The Arctrn Travel Toolkit
The booking tools, eSIMs, cover, and kit we actually reach for between one horizon and the next. No filler — just the things that have earned their place in the bag.
Every link below is a recommendation that sends you straight to the merchant — you book with them directly. Arctrn never handles your booking or your money.
Where to Stay
A bed is a base camp, not the trip. We use these two to lock in a good one fast, then spend our attention on everything else.
Booking.com
Our default for stays almost everywhere. The map view is how we actually choose — drag it to the neighbourhood we want to wake up in, filter for free cancellation, and keep options open until plans firm up. Deepest coverage of guesthouses and small independents, which is usually where the good mornings happen.
Search stays on Booking.com →Expedia
Where we cross-check before committing — and where bundling a stay with a flight or car sometimes quietly undercuts booking them separately. Worth a second tab on any longer trip, especially when a loyalty night or a member rate tips the maths.
Compare on Expedia →What to Do
The part of a place you remember. We book the things that need a slot or a guide ahead of time, and leave the rest to wandering.
GetYourGuide
Our first stop for tours and skip-the-line tickets. Clean cancellation terms, mobile tickets that actually scan, and reviews detailed enough to tell a real local guide from a coach-and-headset operation. Strongest across Europe and the bigger cities.
Browse experiences on GetYourGuide →Viator
The widest net for activities, day trips, and the oddly specific (a 5am market walk, a half-day cooking class). When something isn't listed elsewhere, it's usually here. We use it to fill the gaps GetYourGuide leaves.
Find things to do on Viator →Klook
Our go-to across Asia. Rail passes, theme parks, airport transfers, attraction combos — booked in-app, often cheaper than the gate, and redeemed with a QR code. If you're heading to Japan, Korea, or Southeast Asia, start here.
Explore on Klook →Stay Connected
Landing with a working phone changes the whole first day. An eSIM means you're online before you've found the taxi rank — no kiosk queue, no swapping out your home SIM.
Airalo
What we install before most trips. Pick a country or regional plan, scan a QR code at the gate, and you're online the second you land. Tidy app, sensible top-ups, and a single regional plan that follows you across a multi-country run. Best when you mostly need data, not a local number.
Get an eSIM on Airalo →Holafly
The one we reach for when we want truly unlimited data and don't want to think about gigabytes — long stays, heavy map-and-upload days, hotspotting a laptop. Flat-rate rather than pay-per-GB, so worth a look when you know you'll lean on it.
Get unlimited data with Holafly →Stay Covered
The thing you hope to never use and are very glad to have. We don't leave on a real trip without cover — a single clinic visit abroad can cost more than the policy.
SafetyWing
Built for people who move often. Subscription-style cover that renews monthly, works across borders, and doesn't need you to know your return date when you sign up. Our default for long, open-ended trips and slow travel.
See SafetyWing cover →Heymondo
The one we pick for fixed-date trips. Clear single-trip and annual policies, an in-app doctor chat, and an assistance line that picks up. Easy to read what's actually covered before you buy — which is the only part that matters.
Get a Heymondo quote →Getting There
The migration itself. We pin down the route first, then decide how much of the ground we want under our own wheels.
Skyscanner
Where every flight search starts for us. Search a whole month, or "Everywhere" from your home airport when the destination is still negotiable — it's the fastest way to let price shape the plan. We compare here, then book with whoever it sends us to.
Search flights on Skyscanner →DiscoverCars
For the days the best parts aren't on a train line. Compares local and international hire firms in one search, spells out what the insurance actually covers, and tends to surface the smaller depots the big names skip. Our pick for coast roads and slow detours.
Compare car hire on DiscoverCars →Gear We Pack
We travel light, so everything earns its weight. Two places we trust to kit up — one for the everyday, one for when the trip gets properly outdoors.
Amazon
For the small, unglamorous things that make a trip smoother — packing cubes, a universal adapter, a compact power bank, a TSA-friendly toiletry kit. Not romantic, just the stuff you're glad you brought. We link to the everyday kit we'd repurchase without thinking.
See our travel kit on Amazon →REI
When the trip leans outdoors — trail shoes, a proper rain shell, a daypack that survives years of being over-stuffed. REI's own staff reviews are honest about what's overbuilt and what's worth it, which is why we point you there for the gear you'll actually depend on.
Shop outdoor gear at REI →Planning the next migration?
Pick a destination and we'll show you exactly where to stay, what to do, and how to get online — in one place.
Start with Tokyo