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If you’re on a limited budget or not a fan of paying more than what’s necessary, you’re going to find there is a large potential to cut down on travel costs by playing your cards right.
As any savvy traveler will tell you, pre-loading your smartphone with apps is one of the most important things you can do before embarking on your trip.
So what are the most important types of apps for finding the best travel deals? Find out below!
1. Flight checkers
Flight checkers such as Google Flights are designed to cross-search across multiple flight booking sites to help you find the best itinerary available for your chosen destination. The results are accurate and gathered in no time, but the best thing is that you can filter them based on your own unique needs and preferences.
If, for instance, you’re looking for the cheapest provider, you’ll be able to find one at the tap of a button. However, this may not be your ideal choice, since these tend to involve multiple layovers or suboptimal waiting times between these stops. But the great thing is that your flight checker app will list out all the details to pick what’s best and make compromises as needed.
In addition to that, a flight checker app will look at your previous booking patterns and suggest a destination that might interest you. Without this kind of functionality, it would be easy to miss out on a crazy bargain.
2. Hotel booking apps
Once your flight itinerary is sorted out, you’ll need a place to stay. As you may already know, booking a hotel at least a couple of days in advance will ensure that you get the best deal.
Hotel booking apps like Agoda are essential tools for finding a place that meets your expectations and is close to your intended destination. Once again, you’ll be able to sort the results based on a set of variables to find out what rooms are available and at what prices.
At the tap of a button, you will be able to browse through a set of hotel room images that will make it super easy to find exactly what you need. For instance, this will save you from booking a hotel room with only one bed if you’re taking your entire family with you.
Don’t forget there are loyalty points to collect based on which you’ll receive a discount later on, so it may be wise to stick to a single app.
3. Ride-sharing apps
In a foreign country, relying on public taxi services only can expose you to a wide range of scams, so it may not be everyone’s favorite means of commuting from point A to point B. At the same time, taking a bus could mean an unnecessary detour. Besides, depending on the number of suitcases you’re dragging with you, public transportation may be too much of a hassle anyway. If only there were an alternative, right?
As luck would have it, ride-sharing apps make it a breeze to hitch a ride to wherever you’re going. All it takes is to fire one up, select your target destination, and a driver will take you there.
As a bonus, you won’t have to haggle over the price or deal with taxi drivers who refuse to turn on the meter because all the prices are displayed in advance. Also, a ride-sharing app like Grab will adjust the prices depending on traffic surges, which makes it easy to pick an affordable ride.
4. IP changers
Did you know that customers from different regions can sometimes be shown different prices? As discriminatory as it may sound, it’s the unfortunate reality we’ve found ourselves in. But the good news is that some apps can change your IP, based on which others can make an educated guess regarding your geographic whereabouts.
For instance, a UK VPN server can be all it takes to get access to UK prices, allowing you to get an awesome deal. In other words, it will make you appear as though you were elsewhere in the world, and the prices displayed will be adjusted accordingly.
5. Food apps
Unless you’re planning to survive on bread and water, grabbing a bite to eat through one of these food ordering apps is the way to go. Traditionally, you’d have to wander around to find a restaurant with affordable meals, but now, you can access all of the nearby restaurants’ menus in the blink of an eye and order food delivery straight to your address. With a little bit of scrolling, you’ll find top-of-the-line meals in minutes that won’t empty your wallet.
Due to the convenience and money savings, it’s hard to imagine a great traveling experience without these apps. Play around with them to see how they can make your future trips much more amazing!