You probably know about the Couchsurfing and BlaBlaCar services, which allow you to save on housing and travel. But there are also less obvious apps that can save you €10 or even €100.
You can save on a hotel by booking a room at the last moment, on attractions if you take them in a bunch, on public transport, if you plan a route, or in parking lots, if not stop at the first one that you come across.
We threw together a “best apps listicle” below.
#1. Homestay
Homestay was created for the joy of socially active budget travelers and exchange students. Here you’ll find apartments to share with the host – this is a prerequisite. But the prices are much nicer than on other sites: for example, you can find a room almost in the center of Rome for €16.
Of course, not all options will be super cozy, because the price tag can be quite low. But everything can be easily fixed by buying a bouquet of flowers by googling a flower shop near me or ordering a bouquet from online flower delivery, as well as buying all sorts of pleasant little stuff like a lava lamp, a blanket, posters and much more. So it will instantly become more comfortable and you will not spend a lot of money.
#2. HotelTonight
This app will allow you to live in a cool hotel at a discount by booking it on the same day. Everyone is satisfied: the traveler saved money, and the hotel is not left without a client. The service is connected to many cities around the world.
#3. City Pass
All in all, you can google “city pass to…” or “… card” and find an app that will allow you to save pretty penny on the top attractions in a particular city.
So, the NY Pass will save more than 40% if you plan to visit the Empire State Building, all the museums, the Rockefeller Center observation deck, the National 9/11 Memorial and “Intrepid”, as well as take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island or take a sightseeing cruise. You will pay $136 for everything. Sounds just awesome!
#4. Citymapper
The app was created primarily to plan the movement around the city. But it will also tell you which option will be cheaper: for example, you can get from the Eiffel Tower to the Georges Pompidou Center for €4 by public transport or for €2 on a rented bike. The application works in many European cities, and other parts of the world are represented too.
#5. WiFi Map
With this application, you will find out the passwords to a huge number of public Wi-Fi points, which will allow you not to drain precious megabytes while roaming and not spend money on paid connections abroad.
#6. Spotted by Locals
Spotted by Locals is 80+ guides to popular cities among travelers, however, the authors of these guides do not talk about what is written everywhere without them. They are locals, they look at the city through the eyes of locals and are ready to share this priceless view with you. There is a chance that you will see and feel something real, while others will only tick off the trivial must see list. With the help of locals, you will find cool cheap things.
#7. Team2.travel+
The service for finding fellow travelers will save at least on accommodation and car rental. But its main function, of course, is communication. You can find a person suitable for interests, gender and age to offer him a move, or join someone’s idea of a trip that didn’t even cross your mind. Most often, they are looking for fellow traveler’s to popular resorts, but a like-minded person can be found on a forest trip, and on a yachting, and on a ski adventure.
So download these and let us know any of your favourites in the comments! Travel, it’s inspiring!
