Every time I travel, I make new mistakes. The upside to this? I also discover new tools/apps/products/programs to help deal with said mistakes. Here are five awesome new things I discovered on my recent trip through Europe.
5 Best Travel Apps You Haven’t Heard Of (Yet)
Eat with a local
I love traveling by myself (I even wrote an ebook about it!) but it can be really hard to meet locals and kind of a bummer to eat every.single.meal by yourself. Luckily there are two websites where locals register to show travelers around, meet for dinner or drinks or even cook you dinner in their own home. Isn’t that lovely?
Xe.com app
Because sometimes “move the decimal two points to the right and subtract 20%” is too hard when you’re doing exchange rates in your head. This app is free and doesn’t require an internet connection, so you can use it when you’re considering that wool blanket in rural Iceland. Because it probably costs $250.
Tripit app
You have 8 million confirmation emails – from your hotel, your shuttle, your flights, your tours. This free app puts them all in one place. So awesome.
Roadtrippers
Want to plan a cool roadtrip with stops at all those weird roadside attractions, cute diners, and indepedent motels? This free app lets you find places based on your route and interests and puts it all on one simple itinerary.
The Scrubba Wash Bag
Disclaimer: I have not actually used this product but no less than four travelers have told me about it! But it’s a) from Australia b) has won awards c) folds up to fit in your pocket. I.am.sold.
If you missed it the other fifty times I mentioned it: I also swear by packing cubes and Chaco’s flip flops. What travel products / programs / apps do you love?
If you missed it the other fifty times I mentioned it: I also swear by packing cubes and Chaco’s flip flops. What travel products / programs / apps do you love?
Love this list! I am a big TripIt fan, will have to try eat with a local.
My new favorite app is http://www.gogobot.com/
You can ask fellow travelers for recommendations and upload your own travel pics etc.
You can easily find stuff on their mobile app and there are tons of great photos to get you inspired when you create your next trip itinerary.
Thank you for your list!! I'm always looking for new places to travel, and these apps you have shared are great! Before I fly anywhere, I also check this little app I came across last year. It's called "Skyscanner" and sometimes I'm lucky and find cheaper deals than one the airline's direct site. Also, even though this isn't a new discover, I always keep my Yelp and Tripadvisor app handy. I'm always down to try new foods so seeing what the locals have to say is always helpful in my eyes!
BTW- I LOVE your site/blog. I've actually been following your for over a year now, but this is the first time I actaully commented. I Like to think of myself as the "silent reader." haha. 😉
I like the Moleskine city journals–they have space for journaling and recommendations, a foldout subway/public transit map, street-by-street maps of the city in the back, conversions and other fun things, and they are small and can fit in a purse.
This is an awesome list, I'd never heard of any of these things before! I'm excited to check out Startup Stay. I recently discovered Couchsurfing and have been hosting some people, but it's cool idea to have a more narrow focus like entrepreneurs to meet like-minded people. 🙂
My two favourite apps which I used non-stop whilst on our roadtrip round California were Foursquare and Airbnb.
If you're somewhere unfamiliar, Foursquare will bring up on a map a list of all eateries, hotels, shops, bars etc which are nearby. It includes reviews from other people who've been to these places as well as pictures. It was priceless when we were trying to decide where to have breakfast!
And Airbnb needs no introduction. They have a great feature in the app which lets you find available places super last minute.
Thanks as always for these suggestions!
Maria xx
http://www.cheekypinktulip.blogspot.com
Ditto on other comments…gogobot (I'm fairly new to it but it's a pretty fun app, I just don't like the wanting to invite all your FB friends part although I understand the logic behind it), airbnb (although I haven't booked anything yet but I love a sneak peek into homes) and moleskines.
Also ditto on your affection of packing cubes and thank you for the link, those are a good price. I'd also add the good old ziplock bag is not just for swimsuits, toiletries and dirty clothes. I've also used them to pack each individual outfit on a tennis trip in it's own bag. When sharing a hotel room with ten of your teammates, it was much easier to pluck one bag out rather than digging around looking for socks or a sportsbra. Then the sweaty goods can be popped right back in the bag.
A Belkin mini surge protector (no cord, just goes right into the wall) and my Real Simple app (I make preset packing lists, it's not the greatest list app but it'll do for now). I'd also suggest googling for local blogger groups. We're starting one on Maui for women bloggers (our site isn't up yet though) and I know other areas have them too. You can do a meetup (or hey a tweetup or an instameet…ya get the picture) or local bloggers can be a really great source of info for dining/activities etc beyond the usual touristy crap.
It's a contention of Heat Moon's — believing as he does any traveler who misses the journey misses about all he's going to get– that a man becomes his attentions. His observations and curiosity, they make and remake him. Flights to Lagos
Cheap Flights to Lagos
Cheap Air Tickets to Lagos
Hi. I’m fairly new to solo traveling, however I have learned about a lot of cool apps and products along the way. For my solid trip to Barcelona, I used the hopper app to find great flight deals from the U.S. to Spain; it does all the work, you just put in where and when. My other favorite app is AirBnB. Since I’m always on a budget when traveling, I use the AirBnB app to find affordable accommodation; I literally paid around $120 for over a week stay in Barcelona (a whole flat with a kitchen, not just a private room). Now AirBnB has an experience section on their app/website to connect you with locals providing different services in the arts/culture/food etc. And even more recent, they added a restaurant section where they’ve partnered with local restaurants to create reservations. My essential products for traveling include: daypack and regular backpack, fanny pack (to fit under shirt), selfie stick (for solo travelers), Lysol, travel pillow, and hanging toiletry bag.