This is a guest post by Aisling at Plane Beauty. Find out more about her blog at the end of this post!
In today's society, travelling has become so much easier with the help of apps.
There are apps for so many different things - so I've compiled a list of the best free apps to use for travel. I hope it makes your next trip effortless!
1. Ryanair Discovery
The Ryanair Discovery app is fantastic for finding cheap flights set to your preferences! Before, you could only choose one airport and one destination, but now you can pick as many airports as you want for your departure and select the 'anywhere' option to see what flights are available.
I highly recommend this app if you don't mind flying with Ryanair and want cheap flights. You should be prepared to be a bit flexible with your dates, but that comes with all things travel, really.
I've found some really great deals thanks to this app, such as £20 return flights to Malaga, and £10 flights to Poznan.
2. Lucky Trip
Lucky Trip is similar to Ryanair Discovery, except it has the ability to find you cheap accommodation, too!
All you have to do is select the airport you wish to depart from, the duration, budget and the type of destination you would like to visit.
The type of destination can be romantic, adventurous, beach, city, hot, off-grid, foodie, night owl, culture vulture, winter or chill.
It makes searching for a last-minute holiday fun when you're not too fussed about where you go but still want to stick to a specific budget.
3. Jack's Flight Club
Jack's Flight Club is an email club that also has an app that finds the cheapest deals on the internet.
This app is best for people who can be flexible with their flights and for people who can book their flights almost instantly - as the deals often don't last too long.
It is a very reliable app that has offers from all different airlines - and what's best is that it works almost all over the world.
They update the app often with the best deals for cheap flights - saving you so much money!
4. Google Translate
This is sort of an obvious travel app to have - but for the right reasons - Google Translate is so helpful. I love the fact that you can download the language, and it will work offline.
There is also the ability to translate via picture mode - which is a lifesaver when you need to translate signs or food packaging. The Google Translate App is a great tool for travellers and language learners alike.
It allows you to quickly and easily translate words, phrases and even entire sentences into more than 100 languages.
Oftentimes, people feel nervous about travelling to a different country if they can't speak the language, however, Google Translate will almost always be able to break the language barrier and help you out.
It has 108 languages, so although not all, there is a high chance that the language you need will be on there.
5. Rail Planner
Rail Planner is the perfect app for you if you are planning to travel throughout Europe via train, especially if you have an Interrail ticket.
This app lets you find the best routes, reserve train seats and you can even plan your trip. It's one of the most universal apps for travelling by train in Europe, as it has all of the train times and stops in one place.
There is even a feature that lets you map out your route - which makes everything so much easier to visualise and work out.
Also, if you do have an Interrail ticket, you can use the mobile ticket on the app - so everything is in one place.
6. Hostel World
The Hostel World app is excellent if you don't mind staying in hostels and want to travel for cheap. It provides detailed ratings and reviews from other travellers, allowing you to make informed decisions about where to stay, and it's available in most destinations.
It's very user-friendly and has photos of the hostels, a map of what's near, reviews, what it includes and the choice of what type of room you would like. Remember, hostels have private rooms too!
I'd recommend this app if you are travelling on a budget or have a last-minute trip planned. I always have this app installed on my phone just in case something goes wrong and I need to find a cheap place to stay last minute!
7. Rome2Rio
The Rome2Rio app is a great tool for planning international trips. It makes searching for and comparing multi-modal transport options easy and efficient, allowing you to find the best route to your destination.
Rome2Rio figures out the best routes to your destination from anywhere in the world, as it calculates the time and the average price in an instant.
It's the perfect app if you need to get somewhere hard to get. For instance, when I visited Thailand, I had to go from Bangkok to Tha Li Rapids via public transport.
I first tried Google Maps, but there was no route available, then Rome2Rio came through and found me the perfect route with the prices - and the average time it would take, too!
8. Currency
Currency is a great app for converting currencies fast. There is even a calculator option, so you can do all your currency calculations on the app. There are a few different versions of the Currency app, so if another works better for you, then use that one!
I recommend you have a currency converter on your phone because it helps you not get ripped off.
It works offline, so even if you are in the most remote location in the world, you will still be able to figure out how much each purchase is going to cost you.
9. What3words
The What3Words App uses a unique, 3-word code system to identify exact locations within cities, helping people find businesses, addresses and other points of interest. It can be especially useful in areas with unclear street addresses or rural areas with no street names.
Thankfully, I've never had to use What3words... yet. What3words is one of the best travel apps for when it comes to safety, so if you only download one of these apps, make sure it's this one!
It will be a lifesaver (literally) if you find yourself lost somewhere and need to tell emergency services where you are.
Some countries may not be aware of the app; however, it is available everywhere globally, so if you're in a life-or-death situation, you have nothing to lose by downloading it.
10. TooGoodToGo
Too Good To Go is an app that helps save food waste.
The TooGoodToGo App helps make a difference by rescuing surplus food, allowing users to buy food that would otherwise end up being thrown away.
You can find food and drink from restaurants, cafes and supermarkets at a discounted price. Often, shops have good food that hasn't been sold throughout the day, but they have to get rid of it due to its best-before date.
This is why there is often a lot of excellent food in the reduced section in the evenings. It's also where Too Good To Go comes in.
Every day, certain shops have a number of magic bags to sell for a heavily reduced price, and inside come a variety of items for buyers to try. It's great to use when travelling on a budget as it's a great way to try different cuisines at an affordable price - and also helps the fight against food waste.
About the Author
Aisling is a travel blogger passionate about helping people find the best places to visit across the world! She writes about brilliant spots to check out and how to travel on a budget.
Read plenty of great blog posts on her blog, Plane Beauty.
Love, Sarah xoxo
