I've recently read a comprehensive article about travel apps and how it can save you money on your trips. I haven't tried them for myself yet but I think somewhere in time, somebody thought of unburdening the plight of travellers through the smart use of technology. One of the coolest ones I've heard of before from Jaunted and I've been meaning to try is Airpnp! Ever had that need to pee and you don't know where to go? Haha. Here's my attempt of compiling that previous list and combining it with my own - those which sound brilliant to me and addresses a need I sometimes have while on the road (everything in that previous list sounded cool so it's here). I believe apps should be free to download for all (then if they want to add bookings after then it's fine) so that's a requirement here. I'll put everything in one place so that when the perfect opportunity comes, I can just revisit this post and remember which app depending on my need. I will also update this post if I find more apps =) Suggestions are also welcome in the comments (kindly indicate the app name, what it's for, compatibility and location available).
Photo from Airpnp page
- Hotel emergencies - App: Hotel Tonight (iOS, Android, Windows)
- Resell your hotel reservation - App: Roomer (iOS, Android)
- Where to pee near you with rates - App: Airpnp (iOS)
- Eat home-cooked meals - App: HomeDine (iOS, Android)
Others
- Finding free WiFi - App: Wi-Fi Finder (around the world)
- Travel cost tally, calculates who owes what to whom, collates trip member costs so you can upload individually using your own devices then divide after - App: Cost Split (iOS)
- Happy hour deals, restaurants and free WiFi - App: Happy Hours (iOS, Android / USA)
- Items allowed for carry-on - App: My TSA (iOS, Android / USA)
- Parking near you with rates - App: Best Parking (iOS, Android / USA)
Noteworthy and can be used for Travel
- Share your life with a stranger, see their world anonymously for 20 days - App: 20 Day Stranger
I've used the following (iOS, more old ones but trusted and tried-and-tested for me) when I go on trips:
- TripAdvisor - for reviews and what's near me (restaurants and sites)
- Foursquare - for reviews and what's near me (restaurants and sites)
- Viber / Line / KakaoTalk (Korea) - for free calls and messages with friends and local contacts if I have WiFi
- Agoda - for hotel bookings
- Uber - for car rides in Manila
- Canon CW - for syncing my S110 camera
- Music - for long bus and car trips
- Snap Clap - for taking pictures from a distance, you clap and it will take the picture
- Weather - for updates on the weather in my location
- Wattpad - for lag time during travel
- Baidu Maps - in Beijing, for bus routes, subway, sites and restaurants
- Jihachul - in Seoul, for subway routes
Just look for these apps on the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android ;) For those that I haven't tried, I'm not exactly sure how it works yet or if it is still working but they are/were once great ideas that somebody tried to work on for us travelers.
