Mobile Applications That Will Make Your Travel Life Easier

7 August, 2017: Whenever I am planning a trip or actively travelling, I always have a set of trusted mobile applications I rely on to help keep my trip headache-free and enjoyable. Over time, this set of apps has grown to include new tools from the ever-growing mobile app industry. As of August 2017, here are my indispensables, my other favourites, and my extras in the world of mobile applications that will make your travel life easier.

Indispensables

1. Airline app – As a rule, I always download the app for whichever airline I’m flying with. This allows me to easily check in online wherever I am (on a bus, at the beach, in the mountains, etc.) as well as to manage my flight options and receive updates for last-minute flight or gate changes.

2. Booking app – With the Booking app, you can manage your hotel, hostel, B&B, or inn reservation with just the click of a button. Also, all the details of your reservation – addresses, phone numbers, policies, etc. – are stored in the app, making it easy to access this information in one place while you’re on the road. Use this link to download the app now.

3. Skyscanner app – I love the Skyscanner app for finding and comparing the cheapest flights on the Internet. If you use this link, you may also be able to snag additional discounts on airfare.

4. Trip Advisor app on Android and Apple – Trip Advisor is my go-to when planning the nitty-gritty details of a trip, from where to stay (I always check the reviews here after reading those on Booking.com) to what to do (the website lists all the top attractions in worldwide destinations along with visitor reviews). The app also allows you to keep a daily agenda of scheduled activities – although this agenda will not be available offline while you are travelling.

5. Go Euro app – applicable to travel to Europe only, I absolutely love the GoEuro app which has unfailingly managed to find me the cheapest deals on land transportation. It lists companies such as Flixbus, Ouibus, Blablacar, and more. In many cases, these fares are just a fraction of the cost of travelling by train or by plane. Check here first, before buying your train or bus ticket. The availability of electronic tickets through this app – usually after you additionally download the app of the specific transportation company you book your trip with – is also a great help in facilitating boarding and erases the need for you to run around in search of a printer to print out your ticket.

6. Couchsurfing app on Android or Apple – Couchsurfing is a great way to travel on a budget, as it allows you to make friends wherever you go, share your culture with your hosts, and stay for free in the homes of locals. When I’m couchsurfing during my travels, the Couchsurfing app allows me to maintain constant communication with hosts, to reply quickly to messages, and to efficiently find new hosts, friends, or activities at my destination.

7. Airbnb app on Android or Apple – If I’m staying at an Airbnb rather than something I’ve booked through Booking.com, the Airbnb app becomes indispensable to me. Similar to the Couchsurfing app, it allows me to maintain constant communication with hosts, to reply quickly to messages, and to efficiently find new hosts at other destinations.

Other Favourites

1. GoogleTrips app on Android or Apple – This app essentially lets Google organize your flight reservations and daily plans, and suggest things to do and places to eat and drink, so that you can plan your entire trip in one place. The app also allows you to store your discounts and offline places for future reference. All you need to do is to make sure to put your itinerary into your Google calendar, and Google will take it from there. Needless to say, you need to have a Google account to use this app.

2. Hopper app on Android or Apple – I like to use this app to compare transportation prices, usually after I’ve already looked it up on Skyscanner, Skiplagged, or GoEuro.

3. Skiplagged on Android or Apple – I use this app to find the cheapest rates on airfare online, but I sometimes find that Skyscanner shows better rates, so Skiplagged has become my secondary consult.

4. Rome2Rio app on Android or Apple – this is another app I use to compare transportation prices, secondary to other apps like Skyscanner, Skiplagged, or GoEuro.

Extras

These extras are all mobile applications that I have found very interesting, but that just haven’t impressed me as much as the others have. However, that’s just my experience––maybe they will become your new favourites; give them a try!

1. TravelStoke app on Android and Apple – This app aims to help you make friends at your destination, as well as to discover new places around you to eat, drink, and be merry.

2. Flush app on Android and Apple – This app is a crowdsourced tool for finding public toilets when you’re on the move. The downside is that, depending on information other travellers have volunteered, you may or may not find sufficient information on nearby toilets on the app, even when one is staring you in right the face, at your location.

3. GeoSure app on Android and Apple – This app aims to provide you with information on how safe your destination is. I imagine it would be quite useful if you are travelling to conflict zones or politically unstable regions of the world. But I like to think that a good dose of common sense and attentiveness to global news events will serve you better and faster.

4. SideKix app on Android and Apple – This app aims to help you discover places and events at your destination: attractions to visit, places to eat and drink, interesting events taking places, and popular activities to try.

Do you have your own list of indispensable, favourite, or “extra” tech gems to add to this review of mobile applications that will make your travel life easier? Share them in the comments below, along with your review, and let’s all learn from each other!

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