July 24, 2018
Traveling requires a lot of planning especially if you are a solo traveler. Is it not a good thing then that we have travel apps that make our life on the road easier?
The following are apps that I have used personally when traveling. They are free and available both on IOS and android.
Function: One of my favourite travel apps. Trip advisor is basically seeing a place or an activity through the eyes of fellow travellers. It basically advices you places worth checking out and places you'd rather not waste your time on.
Why you should travel with it: I actually use trip advisor a lot before the actual trip when researching places to stay and things to do. For example if I see a hostel I like based on the pictures on their website, I'll search '' name of hostel tripadvisor ''.I'll then head to the comments section to see what other travelers are saying about the place or the activity. If most comments are negative, I'll avoid the place or activity. However if most comments are positive with a few negatives that I can stand, I'll always go. Always make sure to arrange the trip advisor comments from the newest to oldest.
the star ratings on trip advisor are awarded by travelers that have experienced the place first hand
Function : This travel app track of everyone's expenses and by the end of the day you will be able to know who owes who what and the equivalent amount.
Why you should use it: This app works conveniently especially for travelers in a group. It's saves a lot of time since it's clear, fast and transparent. It helps you to keep track of your expenses. It's not just limited to travel as you can use it in other aspects of your life too.
Function : this app gives you the daily. Exchange rate You can calculate live and foreign exchange rate. The best part is that it works even when you're offline. For example if I need to change money at a the Kenyan Tanzanian border, I'll first convert the Ksh to Tshs on the app t I know how much I'll be expecting from the bureau.
Why you should use it: You cannot always have the daily exchange rate offhead. This app be used to avoid being scammed into exchanging money at lower rates. . As you can see below if you want to change 450,000 Nigerian Naira today to USD dollar, the bureau should give you 1250 USD. You can add as many currencies as you want.
Function: I constantly use this app to check for flight deals and also compare flight prices. You can filter your options to be the currency you prefer and arrange it from cheapest rates.
Why you should use it: Other than the amazing flight deals it offers, Skyscanner gives you options of a variety of airlines flying to your destination. No idea where you want to go? You can easily key in the everywhere option from your location and get the cheapest deals to anywhere in the world. Pretty cool. yes? In addition to the everywhere option, it has the multicity and return option. You can save your trip details to be getting updates of yopur flight.
Function: Booking.com is an app with major hotel deals and trip activities. This app is for those that prefer hotels over hostels and airbnbs. It has numerous hotels to fit any kind of traveler. It also comes with a filter settings so you can filter out the kind of hotel you're looking for based on price, reviewer's star ratings and proximity to tourist sites.
Why you should use it: It has thousands of hotels on it's list and you are not required to pay until the night of your stay. If you change your mind you can easily cancel your booking. If you happen to be stuck in a foreign town, you can easily look up nearby hotels on booking.com knowing you will find a place. Booking.com also offers great rates and deals on travel activities and accommodation.
Function: Like the name suggests, travel spend helps you to track your expenses on the trip. It allows you to key in your budget for the trip then it calculates and highlights how much you need to spend per day on average. It allows you to record your daily expenses under various categories like food, transport, flights, accommodation, activities and so on. By the end of your trip, you will be able to compare how much you actually spent to your initial budget. Travel spend is user friendly and free unless you want extra features then you may upgrade to premium.
Why you should use it: You are able to keep track of how much you are spending on the trip. If you spend your money too fast, the app will alert you hence it comes with a sense of discipline with money.
Function: I love this app seeing my sense of direction is zero. It's better than google maps especially if you are walking or biking in a foreign town anywhere in the world. This app allows you to download maps of the region you are visiting. For example, if I am traveling to Cotonou, Benin, I will search Cotonou on the app then download the maps. The day I travel to Cotonou, I will be able to use the map offline to access my areas of interest be it restaurants, beaches and so on.
Why you should use it: You can use the downloaded maps online henec you do not have to worry about data or roaming.
These apps have proved very useful on the road. I am keen on trying other apps that make travelling easier so I will keep updating this list as time goes by but for now the above remain by all time favourite apps.