The short answer
If you want to meet people going to the same city at the same time as you, use an app built around trip dates: Trespot or GAFFL. If you're a woman and would rather travel with other women, try NomadHer, which is women-only, or Tourlina with its women-only setting. If you just want company for an evening wherever you are, Meetup, Facebook groups and Couchsurfing Hangouts do the job and cost little or nothing.
The rest of this guide explains why. Fair warning: after going through all of these travel buddy apps, I came away less impressed than I expected. A lot of them feel like they haven't been touched in years. The screens are cluttered, it takes too many taps to find anyone, and on the bigger open networks you run into profiles that are obviously fake: stock photos, empty bios, accounts that never reply. Fake profiles are the main problem any app like this has to solve, so that's what I paid most attention to.
Why use a travel buddy app at all?
Hostels used to do this job. You'd sit in the common room, someone would mention they were heading to the same place next, and you had a travel partner. That still happens, but plenty of people now stay in apartments, travel for work or take shorter trips, and the common room conversation never comes.
A good travel buddy app gives you that conversation before you land. You can see who else will be in Lisbon the week you are, ask the question you'd normally ask at the hostel bar, and decide whether you want to meet. A bad one gives you a feed of strangers and a lot of "hey".
How travel buddy apps work
Most of them follow the same four steps:
| Step | What you do | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up | Email, phone or social login | Whether the app checks anything beyond an email address |
| Add your trip | Destination and dates. Some apps ask for a ticket or booking (Trespot) or review profiles by hand (Tourlina) | Some kind of verification. It's the best filter against fake profiles |
| Find people | Browse travelers with overlapping dates, or join a city group | Enough people in your destination on your dates |
| Chat and meet | In-app messages or group chats | Blocking and reporting that are easy to find |
The difference between a good app and a bad one is almost always in the middle two steps: whether the people are real, and whether there are enough of them where you're going. A beautifully designed app with nobody in your city is useless.
Are travel buddy apps safe?
They're about as safe as the way you use them. Verification helps, but it isn't a background check. A verified ticket tells you someone really is flying to Bangkok on the 14th. It doesn't tell you what they're like.
What I'd do before meeting anyone
- Meet somewhere public first. A café, a busy bar, a walking tour. Not their place, and not yours.
- Keep the chat in the app until you've met. If someone pushes to move to WhatsApp or Instagram straight away, treat it as a warning sign.
- Tell a friend where you're going and share your live location for the first meetup.
- Don't send money or pay deposits for someone you haven't met. That's where most scams on these apps start.
- Have a plan B. If you're sharing a car or a room, book something refundable in case your travel partner drops out.
- Leave if something feels off. You don't owe a stranger from an app an explanation.
The 8 best travel buddy apps, reviewed
Roughly in order of how useful I found them for finding an actual travel partner, rather than just someone to chat with.
1. Trespot
Full disclosure again: this one is ours. Trespot is built around one idea. You add your trip, verify it with a ticket or booking, and join the group chat for that city with other travelers who'll be there around the same time. You can ask where to eat, find someone to split the airport taxi with, or plan a meetup before you've packed.
Good: trip verification filters out most fake profiles, and city chats mean you aren't relying on one-to-one matches. It works on iOS, Android and in the browser, and our trip buddy app guide walks through it.
Not so good: it's newer and smaller than the big networks, so smaller cities can be quiet on your dates. It's strongest in popular destinations.
2. GAFFL ("Get A Friend For Life")
GAFFL matches you with travelers whose destinations and dates overlap with yours. It's the closest to Trespot in how it works, but it focuses on one-to-one matches rather than group chats. Free to start, with paid upgrades.
Good: it starts from your trip, which is the right way round. Not so good: the app feels dated, and in less popular places you'll scroll a long time before finding someone who's there when you are.
3. Travello
Travello is more of a social network for travelers: a feed of posts and questions, plus tours you can book. It's big, so there's usually someone around.
Good: browsing, and asking questions about a destination. Not so good: finding a travel partner specifically. The feed is noisy, and open networks like this are where you have to work hardest to tell who's real.
4. Tourlina
It started as a women-only app and has been open to all genders since September 2024, but you can set your profile to be visible to women only. Profiles are checked by hand before you can chat, and you match with people heading to the same place. Free to try, with a subscription for unlimited matching.
Good: if you're a solo female traveler, the women-only setting is the reason to use it, and it does that well. Not so good: the community is smaller, so results depend a lot on where you're going.
5. Backpackr
Made for backpackers. It shows travelers near you on a map, which is handy when you're already on the road and want company today.
Good: simple, and useful for spontaneous plans. Not so good: less help for planning ahead, and how active it is varies a lot by region.
6. Couchsurfing Hangouts
Couchsurfing is still the name most people know. Its Hangouts feature shows members nearby who want to meet for a coffee or a walk. Since 2020 you need a paid membership to use it.
Good: a long-standing community, with references on profiles. Not so good: the paywall pushed a lot of active members away, and in many cities Hangouts is quieter than it used to be.
7. Bumble For Friends
Bumble's friendship app. It isn't made for travel, but if you're staying somewhere for a few weeks, it's a decent way to meet locals and other people living there.
Good: plenty of people in big cities, and a cleaner interface than most apps here. Not so good: no trip dates or travel features, so it's for making friends where you are, not for planning a trip together.
8. Meetup & Facebook groups
Not built for this, but sometimes more useful than the apps that are. Search Facebook for "[city] travelers" or "[city] digital nomads" and you'll usually find an active group. Meetup is good for language exchanges, hikes and coworking days.
Good: free, and the big groups are busy. Not so good: no verification at all, and you'll be sorting through spam and sales posts.
Travel buddy apps compared
| App | Best for | How you find people | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trespot | Travelers in the same city on the same dates | Verified trips and city group chats | Free, with paid plans |
| GAFFL | One-to-one travel partners | Matches by destination and dates | Free, with paid upgrades |
| Travello | Browsing and asking questions | Social feed | Free |
| Tourlina | Women traveling solo | Optional women-only matching | Free to try, then subscription |
| Backpackr | Spontaneous plans on the road | Map of nearby travelers | Free |
| Couchsurfing Hangouts | A coffee or a walk with someone nearby | Nearby members | Paid membership |
| Bumble For Friends | Making friends on longer stays | Swipe matching | Free, with paid upgrades |
| Meetup & Facebook groups | Group events | Groups and events | Free |
How to choose the right travel buddy app
- Work out what you want. A partner for the whole trip, someone for a day hike and a group to go out with are different things, and different apps are good at each.
- Check your destination first. Before you fill in a full profile, see how many people are actually there on your dates. That matters more than any feature.
- Look for verification. A ticket, a booking or a manual review: any real check is the easiest way to avoid fake profiles.
- Read recent reviews. App Store and Reddit reviews from the last few months tell you more than the app's own description.
- Try two at once. Install two apps a few weeks before you leave and keep the one where people actually reply.
What meeting a travel partner through Trespot looks like
People do meet travel partners on Trespot, and it usually starts small. You add your trip, verify it, and join the chat for your city. Someone asks if anyone's up for the night market on Thursday, or wants to share a taxi from the airport. A couple of people reply. You move to a private chat with one of them, agree on a place, and meet.
Most travel partnerships start with a low-stakes plan like that. The good ones turn into sharing the rest of the trip.
The short version
- To meet people in the same city on the same dates, use a trip-based app: Trespot or GAFFL.
- Solo female travelers: NomadHer, or Tourlina set to women only.
- For company tonight rather than planning ahead: Backpackr, Couchsurfing Hangouts, Meetup or Facebook groups.
- Verification is your best defence against fake profiles. Prefer apps that have it.
- Meet in public, keep the chat in the app until you've met, and tell someone where you're going.
FAQs
What is the best travel buddy app?
It depends on what you want. To find a travel partner in the same city on the same dates, a trip-based app like Trespot or GAFFL works best. For women traveling solo, NomadHer or Tourlina. For general travel chat and questions, Travello.
Are travel buddy apps safe?
Mostly, if you're sensible. Pick an app that verifies something about its users, meet in public the first time, keep the conversation in the app until you've met, and tell someone where you're going.
Are travel buddy apps free?
Most are free to start. GAFFL, Tourlina and Bumble For Friends charge for extra features, Couchsurfing needs a paid membership, and Trespot has paid plans on top of a free tier.
Is there a travel buddy app for women only?
Yes. NomadHer is for women only. Tourlina started out women-only and has been open to all genders since September 2024, but you can set your profile to be visible to women only. Both check profiles before you can start chatting.
How do I avoid fake profiles?
Stick to apps that verify something, such as a ticket, a booking or an ID. Be wary of profiles with no bio or a single glossy photo, and of anyone who wants to switch to another messaging app straight away or brings up money.
How early should I start looking for a travel buddy?
A few weeks before you leave is a good time. It gives people time to reply and gives you time to chat a bit before meeting. For city group chats, joining a week or two ahead works fine.
