Resources
Below are some of the resources for the sites I follow and have been accustomed to while traveling and blogging for your reference.
Starting a blog
There is so much to do while starting a new blog that it can get overwhelming pretty soon. Ranging from finding a domain, hosting, WordPress, installing themes, designing a site and social media, blogging is an all in one inclusive task. I have listed all that you need to know how to start a blog in a blog post.
Hosting through Bluehost.com – Bluehost has been hosting sites since 2003. Hosting starts at $3.95 a month for 3 years. They have good customer support and it is easy to get your site up and running with Bluehost. Design using Canva.
Travel insurance: simple & flexible
You can buy and claim online, even after you’ve left home. Travel insurance from WorldNomads.com is available to people from 140 countries. It’s designed for adventurous travelers with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities.
Flight Booking
If you are flexible with dates or locations, then both Skyscanner and Google flights can find you help you uncover great deals in certain months. Select the destination as everywhere, and check out your options. Once you finalize the dates or location, head to the particular airline site to do your booking. Most of the airline sites offer rewards which can be beneficial for returning customers. It can be rewarding to stick to a few airlines in both domestic and international sectors as the airlines have loyalty programs for returning customers.
Kayak: Kayak is another aggregator site from hundreds of sites for flight, hotel, and rental car bookings.
Scott’s Cheap flights: Another site for great sales or error fares on international booking,
is Scott’s Cheap flights. Head to the site, choose your current location, register your email address and you are good to go! They even have a premium membership, where you will receive all cheap flight alerts.
Fly4Free: Fly4Free features amazing flight deals and error fares. Register for the updates on your email address and be on the lookout for cheap fares. Usually, the deal lasts for a couple of days, and error fares may only last for a few hours until it is taken off. Sometimes, the airlines honor the bookings on error fares and sometimes, they don’t. So, make sure the flight tickets are confirmed before going ahead with other bookings.
Accommodations
Booking.com has been invaluable during my travels while booking hotels online. Book in 85000 destinations around the world.
Types: Hotels, Apartments, Villas, Hostels, Resorts, B&Bs
Benefits – Great deals, no booking fees and offers free cancellation for most cases.
Hostelworld: One stop booking for hostel bookings throughout the world. Best for budget and solo travelers. I have used it extensively while traveling through SE Asia and highly recommend HostelWorld for backpackers and budget travelers.
Airbnb: While I’m traveling with a big group of friends, I like to stay in short-term rental vacation homes like Airbnb. The stay rates are usually comparable and even cheaper sometimes as opposed to hotels especially with a big group of people. And Airbnb comes with an added benefit of having a kitchen most times. Plus, it has some great properties too.
Get Rs. 3025 ($40) in travel credits when you sign up through this link.
Couchsurfing: If you don’t mind sleeping on someone’s couch then try Couchsurfing which is free of cost. Meet and stay with locals from all over the world. Use Couchsurfing for accommodations, and meetups with nearby locals or travelers. Be a good samaritan and offer a gift to your host, for offering their house for you for FREE. It can be something you are good at, like painting or something you can pick up from your local gift shop.
Cab booking
Bla Bla Car: A long-distance ride-sharing service that connects car owners and co-travelers to share city to city journeys. Bla Bla car has the largest carpooling community in the world.
Uber: Uber offers door to door transportation to over 630 cities worldwide and growing. So, more often than not, there might be an Uber service in the city you are traveling to. Book uber for hassle-free service.
Cities like Singapore or Jakarta have better local cab service. Depending on your currency and the cost of living in the city, it might seem expensive. If you are planning to travel on a budget, choose to opt for public transport like metro or bus transport whichever is readily available and cost-effective.
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Volunteer opportunities
There are a lot of volunteer programs where you can live and work like a local. This is an opportunity to exchange a wide range of services for free food and accommodations.
Workaway
With Workaway, you could be volunteering on an organic farm in Illam, horse farming in Bavaria, or teach English in Spain, the opportunities are far and wide. Travel cheaply and mostly for free while making a difference in the communities that you visit. It has an ever-growing list of 1000s of active hosts in over 155 countries offering all kinds of places to stay.
Note – Workaway charges a fee of $34 for a single person and $44 for a couple for a year.
WWOOF
Live and learn from organic farms worldwide. WWOOF(World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) links volunteer with organic farmers for cultural exchange. Whichever country you are heading to, there is a good chance that you will find WWOOF there.
Working in other countries
Teach English
One of the popular ways to travel and live in a different country is teaching English. Some of the best resources for job hunters include TEFL.com and ESL Cafe, which list salaried jobs across the planet in search of your skills (typically, you don’t need to speak the home language). This isn’t something you’d do for a week-long vacation. Postings generally range from nine months to two years.
Adventure work
Work in adventure space with Adventure Work for a long term or short term postings. For instance, PGL hires ski reps at its resorts in France, Italy, Austria and the U.S. to accompany school groups. In exchange, PGL covers your room and food, in-resort expenses, lift passes, board hire and gives you a small stipend of $229 (£175).
Find more information about different opportunities here.
Travel books
Travel books make for a good companion while traveling or as a good source of travel inspiration. Find travel book recommendations suggested by The Roving Heart.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Thanks for supporting my blog as always. Happy travels!