I don’t know if it’s just me, but all my social media feeds are filled with pictures and videos of all these amazing locations around the world that have me filled with wanderlust. But let’s be honest, travelling can be really stressful and it can cost a lot of money. Luckily, I’ve found a few apps that have really helped me with both of those things while on my semester abroad. So here are the 15 best apps that you should download for your next trip!
Sky Scanner
Sky Scanner is one of my favourite apps to use to find cheap flights. My favourite thing to do is to put in the city I’ll be flying out of and set my destination everywhere. It’s also helpful if you can be somewhat flexible with your dates. Sky Scanner will then find the cheapest flights for you. Some of the flights I was able to book because of Sky Scanner were a $20 (CAD) flight from Paris to Dublin and even a $16 flight from Paris to London! I definitely recommend Sky Scanner so that you can find flights for as cheap as possible!
Google Flights
Google Flights is another one of my favourites when I’m looking for cheap flights. I always make sure that I’m on incognito mode while I’m using it and then I once again put in the airport I’m leaving from and try to keep my destination empty if I don’t have any set plans yet. I like that Google Flights will show you a calendar and what days are cheaper to fly on. That’s how I found out that if I came back from Dublin one day later, I’d save over $100 on my flights!
FlixBus
While on the topic of transportation, Flixbus is also a good option if you don’t mind a possibly longer ride for less! Flixbus can’t be found everywhere, but they’re in most places in Europe and some places in North America. I find that Flixbus can be really hit or miss sometimes. Most of the time, the buses are pretty cheap but sometimes they seem quite pricey, so just make sure you check out all transportation options before making any final bookings!
Rome2rio and Omio
Speaking of transportation options, Rome2rio and Omio are both apps that will show you all the possible transportation options you can take to get wherever you’re going and how much each of the options will cost. Both apps are great and help you figure out how you should get there and how long it will take. I tend to use Rome2rio more because I find that it gives me the most options, but Omio is great too!
Airarlo
One of my biggest fears while travelling is that I’m going to be lost or need to contact someone and I won’t be able to connect to Wi-Fi and end up needing to pay ridiculous fees to use data abroad. Airarlo has eSIMs that you can download right onto your phone without needing to actually change SIM cards or buy an overpriced one at the airport. You can use Airarlo in over 200 counties and the packages are affordable! Shameless plug… you can also get $3 USD off your eSIM if you use code KYLIE7825.
Hostelworld
This is definitely one of my favourite apps for finding cheap accommodation while travelling. Hostels are definitely one of the cheapest travel accommodations and Hostelworld makes it super easy to find one that is perfect for you. Each hostel has a rating based on reviews by previous guests. It gives you the full list and description of the hostel, loads of pictures, lots of reviews, various options and the best prices. Once you book your hostel, it adds you to a group chat with other people that will be staying there at the same time so you can chat with your fellow travellers! This is especially nice if you decide that you’re ready to start your solo travelling era.
Airbnb
Another app that I absolutely love to use to find cheap accommodations is Airbnb. Now, there are a lot of expensive ones on there, so that’s why I always adjust the price range and look at the map instead of searching by the city. You may need to stay a short bus or train ride away from the city you’re aiming for, but I’ve found some really cheap and really nice places to stay this way. Perhaps the best one I’ve found is a two-bedroom apartment with a balcony that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea in Croatia for only $15 CAD a night!
Splitwise
If you’re travelling with other people, you should definitely download Splitwise! It makes keeping track of who paid for what and how much you owe each other so much easier! This way you make sure everyone gets the money that they’re owed. The app makes keeping track of expenses so much easier, plus it’s less math for you since the app figures it all out for you!
PackPoint
If you’re not great at packing and you’re always worried that you’ll forget something, you should definitely download PackPoint! This app helps you keep track of and organize everything that you need to pack for your trip! It really helps take some of the stress away from trying to pack!
Google Translate
If you’re travelling somewhere where you’re not familiar with the language, you definitely need to get Google Translate on your phone! The app lets you take pictures of things and it will translate them for you, so you’ll know exactly what you’re ordering off of their menu!
Duolingo / YouTube
Along with Google Translate, it probably would be helpful to know at least a bit of the language of the country that you’re going to. The most important phrases to learn when going somewhere where you’ll have a language barrier are “Hello, do you speak English?” and saying your allergies if you have any. Now Duolingo doesn’t really help with these phrases right away as a beginner, so I also like to watch some mini language lessons on YouTube!
Google Sheets
I like to use Google Sheets as a way to not only plan some of my trips but also keep track of some of my expenses and compare different prices. I find that it really helps me feel more organized and less stressed when planning and going on my trips.
Been
If you want to keep track of all the places you’ve travelled to and when this is the perfect app! It’s easy to add places you’ve been to and what’s next on your list! Being able to see a little map with all the places you’ve been to highlighted is really cool and makes it easy to remember where and when you went there!
There are so many apps out there that can help make travelling so much easier, but these are some of my personal favourites! They help make all my travels cheaper and make me less stressed! All these apps are free to download, so you should definitely check them out for your next trip!