resources
Tried, Tested, and True recommendations from my personal travel toolkit
only sharing the things that I personally use and genuinely love —just authentic suggestions. If you spot an affiliate link, know that it has my wholehearted endorsement. And let’s talk booking sites – I won’t lead you astray. I’ll never recommend a site just to earn a commission.
Gear
Backpacks, Cameras, Tech, etc!
Cotopaxi Alpa 35L Backpack
My go to travel backpack. I use this for everything. From 1 week trips to 1 month +
Sony a6300
my camera that I have used for all the photos you see on this site.
Mackbook Pro
This is what I use for work & personal. Depending on the trip, it usually comes with me.
Peak Design Everyday Sling
My go to camera bag. I use this at home and on most of my travels. It carries my camera and multiple lenses perfectly.
Travelon Anti-Theft Crossbody
My go to purse for travel.
PacSafe Computer Backpack
The backpack I use at home and on certain trips as my computer and electronics bag. I will travel with this as my personal item if I am using a suitcase.
Accommodation
my most used platforms to book where I stay
Direct
I’ll use the booking sites as search tools and then most often book direct if cheaper. Many times the cancelation policies are better booking direct as well.
for booking hotels
airbnb
for booking unique stays
for booking hostels
Flights
I ALWAYS book flights direct, but these resources are super useful to find the best flights.
My go to flight search tool. Using the calendar to find the cheapest dates is how I score the best flight deals.
Love the “explore everywhere” feature, and being able to search whole months.
Find the best seat or make sure your seat has a window by checking seat maps. This one is the most useful as Seat Guru is no longer relevant.
Travel Insurance
This is super important!!
Allianz
This is what I most commonly use for travel insurance. I love that they have flexible options. For example, when it’s the type of trip that I don’t have many pre-paid expenses, I love their medical only plan. I have filed a claim with them due to a delay and was reimbursed very quickly. Their app is great as well.
World Nomads
I have used World Nomads before as well. I haven’t filed a claim so I can’t speak to that, but it’s a highly popular travel insurance that covers a lot of things. It’s basically trip dependent that I decide which of the two I use. Allianz usually comes out cheaper but I always check both.
Misc
Miscellaneous things that make travel easier!
Also, check out my blog post 10 Essential Apps Every Traveler Should Download.
I almost always use an eSIM for travel. Yes, purchasing a SIM once you get to your destination is almost always cheaper, but the convenience of getting an eSIM ahead of time makes up for that little bit of savings for me. I love that I can hit the ground running as soon as I land.
If you are crossing timezones you NEED this app. This app helped me have practically no jet lag going to Thailand, which is an 11 hour time difference for me.
This is the app I use to track all of my travel expenses.