my recommendations

Here are all of my recommendations on apps I use for travel and research as well as the travel and camera gear I use.

Apps I Use to Travel

Hopper

Hopper is an amazing travel tool to help you find the cheapest flights. Not only can you find cheap flights instantly, but you can also save a future trip in your account and watch for prices to go down.

I highly recommend turning on notifications, so the app can alert you on price drops and when is the best time to book. The app monitors all airlines and takes your preferences into account while watching for drops in price.

I have only booked directly through the app maybe once or twice for domestic flights. All other flights such as international or fully refundable ones, I like to book directly through the airline I’m flying.

Expedia

Another great place to search for flights! You can also collectively search for hotels, rental cars, and excursions all in one place. I’ve only used the flight search option, and I always book directly through the airline I’m flying unless there is a deal on Expedia.

Airbnb

You have probably heard and maybe even used Airbnb before. I love feeling like I have a home base when I travel, and Airbnb makes that accessible at all price ranges. You have complete access to reviews, customizations, and direct contact to hosts.

Wherever your destination is, there are probably a handful of Airbnbs to choose from. I can confidently say that since 2018, the majority of places I’ve stayed while traveling have been Airbnbs. This is a great option if you are looking for specific things while traveling like laundry, a full kitchen, bikes, or pickup from train stations or airports.

Booking

I absolutely love Booking! When I’m not finding any luck with Airbnb, or I’m looking for somewhere cheap to crash on a long road trip, I search in booking for hotels near my destination to easily sort through the sometimes hundreds of options.

You can fully customize your search if you are looking for something specific like strong wifi, free breakfast, or rooms with TVs. There are some really great deals that you can find only on the app too!

Viator

Looking for ways to explore your destination? Viator is my go to place for booking tours and excursions in whatever place I’m visiting. You can do anything from walking tours, food tours, adventure tours, even things as simple as booking a private car service to take you from destination to destination.

I love the reviews and the way all of your tickets for your events can be accessed in your account instead of scrolling through your emails for a confirmation number. You also get easy access to customer service and direct contact information to your activity guide.

Rosetta Stone

I love learning, and I love being prepared for anything while traveling. I use Rosetta Stone to get familiar with the language of a country I’ll be visiting.

A common courtesy when traveling to a foreign country is to learn the basics of their language even if most people you will encounter speak your language. I’ve found a lot of people are much more willing to help you or even give you recommendations if you at least try a “hello” or “thank you”.

I bought the lifetime version of Rosetta Stone which gives me access to all of the languages they offer as well as the extra downloadable lessons.

Trainline

When traveling through the UK or EU (a different version of the app at TrainlineEU), this app is the best place to find the best train tickets for wherever you are traveling to. They have customizations for direct routes, sleeper trains, and 1st or 2nd class options.

They give you the best prices and best routes while monitoring all of the train companies available to you. Also, your ticket is either directly on your phone or they give you detailed instructions on where and how to validate them once you arrive at the train station.

Google Maps

This may seem like an obvious one, but Google Maps has some amazing features that a lot of people don’t take advantage of. When traveling to a new place, I do a whole bunch of research on points of interest, restaurants, transportation locations, and lodging. I use Google Maps to create my own personalized map of all of those places to help me create a concrete itinerary.

Also, when I’m adventuring around, I have all of those locations already saved and labeled into Google Maps. You can create categories, assign colors and icons, and leave notes on each different pin point. I cannot recommend using this feature enough!

Covid Related Apps:

If you are looking for help traveling during covid, I have a post all about the steps I took to prepare for a trip abroad linked here. Make sure to go check it out!