“Not all those who wander are Lost”
As technology kept improving in the past 20 years at an increasingly terrific pace, our lives changed in a way that we would not be even able to imagine in the beginning of the new millenium.
The way we socialize changed; the way we buy things changed; the way we inform ourselves changed, and of course, also the way we travel did too!
As of 2020, self-travel planning as never been so easy as all the information we need (and more!) is normally just few scrolls away, at the edge of our fingertip.
In this article, you’ll find 15 Apps that I absolutely love and I believe to be ESSENTIAL for travelling smart and getting the most value out of your trips in 2020! Being it for finding accomodation, cheap flights, foods or transportation; there’s an App for everything! It’s so cool living in the future! 😀
Let’s get started!
1. Skyscanner
The N.1 Flight Scanner Site, Skyscanner is the must-have and go-to tool if you need to fly and don’t want to miss out on the best flight-deals!
Entirely free, Skyscanner aggregates flights from all airlines all over the world, it shows prices over periods of times and, by using its countless scanning options. it allows you to find the perfect flight for you.
Easy, complete, and constantly updated in real-time, Skyscanner is a service I’ve been in love with for more than 10 years and counting.
2. Hostelworld
Backpacker’s favourite and mine too! I used it over 100 times!
Hostelworld is the world’s largest online database and booking system for hostels! All Reviews and Information of each one of them are in here and if you’re a social traveler, look no further!
Booking is straightforward and transparent, and you need to pay only 10% of the total price upon reservation (a low deposit that allows you to change plans also last minutes without losing a bunch of money).
3. Booking
If what you’re looking for is a hotel room, Booking has it and at the best price!
With its titanic database of accommodation structures, real-time deals, loyalty benefits, and easiness to use; the Booking app is all you need to plan and manage your stayings.
Transparent, convenient, and fast to use; when I am looking for a quality stay, checking the Booking App is a no-brainer.
4. Hotel Tonight
If planning in advance is not for you, you are flexible and you enjoy the thrill of not knowing where you’re gonna stay tonight; then Hotel Tonight is here for you!
Hotel Tonight is the best last-minute booking app out-there that allows you to book a hotel room the same day and normally with a widely discounted price.
5. Airbnb
If hotels are not your thing and you want to feel at home also when away from home, Airbnb is the choice.
Airbnb is an online platform that allows you to rent apartments, houses, villas, and anything in between and beyond from privates.
An exceptional rating system, company insurance, and a clear interface make the renting process easy, safe, and enjoyable. Depending on your destination, it may be more convenient than all other apps (and for larger groups is normally the best bet!).
6. Couchsurfing
Last but not least in our arsenal of accommodation apps is Couchsurfing.
Ideal to keep your travel costs to a minimum, Couchsurfing allows you to enjoy free hospitality from people around the world willing to meet and host a traveler in their home.
Good for shorter stays, to get to know the local culture and also for making friends (or getting to know weirdos! xD) Quality of accommodation is normally basic (often just a couch), but hey, it’s free!
7. Tripadvisor
The Institution of Travel Reviews.
Tripadvisor is a travel agency company with user-generated content that contains travellers’ reviews on virtually everything!
Restaurants, Museums, Hotspots, Experiences, Hotels… everything is reviewed! To schedule my trips, scrolling comments on Tripadvisor is a must to know what to expect and to choose between alternatives.
8. Lonely Planet
Superior quality, comprehensive travel guides.
With more than 8000 guides, Lonely Planet is the most acclaimed and recognized travel guide publisher of all. History, culture, maps, hotspots, restaurants, addresses, contacts… the guides cover it all!
Hardcover guides are now available in mobile-version on the App for a fraction of their original price and they’re just so convenient. I personally damn love reading Lonely Planet while traveling to my next destination, it’s extremely curious and educational.
9. Maps.me
Never get lost again! Maps.me is a Free Mobile App that gives you access to Offline Maps and it’s usable with GPS only.
Download the map of your destination before going and you’re ready to leave! Maps.me offers the information that Google Maps would normally offer but Offline and is aimed specifically at travellers.
Calculating a route, scanning for points of interest nearby or just the nearest supermarket, has never been so convenient!
10. Rome2Rio
How should you move from point A to point B? Bus, Plane, Boat, Scooter, Train… Rome2Rio helps you decide!
Rome2Rio is an online multimodal search engine where you set a starting point and destination and it gives you back the travel times and costs you would incur choosing any of the available options.
If you’re planning a long journey on the road, with many cities or countries, you’ll be grateful for the time R2R will save you!
11.Uber
The controversial and spectacularly convenient Uber is an app where you can book taxi-like rides operated by privates, directly from your location.
Easy to use, safe, cheap, and transparent; Uber fastly made a name of herself and with its strongly aggressive expansion strategy and at the same time made legislators and taxi-association furious alike.
Banned in a few countries, you’ll still always find some local app similar to it (Grab, Darts, Lyft, Didi, etc.).
12. Just Eat
Outside is too cold? Tired of your day sightseeing? Just plain lazy to move? Ordering food delivery from your favourite restaurant has never been so easy.
Just Eat is probably the best order-from-home food app in Europe at the moment: you just need to scroll through the restaurants, menus, and choose. That’s it and Buon appetito!
Not available in every country, you’ll always find a similar option (Uber Eats, Grubhub, Deliveroo, Doordash, etc.).
13. Zomato
We all know that feeling of going to a new place and don’t know where to eat. What they’ll have here on the menu? How much will it cost me?
Zomato is a restaurant aggregator that provides information about restaurants with photos of the menus, prices, and people’s reviews.
The database is enormous and it’ll surely help you find all the about that restaurant’s menu before walking through the entrance door. Lately last year, it also launched a delivery option too!
14. Xe Currency Converter
Utilizing a foreign currency always creates some issues.
What I often do is to mentalize the exchange ratio and roughly estimate my way through. Still, I don’t deny that it’s like that it’s pretty easy to lose count on how much you’re actually spending.
XE Currency Converter is a very intuitive offline app that allows you to convert your currency with just a simple click in any place, at any moment. As I found it, it became instantly part of my travel toolbox.
15. Google Translate
If you want to travel far and wide, especially off the beaten track, you’ll have to know that no language can bring you anywhere (and not even 6, like in my case!).
But don’t worry, Google Translate is there for you!
With the possibility to translate 109 languages, pronounce, read or even directly translate writings with your camera’s lens; Google Translate is a savior app to always have on your phone that can easily save your life (and maybe help you dating too!).
Conclusion
These were the 15 Apps that I personally consider essential to travel smart, to organize, and to manage any trip totally independently.
From accommodation to food, information, transportation, and communication; those apps always brought me to my destination and allowed me to get the best out of any experience while not having to over-spend. I hope that they will help you the same way too!
Do you have in mind any other Travel App not on this list but that should be? Please share it in the comments below, I love to discover new things 🙂 Have a good trip!
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