Excellent resources for planning trips, world travel, going on adventures, or buying and making new gear. They are organized into 7 categories, go ahead and click to jump into any particular one. Most of these resources work best when used from a desktop computer. Mobile results may vary. I have provided links for mobile apps if they are available. You can find my recommendations for individual mobile apps here!

Categories

DIY GEAR – places to buy materials to make your own gear

GEAR – places to buy when shopping for new gear

HOSPITALITY – websites to check for accommodations

PLANE TICKETS – the cheapest airfares

TRAIN TICKETS – EurRail tickets

CAMPSITES – find an available campsite

MAPS – create and edit your own digital maps

DIY Gear

DIY Gear Supply:

Nearly a one-stop shop for all your DIY materials. Great prices on fabrics, insulation, thread, webbing and more. Free DIY tutorials as well.

diygearsupply.com

Rip Stop by the Roll:

Variety of fabrics, many colors, free samples

ripstopbytheroll.com

Arrowhead Equipment:

Hammock materials, DIY parts, plus lots of pre-made gear

www.arrowhead-equipment.com

Thru-Hiker:

A wide variety of fabrics, insulation and other materials.

thru-hiker.com/materials/breathable.php

Ebay:

Many DIY items can be found on Ebay as well, just be sure to know what you are looking for. Sections of Tyvek is a popular product since many people do not want to buy full rolls.

www.ebay.com

Gear

Amazon:

I’m only putting this here as a reminder. Always check prices and read reviews! If you find a product somewhere online that you are interested in, be sure to look around elsewhere for decent reviews and the best pricing. Amazon is a great resource for this, as well as offering purchasing security and credibility.

www.amazon.com/outdoors

Backcountry:

www.backcountry.com

Campmor:

www.campmor.com

The Clymb:

Limited time deals on all kinds of adventure gear. (Referral link, membership is required)

www.theclymb.com

Steep and Cheap:

Limited time offers on random gear.

www.steepandcheap.com

iPhone App Link

Backpacking Light

A used gear forum, lots of great gear at discount prices. Most sellers prefer Paypal, use at your own risk.

www.backpackinglight.com

REI:

The REI outlet often has some affordable gear. For those of us nowhere near an actual store, this is the next best option.

www.rei.com/outlet

iPhone App Link

Hospitality

Airbnb

A convenient house or room rental service with participants around the world.

www.airbnb.com

Couchsurfing

A giant friendly network of global citizens, happy to offer accommodation to trustworthy travelers.

www.couchsurfing.org

Hostel.com

Search for and book hostels around the world.

www.hostels.com

Plane Tickets

Google Flights & Matrix ITA:

These are undoubtedly the best methods to search for cheap flights. You can view graphs of the best times to buy cheap tickets and enter date ranges to find the lowest priced flights. These sites are technically the same service since Google purchased Matrix ITA, but there may be some differences as Google is still incorporating everything. Check out the Matrix site first.

Matrix ITA

matrix.itasoftware.com

iPhone App link – ITA “on the fly”

Google Flights

www.google.com/flights

European Train tickets

Rail Dude:

Cheap tickets, good information

www.raildude.com/en/shop-buy-eurail-pass

EuRail:

Well organized, easy to use site

www.eurail.com/eurail-passes

Camping

Roadtrippers:

Find fun things to do while driving across America

roadtrippers.com

iPhone App Link

Recreation.gov:

Find campsites and amenities in the US

www.recreation.gov

iPhone App Link

Reserve America:

Find campsites tailored to your needs

www.reserveamerica.com

Maps

Scribble Maps:

Create your own routes and maps

www.scribblemaps.com/create

Map my Hike:

As the name suggests, you can map your hike over topographic, satellite or street maps.

www.mapmyhike.com/routes/create/

How Far Can I Travel:

This is a fun one. You can enter some details and it will calculate how far you can travel from your location in a certain amount of time. Good for making up roadtrips if you have an open weekend and open mind.

www.freemaptools.com/how-far-can-i-travel.htm