The short answer
If you want an app that finds you people to travel with, look for one built around trips and dates, not just profiles. Trespot lets you post your destination and dates, browse other travelers' trips to the same place, message the ones who'll be there when you are, and join a group chat for your city. It's free to start, and it works in the App Store and Google Play apps or in a browser.
If you searched for an app actually called Trip Buddy, check what it does before you install it. On Google Play, "Trip Buddy" and "TriB - Trip Buddy" are trip planners for organizing your own itinerary, not ways to meet other travelers. "Travel Buddy: AI Buddy Finder" does match travelers, alongside flight and hotel booking.
What should a trip buddy app do?
Put you in touch with people who'll be in the same place at the same time as you, then give you a safe way to find out whether you'd actually get on. In practice, that means:
- Trips with dates, not only profiles. Someone in your city next month is no use for dinner this Friday.
- A way to talk first, in the app, before you swap numbers or meet.
- Some kind of check, such as a ticket, a booking or an ID, and clear report and block tools.
- People where you're going. A big member count means little if nobody has posted a trip to your city for your week.
- Clear limits on the free version, so you know what you can do before you pay.
Using Trespot as a trip buddy app
This is how it works as of 30 September 2026, in the iOS and Android apps. The web version at trespot.com/app has the same sections.
- Download and sign up. Get Trespot from the App Store or Google Play, and sign up with email, Google, or Apple on iPhone. You'll choose a username and give your gender.
- Add your trip. Open Find Travel Partner and add where you're leaving from, where you're going, your dates, up to four extra stops and a short comment. Put what you'd like to do in the comment, because there's no field for budget or plans.
- See who's going. Filter other travelers' trips by city. They're sorted by start date, so the people you could meet soonest come first. Then message the ones whose dates overlap with yours.
- Join your city's group chat. In Join City Group, pick your city and add your dates. To chat freely, upload your ticket or booking from your camera, photo library or a PDF. You can cover everything on it except the place and date.
- When you land, open the map to see travelers near you. It uses your phone's location, which is why the map works better in the app than on a laptop.
For more on searching, including what to do when nobody has posted your dates, read our guide to searching for a travel buddy.
What's free and what's Premium on Trespot
| On a free account | With Premium |
|---|---|
| Post a trip and search other travelers' trips | The same |
| Start conversations from the Find Travel Partner board with two travelers | No limit |
| Join a city group: full chat after a ticket check, or 10 messages without one | Join city groups without a ticket |
| Reply to anyone who messages you | Start private chats from city groups and activities |
| No AI trip planner | AI trip planner |
In the app you pay through the App Store or Google Play. On the web you pay with PayPal, and the web plans are listed on our pricing page.
Other apps called Trip Buddy
Search the app stores for "trip buddy" and you'll get a mix of apps with very similar names. Here's what each one says it does in its own listing, as of 30 September 2026.
| App | Developer | What its listing says it does | Finds you people to travel with? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip Buddy (Google Play) | GDSC - IITI | Plan a journey, search flights, trains and hotels, and manage itineraries | No, it's a planner |
| TriB - Trip Buddy (Google Play) | We, IT | A chat-based AI travel planner that turns conversations into travel plans | No, it plans trips with people you already know |
| Travel Buddy: AI Buddy Finder (Google Play) | Terrainspotter-Travel Buddy | Find verified travel buddies and chat, book flights and hotels, and plan trips with AI | Yes |
| Travel Buddies (Google Play) | PT Mitra Langkah Buana | Choose a trip, view the itinerary and book it in one app | No, it sells trips |
| Traveler Buddy - Trip Planner (App Store) | TravelerBuddy Group | A trip planner | No, it's a planner |
Trespot isn't connected to any of these. For a fuller comparison of apps that do match travelers, including GAFFL, Travello, Tourlina, NomadHer and Backpackr, see our guide to the best travel buddy apps.
How to choose a trip buddy app
- Search your destination before you pay. Most apps let you look around for free. If nobody is going where you're going, the app can't help, however good it is.
- Check what's verified, and what that proves. On Trespot, a ticket check shows a real booking for a city and dates. It isn't an identity or background check.
- Read the free limits. Some apps let you browse but charge to send the first message.
- Decide whether you want dating in the mix. On Trespot, Dating is a separate, opt-in section for adults, and the trip board and city groups aren't part of it. If you're a woman who'd rather meet only women, see our guide to solo travel for women for women-only apps.
- Make sure you can report and block from inside a chat.
Meeting someone from a trip buddy app
- Keep the first chats inside the app, where you can report and block.
- Video call before anything longer than a meal.
- Meet somewhere public first, and make your own way there and back.
- Keep your own room for the first few nights, and never send money to someone you haven't met.
- Tell someone at home where you'll be.
Before you plan more than a day together, go through our list of things to check with a trip buddy before booking.
FAQs
What is the best trip buddy app?
The one with people going where you're going, on your dates. Trip-based apps like Trespot and GAFFL match on destination and dates. Travello is better for general travel chat, and NomadHer is for women only. Search your destination in a couple of them before you choose.
Is there a free trip buddy app?
Yes. On Trespot you can post a trip, search other trips, message two travelers from the board and join city groups without paying. Premium removes the limits and adds the AI trip planner.
Is Trespot the same as the Trip Buddy app?
No. The apps called Trip Buddy and TriB - Trip Buddy on Google Play are made by other developers and are trip planners. Trespot is a separate app for finding people who'll be at your destination on your dates.
Can I use a trip buddy app without downloading anything?
With Trespot, yes. Everything you need to find a travel buddy works in a browser at trespot.com/app, and the same account works in the iOS and Android apps.
Do trip buddy apps check who people are?
It varies. Some ask for ID, some check tickets or bookings, and some check nothing beyond an email address. On Trespot, a ticket check for city groups shows someone has a real trip, but it isn't an identity check, so still meet in public first.
Sources
- Google Play listings: Trip Buddy, TriB - Trip Buddy, Travel Buddy: AI Buddy Finder and Travel Buddies; App Store listing: Traveler Buddy - Trip Planner (all accessed 30 September 2026)
- Trespot on the App Store and Google Play
- Trespot features: checked in the Trespot app (version 2.3.0004) on 30 September 2026
