Booking Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Skyscanner
The first of my two favorite flight booking sites. Skyscanner allows users to search for flights by entering their departure and destination cities, as well as travel dates.
It provides a comprehensive list of flight options, along with details such as prices, airlines, layovers, and departure times. Skyscanner also provides flexible search features, allowing users to explore options like flights to “Everywhere” to discover the cheapest destinations for their chosen dates.
Momondo
The second of my two favorite flight booking sites. Momondo is a popular online travel booking platform and travel search engine. Momondo is known for its user-friendly interface and the ability to find competitive prices on travel services.
You can enter your departure city, destination, and travel dates to search for options that suit your needs and budget. Additionally, Momondo often provides travel tips and advice through its blog and articles, which could be valuable resources for you as a travel blogger looking for inspiration and insights for your content.
Trainline
Trainline is an easy one-stop shop for booking cheap train travel. While many countries require you to go through their own websites, often in different languages, Trainline keeps it easy and helps you book your flights for cheap.
Discover Cars
Discovercars.com shows you all the car rentals available across a variety of platforms, making sure you get the cheapest price every time.
Booking Accommodation
Booking.com
Booking.com is what I almost always use to book hotels. Excellent selection of hotels, great interface, usually very low prices, and no fees.
Expedia
Expedia began as a division of Microsoft. It’s the largest travel company in the world and one of my go-tos for booking accommodation. Expedia also owns Hotwire, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Hotels.com.
Booking Tours
Viator
The greatest collection of tours around the world — food tours, day trips, transfers between cities, anything. Whatever you’re looking for, they’ve got it.
Meetup.com
Meetup.com has meetups for everything you could possibly be interested in.
Travel Photography
Canon R6
I shoot with the Canon R5 but that body is quite expensive, and the R6 is an excellent piece of equipment. It will easily do the job required for most photographers.
Canon R6 with Canon RF24-105mm F4
This is a good deal, as this lens usually goes for over $1000 USD. It’s a good all around lens and gets great bokeh.
Canon 15-35mm 2.8
Canon 70-200mm 2.8
Canon 50mm 1.8
Lexar Professional 64GB Memory Cards (2-pack)
Helpful Travel Sites
Rome2Rio
Probably my favorite travel site out there — Rome2Rio shows you all the different ways to get between two cities. Especially useful in Europe.
Seat61
This incredibly comprehensive guide is chock full of information on train and overland travel around the world. Want to know how to get around a certain country? Seat61 will tell you.
The Points Guy
My favorite resource for navigating the world of earning free travel through points and miles and finding out current deals. The Points Guy tends to report deals before anyone else!
The Best Travel Books
Into the Wild
By Jon Krakauer: This true story follows Christopher McCandless, a young man who abandoned his possessions and set off on a journey into the wilderness of Alaska. It’s a cautionary tale of adventure and self-reliance.
In a Sunburned Country
By Bill Bryson: Bryson’s witty travelogue takes readers on a hilarious and informative journey through Australia, offering insights into the country’s history, culture, and unique quirks.
The Great Railway Bazaar
By Paul Theroux: Theroux’s classic travel narrative recounts his epic train journey from London through Europe, Asia, and back. It’s a vivid portrayal of the people and landscapes he encounters along the way.
Wild
By Cheryl Strayed: This memoir documents Cheryl Strayed’s solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans over 1,000 miles. It’s a tale of personal healing and growth through the challenges of nature.
A Year in Provence
By Peter Mayle: A delightful memoir chronicles his move to the south of France, where he experiences the joys and tribulations of life in Provence.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck’s road trip across America with his poodle, Charley, is a thoughtful exploration of the country’s changing landscape and the people he encounters.
Tracks
By Robyn Davidson: Her memoir recounts her solo journey across the Australian desert with camels. It’s a tale of determination, solitude, and connection with nature.
The Geography of Bliss
By Eric Weiner: – Eric Weiner explores the concept of happiness in different countries by embarking on a global journey. It’s a lighthearted yet insightful look at culture and well-being.
Drink, Play, F*ck
A parody about Elizabeth Gilbert’s husband (Eat, Pray, Love), who drinks in Ireland, gambles in Las Vegas, and f*cks in Thailand.
The 4-Hour Workweek
By Timothy Ferriss: This book is a cornerstone for many digital nomads. It offers practical advice on how to achieve financial independence and create a lifestyle that allows for remote work and travel. Ferriss emphasizes the importance of time management, outsourcing, and automation to free up your time for exploration and adventure.
Blue Ocean Strategy
Is a groundbreaking business book written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. It introduces a strategic framework that challenges conventional thinking about competition and business growth, specifically through the use of blue oceans vs. red oceans. (One of my favorite books).
Vagabonding
By Rolf Potts: Potts provides a philosophical guide for those seeking meaningful travel experiences. He encourages readers to embrace long-term travel and emphasizes the value of immersing oneself in different cultures, meeting new people, and gaining a deeper understanding of the world.
Nomad Capitalist
By Andrew Henderson: Henderson discusses the concept of internationalizing your life and finances as a digital nomad. He offers strategies for managing taxes, banking, and residency while traveling, making it a crucial resource for those navigating the complexities of global mobility.
The Lean Startup
By Eric Ries: While not exclusively for digital nomads, this book teaches principles of entrepreneurial thinking and innovation. These principles can be applied to creating and managing remote businesses, making it a valuable resource for aspiring digital nomad entrepreneurs.
The Best Travel Movies
The Way
Directed by Emilio Estevez, this film stars Martin Sheen as an American doctor who travels to France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees while walking the Camino de Santiago. In his grief, he decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What he doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him. I love this movie.
Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Directed by and starring Ben Stiller, Walter Mitty is a daydreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance, and action. When his job, along with that of his co-worker, are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
Out of Africa
Based on the autobiographical book by Isak Dinesen, the pen name of author Karen Blixen, “Out of Africa” is a romantic drama set in the early 20th century. Meryl Streep stars as Blixen, a Danish woman who relocates to Kenya to marry her friend Baron Bror Blixen and run a coffee plantation. The film explores her struggles with a new culture, a failing marriage, and a passionate love affair with a free-spirited hunter, played by Robert Redford.
Jungle Cruise
This adventure film stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Set during the early 20th century, Blunt plays a spirited researcher who hires Johnson’s wisecracking riverboat captain to guide her down the Amazon in his ramshackle boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal – a discovery that could change the future of medicine.
Wild
“Wild” features Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, who, after years of reckless behavior, a heroin addiction, and the destruction of her marriage, makes a rash decision. Haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi and with absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own, in a quest for self-discovery and redemption.
Tracks
Adapted from Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same name (I’ve listed the book above), stars Mia Wasikowska as Davidson, a young woman who embarks on a grueling 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog. The film captures her journey’s hardships and the stunning landscape she encounters, as well as the relationships she forms with people she meets along the way, including a National Geographic photographer who documents her journey.