Best Travel Community Resources
Traveling isn’t just about the places a person goes; it’s also about the people met along the way. Below are the best travel community resources available for those planning a journey.
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Travel Research Resources
Lonely Planet
The Holy Grail of travel information, Lonely Planet has two amazing resources I use. The first is their in-depth and sleek online website for travel information. The second are their famous, in-depth guidebooks. Lonely Planet offers other services as well, all to help travelers view the world safely
Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura is a website dedicated to the odd, outlandish and strange corners of the world. For travelers dedicated to finding novel experiences, Atlas Obscura is an incredible resource.
Tripadvisor
Mainstream travelers benefit greatly from Tripadvisor. The platform hosts tours, bookings, travel guides and customer reviews to make the travel experience smoother and more fulfilling. It’s a great resource for people visiting popular tourist destinations.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor isn’t a travel site, but a third-party company review website. This is a great resource for people planning on working for companies abroad. If the company has a branch which has been reviewed by old employees, new employees can verify the legitimacy of a business.
Wanderlog
Wanderlog is a free app which helps design itineraries. It has features to help with scheduling, map designs, reservations, bookings and a feature to share plans and routes with friends.
iVisa
The visa process can often be a daunting, exhausting part of travel. But with iVisa, this entire process is streamlined. iVisa takes your existing information and rapidly completes the Visa application process for you, or lists countries that don’t require a visa to visit with your passport.
Community Platform Resources
Travelbuddy
This app is meant to find friend and travelers heading the same direction as you. Simply input a destination, preferred gender and your travel dates.
Worldpackers
Aside from setting up volunteer services around the world, Worldpackers also has community discussions guiding people on eco projects, organic farms and hostel work.
Workaway
This app lets travelers connect with local hosts for lodging and food in exchange for a set number of working hours.
Communication Resources
WhatAapp
The communication app is the extremely popular direct messaging app. It is used for communication in North and South America, Europe and Africa. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, which means the company has access to your personal messages.
Signal
Signal is an app with heavily encrypted and private direct messaging. It’s an extremely secure app for communication. It is far more secure than apps like WhatsApp or Instagram.
Telegram
Telegram is a direct communication messaging app. It’s encrypted, private, secure, and independent, making it a better alternative to WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook.
WeChat is the everything app of China. Chinese citizens use the app for digital transactions, communications, buying tickets, social media posts, business meetings and more. However, this app is directly sponsored by the Chinese government, so your data isn’t safe. It is very difficult to function in China without WeChat.
Line
Though this app originated in South Korea, it proved to be very popular in Japan. Most Japanese people use this app for business communications and social contacts.
Kakao Talk
Kakao Talk is the primary communication app used for messaging in South Korea. It is necessary for most social groups and work functions.