it’s still one of the sites that we always check for tours. Create an account so that you can save items to different wish lists as you narrow down your options. Viator recently started to offer a rewards program too. You can earn rewards money for completed bookings. Rewards can automatically be applied to future purchases. What we like in particular about searching on Viator are their filtering options. Filter by time of day, duration of the tour, price, ratings, special deals, or type of activity. Read reviews from others so you know what to expect.

AirBnB

Airbnb is more than a vacation rental platform, there are experiences you can search on this site as well. Find a cooking class in a locals home, outdoor activities, historical tours, and more. You can save experiences to wishlists and share them with your traveling companion(s).

AllTrails App

The All Trails App houses every walking, biking, or hiking trail around the world. If you’re an experienced hiker or cyclist you won’t need a tour guide, just this app. See how long a trail is, what the incline on the trail is, and the difficulty level. You can also add photos from your hike and see the photos others added. If you download the map you won’t need WiFi or GPS while using it. You can purchase regions or the whole world with a yearly fee. We used this during lockdown to find nearby trails we hadn’t been on.

Komoot App

Route and tour planner for the adventurer! Use this app to plan bike rides, hikes, and runs like a pro. The app comes with a community that you can tap into for inspiration, knowledge, and recommendations. You can even share your own inspirational photos with the community. In 2018 we read about a hike through multiple beaches on the Algarve Coast of Portugal. We were able to plan and do the hike ourselves with this app. Once you create the route you can save it and get offline navigation. Perfect for hiking where you won’t have great cell service and don’t want to drain your battery. This app is not free but is absolutely worth the price if you like to plan your own adventures.

Spiagge.It App

Spiagge.it is your ticket to La Dolce Vita. Italian beaches are lined with sun beds, umbrellas, and spritz. This is the app you need to get in on the action. You can book your beds, chairs, and umbrellas ahead of time, and choose where you sit. All you need is your sunglasses, beach towel, and a good book.

Insure My Trip

We can’t stress enough how important it is to have insurance when you travel. Not just the kind that protects your stuff or your trip. Have you considered what will happen if you get sick or injured? We know it sounds like an added expense that you probably won’t need, until you do… Besides, it will give your Mom piece of mind to know that you will be protected while you are traveling 😉 Use this site to compare plans. Pricing and plans are based on travel dates, your home country, where you’re traveling, and coverage type. We think you’ll be surprised to learn that some of this isn’t as expensive as you might think.

IMG Insurance

We have used IMG as US citizens traveling to Europe and now as European citizens traveling to the U.S. We were satisfied with the price and the coverage options available. Traveling with the insurance offered gave us good piece of mind. This Insurance includes round-the-clock assistance. You can call them day or nite to have questions answered or get help finding care where you are. Make sure to compare what is covered. For example: some plans may cover a cracked crown or tooth, while others might not.

Away Luggage

Away is our favorite brand of luggage. We strongly recommend a dependable suitcase, it is your travel companion. Please read our complete review of the Away Bigger Carry-On Flex.

PacSafe

We first discovered Pacsafe when looking for theft-proof purses and camera bags. The features and legitimacy of being theft-proof blew us away. PacSafe offers bags with locking zippers and a wire mesh lining so that bags and straps can’t be cut. You should always pay attention to your surroundings if you don’t want to be pickpocketed. PacSafe products give you that extra piece of mind that your stuff is harder to steal than the next guys!

TravelSnugs

TravelSnugs makes the absolute best travel bottles for your liquids (LiquiSnugs). After packing a bag for travel, hundreds of times we can confirm there is no better travel bottle.

Tesalate

The Tesalate sand-proof towel was a social media find, and we’re so glad we found it. This compact towel is large, fast drying, and repels sand. We love that it doesn’t fill up our entire beach bag! This towel comes in multiple sizes and makes a great gift too.

MyTSA App

Download the MyTSA app for any of your domestic USA travel. You can check lists of prohibited items and find out what the security wait line times are.

My Passport Control App

The My Passport Control App allows you to input all of your customs information. Upload photos and info for you and your travel companions. Complete the customs questionnaire (5 questions) prior to returning from abroad. This will speed things up when you get home and have to go through customs.

Chase Saphire Preferred Card

The Chase Saphire Preferred credit card is one of the best travel cards you can get. With 3 times the points on dining and travel, and 5 times the points when you book travel through Chase. You can apply points to travel you book through Chase, take a statement credit, or receive cash in your account. The annual fee is $95 and is worth every penny.

Capital One Venture Card

The Capital One Venture Card is the second-best travel card we have found. There are 2 times the points on everyday spending. There is a statement credit for up to $100 if you get TSA precheck. You can use your points towards travel bookings or take a statement credit. The annual fee is $95 and well worth it.

Google Translate App

Google Translate is extremely helpful if you don’t speak the native language. You can even take a photo of a sign, document, or product package, and have it translated. You can speak into the microphone and it will translate what you are saying. Download the languages you need within the app so that you can access them offline. Don’t leave home without it.

WhatsApp App

WhatsApp is essential in foreign countries. Your tour guides, hotels, vacation rentals, and even restaurants may request that you use this instead of texting. Plus if you make new friends abroad, they are probably using WhatsApp for text messaging and phone/video calls. It’s encrypted and free.

Instagram App

Instagram is great for Inspiration. Find places you want to go, things to see, and what to eat during your travels. After your trip Instagram is a great way to stay connected to other travelers you meet during your trip. Stay in touch and see what they are doing and where they are traveling to!

Countdown App

The Countdown app is a fun way to count how many days, weeks, or months you have until your trip. We often start a countdown 100 days before a trip. Remember that planning and anticipation are half the enjoyment that you get from traveling. So fuel that every chance you get!

Conversion Calculator App

A Conversion Calculator like Units Plus or “Conversion Calculator” can be handy too. If you are from the U.S. you know that nobody measures anything like we do. Killograms, Celcius, Centimeters, Kilometers, etc. Get a conversion app to help you get your bearings. If you plan to shop, you don’t want over 2 lbs of meat (1 Kilogram), when all you needed was a 1/4 lb (250 grams).

Date Calculator App

If you’re giving your passport a workout, be sure that you aren’t going to overstay in one location. It would be easy to spend over 90 days in the EU for example, but that isn’t allowed. On a standard travel visa, within a 180-day period, anyway. The Date Calculator app takes all the guesswork out of calculating the number of days between two given dates.

Currency Converter App

The Currency Converter is a handy way to quickly see how much something costs in your preferred currency. We always pay in local currency because our credit card gives us a good conversion rate. This helps us see what we are really spending in the moment.

AccuWeather App

A good weather app is crucial especially if weather frequently changes in the area you are going. Accuweather is a little better than some when you are abroad. Accuweather can give you weather down to the minute, for the next 4 hours! The app is updated by the minute. If things are rapidly changing you will have the power of knowledge with Accuweather.

Open Table App

Open Table is a commonly used app for booking reservations at a restaurant. You may also find it through a link on the restaurant’s site or Google Maps. Additionally, you can also search nearby restaurants with the app.

The Fork App

The Fork is also a popular app for booking reservations and finding nearby restaurants that you can reserve online. In most cases, a restaurant will work with one reservation management app. Download the one they use and your next bookings will be faster.

Travel Arrow Chrome Extension

The Google Chrome Extension: Travel Arrow will search the Google Travel sites (Flights, hotels, vacation rentals, etc.) It will help compare flight prices and find hidden hotel discounts, often up to 30% off. For those who aren’t familiar, a Chrome extension is a program that can add functionality to the Chrome browser. These only work if you are browsing in the Google Chrome browser.