International and Intercity Buses

12Go – for both Trains and buses. It’s worldwide but has more coverage in Asia & Oceania, as that’s where it started.

Flixbus – We used these guys to transfer us and the bikes from Berlin to Amsterdam. It was much cheaper than the train and a more direct route. The drivers were polite and helpful and drove safely, and we left and arrived on time. They have regular routes all over Europe, Canada, the US, and Brazil. The ability to book bike slots is a bonus for us.

Trainline – We’ve also used Trainline to book National Express buses in the UK. You can also book buses across the rest of Europe, including FlixBus.

Busbud – We’ve not used Busbud yet, as I’ve only just discovered it. But it claims to have the world’s largest selection of bus tickets. It also has coverage worldwide as opposed to just in Europe. But I dug around their site, and it looks pretty neat. It has an excellent user-friendly interface and is intuitive to navigate.  So I’ll give them a go as soon as we have the opportunity and compare prices against the other options we’ve listed.

Ferries

We’ve taken a lot of ferries over the years.

Sometimes we book through the company itself in person or online; other times, we’ll use a website like Direct Ferries, which has tickets for over 4400 routes and 900+ ports in 160+ countries worldwide.

It always pays to check with the company itself to see if you can get a cheaper price. However, not all booking systems are created equal. If it’s only a matter of a few bucks, we take the path of least resistance.

I’ve started to pull together an in-depth review of the benefits of using Direct Ferries vs. booking direct for our most recent journey to Europe with the bikes. I’ll add a link in section 2 below when I’ve finished it.

Ride Sharing & Taxi Apps

We came late to ride-sharing but are now big enthusiasts, especially in countries with chaotic and overcrowded public transport systems. And, it’s often cheaper and safer than negotiating with taxis and tuk-tuks that don’t/won’t use meters.

All of the following companies have Android and IOS apps

International

Uber – is the big one in many countries around the world, BUT not all.

Bolt operates in over 500 cities in more than 45 countries in Europe, Africa, Western Asia, and Latin America.

Asia & Oceania

Grab is huge in South-East Asia. We’ve used them extensively in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. They are also active in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Along with cars, you can book motorbikes and tuk-tuk/auto rides.

Gojek is also making a massive push in Asia. You can find them in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam.

OLA is the one we’ve used most in India and is also expanding to Australia, NZ, and the UK.

DIDI is huge in China and rapidly expanding to South America, Japan, Australia, Russia, and South Africa. We’ve not used them yet, but we will try them out on our next trip back home.

We used Joyride for motorcycle taxis in the Philippines. Much more convenient than trying to get a car through the crazy Manila traffic.

USA

Lyft is a popular ride-sharing service in the US

Curb is a taxi booking service in the US

Middle East

Careem, (a subsidiary of UBER) is the best option for many countries in the Middle East.

UK and Europe

BlaBlaCar is big in Europe

Cabify in Spain (and Latin America)

Easy Taxi started in the UK and has plans for expansion further afield

Central & South America

Cabify is in Spain and Latin America)

Africa

Jrny – Exclusively South Africa

Airport Transfers

We don’t tend to book airport transfers unless it’s via our hotel. Most times, we either use ride-sharing apps, pre-paid taxis from the airport, a shuttle bus, or public transport system if it can take us to our accommodation safely and efficiently.

However, I can see the allure if you’re arriving after a long flight in a foreign city late at night or in the early hours of the morning. Or if the city is notorious for taxi scams, is unsafe, or has notorious traffic. And the more of you there are, the more cost will stack up against airport trains etc.

So we’ve added a few of the larger Airport Transfer companies around the trap. We have used none of them to date, so can’t comment on their services.

Kiwi Taxis – Operates in 110+ countries and 500+ airports.

GetTransfer – Is available in 22 languages and operates in over 100 countries, some of which have no other service established yet. They also offer helicopter and airplane transfers and drivers for hire by the hour.

HolidayTaxis – Has airport transfers to over 21000 resorts in 150+ countries.

One of the latest trends worldwide is e-bike, e-scooter, e-mopeds, and e-car hire.

Download the app, find one of the many locations around a city, swipe your credit card, jump on, and explore. Then leave it wherever you like. (Preferably in the middle of a footpath to cause the most inconvenience for others [sarc/])

A few of the companies in this space include:

Lime – e-scooters & e-bikes across the world

Helbiz – has a range of options in Europe and the US

Felyx – e-mopeds in The Netherlands & Brussels

Help us add to the list. If you know of good micro-mobility companies worldwide, let us know so we can inform others.