The time is fast approaching (if not already here) when we can start to plan our next trips away. But where to start? We asked our travel bloggers to tell us about their go-to apps and websites that they use when planning their next adventure. I have discovered some new apps while compiling this post – I hope you find the suggestions useful too.
Momondo App.
While more and more people are downloading the popular Skyscanner app or heading to the established Kayak site to scour cheap flights and find great deals, many forget about the lesser-known, but similarly awesome cousin… the Momondo travel app!
A personal favorite of mine, unlike other flight-searching websites — such as Skyscanner, Kayak, or Expedia (which, by the way, owns other flight-searching sites Travelocity and Orbitz) — Momondo dives deep into the flight world and searches all the small, virtually-unknown airline brands or travel sites to find the best possible deal.
Even cooler, if you don’t have any set plans, dates, or even a set destination, Momondo’s “Explore” feature allows you to comb through entire months and view the whole wide world laying out every destination that’s within your price range. It’s awesome! If you’re still not sure about Momondo, check out this post on the top 3 websites I use to score cheap flights.
Submitted by Sophie, The Wanderful Me
Booking.com
Whether we are planning a future trip or on the move and need accommodation, there’s one website we always go to first, booking.com.
Booking.com makes it easy to view accommodation around the world giving you the cheapest rates. We particularly like the filters, as we travel as a couple in hot countries we have things that are a must such as air conditioning and a good size bed.
Booking.com rewards you the more you book with them and you can eventually get to ‘Genius’ level. This gives further discounts and incentives such as free breakfasts and upgrades at selected accommodation.
We have done thorough research comparing prices and booking.com is the cheapest more often than not.
Submitted by Kerrie and Woody, Just Go Travelling
Airbnb
Airbnb is one of the best travel apps that lets you find quirky and unique homes across the world. I love the idea of renting a home in a foreign country as it offers you a more immersive cultural experience. Isn’t it exciting to live like a local wherever you go?
The best part is the way you get to meet the warm locals (Airbnb hosts) who end up being your friends for life. Our stay on Vis island in Croatia is one such memorable experience.
Once you register yourself on Airbnb, you can enter the location, dates, and the number of guests to search for the desired accommodations. There are quite a few filters like home type, price range, amenities, instant book, and more you can use to get the results that match your criteria.
Airbnb Plus and Airbnb Luxe include the handpicked homes at slightly higher rates. Once booked, you can view your reservation, contact your host, and even change or cancel bookings under the ‘Trips’ tab.
Airbnb also allows you to book local experiences like tours, restaurants, workshops, concerts, and so much more. In the wake of the pandemic, it’s offering online travel experiences with hosts across the world.
Submitted by Anjali, Travel Melodies
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is an all-in-one travel app for finding cheap flights and helps with literally everything related to traveling. The mobile app shows flight ticket, hotel, and car rental costs from various companies, making it easy to search, compare, and book while you’re on the move.
If you’re traveling regularly, this web-based app searches millions of flights from over 1,200 sources and then gives you the best options based on your preference. Skyscanner’s “Search Everywhere” feature enables you to search for every possible destination from your departure airport.
If you already have a destination in mind but no set date, you can also search on a whole month instead of a specific date. This feature enables you to find a one-in-a-million opportunity and score the cheapest deal normally you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Narrow down the list of
the most attractive prices and be transferred over to the airline or travel agent to make your purchase.
Submitted by Ivan, Mind The Travel
Google Translate
If you’ll be traveling abroad, Google Translate is an absolute must-have travel app. Regardless of your native language, being able to bridge a communication divide is essential. I’m surprised how often it comes in handy even when traveling within America since you can run into foreign tourists in major US cities and famous road trips like Route 66 which is popular with Japanese and American tourists.
Google translate works best with an internet connection. You can even speak into it and translate from your voice and upload pictures to translate typed signs and menus.
Translations aren’t always perfectly accurate, but they help you get the gist.
While it doesn’t have every language you might encounter out during your travels, it covers major languages from every continent. The best part? Google Translate is free!
Submitted by Stephanie, History Fangirl
YourOzTrip.com
If you’re planning a trip to Australia, I highly recommend using YourOzTrip.com. Not only do their team offer a live chat (which is great for get quick answers as you browse through the site) but they also have a custom Australia itinerary planner – which is a massive help for anyone heading to Australia for the first time!
Simply plug in your travel dates, tick off all the trips/tours/destinations you want to fit in and their Aussie experts will do the rest. You can even add in any extra requests, let them know if your staying with family along the way and they’ll piece together your trip with that included.
It’s ideal if you have absolutely no clue about how to piece together your trip (Australia is HUGE and making the most of your time can be a nightmare to figure out!) but you then get heaps of support both before and during your trip – ask them anything!
And of course, as well as all their help piecing together your itinerary you’ll also save heaps too – so it’s a double win!
Submitted by Chris, Stoked for Travel
Rome2Rio
Whenever we begin a new trip abroad, Rome2Rio is our-go-to app for working out how we’re actually going to get between each spot on the trip. Simply input your start point and end point and it will give you every major transport option, including planes, trains, buses and more. What’s great is that they also give you a rough idea of what it should cost for each option, as well as links to relevant sites to book on. Prices and times are not always 100% accurate, but are a fantastic starting point!
Submitted by Cazzy, Dream Big, Travel Far
Get Your Guide
For attraction tickets, city passes, and walking tours, Get Your Guide is one of the best travel planning websites. When you want to visit a popular attraction like the Royal Palace in Madrid, the Palace of Versailles near Paris, or the Colosseum in Rome, this is an extremely useful resource where you can purchase ‘skip the lines’ tickets and have them booked in advance.
If you love guided walking tours, Get Your Guide also offers tons of options for every destination. From the usual highlight walking tour to food tours to unique themed tours, it’s great to have so many options in one website.
Tip: Always read the reviews and all the additional details before purchasing a ticket.
Submitted by Or, My Path in the World
Kayak
Kayak is an incredibly powerful search engine for Flights, Hotels, Cars and Holidays. It’s available as an App in 18 languages and 30 countries, and as a website.
Flight comparison is where Kayak really shines – you can search and filter to your heart’s content. One Way, Return and multi trip itineraries are all possible, and Kayak rarely gets it wrong. Then filter down by duration, airline, direct or non-direct, price, time of take off or landing, and a whole host of other options.
That being said, after your flight is painlessly booked, the hotels and car options are still great. Kayak will search through its own listing as well as other notable sites like Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia, Travelocity and so forth.
In short – it takes a lot of hassle out of planning.
Submitted by Dave, Dave Chant
Happy Cow app.
Food is an essential part of travel. But if you happen to be a vegetarian or a vegan, food could be a challenge, especially if you are travelling in regions that may not be that vegetarian or vegan friendly. During our travels across some parts of Europe and in some countries in Asia like Cambodia, we found the task of getting vegetarian food a bit challenging. But we have a good ally in an app called Happy Cow. This app throws up a list of all vegan and vegetarian eateries in your location, wherever you are. You can use different filters like ice cream, Farmers Market, Bakery, etc., to narrow down your search too. A feature that allows you to create your trip based on your itinerary and download the list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, ensures that you can access this even when offline. Happy Cow is also a platform for sharing thoughts and knowledge amongst a community of vegetarians and vegans.
Submitted by Sandy and Vyjay, Voyager
Priceline
Over the years, Priceline has become an integral part of my travel website arsenal. When it comes to booking rental cars abroad, this website has consistently delivered the cheapest, smoothest service. Priceline collates both local and international vehicle rental deals, often totalling lower than if I were to go directly to the brand being advertised. The booking process is simple, and I’ve never experienced a problem with any admin when getting to the office of whichever brand I reserved from. A useful function is to be able to filter on airport or non-airport pick-up locations. Other than inexpensive vehicles for hire, Priceline also offers deals on hotels, cruises and flights, so it’s well worth keeping in your back pocket whilst you travel.
Submitted by Lozzy, Cuppa to Copa Travels
