30 Best Free Travel
Apps For 2020
Free Travel Apps To Save You Money & Time
Preparing for a trip can be equally frustrating as it is exhilarating. Through countless hours on the road and behind the computer, I’ve narrowed down the best sites and free travel apps to help make your next trip as enjoyable as possible.
Quick Money Saving Tips:
1. To secure the best ticket prices for all types of activities, try to find the original venue or provider’s site in the country or city in which you are traveling. Then use google translate if needed. This is most useful for local attractions, museums, concerts, independent hotels and train tickets. It applies to pretty much everything except airfare, which I talk about below.
2. Always pay in the local currency!!! When buying anything online or via mobile app, if you can select to pay in Euro, Pounds, Crowns or whatever the local currency may be, please select that option. Otherwise, you will lose precious money through their inflated conversion fee they charge in the process. This even applies to booking through Airbnb, Hotels.com, etc. You must usually uncheck a box near the payment area in order to pay with the local currency and not the one associated with your credit card. As I’m writing this, I just saved $20 by not paying the conversion fee.
Transportation
Rome2Rio – The best way to chart your journey whether it be by plane, train, bus, boat or car. It compares all modes of transport by showing cost and time comparison and possible routes.
Skyscanner – The easiest way to compare flights for specific dates or whole months at a time. A great tool for anyone with flexibility. I’ve now flown to a few places for under 40 Euro roundtrip thanks to Skyscanner!
Hopper — A very user-friendly app that delivers cheap flights and hotels from all over the world. Simply set up your desired destinations, dates and watch the deals come in. You can customize the trips you’re looking for or keep things more open-ended, to take advantage of deals from your home city to anywhere. According to their site, “Hopper predicts prices with 95% accuracy up to 1 year in advance. No ads, no spam, no stress — just accurate predictions and the easiest way to book and save.” You can also lock your price in for 5 days with their “freeze” feature. For a deposit of about $22, you can hold the current price and later apply the money to any flight booked on their app within 5 days.
Omio (Go Euro) – A slick and easy way to compare all transportation options and quickly book your tickets all in one place. An official partner of all major European transport companies, they are highly trusted. As I get into below, they may not always have access to the absolute cheapest seats or special fares only made available by the actual provider, so double check if you are on a tight budget.
Loco2 – While some apps are suited for comparing prices and times, Loco2 allows you to easily purchase train and bus tickets for most European countries on your phone or laptop. Since they are a third party, they don’t always get the cheapest tickets only listed on individual country sites, so definitely cross reference before booking.
Uber – Uber is a lifesaver in many situations, but it’s especially helpful when you don’t speak the local language. Not only will Uber get you to the right destination stress-free, it will also save you money in places where taxi scams are prevalent.
Free Now – Very similar to Uber, Free Now (formerly MyTaxi), is in many European cities that don’t have Uber. It also exists alongside Uber in some cities, so you can choose which to use.
Bolt (Taxify) – Another must-have for European travel. Just like, MyTaxi, Bolt is in many European cities where Uber is not. You can request your ride by phone but you often can still pay in cash as needed.
BusBud – A consolidated and easy way to find and purchase any bus tickets across the U.S. and Europe. Once you find your bus you can book directly through major providers like FlixBus.
TrenIT – The most useful app for all train travel in Italy. You can plan and buy your train trips in the app as well as track the timing and platforms of your trains. I find this very helpful when having short connections between trains. You will know your next departure platform before you arrive so you can run and hopefully make it! Trains in Italy are notoriously late, so never book a connection with less than 20 minutes in between. There are rarely ramps or escalators, so be prepared to lug your stuff up and down many steps. Elevators rarely work.
Ceske Drahy – The official Czech train app is a great way to book train and bus travel in the Czech Republic. They have the cheapest fairs for all travel originating in the Czech Republic. For instance, if traveling to Austria or Germany from Prague, always buy from this CZ site rather than the German or Austrian and you will save a ton of money! It also has real time arrival/departure tracking and really impressed me overall.
Accommodation
Hotels.com – The best option for frequent travelers. Hotels offers a generous free night after every 10 qualifying nights. Unlike other programs, this is not capped, therefore loyalty to their program is handsomely rewarded all year long. For business or leisure travelers who are on the the road often, these nights add up fast and can be easily redeemed on your next booking. The free night value is the average of the 10 nights you stayed and can be used at all of their participating hotels. You can also achieve bonuses for silver and gold status, according to how many nights you stay in a given calendar year.
Booking.com – The most reliable hotel booking site out there. Not only are their prices the best, but their reviews have never steered me wrong. Increasingly, Booking has been adding more apartments that would normally only be found on Airbnb. Sharing your referral link also earns you and a friend $25 cash back with every completed stay. If you book enough, you become a “genius” and receive added discounts when you are logged into your account.
Airbnb – I think it’s safe to say nearly everyone knows Airbnb by now. Most of the time, Airbnb allows you to live like a local and experience wonderful neighborhoods devoid of hotels. Be prepared to deal with some quirky apartment features and sometimes oddly small towels. This is in exchange for meeting great people, getting local tips and a room for much less than a hotel. Before booking, make sure you uncheck the box to always pay in your regular currency, and opt for paying in the local one.
Agriturismo.IT – One of the things that influenced my decision to move to Italy was staying at an Agriturismo. For affordable rates you can stay and dine with amazingly hospitable families on 500 year old farms or vineyards all across Italy. You can find family friendly agriturismos as well as luxury accommodations that will truly wine and dine you! Booking.com results incorporate some of these now as well.
Bed-and-Breakfast-IT – For authentic Italian Bed and Breakfasts, look no further. Sometimes part of Italy’s charm can be the lack of innovation and modernity. Many BnBs still operate without websites and can only be found by searching this database and emailing them about availability. The site has recently beed revamped and is not nearly as painful as before. Because you can’t see reviews of these places, I highly recommend Googling them and tracking them down on Google Maps to see photos and if some reviews exist. A major pro is that you can often negotiate prices listed, so don’t be afraid to ask. If you speak Italian, you can also just call them.
Tours, Experiences & Gear Sharing
Sandeman’s New Europe – I can’t recommend Sandeman’s daily free walking tours enough. I lost track of how many I’ve been on, but I’ve always learned a ton and really enjoyed the experience. Enthusiastic local guides take you around for 2-3 hours and at the end ask that you pay what you think they deserve. In most cities, 10 Euro per person is sufficient, 11-15 Euro is appreciated if they are excellent and 5 is very acceptable if you are a student or disappointed. They also run paid tours including pub crawls and specific neighborhood or historical tours. Most are run in English, the local language and Spanish. Groups can be rather big in summer but don’t usually exceed 30 people.
Viator – Owned by TripAdvisor, Viator is one of the largest tour aggregators in the world. If you are looking for glacier trips in Patagonia or wine tours in Spain, Viator will likely have something for you. I often google the tour name to cross reference and hunt for a cheaper price, but typically end up booking through Viator. You also get 10% off your first booking.
EatWith – For unique dining experiences across the world, check out who’s cooking on EatWith. They offer shared meals, cooking classes and tours where you can meet other travelers and locals alike! If you have a large group you can also book a private experience. Expanding rapidly, but available in most major cities.
Airbnb Experiences – I’ve tried a few experiences and have been very happy with them so far! While not always the cheapest, the convenience of booking, communicating and paying through Airbnb is usually worth it!
Get Your Guide – An easy way to book food and wine tours, dining experiences, hikes, cooking classes, museum tickets and more. They’re still growing but already have activities in most major cities around the world.
Eventbrite – Events are still somewhat disaggregated in many European cities and towns, however Eventbrite seems to capture the majority of both free and paid concerts, exhibits and activities.
Facebook Events – I am not a regular Facebook user for social reasons, but in Europe it is a necessary tool to find local events wherever you are currently located. Head to the events area in your app and select “nearby” as your location and you will find real time events you would not come across otherwise.
Fat Llama – A new peer to peer gear sharing community with anything from cameras to bikes, to strollers and everything in between. Rentals are typically hourly or daily and are very reasonable. A great way to travel lightly, yet still have what you need at your destination. They are currently in the UK and USA.
Wine Bars, Wine Shops and Restaurants
Raisin – This new app is ever-improving and growing its directory of natural wine bars and wine events around the world. Be sure to check it out before you travel as well as when you’re in your destination.
Triple A – The people behind the fantastic low-intervention wine association I mentioned here, have an awesome app as well. Their app lists top restaurants, wine bars and wine shops that carry their wines. Not only will you find good wines but you will also eat very well with this app.
TheFork — Traveling to Europe or South America? Use The Fork to not only book reservations in cities all over the world, but also score discounted tables! Browse restaurants with promotions before you book, and automatically receive the discount when you pay at the restaurant. Get anywhere from 10% to 50% off your lunch or dinner booking! I also recommend cross-referencing reviews on Google Maps, before you book. Like other platforms, you can also earn points redeemable for cash value on future bookings
Reviews That Aren't TripAdvisor
Google Maps – This is a no brainer, but I’ve realized that some people overlook Google reviews in favor of TripAdvisor or Yelp. In my experience, Google provides more accurate local reviews by people who are more knowledgeable about what something should taste/be like in their home city. You can easily tell who’s local by their review language, name and often profile. They’ve also been expanding their “near by” recommendations which are tailored to the time of day. Before my trips, I research places to visit and then save them on Google Maps so I know exactly where they are when I touch down.
Trippy – This indie travel forum is great for finding specific information and travel tips across the world. You can sign up and select where you are local to receive questions and contribute information as well.
LikeALocal – If you’re heading to a major city, you’ll be able to find authentic local recommendations with likealocal. From where to eat, drink and what to do, they cover everything. They also offer tours and all sorts of travel related services.