Nowadays, holidaying is a completely different experience to what you would have experienced a decade or two ago. Yes, we still fly — or sail — away to devour delightful foreign cuisine, culture, and sunshine. But how we plan our trips and the activities we take part in on holiday has been turned on its head thanks to the invention of the smartphone and millions of mobile applications.
Here we take a look at the best apps on the market to help you plan the perfect holiday, from the planning stages to relaxing at your end destination.
Booking
So you have itchy feet and have decided that you must book a holiday to help you relax. What is the best way to go about it? A matter of years ago this stage would have consisted of visiting your local travel agents, perusing through the telephone directory style brochures. Now, this can all be done on your mobile phone.
The Flight
There are a variety of methods and flight comparison apps available to download — each of which have slightly differing selling points that give them that all important unique selling point. For the sake of keeping things simple however, we have whittled this down to our favorite three.
Make sure you don’t panic book on the thoughts that the flights are going to sell out. You may find that the prices have dropped the following week! 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 colour co-ordination used to help users distinguish between the expense of the flight and the time of year.
Perhaps you are undecided on where to go, but you really want to jet off and have a budget in mind. If this sounds like you, then Kiwi will prove to be 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 wondered whether airlines don’t actually show us the cheapest available options? 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 longer flight, with a stop-over works out cheaper, or by getting off at certain destinations en route can save money.
The Accommodation
In terms of holiday accommodation, arguably the biggest app invention has been Airbnb. 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.
The Cozycozy travel app has several advantages over Airbnb, if you want more options. Cozycozy hotel and Airbnb search offers a wider range of vacation rental properties worldwide, including hostels, cabins, apartments, houses, villas, hotels, and Airbnb as well. It means, you have access to a more extensive selection of accommodation options to choose from, regardless of your destination. Overall, Cozycozy travel app offers a comprehensive, user-friendly, and innovative travel solution that make it worth trying.
On Holiday
If you don’t have a transfer waiting to take you to your accommodation, Hotelinfo could be a great app to help you. While your GCSE language skills proved to be of little worth here, you have 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 directions to the hotel, or suggestions for a taxi — just remember to check your roaming tariffs.
Just as we don’t have to visit travel agents on the high street anymore, we also don’t have to go and pick up traveler’s cheques. 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.
Then there’s your check-list. No longer do you need to write one out as your phone can be a useful tool in this case. Packpoint assesses the weather forecast for you on a daily basis, while also asking you the activities in which you will be partaking, so its impossible to leave your hiking boots or swimming shorts at home.
Next up, have you ever been walking the streets of a foreign city thinking to yourself, ‘I’d love to know what the story behind that is’? Well, if you have, you aren’t alone! 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.
On Holiday
If you don’t have a transfer waiting to take you to your accommodation, Hotelinfo could be a great app to help you. While your GCSE language skills proved to be of little worth here, you have 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 directions to the hotel, or suggestions for a taxi — just remember to check your roaming tariffs.
Just as we don’t have to visit travel agents on the high street anymore, we also don’t have to go and pick up traveler’s cheques. 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.
Then there’s your check-list. No longer do you need to write one out as your phone can be a useful tool in this case. Packpoint assesses the weather forecast for you on a daily basis, while also asking you the activities in which you will be partaking, so its impossible to leave your hiking boots or swimming shorts at home.
Next up, have you ever been walking the streets of a foreign city thinking to yourself, ‘I’d love to know what the story behind that is’? Well, if you have, you aren’t alone! 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.
Travel Time
The above tips of just a handful of apps that can help you on your travels and the market is awash with numerous handy additions, so go have a browse! We have plenty more tips on traveling and mobile apps right here on Bootstrap Business.
The above tips of just a handful of apps that can help you on your travels and the market is awash with numerous handy additions, so go have a browse! We have plenty more tips on traveling and mobile apps right here on Bootstrap Business.
