Compass & Key

Compass & Key is an independent online travel guide offering free planning tools that make authentic travel more accessible. Serving the curious, active, independent traveler, it is the ideal starting point to plan your next vacation.

Travel Smart: Destination guides are curated with thoughtful content to make planning simpler. Four categories - essentials, itineraries, resources and an interactive map - help you prepare for and inspire your travels, while bringing the destination to life.

Travel Differently: Itineraries focus on small sections of the world, encouraging deeper connections with people and places. We call them "itineraries for wandering": self-guided walking tours that identify interesting things to do but also allow for new discoveries. They provide enough time to settle into a place without feeling rushed and include advice to avoid the crowds. Most importantly, our itineraries connect travelers with natural spaces that rejuvenate the spirit.

Travel on the Go: Take our guides with you through recommended mobile apps that empower you to further customize your vacation plans.

Editorial Policy

Compass & Key is proud to be an independent online travel resource. Featured destinations are recommended because they have been tried and tested - and loved - by us, our friends, and our trusted network of other travel publications and sources. Our content is published without influence from advertisers or sponsors.

We recommend products in our gift guides and travel wisdom pages because we use and prefer them, and want to spread the word on the best travel gear available. Affiliate marketing links may be used with highlighted products to help keep Compass & Key free for all.

Finally, your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. Your personal information will never be sold or shared without your permission.

Tara Anbudaiyan, Founder

Travel Ambassador ✤ Time Off Advocate ✤ National Park Enthusiast  ✤ Brand Partner

Tara is a planner. By day she is a seasoned marketing professional, overseeing the planning and execution of distinctive advertising campaigns and events. By night she diligently plots out vacation days for her and her husband, recognizing the transformational experiences of travel.

When life presented the opportunity to relocate from Chicago to London, Tara took the chance to combine her love of planning with her passion for travel to create a better travel planning resource. Frustrated with the lack of online tools focused on authentic, local experiences that maximize vacation time, while fitting somewhere between budget and luxury, Compass & Key was born.

After a visit to Yellowstone, Tara and her husband were hooked on National Parks. Having visited 15 of the 59 U.S. National Parks, the Anbudaiyans are continuing to pursue their love of the outdoors by visiting international parks like the Lake District in northern England. They have a profound appreciation for preserved green spaces and want to encourage people of all ages to experience these magical places.