Travel Resources

DummyTicket provides verifiable flight reservations for visa applications. These flight reservations are verifiable, come with a PNR number, costs $19 and are valid for up to 14 days. You can also print these reservations directly from the airline website.

OnwardTicket provides verifiable proof of onward flight for entering a new country with a oneway ticket. These are useful when planning to leave a country by bus/train. Onward tickets are instantly downloadable, costs $12 and are valid for 48 hours.

InsureMyTrip has insurance plans specially designed for Schengen visa. The insurance, coverage limits and embassy letter are all as per the Schengen visa rules. And, you will also be fully covered for travel and medical emergencies during your trip. 

Skyscanner is the best flight search engine out there. It includes every small budget airline for a given route. You can definitely find the cheapest flight using Skyscanner.

Momondo is also a very good search engine. I prefer Momondo for its association with new and upcoming booking sites which offer great discounts.

Google Flights has some unique search options such as map search, flight alerts, etc. I use its map search to figure if flying to a different city is cheaper than the one I am planning to.

I have been using Booking.com for several years now. It’s my go-to website for all hotel bookings. Booking has great deals from time to time. A lot of refundable hotel options as well, which especially are useful for visa applications.

Expedia runs great deals from time to time. Sometimes up to 50% off. I like their Expedia+ membership program, which gives a 10% discount on most bookings and cashback in the form of Expedia points.

Orbitz runs a 15% coupon discount on hotel bookings most of the time. You can find the coupon code on their home page. I also like their reward program where you get back up to 5% of the hotel and 1% of flight bookings in the form of Orbucks.

WorldNomads is the best travel insurance for short trips and adventure activities. You can buy WorldNomads insurance even during your trip and for any duration. You can extend your insurance even while traveling. Their flexibility comes with a price though. Their premiums are not that cheap. 

SafetyWing is the best travel insurance for long-time travelers and digital nomads. You can buy SafetyWing insurance from anywhere in the world and even while traveling. You can also stop and start whenever you need. SafetyWing even covers COVID-19, so you are fully covered.

VisitorsCoverage has the best medical insurance plans for US travel. Healthcare in the US is quite expensive and it’s essential to have medical insurance when traveling to the US. VisitorsCoverage has plans that cover all kinds of medical needs and emergencies while you are in the US.

Osprey makes durable backpacks, travel packs and day packs. All their bags come with a lifetime guarantee. I currently use Osprey Farpoint 55. I have used a Farpoint 40 before. Both are exceptional travel packs.

Lonely Planet books are my preferred travel guides. I find them very accurate. They provide me with all the info I need. I used to purchase their print versions, but now I prefer their kindle versions.

I own quite a bit of gear from Columbia. I have their trekking shoes which helped me greatly on my EBC trek. I also love their convertible hiking pants. One of the best brands for trekking and hiking gear.

I’m a big fan of the North Face jackets. I own a down jacket that is lightweight, compresses small and stashes into its own pocket. It’s my only jacket while traveling. It helped me tremendously on my EBC trek.

Decathlon are sporting goods superstores. They make and sell their own products. They are durable and super cheap. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on sleeping bags, camping gear or travel apparel. Just go to Decathlon.

I can’t imagine myself traveling without Google Maps. I use it for navigation, transit directions and mainly to pin all my places of interest before I head out to explore. No need to carry around a huge paper map and become a target for pickpocketers.

I’ve started to use Maps.Me more and more these days. It’s a crowd-sourced offline maps app. Even small alleys and hiking trails are on the map. Just download the entire country when you have wifi and it works very well offline with GPS.