Travel Resources

Want to travel the world? After a decade of traveling around the world I put together this list of resources for travel bloggers that include products and services that I have found to be useful for traveling and for my business.

Accommodations

Airbnb

Airbnb lets you book an entire home almost anywhere in the world. I like the autonomy of being able to come and go as I please. I always make sure to select a place with Wi-Fi and a fully equipped kitchen. Be sure to read the reviews before you book!

Wimdu

Just like Airbnb, Wimdu is great for booking luxury condos for a lot cheaper than hotel rooms.

Wilderness Safaris

These are hands-down my favorite safari camps in Africa. Wilderness Safaris has great luxury accommodations in 8 African countries including Rwanda, Seychelles, and Botswana.

Travel Gear

Away Luggage

Affordable high-quality luggage that can take a beating – perfect for frequent travelers like myself. The hard shell keeps your things intact and the charging ports on the outside are very convenient for charging electronics in airports.

KYBOE! Watches

These are rugged watches that hold up well in all types of weather, including under water. The rubber wristband doesn’t fade and the big face looks great.

UGG

Good quality leather boots and slippers that work really well for winter weather. The colors are neutral and the wool lining keeps feet toasty.

Airlines

Qatar Airways

Love its nonstop service from Miami to Doha. The airline is second only to Emirates. The Business Class seats recline all the way flat and include pajamas, slippers, luxury toiletries, and excellent inflight entertainment.

Singapore Airlines

Top-notch flight attendant service and its hub, Singapore Changi Airport, is a destination in itself! Even the economy class food is very good.

Vueling

If you’re not a fan of all the restrictions and tricks of Ryanair and EasyJet, Vueling is another low-cost airline that flies between European cities, with its hub being in Barcelona. I have flown Vueling several times and it was always a stress-free and pleasant experience. Just make sure to pay for your check-in luggage online to save money!

Business Essentials

Drobo

Whether you’re a business owner, creative, or both like me, backing up your files is essential! I’ve always trusted my photos, video clips, and documents to my Drobo 5D. It’s the best personal data storage device out there, hands down!

Moo

Where I order all my business cards. The quality is always superb and they have good, think card stock to choose from. I upload my design from InDesign.

Macbook Air

The 13” Macbook Air weighs nothing and fits easily into a messenger bag, backpack, or carry-on.

Hello Vector

Hello Vector is an online Vector Stock website that has thousands of high-end graphic designs segregated in various categories that can be used in personal and professional projects. You can download graphics at as low as $0.87 per design. In addition, it also offers custom graphic design services.

Best Travel Apps

WhatsApp Messenger

Simple way to communicate with family or clients while traveling (must be in a Wi-Fi zone). You can use it while on airplane mode so you’re not wasting data.

Waze

Waze is the world’s largest community based traffic and navigation app. I use it to get real-time traffic updates and get to my destination the fastest way. possible. Now you can use Waze to navigate in several countries.

Skype

Still one of the classic communication methods I can always rely on for face-to-face chats with clients or family back home.

LoungeBuddy

Use this app to find and book access to airport lounges around the world. You don’t need to have to be a part of a loyalty program to enjoy the benefits of an airport lounge. Lounges offer snacks, comfy seating, cocktails, Wi-Fi, showers, and a host of other perks that you won’t get just waiting around in the airport terminal.

Triposo

A travel app that lets you access their travel guides and save all your bookings in one place. Triposo currently has 10 million users and features 50,000+ destinations. You can book your hotel and activities on the app. The best part is that you can use it offline.

Aviary

My go-to app for editing pictures I take on my iPhone before posting them to Instagram.

Cruises

Azamara Club Cruises

Their focus is Destination Immersion. Where longer stays, more overnights and night touring are included on most of our voyages. This means you get to explore everything from nightlife in Stockholm and morning walks in the French Riviera to all-day adventures in Costa Rica’s rain forests.

Viking Cruises

Super-luxurious cruise line specializing in European River cruises. Impeccable itineraries, guided tours, service, and outstanding food. It’s like a boutique hotel on the water.

Flights

Flight Network

Flight Network is Canada’s top travel brand and offers great flight deals with price drop protection.

Webjet

Webjet is a full-service online travel agency that features top flight deals on international airfare, as well as huge savings on hotel stays, travel insurance, car rentals and more. Book directly on the site and enjoy a 24/7 customer service phone line. Also set up a price alert directly to your email.

Momondo

Site that lets you compare flights, plus search by interest such as family-friendly beach vacations or romantic ski getaways.

The Points Guy

Fantastic resource about airline loyalty programs and credit cards that offer travel perks. Bryan Kelly has dedicated his life to helping others travel – something he does quite a bit of using his own advice.

Photography and Videography

Canon 5D Mark IV

If you are looking for the ultimate camera that shoots in 4K then you have to go with the Mark IV by Canon.

Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens & Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens

These are the two lenses I always travel with. The 16-35mm is perfect for very wide shots as well as getting interior photos. The 70-200mm is good for close ups and wildlife photography.

XShot Pro

Basically the best camera extender/ selfie stick out there. Good rubber grip, lightweight aluminum design, and 360° metal ball head with 2 interchangeable mounts that fits GoPro, Contour and Sony Action Cam POV cameras.

Final Cut Pro X

How every episode of David’s Been Here is edited.

MacX Video Converter Pro

A comprehensive video processing software which manages all your travel videos regardless of videos in 4K, HD, or standard resolution. MacX helps you compress/reduce travel video size for online video sites uploading or social network sharing, convert camcorder videos to 410+ formats, download music videos to pair with your vlog, cut out unwanted parts of travel videos, create a stunning video from photographs.

BorrowLenses

If you need a lens for trip or specific event, I highly recommend renting equipment from BorrowLenses. Also a good way to “test drive” an expensive camera or lens before you buy. They will also ship gear right to your home, office, hotel, or anywhere that you need it to be within 50 US states.

LaCie 5 Terabyte Rugged Hard Drive

I’ve always traveled with at lease two external hard drives to back up all my footage and photos. The LaCie 5TB Rugged Thunderbolt is the newest LaCie external hard drive to hit the market and has tons of storage space. Back up your work, people!

OlloClip 4-in-1 lens

Awesome and inexpensive lenses for your iPhone 6/6s & iPhone 6/6s Plus that let you shoot in fisheye, wide-angle, 10x macro, and 15x macro. They switch out easily and are small and easy to take anywhere. It comes in 6 different color combinations.

Car Rental

Auto Europe

AutoEurope is a trusted company with over 20,000 locations in 180 countries. More often than not, there is always an office at the airport, which makes it easy to rent the car upon arrival (saves money on taxi rides to the hotel)!

CarRentals.co.uk

This is basically a search and booking engine that and compares prices from all the major car rental companies (more than 50 in total) and lets you book directly on their site. I’ve always had a smooth experience with this website.

Thai Rent A Car

Highly recommend Thai Rent a Car for travelers who want to self-drive in Thailand. The staff speaks English and there is an office at every major airport in the country, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Krabi.

Car Rental Insurance

Insurance 4 Car Hire

Insurance4carhire.com are providers of car hire excess insurance and can reimburse your excess should your hired car be damaged or stolen worldwide.

Travel Insurance

Legal & General

UK-based firm offering single, family, or group travel coverage for permanent residents of the UK. They offer a 24/7 emergency help line, up to £7,500 trip cancellation cover, up to £3,000 personal belonging and baggage cover, up to £15 million medical expenses cover, and tons of other benefits. Just click the link above to get an instant quote.

World Nomads

Inexpensive insurance for your health and belongings. Thankfully, I’ve never had to make a claim, but it’s a lifesaver when you need it. Plans include medical help, emergency evacuation, coverage of accidental damage to your belongings, and costs you may incur due to trip cancellation.

Tours

TripsPoint

Book and review unique day tours, multi-day trips, activities & things to do directly from local companies & people all the world around. 

Get Your Guide

You’ll see Get Your Guide links embedded in various articles on my site. I like that you get to search thousands of guided tour options and that you’ll always get matched with a local, whether it’s an individual or a company.

ComparaBUS

ComparaBUS shows all possible bus, train, carpool, plane offers from the US, Europe without adding any fee means that rather than clicking one by one from each transportation carrier ComparaBUS give one-click possibility to reach a results.

Travel Blogging Resources

How to Start a Travel Blog

An article where I explain step by step how to actually create a travel blog using BlueHost and WordPress.

Travel Blog Success

Choose from 4 onling courses to help you succeed at travel blogging.

How to Make Money and Travel the World 

Write-up I did a few years back talking to various travel bloggers and having them explain how they manage to fund their travels.

Performance Foundry

Craig and his team custom-designed and manage davidsbeenhere.com.

MailChimp

Service that I use to manage subscribers and create monthly newsletter emails.