Traveling is always a magical experience, even if you’re going solo. But in case you’d love to arrange an exciting trip with a new friend, this post is for you. I’ll introduce you to the coolest apps and sites to find a travel partner.
You’ll notice how simple it is to browse the web for folks with travel preferences that match yours, as well as fine-tune the results according to age, gender, and other filters if you want.
Let’s do this!
Table of Contents
Top apps to find a travel partner
1. Travello
Travello tops our list because it’s hands down the most thorough app of its kind, in addition to one of the largest travel communities on Earth.
Despite not being designed specifically as a travel partner search tool, the issue-oriented groups you can take part in are perfect for that. You can interact with fellow solo travelers, photographers, hikers,… or any other interests you may think of.
Chances are you’ll get to meet new friends in your hometown too, as there are millions of users around the globe.
What’s more, Travello offers 30,000+ tours and activities all over the planet that you can book for a discount by collecting points on the app.
The app also features a built-in GPS functionality that locates sweet deals, events, and free Wi-Fi wherever you are.
2. Facebook
Facebook isn’t as popular with the younger crowd as it used to be a couple of years back, yet Meta’s flagship social media platform remains unrivaled when it comes to one precious tool: groups.
You probably know the drill. You just have to tap on the Groups icon on Facebook’s homepage and search for keywords or phrases related to your need. In this case, “travel buddies”, “travel partners”, or “travel friends” are the best combinations.
Then, simply join the groups that match your interests and either post your travel plans or scroll down to see what’s up.
A few of the highlights here include I Need a Travel Buddy, with 33,000+ members, and Travel Buddies, with 26,000+.
Women Who Travel, a private group with over 155,000 members, might turn out to be a lot of help to female travelers.
3. Meetup
Meetup isn’t exclusively travel-oriented, but it is definitely an amazing place to find a travel partner.
The platform’s basic premise is to hook you up with people who share similar interests with you, based on the events that the 61 million users organize in 9,000 cities. Meetup’s impressive size is by far one of its greatest assets.
Like Facebook, the app also offers the possibility of creating and joining groups so you can interact with folks who enjoy the same stuff as you, be it cooking, visiting museums, or cycling.
Though that doesn’t necessarily amount to finding a travel buddy, you’ll be able to meet new friends and hopefully make plans to see the world together.
Plus, you can always attend an event in the city you’re traveling to and meet up a local to show you around.
4. Gaffl
Gaffl is a reliable resource that connects you to potential friends, which means you never again have to travel all by yourself if you don’t want to.
The first thing you have to do is pick a destination. The app will then show you people near you who have similar travel plans so you can use the chat tool to get to know them better and arrange the details. Alternatively, you can post your itinerary and let other members join in.
One of Gaffl’s advantages is the fact that you can see which users have a verified account and choose to interact only with trustworthy profiles.
5. Travel Buddy
Whether it’s Japan, Peru, or Italy, Travel Buddy is your go-to guide to explore the must-sees, find the best deals on everything you may need while abroad, and meet new friends on-site.
Built as a community of travelers that connects over a million locals and visitors around the world, the app also allows users to list services like walking tours and accommodation options in such a way that you’ll hardly need any other travel app.
This is an innovative system to find a travel partner, as you’ll bond with authentic globetrotters and passionate locals.
6. Tourlina
Women face far larger safety risks than men when traveling by themselves, especially in remote areas or in countries where traditional values are still upheld by the majority of people. Traveling with a male partner, in turn, can end up being just as complicated.
That’s what Tourlina aims to address: letting women make travel plans with other female travelers. It works like a regular dating app, where you swipe left or right on potential matches after setting the outline of your plans (i.e. dates and destination) and your partner preferences, including age range.
The best thing about the app is that only verified users with a Facebook profile are admitted, which makes it extremely reliable. On the other hand, Tourlina is an expanding platform, which means you’ll often struggle to match with someone depending on your travel plans.
7. CouchSurfing
When CouchSurfing was launched in 2004, it was a truly groundbreaking initiative because it was the first-ever website to connect travelers and folks who would host them for free.
While that remains its core business, with its 12 million users, CouchSurfing is also a wonderful forum where you can meet new friends to travel the world with you.
One of the best ways to do that is by taking part in the weekly events members organize in 200,000 cities across the planet.
In 2020, in order to bear the financial burden brought about by the pandemic, CouchSurfing introduced a membership fee for users registering from a bunch of countries, among which Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, the UK, as well as several EU nations.
Yet that takes nothing away from the app’s status as the no. 1 platform connecting travelers and hosts on a global scale.
8. Workaway
Like Couchsurfing, Workaway is a different sort of app in that it’s not aimed as much at matching you with a travel partner, but rather with a travel host. This is a fantastic alternative for those of you who want to travel on a budget.
Basically, you’ll be given accommodation and food in exchange for pre-agreed services you’ll be performing for your host according to your skills. You can tend their garden, do some house sitting, or teach their kids your native language, for example. Even better, you’ll be paid an actual wage in case your host needs help with business matters.
The app was launched approximately 20 years ago and is extremely effective, so the fact that it charges a $49 annual membership isn’t really absurd. Both hosts and volunteers are reviewed by other users, meaning you can trust Workaway to help you take a totally safe trip.
Best sites to find a travel partner
9. TripGiraffe
TripGiraffe is one of the most comprehensive websites on our list, as it does its best not to leave room for ambiguities.
Upon registering, you’ll get to specify your budget, your target destinations, your preferred accommodation type, the languages you speak, and more. You can even let people know how you want to split expenses.
It works as a full-on social network for travelers where you can message users that seem to match your profile. TripGiraffe can do the hooking up for you as well if you want, connecting you to fellow travelers in 100+ countries.
On top of that, you can join an existing trip if finding the ideal travel buddy sounds like too much work. In other news, TripGiraffe maintains a blog with precious travel tips to help you prepare as you should when it’s time to hit the road.
10. JoinMyTrip
JoinMyTrip’s app is only available for Android users, which is why I’m listing it as a website instead.
Upon selecting among 8,000 destinations all over the planet, the platform will introduce you to members who want to discover that exact place too.
As its name suggests, JoinMyTrip also allows you to… well, join other people’s existing trips or create your own itinerary as a tripleader so other users will come along.
You can preset the dates and group size and estimate the total budget per tripmate, then wait for one or a few of the 160,000 members to hop on the boat.
One of the things that set JoinMyTrip apart from other similar solutions is its excellent customer service. The team advertises itineraries on Instagram daily and is always ready to answer your questions.
11. Women Welcome Women WorldWide
Women Welcome Women WorldWide’s promise is similar to Tourlina’s, as its name suggests. Women who don’t feel safe traveling alone or simply don’t want to do it can interact with other users to organize a trip together.
While the website is UK-based, women from all over the globe can register. You’ll be expected, however, to pay a $50 admission fee to help cover Women Welcome Women WorldWide’s maintenance costs.
Besides finding a partner to travel with, you can use the website to connect with a local in your next destination so she can show you around and keep you company as you explore her hometown.
WWWW currently has 1500 members in 40+ nations on all continents; it’s a relatively small but expanding community.
12. YourTravelMates
On YourTravelMates, travel is more of an excuse than the end goal. Founded about 30 years ago as TripTogether, the platform is present in over 40 nations and has as many as a million members worldwide.
Yet the focus here is more on finding a life partner rather than a travel buddy. The website’s purpose is to foster romance on a global scale. Still, tons of users are seeking friendship and companionship instead, just like most of the other entries on our list.
When looking for other users, you can narrow the results down according to gender, age, arrival dates, and destination.
You can then exchange e-letters or video chat with them until you eventually decide to meet up. Though YourTravelMates charges for these services, membership is 100% free.
Final thoughts
As exciting and enlightening as traveling on your own can be, finding a travel partner can be a great way to ensure your trip will be safer, more affordable, and often more fun.
Through top-notch apps like Gaffl and Travello and websites like JoinMyTrip and TripTogether, you can connect with millions of globetrotters from across the planet and find a travel partner to see the world with you.
Best apps and sites to find a travel partner – Pin it!
I highly recommend these two couchsurfing communities to find female travel buddies:
Host a Sister – Facebook group where women around the world can find accommodations and travel buddies.
Travel Ladies – mobile app connecting women who want to travel with other women
I highly recommend these two women-only communities to find female travel buddies:
Host A Sister: Facebook group
Travel Ladies: mobile app
Fairytrail is a top travel buddy app you missed