Plan, book and enjoy your holiday with our top must-have travel applications!
But first, remember…
NOT ALL HOTEL APPS ARE CREATED EQUAL
Did you know there are only two major players in the hotel booking arena controlling most of the prices?
EXPEDIA GROUP OWNS:
BOOKING HOLIDAYS (FORMERLY PRICELINE) OWNS:
HOTEL BOOKING TIPS
- You will “most likely” find the same price for the one hotel on all of the Expedia sites and likewise for the Booking Holidays sites.
- Keep in mind most hotels have agreements which restrict them from advertising lower prices on their own website.
- If you want to compare what rate you can access directly from the hotel, it is far better to call them!
- Sign up for hotel loyalty programs for free nights and other special offers.
OK, BACK TO THE APPS!
The following are OUR favourite travel apps. Chosen based on ease-of-use and helpfulness.
1. SKYSCANNER
Why we rate it
It’s no news we’re big fans of SkyScanner for discounted airfares! Search over 1,200 travel sites at once to secure the best deal on flights. We love the ‘search by month’ function so you can easily select the cheapest date to fly in and fly out of any destination.
Quite literally, all our travel dates have been determined by this method – rather than trying to find flights that fit pre-determined dates. Whilst we don’t use it for accommodation or car rental, these facilities exist on the app.
2. HOPPER
Why we rate it
This little gem takes it one step further by actually watching what you’re looking for on your behalf and predicting the best time to buy. Kind of like shares or poker – know when to hold em, know when to fold em! Now that’s smart. Thanks Hopper!
3. WEBJET
Why we rate it
While SkyScanner is usually our booking engine of choice, Webjet is definitely worth a search (just like a doctor’s second opinion). You can not see the whole month (to select the cheapest dates) but if you do that on SkyScanner first, you can compare Webjet‘s offers for the same ‘cheaper’ dates to see which fares better. See what I did there? 😉
4. SEAT GURU
Why we rate it
Once you’ve found the best flight deal BUT before you book your tickets – check out Seat Guru for the best seats in the house (or plane in this case).
Seat Guru will show you every airplane seat map and show you the ratings for every seat – so you can choose the ones with more leg room or further away from the washrooms etc.
5. GATE GURU
Why we rate it
Whilst we haven’t used this one extensively, it’s been voted in CNN’s ‘Top 5 Air Travel Apps’ – so the kid’s got some street cred!
Gate Guru will provide you with real-time flight status’, info about your check-in terminal, airport weather, estimated security wait times, airport food and amenity information, airport maps and tips as well as last minute car rental bookings.
6. BOOKING.COM
Why we rate it
We’ve been using this bad boy for years! (Well, the desktop version before the app was released anyway). Search literally 27 Million listings of hotels, motels, holiday rentals and more, then filter by price, review score or whatever criteria is most important to you. We’ve always found Booking.com to be reliable and well priced. Win-win!
DOWNLOAD THE ITUNES BOOKING.COM APP HERE
7. TRIP ADVISOR
Why we rate it
Oh Trip Advisor, where would we be without you! I have used you for countless holiday research as well as during the holiday to suss out the best restaurants/cafes to visit and highest rated things to do.
View hotel images as well as real traveller images (no trick photography there) for every accommodation, plus read hotel reviews (with a grain of salt). Just make sure they are current reviews (not from 2003).
DOWNLOAD THE ITUNES APP HERE
8. LUXURY ESCAPES
Why we rate it
Book luxury 5-star properties at affordable rates. While your choice of destination will be limited, you can access mega discounts with Luxury Escapes! Just keep checking back as new offers are added regularly – well worth the effort.
9. AIRBNB
Why we rate it
We have used Airbnb extensively for travelling with our children to rent private homes/apartments. Having the additional space is a blessing and the ability to prepare our own food and wash clothes while were away.
Recently we booked 8 properties all via Airbnb as we travelled through Europe and were thrilled to find they were all right in the heart of the towns we visited.
Just be prepared to sacrifice the buffet breakfast and turn-down service with this one!
10. HOMEAWAY
Why we rate it
Previously known as Stayz, HomeAway was our go-to for renting private homes/apartments before Airbnb arrived on the scene. Always worth a browse to access other properties not offered on Airbnb.
11. ONE FINE STAY
Why we rate it
Similar to Airbnb and HomeAway, with OneFineStay you can book private residences but all properties are ultra luxe! The app also offers a concierge service for ‘Higher Living’ members with customised experiences such as private boat trips, helicopter rides, dinner reservations at exclusive restaurants and hard-to-find theatre tickets.
12. GOOGLE TRIPS
Why we rate it
Such a super clever app that will work while you’re at your destination even without WIFI or data! Google Trips downloads your upcoming itineraries so you can keep all your trip details in the one place.
Access all your travel info including maps offline, always have your reservations handy and get inspired by suggested things to do at your destination.
13. AWARD WALLET
Why we rate it
If you’ve ever tried to book a flight with points only to discover they have expired, then this one is for you! Keep track of all your loyalty programs in the one app – frequent flyer miles, hotel and credit card points, FlyBuys etc – you name it!
Award Wallet will allow you to easily view how many years and months you have left to redeem so you can maximise those hard earned points to their full potential!
14. MOZIO
Why we rate it
Search all ground transportation in one place. Mozio is the go-to for arranging your ground transportation. Enter any airport in the world plus your chosen holiday destination and Mozio will provide a range of transfer options including taxis, private transfers, buses, limos or even shared rides.
15. VISIT A CITY
Why we rate it
This app is particularly handy if you have limited time – eg. 1 day to see the main highlights of Rome . Simply input your location plus how many days you have to explore it (1-7 days) and Visit a City will make a suggestion for you of all the sights you should visit and how long to spend at each one. It will also suggest things to do which you can book directly via the app – eg. half day walking tour etc.
16. MAPS.ME
Why we rate it
This app saved us on so many occasions. Complete offline maps with no data or internet required! Simply search your city and access walk/cycle/driving navigation anywhere in the world. Maps.Me includes thousands of attractions, cafes and restaurants.
17. GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Why we rate it
Can you say ice-cream in any language? Now you can! Translate between 103 languages (or 59 languages offline). Plus you can also use Google Translate with your phone camera (38 languages), importing photos (37 languages) or drawn text characters (93 languages).
18. CURRENCY XE
Why we rate it
When the USD amount sounds like a bargain, make sure you convert it first! Currency XE rates are refreshed every minute, so even if you lose WIFI, the last update will still display, even when your internet access is down.
19. DUOLINGO
Why we rate it
This is the best language learning app we’ve used. It’s colourful and addictive and makes language learning fun! I would highly recommend Duolingo for your children when they want some screen time – much better than Minecraft!
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