I’ve travelled through 47 countries across 6 continents over the last decade, and made a healthy share of expensive mistakes along the way. This is the short list of tools, gear and sites I genuinely use to book smarter, pack lighter and not get stung – the stuff I wish someone had handed me before I wasted the money and hours figuring it out the hard way.
Booking the trip
The handful of sites I actually open when I’m planning. Nothing exotic – just the ones that have never let me down.
Skyscanner
The first place I look for every flight. I set a price alert months out and let it tell me when to book, rather than refreshing hopefully at midnight.
Booking.com
Where I book most hotels and guesthouses. Free cancellation on most rooms means I can lock in a good rate now and change my mind later (which I usually do).
Hostelworld
For the cheap, social end of things. Read the actual reviews, not just the score – a 9.2 with three mentions of “thin walls” tells you everything.
GetYourGuide
Day tours and skip-the-line tickets with free cancellation. Handy when I can’t be bothered arranging a driver myself, or when a queue would eat half the day.
Discover Cars
Compares the local rental desks so I’m not quietly overpaying at the airport counter. It’s found me cars for half the walk-up price more than once.
Priority Pass
Long layovers get a lot more bearable with free food, a shower and a seat away from the boarding-gate chaos. Pays for itself fast if you fly a lot.
Money & staying connected
Two things that quietly save me the most money and hassle on the road.
Wise
The real exchange rate, tiny fees, and a card that works everywhere. It’s been my travel debit card for years – I order it before I fly, top it up in the app, and stop paying bad bank rates abroad.
Airalo eSIM
Mobile data the second I land, no hunting for a SIM kiosk or arguing over a passport photocopy. I’ve tried the lot, and Airalo is the one I keep coming back to – the widest coverage, the cheapest small plans, and an app that just works whether you’re somewhere for a weekend or a month.
Travel insurance
I’ve done some genuinely dumb things overseas – missed flights, lost my passport, crashed a scooter, and even had a rabies scare. All reasonably minor. They could have been a lot worse, and this is the one thing I never skip.
World Nomads
My pick if your trip involves anything vaguely adventurous. You can add cover for the activities that regular policies quietly exclude – hiking, diving, the fun stuff – and buy it once you’ve already left home.
SafetyWing
Better value if you’re travelling long-term or working as you go. It runs as a cheap monthly subscription rather than a fixed trip, so you can keep it ticking over indefinitely.
What’s in my pack
The bags, power and everyday kit I’ve carried through airports, up mountains and onto ferries – not a wish list.
Osprey Farpoint 40
My carry-on for almost every trip. Fits within cabin limits, opens flat like a suitcase, and has survived years of being thrown into buses and boat holds.
Osprey Daylite Plus 20L
The daypack that clips onto the Farpoint. Big enough for a day hike or a market run, small enough that I don’t look like I’m moving house.
Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L
Where my camera lives while I’m walking around. Swings to the front in a second when something’s worth shooting, and doesn’t scream “expensive gear inside”.
NiteCore 20,000mAh Powerbank
A game-changer if you want a lot of power at the lightest possible weight. Keeps a phone, camera and headlamp alive through multi-day treks with no wall socket in sight.
Brita Filter Water Bottle
Cuts down on both dodgy tap water and the pile of plastic bottles you’d otherwise buy. Not a substitute for a proper purifier in the backcountry, but perfect for cities and towns.
My hiking kit
Hiking is what I plan most trips around, so this is the gear I’ve tested on real trails – from the Kumano Kodo to the roof of Africa.
Icebreaker Merino Base Layer
Merino is the one fabric I won’t hike without. It keeps you warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s not, and somehow doesn’t stink after four days on the trail – which your tent-mates will thank you for.
Altra Lone Peak Trail Shoes
My go-to for long-distance hiking. Wide toe-box, zero drop, and grippy enough for most trails without the weight of a full boot. I’ve worn through more pairs of these than I’d care to admit.
Black Diamond Trekking Poles
Your knees will thank you on the long descents. I ignored poles for years and regretted it – they take a genuine load off, and double as a tent pole and spider-web clearer.
Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
Essential for pre-dawn summit starts and finding the long-drop at 2am. Bright, light, and the batteries last far longer than you’d expect.
Darn Tough Merino Socks
The best hiking socks I’ve owned, and they come with a lifetime guarantee – wear a hole in them and they send you a new pair. Blisters are almost always a sock problem, not a boot one.
Rab Microlight Down Jacket
Packs down to nothing and weighs almost the same, but pulls you back from shivering the second the sun drops behind a ridge. Lives in the top of my pack on every cold-weather trip.
North Face Venture 2 Rain Jacket
A packable, genuinely waterproof shell for when the mountain decides otherwise. Not the fanciest, but it’s kept me dry from the Himalaya to the West Coast of New Zealand.
My camera bag
I’m a photographer as much as a hiker, so this is the kit I plan trips around. Light, weatherproof, and able to shoot from a summit ridge or underwater.
Sony RX100 VII
My everyday compact. Pocketable, ridiculously sharp, and it means I actually carry a real camera instead of leaving it at the hotel.
GoPro HERO13 Black
The one that gets wet, dropped and dusty so the Sony doesn’t have to. Snorkelling, scooter rides, waterfalls – anything I don’t want to baby.
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
My other action cam – the stabilisation and low-light are excellent, and the front screen makes it my go-to for talking-to-camera clips on the trail.
DJI Mini 5 Pro Drone
Small enough to travel with almost anywhere and light enough to skip a lot of registration rules. This is where the big sweeping shots of ridgelines and reefs come from.
A quick note: some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them – at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend gear and services I actually use and would point a mate towards. It’s what helps keep this blog running.