My mother would be the first to tell you that technology has changed the way we travel. When she first arrived in Australia, she had no hostels booked and paid for – instead, she looked it up in her Australia guidebook, picked a hostel she liked the sound of, and went there. Aside from making travel more popular, technology has made it a hell of a lot easier.
Here are my 5 favourite apps to use while travelling:
GOOGLE MAPS
Besides Google Maps‘ obvious use for navigation, it is also my go-to app for planning my trips. The Saved Places function is just the best, as it allows you to pin locations in “Want to go”. So whenever I hear about somewhere cool I save it and see all the places I want to visit in an area – awesome for when I come back to plan a trip.
BOOKING.COM
More often than not the easiest way to book accommodation when I’m travelling is through Booking.com, because it has such a wide range of options based on price, location and type of property. The app conveniently stores all your bookings in one place, so you don’t have to rifle through months of emails to find the address or check-in times of your chosen property.
You can get 10% of the price of your next booking back (straight to your credit/debit card) by using this link.
COUCHSURFING
For the more budget-conscious CouchSurfing can be amazing as it allows you to find places to stay at no cost, which are often far nicer than the dingy hostel you would otherwise have picked. It also offers you the chance to meet some cool new people, whether they be your host(s) for the night or fellow travellers looking to meet up through CouchSurfing’s Hangout feature. Just make sure you’ve filled out your profile with as many details as possible to maximise your chances of being hosted!
SWEATCOIN
Whilst it isn’t technically a travel app, SweatCoin is essentially a step counter that “pays you” for walking – something I do A LOT of whilst travelling. Each outdoor step you take is converted into SweatCoins, planned to eventually turn into a cryptocurrency, which you can redeem for products, memberships and discounts.
PACKR
If you’re anything like me and packing for trips stresses you out because you’re eternally convinced you’ve forgotten something vital, you can rely on Packr to tell you what to pack. When you add a trip, simply input the length of your stay, who is travelling and what you’re planning to do on your trip, and Packr will do the rest! The app even looks ahead to the weather at your destination to make sure you’re prepared for any eventuality.
