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This means you’re supporting Tilted Map, so we can keep writing detailed guides and reviews, just by booking the travel you would buy anyway. (And you’ll still have your Booking.com Genius status, and other loyalty perks with the companies.) Thank you for your support!
Tech for Travel
Usually you don’t actually need a VPN to get online securely when you travel – or any other time (as I learned when I interviewed a cyber security expert for the linked post). Using a password manager is much more important – it makes your passwords unique and uncrackable (and you don’t have to remember them).
This password manager was the #1 recommendation from the tech experts who look after my website. (After they told me to get off LastPass, because it "didn't have a good security culture." Yikes.)
I made the switch, and in addition to being more secure, it's easier to use than LastPass and costs less. Win-win, and a MUST for travel!
Get affordable cell service (with real customer service) to send messages, use maps, and share photos during your trip! GigSky even has FREE plans that you can use to test the service, and some Visa card holders can get free data, as well.
Plus, they can switch you to different networks (like AT&T vs Verizon, depending on who has better service where you are. Other e-SIM companies just work with one local provider at a time, so if it does down or isn’t working, you’re out of luck.)
Points & Miles Travel (Get FREE Points!)
Even if you don't bother much with points and miles, EVERYONE should make a Bilt account! Bilt Points are the most flexible and most valuable points currency. They can be transferred to lots of hotels and airlines. And they're extremely easy to earn!
The points stack on top of any credit card points you earn, so you don't need a new credit card, or any credit card, to earn them.
Take five minutes to do these 3 steps, so you don't leave free travel points on the table:
- Make your Bilt account,
- Connect your credit or debit card to earn extra points on what you already spend,
- Connect your Lyft account for even MORE free points.
The easiest way to find flights that you can book with any points or airline miles, on any airline, all in one search, up to a year in advance.
This is the service all the Points & Miles pros recommend.
Our Favorite Travel Gear
Don’t believe the hype: You really don’t need much special gear for travel. These are the exceptions – the few “things” I really recommend, because I use them to travel lighter and with less impact.
This plastic-reducing travel hack is much more than an "as seen on Shark Tank" gimmick: This is the bottle I use to purify my own tap water everywhere I go. (I used it in Mexico for two weeks and in El Salvador – no problems, and I didn't buy any plastic water bottles!)
Unbound Merino makes my favorite packable travel clothes. They don't wrinkle at all (one of the virtues of good quality merino wool), and they stay un-smelly for days and even weeks between washes.
Plus, their designs are elegant and stylish (no logos), and easy to mix in with your wardrobe.
If you’ve tried other shampoo bars and never liked them, TRY THESE BEFORE GIVING UP! The Earthling Co. has won over more of my friends than any other bars I've made them try.
They lather easily, smell great (with lots of scents), and nothing makes my hair look better.
This small, woman-owned brand makes THE MOST SUSTAINABLE skincare I've ever found – with refillable metal containers and refills in paper. Plus, with zero liquids, they're uniquely ideal for travel.
Their solid Vitamin C serum is the cornerstone of my daily routine, and their powdered face wash is also fantastic.
These purpose-designed travel backpacks have the organization of a suitcase (full clam shell-style opening) with comfort of a backpacking pack. I've used both the Pro and more affordable Lite versions, and compared them here.
I also personally love their compression packing cube and tiny but well organized travel sling.
The travel gear company known for quality fabrics and construction (in Fair Trade factories), super smart design (all the right pockets!) and products that last.
We finally upgraded to their tripod and other camera gear, and it's absolutely the best on the market.
They're also a Certified B Corp, Climate Label certified, and a member of both 1% For The Planet and the Conservation Alliance. They're the ones to beat for quality and sustainability!
Language Learning Before Your Trip (FREE Resource!)
Pimsleur is a premium language learning program and app that teaches by repetition. (Instead of trying to spell and write, you'll learn to listen and speak – the skills you'll actually need for travel.)
I've used Pimsleur for multiple languages so trust me – it's the best way to get started, short of just moving to a foreign country! Trying it free for 7 days is enough to pick up a few words, and recognize a bit of what people are saying when you land.
Learn a language by watching local TV shows! This is such a unique concept – you can watch real TV series and movies made in the language you're learning. (I used it to watch Brazilian shows before spending a month in Brazil.)
It gives you lots of useful features, including the ability to slow down the speed or pause any time and click any word in the subtitle for an explanation.
If Duolingo gamefies language learning, Liñgöpie story-ifies it.
Our Favorite Sustainable Trips
These are our favorite trips you can book now, and have all your travel planning set!
I’ve personally traveled with all of these companies and can vouch for how excellent they – both for sustainability and for providing amazing travel experiences that are worth your vacation time.
Byway is a fantastic new company in the UK that creates fully curated, private European trips without any flights. They're a Certified B Corp focused on getting us off the beaten path and enjoying a slower pace of travel.
You can customize any part of a route they've designed – like Sicily by Sleeper Train, or Canal Cities in the Netherlands (not just Amsterdam) – or create your own from scratch. They'll handle the bookings, and even restaurant & activity recommendations.
UnCruise is not like any kind of "cruise" you've heard of. And it's the only cruise company I recommend from a sustainability and ethics perspective.
That's why I've taken TWO trips with them in Baja California! Every day is packed with adventures for any energy level (kayaking, hiking, snorkeling and wildlife watching every single day) in pristine, bucket list destinations.
See my blog post for details – and our YouTube video is coming soon!
This unique adventure in Southern China is one of the best examples I've experienced of sustainable, community-driven tourism. Share meals with the indigenous Red Yao tribe, see their organic farming practices on beautiful, terraced rice fields, and get to know a community with an ancient culture that looks like nothing like what you'll see in Shanghai or Beijing.
Experience Italy in way most visitors never see: Instead of plazas crowded with tourists, you'll ride a bike (or e-bike!) through ancient, hillside villages, with stops to visit organic wineries and local artisans' shops. Sleep in cozy, local farm stays, and the end the trip with a dip in the cool, blue Adriatic Sea, or gorgeous mountains views.
The details are organized by a local guide we've worked with for years. And don't forget – for the second year, we're hosting a small group of readers who want to join us in Italy!
More Sustainable Travel Companies
I haven’t traveled with these companies – yet! – but I plan to. I’ve been in the travel industry for a long time, and these are the best companies that I would recommend booking a trip with.
Intrepid is the essentially the biggest name in sustainable travel. They run all sorts of small-group tours with local guides – from Italy to Iran to Antarctica.
But what makes them unique is that they're a B-Corp, they've been carbon-neutral since 2010, and are the first tour company to have science-based climate targets!
G Adventures is a great option for booking more sustainable and ethical trips. They offer small-group travel with a focus on positive local community impact. That impact is measured through their unique Ripple Score, which shows how much of the cost of your trip stays in the local community you’re visiting.
A small, woman-owned travel company, with sustainability at its heart. They run small-group tours all around the UK – everything from trail running and mountain biking, to more relaxed wellness trips, like yoga and surfing. If you want to skip the group (but also skip the planning) they'll even organize self-guided tours.
They're a Certified B Corp, and a member of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency (like Tilted Map!) and have a plan in place for net-zero emissions by 2030.
Day Trips & Short Tours
Small group tours in cities around the world. Walks' philosophy is that "the best way to travel is to take walks" and I couldn't agree more!
Book all kinds of private and group tours with local guides in Europe, North America, and around the world. It's especially good for more off-the-beaten path destinations and smaller towns in Europe.
Food Tours
Food and drink tours in Europe and the US from a woman-owned small company focused on sustainability.
Hotels & Accommodations
Unique Vacation Rentals
Oliver’s Travels is similar to Plum Guide, except that all of their properties are villas – perfect for unique group trips.
They also have an excellent sustainability filter, with dozens of eco-friendly villas for rent across Europe.
Plum Guide does the work of sorting through a million Airbnb listings for you – all you’ll find on Plum Guide are the best of the best properties.
And they’ve cut out all the extra fees, too (cleaning, service fee, taxes…). So unlike with AirBnb, the nightly rate you see on Plum Guide really is what you pay.
Homestays for Women
HerHouse is a new, award-winning app and travel platform that lets women set up free homestays, hosted by other background-checked women around the world.
(HerHouse membership isn't free, but once you're a member, each homestay is.)
NOTE: HerHouse normally opens for new members only every few months, but as an ambassador, I can get you in any time through the special link below.
Trains, Ferries & Busses
Omio is my first stop to get the lay of the land (and sea and air) for travel options. It shows train, bus, ferry and flight options in a single search for Europe, the US and Canada.
It’s a lot simpler than buying tickets directly from the train companies – no translation issues, or problems with foreign credit cards. And for booking Amtrak tickets in the US, it's definitely worth a look – sometimes Omio is more expensive, but sometimes it's much cheaper!
Search tickets on Omio:
Search tickets on FerryHopper:
Flight Booking
Kayak & Momondo
I’ve done endless comparisons among different flight search engines (Kayak, SkyScanner, Momondo, etc.), and never found much price difference, if any at all.
Kayak is what I use most often, because I find it to be the simplest and easiest, but that’s just my personal preference.
You can try your own comparison with the flight search engines below:
Skyscanner
My favorite thing about Skyscanner is that it has a calendar view for comparing a whole month’s worth of flight fares. (While Kayak only shows one week at a time.) And you can filter for direct flights only.
And Skyscanner seems to search small booking sites that other flight search platforms ignore, and makes it easier to book directly with airlines.
Flight Deals
Formerly known as Scotts Cheap Flights, Going is a free flight alert service that emails you deals from your home airport. It's most useful if you can be flexible with your travel dates (and maybe even destinations).
They also have a paid version that sends out extraordinary deals (like "error fares"), but I just use the free version. (You can sign up to try it and always unsubscribe if it doesn't work for you.)
Cover all your bases – Thrifty Traveler sends flight deals you can book with points or cash, in either economy or First Class.
Luggage Storage
LuggageHero
I always recommend people stash their roller bags whenever they have a few spare hours in a city! Dragging them around gets old fast – especially in any place with cobblestones (Europe) or rough sidewalks (Latin America).
I’ve used LuggageHero a few times in cities around the world, and it’s always worked smoothly. You use it to pre-book storage online, and leave your bags at a local business (from hotels to hairdressers – you pick the location). You pay by the hour or day for each piece of luggage.
You can often find other options (such as the hotel you’re checking into or out of, for example), but LuggageHero is great for long layovers or a few hours between trains.
More Luggage Storage Options
Bounce and Stasher are two alternatives to LuggageHero. I haven’t personally used them, but the concept is the same. The choice is just a matter of which one has the most convenient location for your plans.
Travel Insurance
These companies are my first choices for travel insurance:
- Insure My Trip for shorter trips,
- SafetyWing for the easiest option, or for longer trips.
- MedJet for added protection, evacuation, and even security services. (A level up from normal travel insurance.)
I also have two good back-up options: Travel Insurance Master (similar to Insure My Trip, for short trip insurance), and World Nomads (long-term travel insurance).
They’re all good at what they do, I just find Insure My Trip and SafetyWing to be easier to use, with better options. (And nothing is really comparable to MedJet for evacuation coverage.) More on all of the options below:
Short-term/ Vacation Trip Insurance:
The largest travel insurance broker in the US, so they have a wide variety of plans that you can compare side-by-side.
You can go with a basic “travel medical” plan, or filter for plans that include “Cancel For Any Reason” coverage. (And it does mean any reason.)
- Great customer service
- Insures travelers of any age
- Filter for clearly marked “Cancel For Any Reason” plans. (And it does mean ANY reason.)
- The most options for travelers not from US
Not as well known as Insure My Trip, but still offers lots of variety, and lets you very easily compare plans from different providers side-by-side.
(Note: If Travel Insurance Master says there are no plans available for your trip, try changing the “Plan Type” on the left-hand side from “Trip Cancellation” to “No Trip Cancellation.”)
- Good variety of plans
- Insures travelers of any age
- "Choose Your Own Deductible" for some plans
Long-term Travel Insurance:
See all the options from SafetyWing – from flexible monthly plans, to insurance for remote workers.
Simple and flexible travel insurance policies offer coverage for more than 150 activities, emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
World Nomads is a good place to start your research, because their quote process is super quick.
- Simple and flexible
- Buy or extend your policy while traveling
- Very quick to get a quote = Easy way to start your insurance research
- Doesn't directly insure travelers over 70
- Only one provider option
Evacuation & Extra Protection
MedJet is a membership, not insurance. It includes private travel security (think: a SWAT team if you get kidnapped), crisis response teams, and air medical transport. (Travel insurance will just evacuate you the closest "adequate" hospital. MedJet will actually get you home, to the hospital of your choice.)
No deductibles. No claims forms. Basically, you call them, and they start taking care of you.