Are you planning a trip soon? It's about time!
Planning can be a lot of fun but also extremely stressful and time consuming. As new tech and ingenious apps come to market, the burden of booking your trips can be alleviated and and your savings increased! Knowing which apps and websites are worth your time is a whole other issue as there are plenty of terrible ones to weed out.
We have compiled a list of apps we have used and will continue to use on adventures to come. Enjoy!
We created an Instagram post with these 9 apps so you can save it for later and reference when you're planning your next trip.
1. Skyscanner - best deals on all your travel bookings
A very popular app where you can book the best deals on flights, hotels, and car rentals all in the same place. You can search by region to region flights, which is useful when your flight path is flexible or you are looking to find the cheapest airport to fly to and from. The calendar feature allows you to compare prices for different dates to find the cheapest options available.
Note: We also use Google Flights at the same time as Skyscanner to compare prices as Google Flights has one of the fastest search engines and allows you to see if the price you’re getting is low, average, or high.
2. Hotel Tonight - discounts on last minute hotel rooms
Are you a flexible traveller or even looking for a staycation in your own city? Hotel Tonight offers incredible deals on same day (or near future) hotel rooms that would otherwise not be rented out. The savings on this app can be significant and you might be able to score a luxury hotel for a low price.
Note: Dayuse is also great if you need to crash at a hotel for a fews hours, whether you're stuck in a layover or just need some rest time while you’re exploring. They offer discounts up to 75% of an overnight stay and cancellation is free up until the last minute.
3. Wise - cheap and fast money transfers
Formerly called Transfer Wise, this app allows you to transfer money internationally online at much cheaper and transparent rates than traditional banks. You can also get a bank account number in 10 different currencies (as a Canadian) making it easier to deal with the local currency while travelling. This is always a convenient option to have if you are in a money pinch while abroad or will be working and accepting payments in the local currency.
4. Momondo - compare cheapest, quickest and best travel deals
Another great search engine to compare deals on flights, hotels and cars. They give you the option to choose between the cheapest, quickest and best value for money options. A bonus is that they don’t use cookies to affect the price of your search. Their ‘anywhere search’ feature is great for travellers who are not set on a destination and just looking for a great travel deal.
5. Transit - real time routes for different types of city transport
Great for use in larger cities when you’re trying to navigate around. The Transit app uses real time data so you can see the exact time the bus, train, or subway is arriving and the fastest routes to get where you want to go. They also show you options for bikeshare and carshares.
6. Trip Lingo - learn essential phrases and translate voice instantly
This app is more than just a language tool and translator. It also offers insights into customs and proper etiquette practices of the country you're visiting. It’s always a good idea to learn a bit about the culture prior to your arrival. There is a premium (paid) option to unlock features such as instant voice and image translation.
Another great tool you can use to brush up on a language prior to your travels is duo lingo - they offer a ton of free lessons in various languages.
7. Nike Training Club - variety of free workouts
This free app has a great selection of bodyweight, yoga, mobility, and strength workouts from personal trainers. You can select workouts that require no equipment, which is perfect when you are travelling and don’t have access to a gym or have limited equipment.
8. Hostelworld -find the best hostels
Hostels are ideal when travelling on a budget. Hostelworld is exactly what it sounds like, a website to check out and book hostels in countries around the world. They include pictures and reviews of the hostels so you can make your selection with confidence. There are some seriously beautiful hostels out there to be explored and it’s a great way to meet other like minded travellers!
9. Google Maps - find best travel routes and see what's open in the area
Google maps is very handy when mapping out your route and finding the different types of transportation to get you where you need to go. It also provides info about restaurants and stores in an area and their business hours and contact info. A pro tip is to download the map of the area you are exploring to your phone so you can always access the map's info. Offline maps come in handy when you need directions and don't have access to data or Wi-Fi.
Another great offline map app is called maps.me. You can download the map of your desired area for offline use on your device. Maps.me offers so many features, hiking trails and routes available to you without internet connection.
Don't be selfish! Share this post with friends and family to spread the time and money savings.
Safe travels,
K&T