The never-ending list of apps that assist you in travelling is always so long. But please, donât waste your phone storage on a bunch of random apps you donât need. Based on my experience, here are the most important apps I used in Europe.
Flights:
Skyscanner is super helpful if youâre looking at flights to get from one location to another. Itâs great for finding a cheap flight to an onward destination from any point. Skyscanner shows you the cheapest prices through multiple different providers, and is pretty flexible for providers and different flight options. Kayak and Booking.com also give you options for cheap flights and providers as well, so make sure to check all these sites when looking for a flight.Â
Ground Travel:
For trains in the UK specifically, the best app is Trainline. It shows you different departures from the closest stations, options to and from different stations and offers different prices for various travel times. With this app, you can also purchase and present your ticket virtually to get in and out of the train stations, and it can be added to your wallet on your phone for easy access. If youâre looking for the cheapest options, aim to go for âoff-peakâ times of travel, which offers the times that are less busy. For trains and buses throughout the rest of Europe, Omio offers very similar services to Trainline. I used this for both long term trains and buses as well as short distance ones. Uber can be iffy in Europe, so have both Uber and Bolt just in case. Both offer the same service, but some countries use Bolt more than Uber. You can also generally find a driver faster on Bolt, so check back and forth between each company regularly.Â
Accommodations:
Hostelworld is great if youâre a solo traveller looking for some cheaper accommodations and are open to sharing rooms with other people. These are generally very social places and are great for meeting others who intend on travelling further. Airbnb seems like a given, but itâs essential to look through different options for private or shared apartments both inside and outside of the cities youâre staying in. Booking.com also shows you some different options for hostels, hotels or private places to stay in Europe while youâre there. With all these apps, please read the reviews! Unfortunately, scams are everywhere, and Europe is no exception, so make sure you check the reviews before booking a place.Â
Storage:
If youâve checked out of your accommodation for the day but don’t want to carry your bags with you all day, Nannybag or Bounce are super helpful. They show you the closest storage locations to you and how much it will cost per item. The locations are generally in storage rooms of stores that have extra space, so it helps local small businesses, too.Â
Communication:
Google translate doesnât always help, but it did get me out of a tricky situation a time or two. Iâd recommend it just in case youâre in a place where English is not spoken fluently and you need to communicate with someone. There are other translator apps out there that likely work better, but Google translate is what I used to get my general point across if they had no idea what I was saying. I would also recommend an app that teaches you the language of the country youâre going to, just so you can learn phrases like âthank you,â âplease,â âyesâ and âno.â
Excursions:
GetYourGuide or TripAdvisor show you different trips you can take and offers tickets to excursions in various cities for those interested. They show you different prices, schedules and their availability for the times you input in the apps. Plus, theyâre generally easy to use. Again, for this one, please read the reviews. There are times where they seem legit but are really a scam. I did most of my excursions through GetYourGuide with only one major hiccup, so you should be okay as long as you check the validity of them before purchasing.Â
Travel apps may not seem like an essential part of a trip. But trust me, the more you adventure, the more you realize how important and convenient they are. Best of luck on all your adventures!