Traveling with Technology

09 October 2017
by: JAY
in: Tech Tips
note: no comments

Best Apps While Traveling

We are officially in the tick of summer, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to make it through the day without hearing or seeing about someone’s vacation. I am excited to hear stories from all the different places, and everyone suggesting where I need to go. I love all the ideas and start planning fantastical adventures in my head.

Then I check my bank account and realize I can maybe swing a trip to camp in the back yard. Now as someone who fancy’s themselves a fan of all things technology I knew there had to be a way to remedy this. I put in some extra hours at work, and managed to save some of what I’m sure wasn’t going to be enough to take any kind of a vacation.

This is where technology made it awesome for me to go on the vacation of a lifetime. I had one rule for this vacation — I refused to do anything requiring me to pay full price. I used lots of apps and did a LOT of research, but I went on a once in a lifetime vacation and turned it into a fun game of how much I could save in each place. These are my top five favorite apps while traveling, and how I made them work for me.

Ashley’s Top 5 Best Apps for Traveling:

1. Groupon – This is hands down my absolute favorite app and the easiest way to plan a trip. I found a city that Groupon covers, and that’s where I decided I was going to go, and upon using the app some I realized I could save on experiences on my trip, I planned my meals around who had deals on Groupon, so I could try new things and save some money. I ended up finding one of my absolute favorite restaurants thanks to a lucky pick. I gave myself two rules on my three day trip, never pay full price and never go the same place twice.

2. Yelp – Yelp is another app I absolutely swear by. If I am in a city I don’t know, how do I really know where the best pizza place is, or where to find a good comedy club nearby? This is where Yelp comes in, users can log in and leave reviews and ratings on local businesses. No longer are you taking a major gamble picking where to go for dinner, you can see what hundreds of others have thought, and sometimes even find recommendations.

3. Uber – I don’t always want to drive around a city I don’t know, but cabs aren’t always the most convenient, and then I discovered Uber. This is an amazing way of catching a ride, and it’s like having a local friend show up in their car and give you a ride, without that awkward “can I come along?” All of the drivers pass a pretty decent screening, so you are safe, and able to sit back relax, and enjoy the ride – which is typically I’ve found cheaper than a cab.

4. Trivago – Hotels are not cheap, this is just a fact. I am one who if I am going to go somewhere for vacation, I want to stay in the nicest hotel I can, so it feels like a true getaway, but usually on a budget that doesn’t get you as far…… until I found the Trivago app. You can compare all of the local lodging options, break down by ratings, amenities, location, price, and find exactly what works for you with what you have to spend. I have had constant luck finding hidden sales or new great places to stay this way.

5. Citymapper – Fun fact about me is that I am “directionally challenged”, which is a nice way of saying I could get lost in a paper bag. City mapper is very clear with their maps and all routes of public transportation within a city. If I can figure this out with this app, I promise you anyone can.