5 Top Apps to Download before Travelling
Do it now! Whilst you have internet and have time to figure out how to use them!
Okay, so these might not be 100% fitting with the exact trip that you are about to take but the principle is still the same. These are some of the best apps that helped us out whilst traveling for a month in Vietnam and when doing smaller weekend trips within European cities.
Now as we know there are many of these types of websites that allow you to search, view and easily book hotels and hostels in advance or on the day. We love booking.com. I’ll be honest with you Ash travels a lot with work anyway so he is used to this app - but I found it very easy to understand and book myself.
A great thing about booking.com is there are so many options in one place. From hotels to hostels and apartments, there will always be a choice there even if you’re looking for that day.
Another bonus is the Genius loyalty scheme. This essentially means as you create a profile and book more through the site they make more deals available/visible to you such as 10-15% base-rate discount and free breakfast or room upgrades!
Finally, as much as I mainly use them to book accommodation it is also a great place to search for flights, car rentals, airport transfers, and local attractions.
Grab (or equivalent shared-ride service)
In Vietnam the main ride-sharing service was Grab. You would see them everywhere and not only car-share but also motorbike-shares (since that is the main mode of transport in the country). They also offer a ride loyalty scheme where each ride you take earns you points. In turn, you get benefits as you progress to different tiers such as access to airport lounges and ride discounts.
If you want to sign up for any of the ones we use International of Local (UK) and want to help yourself (and us) out with a cheeky promo deal please see them below!
Uber - Go to ‘Get Discounts’ and use code kayleighn60ue for up to $2 off each of your first 3 trips OR use 46h4tl for a discount on your first trip!
Bolt - Go to ‘Free Trips’ or ‘Promotions’ and enter RC6HTC for £3 off your first trip!
Kapten - There is a refer a friend scheme you can use with people you know.
It’s hard to wrap your head around how much money you are actually spending sometimes especially when £1 = 28987.17₫ … So a great little app, very simple can give you quick conversions of whatever figure you want!
When you’re on a tight budget in a foreign country it’s understandable to feel vulnerable and liked you’re going to be scammed… This app just gave me some peace of mind to know in general what the Vietnamese Dong converted into in my own currency - allows you to make that connection and decisions easier, especially when you’re in the middle of a busy market.
Another great concept that has helped when travelling in today’s world is Monzo! I first got Monzo because I heard of their great benefits whilst traveling which include:
Contactless debit card
Apple pay
Instantly view the payment you have made on the app
You can set it up that if a payment is made on the physical card and your phone is not within a certain distance then the transaction will not complete.
Instantly view your balance
Transfer money online as per an ordinary bank account
Withdraw up to £200 per month abroad with no charges!
Many other benefits to using this account including creating a savings pot, being able to pay your phone contacts who also use Monzo without sharing account details and being able to split a bill right there and then.
We all know and probably have Instagram and other than posting your own amazing travel pics I found one of the best ways to find some great attractions and food is through this app!
The majority of the time I will follow the hashtag for an area we are going to travel to. From this, I can see in real-time what looks busy at what times of the day and what is actually potentially a good attraction to go to. After getting stuck in an Instagram hole I’d usually look up specific places/tours etc. on their websites and plan from there!
So there you have it - those are the ones that I’d definitely recommend you have already downloaded wherever you venture off to! Let me know in the comments or on email what your essential apps are!