Use this website to find new travel buddies to split costs with

September 26, 2022

By Kim Komando

Solo traveling is rewarding, fulfilling … and super expensive. Teaming up with a travel buddy can help you save money and feel safer — but that’s tough when all of your friends are busy. Luckily, a helpful website helps you find travel buddies you can trust.

It might seem strange to look for a traveling companion online. But think of it this way: Nowadays, meeting people over the internet is so commonplace that many couples first talk online. You just need to use creative safety tips, so you aren’t catfished, conned or endangered.

Be careful when looking for reliable people you can travel the world with. But don’t forget the most important ingredients: Optimism and wanderlust. With this helpful website, finding a friend who will have your back when you’re on the road is easy.

How GAFFL helps you find travel buddies

At first glance, the word GAFFL might look weird. That’s because it’s an acronym for Get a Friend for Life. It’s specifically designed to help you meet people with similar travel plans.

You can use it to find people who want to check out the exact destination you’re heading to. After you connect with someone, you can meet before the trip, either online or in person. Then, you can decide how to split costs and find hotel rooms or rental cars.

It’s also helpful because now you’ll have someone to talk to during long layovers. You know what they say: Two heads are better than one. With a travel companion, you can discover new areas to explore and have someone to chat with. Here are some things you can use GAFFL for:

• Start group chats with other GAFFL users to plan a trip.
• Find a traveling companion anywhere and at any time.
• Filter your search to find people with a driver’s license to split drive time and gas costs.

Overall, GAFFL connects you with people interested in the same travel adventures. This website lets you specify your travel plans to find like-minded people.

For example, maybe you want to spend most of your vacation hiking. It would be a bummer if you brought along a friend who’s mainly interested in eating and visiting museums.

Worried about the safety risks? We get it

You need to be careful when meeting strangers online. Luckily, GAFFL has a vigorous identity verification process in place. It has a team dedicated to making sure people are who they say they are.

That means users must provide government-issued IDs to use the site. This way, GAFFL ensures that people aren’t lying about their identities. Plus, if anyone misbehaves, the site can hold them accountable.

It’s not like other social media sites, which allow anonymous bullying. Since online harassment victimizes 40% of Americans, GAFFL’s safety practices help to keep you safe. Tap or click here for a few ways to fight back against online abuse.

That’s not all, though:

• On top of that, GAFFL incentivizes users to go above and beyond to verify their identities.
• Users who confirm their social media accounts, emails and phone numbers can earn up to 100 “trust points.”
• Check their trust points when looking for someone to team up with. The higher the score, the more reliable they are.

Lastly, GAFFL also helps you deal with payment disputes. Site workers will help sort things out if someone isn’t paying you back.

It’s easy to find travel buddies

Here’s how to use GAFFL. First, you need to make a profile. Upload pictures of yourself to prove you are who you say. Then, you can share your travel plans with the world and match with people who have similar interests. Here are some safety tips:

• Of course, common sense goes a long way. You should only plan trips with people who verified their emails and social media accounts.
• Look for people with proper profile pictures.
• Avoid people who don’t reveal what they look like. Chances are, they’re hiding something.

Before you ever meet in person, schedule a video chat. After that, meet up in a public place, like a busy coffee shop or a popular park. This way, you can quickly leave if things get uncomfortable.

Of course, you’ll have to make a profile before things get to this point. You’ll make a public post explaining who you are and what kind of trip you want to take. From there, you can match with people with similar goals.

RELATED: 10 best travel apps to plan your next adventure

Caveats to keep in mind

We love sharing free tools and sites — but unfortunately, this site costs $6.99 for the first 30 days. It’s not a subscription, though. If you only pay this amount, you can only GAFFL to plan a single trip.

If you want to use it more often, you’ll have to pay $20 for six months of GAFFL access. For an entire year, you need to pay $30. Sure, they aren’t enormous amounts of money, but the payments are a bummer if you’re using the site to save money.

Another drawback: You might meet travel buddies you don’t get along with. Although the site verifies a person’s identity, it can’t guarantee how compatible you and your travel companions will be.

You should go in with your eyes wide open. Watch out for the potential dangers of taking a trip with someone you barely know. Of course, there’s more good going for it than bad, so if you want to sign up, use the link below.

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