Finding A Travel Buddy

search-destination

Search Destination

Select where you’re traveling and start looking for a travel mate.
find-partners

Find Travel Partners

Browse trips and locals to connect with a like-minded travel partner or travel companion.
connect-and-chat

Connect & Chat

Click Connect, start chatting, and plan your trip with your travel partner.
travel-together

Travel Together

Meet up, explore together, and enjoy the journey with a trusted travel mate.
Neliswa
Neliswa
Johannesburg
Female, Age 42
Verified by
I'm a simple person with bubbly character, likes to explore new things in life. I'm an adventurou...
Eugenia
Eugenia
Port Elizabeth
Female, Age 71
Verified by
Grandmother, educator, foodie, writer and solo world traveller for 40 years.
linky
linky
Cape Town
Female, Age 28
Verified by
I am a student who loves traveling and is studying tourism
Tegan
Tegan
Johannesburg
Female, Age 34
Verified by
As an intrepid traveler, I love to discover new destinations, taste exotic foods and meet people ...
Zara
Zara
Durban
Female, Age 34
Verified by
Avid traveler. Always looking for new adventures and experiences, learning new cultures and tryin...
Malcolm
Malcolm
Johannesburg
Male, Age 38
Verified by
Your friendly neighborhood adventure buddy 🎒🚙🧗⛰️🏞️
Zaineb
Zaineb
Johannesburg
Female, Age 33
Verified by
I’m in love with those cities where I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.
Zilpa
Zilpa
Johannesburg
Female, Age 21
Verified by
I am sweet, kind and humble, I'm also really easy to live with. I'm looking for someone who is wi...
Zilpa
Zilpa
Johannesburg
Female, Age 21
Verified by
I am sweet, kind and humble, I'm also really easy to live with. I'm looking for someone who is wi...
Clayton
Clayton
Johannesburg

Verified by
Hello, ive been in capetown for 2years.. got a couple of cross-country bucket lists to visit. hit...
Malcolm
Malcolm
Johannesburg
Male, Age 38
Verified by
Your friendly neighborhood adventure buddy 🎒🚙🧗⛰️🏞️
Clare
Clare
Johannesburg
Female, Age 29
Verified by
I’m an avid rock climber and sporty person overall. Looking to make some friends to go on adventu...
Dora
Dora
Johannesburg
Female, Age 41
Verified by
An outgoing person, friendly. love to meet and make friend from different background of life, cul...
Neliswa
Neliswa
Johannesburg
Female, Age 42
Verified by
I'm a simple person with bubbly character, likes to explore new things in life. I'm an adventurou...
Annamarie
Annamarie
Johannesburg
Female, Age 62
Verified by
Middle aged adventurer getting ready for living her dream. Starting with Camino in July.
Tegan
Tegan
Johannesburg
Female, Age 49
Verified by
Exploring the potential to travel and work across South Africa for 3-6 months. Not quite ready bu...
Rushdi
Rushdi
Cape Town
Male, Age 45
Verified by
I am a registered tour operator and adventurer. Naturally I enjoy travelling especially off the ...
michy
michy
Cape Town
Female, Age 38
Verified by
Am an introvert who wants to get out more and meet new people
Travis
Travis
Cape Town
Male, Age 36
Verified by
Student physicist/entrepreneur/worker co-op consultant ...
Hélène
Hélène
Cape Town
Female, Age 35
Verified by
Canadian girl travelling the world!
Charlie
Charlie
Cape Town
Male, Age 42
Verified by
Love to see the world, but not alone. Shared experiences even with random strangers means more to...
Calvin
Calvin
Cape Town
Male, Age 24
Verified by
Im eager to explore and take in the local culture when travelling, learning the language and eati...
Suran
Suran
Cape Town
Male, Age 59
Verified by
"Active and adventurous, I’m a cycling and squash enthusiast who loves exploring new destinations...
Hanita
Hanita
Cape Town
Female, Age 39
Verified by
I’m Hanita from India, Mumbai. Cape Town is home for now. I work here as an international tax con...
Auriel
Auriel
Durban
Male, Age 22
Verified by
Adam
Adam
Durban
Male, Age 24
Verified by
friendly, curious, honest
Nawaal
Nawaal
Durban
Female, Age 34
Verified by
Loves: nature, animals, photography, history, art, design, architecture, culture, religion/spirit...
Michaela
Michaela
Durban
Female, Age 29
Verified by
Dibendu
Dibendu
Durban
Male, Age 61
Verified by
I am old, but I still have the energy to travel. I have driven a million miles around the world. ...
Johan
Johan
Durban
Male, Age 31
Verified by
#Still an international travel virgin! #Final year medical student #Love the outdoors #Huge foody...
Zara
Zara
Durban
Female, Age 34
Verified by
Avid traveler. Always looking for new adventures and experiences, learning new cultures and tryin...
Corine
Corine
Durban
Female, Age 58
Verified by
Corine Broomberg studied Drama at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She started her a...
As Seen In
What GAFFL Users Are Saying
Marie
Marie Arroseres
from France

"It’s really nice to have a platform like GAFFL with lots of travelers wanting to do the same as you, a real beautiful cultural exchange. You can meet people so easily and in a trustful way. We were four girls, from French, German and American backgrounds, without knowing each other from before. We spent an amazing week together, 2000km driving, camping on the way. We saw kangaroos, koalas, penguins and pelicans"

Saed
Saeed Alam
from Canada

“I have found GAFFL to be an amazing tool for finding similar minded travel partners to embark on an adventure. Through GAFFL, I had organized a trip to Mexico City last month and Quazi joined the trip from Victoria, BC. We spent 14 days of straight exploring, hiking, eating and drinking. Quite an amazing experience - all thanks to GAFFL!”

Scarlett
Scarlett Mansfield
from United Kingdom

"I accidentally scrolled across GAFFL and I'm so pleased I did. I met Amaia and immediately decided to road-trip together. We're spending 10 days together and it's great because we have so much in common. Couldn't have done it without GAFFL helping us find one another! It has honestly made NZ so much cheaper to explore as I get to split the costs with someone too​"

How Do I Find A Travel Buddy?

If your friends canceled last minute or your schedules don’t align, GAFFL makes it easy to find a travel buddy for your trip. Simply search for your destination, browse trips created by solo travelers, and connect with a like-minded travel partner or travel mate. Chat, plan, and embark on your adventure with confidence!

How Do I Find A Travel Buddy?
What Makes A Good Travel Companion?

What Makes A Good Travel Companion?

A great travel buddy shares a similar itinerary, interests, and budget with you. On GAFFL, every travel partner describes their preferences in their listing, making it easy to find a compatible travel mate.

Before connecting, review trip details to ensure the activities and budget align with your plans. If you find a trip you like, click ‘Connect’ to start chatting. You can also create your own trip and let others request to join!

How Do I Choose the Right Travel Buddy?

Finding the right travel buddy can be challenging, but GAFFL makes it simple. Use our real-time messaging to chat with potential travel partners, discuss plans, and see if your interests align. Once you find a compatible travel mate, plan your trip, meet up, and start your adventure together!

How Do I Choose the Right Travel Buddy?
Why Is GAFFL the Best Platform to Find a Travel Buddy?

Why Is GAFFL the Best Platform to Find a Travel Buddy?

GAFFL is the best place to find a travel buddy because we prioritize trust and safety. Our multi-step verification process, including social media, phone, and government ID checks, ensures secure connections. With travelers from 190+ countries, you can easily find, chat, and meet the perfect travel partner or travel mate for your next adventure.

Travel Bloggers Recommend GAFFL
Mike and Laura Travel
GAFFL is a brilliant website that I only wish I had thought of earlier! GAFFL allows travelers to explore the world on a budget. One of our biggest goals as travel bloggers is to show others how to work and travel smarter so that they can do it more often. GAFFL has paved the way to make travel more attainable for everyone.
Amanda & Ryan aka The World Wanderers

One of the things that hold people back is that they don’t have a partner or a best friend to travel with and they feel scared and uncertain to travel alone, especially long-term. GAFFL helps with that!

Another thing that holds people back is the perceived cost of travel. While travel doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s always more affordable when you can share the cost of accommodation and groceries with someone else. Again, GAFFL provides a solution for that!

Linn aka Brainy Backpackers
I think GAFFL plays a huge role to solo travelers, especially those who are new to it and might find it scary at first. But I also believe that seasoned solo travelers find value in sharing costs and meeting other travelers when they want to. As a solo traveler, I sometimes feel like being by myself while other times I really just want to hang out and share the experiences with like-minded people. And in the times you want to hang out, it’s awesome to have a platform that can connect you with other solo travelers.
Kaspars & Una aka Make Adventure Happen
It's cool that you're giving a way to connect with like-minded people. Of course, times have changed, but in 2013, when we were going on our first long-term trip, we didn't know a single person who had done something similar. That's why I think it's so important to have an opportunity to connect with like-minded people.
Maya aka Travel with the Smile
It's incredible that a platform like GAFFL exists! We've met a lot of solo travelers who were looking for a travel buddy during our trip. I hope the word about GAFFL spreads to every corner of the world so solo travelers can find a friend to travel with! Often I hear from solo travelers that they're on a trip alone because none of their existing friends had any vacation days left or had other commitments. GAFFL can fill this gap to match travel buddies from different parts of the world.
Erik aka Notes from the Road
Traveling with others opens up your possibilities with traveling. GAFFL plays a similar role to adventure travelers as sites like Birding Pal plays to traveling birders. As a birder, you need a local partner, you need someone with that special knowledge. Do you need to hire a guide? A few years ago, birder Noah Strycker traveled the world on a limited budget, seeing 6,042 bird species in a mad dash around the world. How did he do this? Using online tools to connect up with local birders and travelers who were thrilled to partner up with him. How many times do I wish I had a way to connect up with a fellow traveler! How many problems that would have solved, and how many doors that would have opened!
Nick & Vito aka The Bros Around The Globe

We truly believe that the best memories and experiences are the ones that are shared with others. It doesn’t matter if you’ve known someone for an hour or your whole life, when you do something badass together it’s sure to be a time you won’t forget.

Making connections and becoming friends with people all over the world is such a powerful tool to have when traveling. One day maybe you’ll visit your new friend in their homeland. Some of the best trips happen when you have a friend playing tour guide in their country.

GAFFL is a really cool opportunity to enrich your travels with like-minded people who will push you to get out of your comfort zone. No matter what type of personality you have, making new friends on the road is easier than ever.

Em aka That Travelista

Solo travel is great. But there are some times that I do not recommend someone travel solo and where I personally try my hardest not to travel solo. Some examples of this relate to safety, like hiking a trail that doesn’t have many people walking it each day, or being in certain destinations where I’ve heard from others that it’s difficult as a solo female.

Other examples relate to expenses, like taking a road trip and renting a car. Situations like these are where I think something like GAFFL is a great idea. With GAFFL, you can find a group to go on that hike with or split that car rental with!

John aka Your Destination is Everywhere
I think that is a great concept. I know that loneliness is a big issue for solo travelers, including myself. Nowadays, it can be very hard to find someone with the same passions as you do. Getting to make a new friend with the same interests is amazing enough on its own but getting to split travel costs too? That’s just the cherry on top.
Michelle aka The Wandering Queen
There are so many times that I don't travel because I don't have anyone to travel with. I grew up in Texas, where not many people travel to outdoorsy locations for fun, so it is nice to know there is an app to help people like me find like-minded individuals.
Raymond aka Travelling Foodie

I think GAFFL plays a role by allowing solo travelers to find travel buddies when needed. Though solo travel is a great way to travel, there are some experiences that are better enjoyed with more people (some don’t even allow for solo).

Friends and families are not always available to travel with, and sometimes the interests do not align for travel. Or sometimes you just want to socialize while still being solo most of the time. I think GAFFL helps solve these problems.

Cristina aka My Little World of Traveling
Solo travel is amazing because it makes you get out of your comfort zone, but it can be challenging if it’s the first time you travel solo or if you’re an extrovert. I think that GAFFL is a great place to connect with other travelers from all around the world and plan your trips. It’s definitely a good app for solo travelers.
JB & Renée aka Will Fly for Food
GAFFL would be extremely helpful for solo travelers, especially those traveling on a budget. It helps you link up with like-minded people who can share costs with you. Some destinations are less safe than others as well so having a travel companion gives you more security. Plus, it’s just nice to be able to share an experience with other people.
Alex aka Finding Alexx
I love the idea of GAFFL because the difficulty of solo travel is that things like tour guides or private experiences can be so pricey! In Crete, I was desperate to do a boat tour but there were only private options for about €300 per boat which I couldn’t afford, so having a platform to find potential travel buddies to split the cost with would’ve been amazing.
Kimmie aka Adventure Sunsets

I think this is a fabulous idea because the things that can get expensive while solo traveling can usually also be easily split between people. If you aren’t a hostel fan, it would be awesome to have people to split hotels and Airbnb with.

If car rental is the cheapest way to get around a destination, it would be ideal to have others to split the costs with. But most importantly it always makes the experience that much more memorable when you have new friends to share it with.