A decade ago, traveling to a stunning holiday location was very different. However, the idea to eat our own body weight in various cuisines, explore new cultures, visit new places and enjoy some much-needed sunshine hasn’t changed. However, since smartphones entered our lives, everything has completely changed.
In this article, we will be discussing the new apps that help you in the holiday process, from planning to enjoying a delicious cocktail of your choice by the pool.
Holiday Booking
Summer has gone for another year, and you’ve not got anything to look forward to or work towards. So, you’ve decided a holiday is a must to relieve just a small percentage of stress — your work request was accepted, but where do you go from there?
This part of the holiday planning would have involved a trip down to your local travel agents years ago, browsing through many pages of brochures for the perfect hotel. Now, this can all be done on your mobile phone.
Flying to your destination
Flight comparison apps help you to compare prices to help you get the best flight at a very reasonable price. For the sake of keeping things simple, however, we have whittled this down to our favorite three.
We all know the feeling quite like booking flights as soon as possible to avoid price increases, only for them to drop in price — at Hopper however, this is not a concern. The app monitors 15 billion flights every day to find you the right deal. When you’re on the app, things are aesthetically pleasing as well, with color co-ordination used to help users distinguish between the expense of the flight and the time of year.
Unsure of your holiday destination and also want to go on a budget, then Kiwi will give a valuable widget. Once you’ve selected your home destination, it provides you with a map and how much it will cost you to get to each destination on it. No more repetitive searching.
Have you ever thought that airlines don’t always give us the cheapest flights? It should come as no surprise that the most economically viable flights are being hidden from us — realistically, why would they not let us pay more? Skiplagged focuses on finding the loopholes in flying — it might be that booking a long flight, with a stop-over works out cheaper, or by getting off at certain destinations en route can save money.
Finding your accommodation
In recent years, Airbnb has proved popular. Hotels, as much as they offer a wide range of choice and variation, don’t quite match up to the quirkiness offered by property rental app Airbnb. The site, which operates in more than 190 countries in the world, offers users the potential to rent villas, single rooms, yachts, treehouses, and much more — often at a considerably cheaper rate than that of hotels. Similarly, the experience section now provides customers with the opportunity to immerse themselves in more than just the tourist board suggestions, alternatively getting involved in the activities suggested and often carried out by locals.
Whilst on Holiday
Unfortunately, while on holiday, you won’t have your local Lookers Audi to sort out your travel when away. And if you don’t have a transfer waiting to whisk you away, Hotelinfo is your lifesaver. So, while your GCSE language skills proved to be of little worth here, you’ve managed to navigate your way out of the airport thanks to your inherent knowledge and understanding of exit signs. This trusty app links straight to the hotel, where you can chat to staff, ultimately getting the best ways to the hotel, or suggestions for a taxi — just remember to check your roaming tariffs.
Not only do you not have to go to the travel agents, but you also don’t have to pick up traveller’s cheques anymore. In fact, we don’t require currency at all anymore. Using your debit card abroad was always somewhat of a cruel mistress, especially when you arrived home to discover a host of transaction and exchange fees had debited your account. Now, however, with the invention of app-only banks like Starling and Revolut, you don’t need to incur fees for using your money abroad. All you have to do is sign up, get your card, and upload cash via your domestic account.
Scared of forgetting important items for your break? Packpoint assesses the weather forecast for you on a daily basis, while also asking you the activities in which you will be partaking, so it’s impossible to leave your hiking boots or swimming shorts at home.
Want to discover more about foreign cities rich with history? Unlike having to devote your entire day to a guided tour, you can do now find out all those unanswered questions. Simply download Detour, plug in your headphones, and listen to a fully narrated tour of the city — from a local with considerable knowledge of the area.
Travelling has been made easier with these traveling apps, however, these are only a few of many. Keep your eyes peeled to find out how you can make your holidays easy as pie!