Apps for Comfortable Travel
It's nice when everything goes smoothly on a trip: things are neatly packed in a suitcase, flights are not delayed, and the weather is good. And in general, it's great when all the details of the trip come together into a perfect puzzle. Then it brings only positive emotions, and it immediately becomes clear why people travel at all.
To make it easier for you to discover the world, we have selected useful applications and services that will be helpful for both novice and experienced travelers. Install them on your phone and enjoy your trip!
Planning a trip
First, you need to decide where to go: travel around Russia or fly abroad. There are many cool locations and ideas in our TG channel, so welcome for inspiration.
If you already know exactly where you're flying, then it's a small matter. You need to buy tickets on Kupi.com, exchange money for the currency of the country you're going to, make a plan (what you want to see and where to go), check the weather, and pack your suitcase. Apps will help you with all these tasks.
Tracking the weather
For example, you can find out the weather forecast using the Gismeteo app. It shows temperature, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, and geomagnetic conditions. In general, all the information you need to plan your travel wardrobe. But there are also downsides: the app hasn't been updated for a very long time. The last changes for Android were in 2017, for iOS — in 2019.
Packing essentials
Speaking of wardrobe. The PackPoint app will help you pack your suitcase. Here you can create a list of essential items for your trip. Among the advantages, PackPoint offers suggestions on what clothes you might need depending on the duration of your trip and the goals you specified. But the best part is that the app is free.
Document storage
Almost forgot about the most important thing — documents. We advise you to make electronic copies of passports, insurance, and other bureaucratic stuff before your trip. You can store them in the DocStorer app.
Booking flights
We've decided on the travel destination, packed clothes according to the weather. Now let's go for tickets. We won't beat around the bush here. Naturally, our choice is the Kupi.com app. You probably know that we have the best flight offers from 400 companies. In addition, Kupi.com will remind you when to go to the airport, tell you how to view your flight details without internet, and help you find a ticket that somehow doesn't show up in your email.
Such simple but important functions are already available in our mobile app. So don't forget to install "Kupi.com" on your phone.
Finding accommodation
The trip is planned, tickets are bought, now you need to decide where to stay. Ostrovok.ru and Booking.com, for example, can help with choosing hotels and apartments. Of course, there are many more accommodation search apps, but these two are currently the main ones.
The main advantage of "Ostrovok" is that you can pay with a Russian card there. And Booking, although it has suspended operations in Russia and Belarus, still allows you to book accommodation abroad.
Download: "Ostrovok" Android, iOS / Booking Android, iOS
There's another interesting app — Couchsurfing. It's perfect for immersing yourself in the life of a city. The advantage of the app is that you don't have to pay anyone here. No, seriously, everything is free: both the app and the accommodation. Couchsurfing is a mutual aid portal on a voluntary basis. You create a profile and look for a Couchsurfer with whom you can stay for a few days. Hosts have ratings and reviews. You need to choose very carefully to avoid getting into unpleasant company. Because, you know, it's hard to fall asleep when someone is standing over your bed staring at you, like in the movie "Paranormal Activity."
Maps and navigators
To avoid getting lost in the city, just download one of these apps.
Google Maps
The most common map option. To use routes without internet, you need to download the necessary part of the map in advance. However, there's a catch: even after that, not all service functions will be available offline.
Guru Maps
This app is suitable for active recreation enthusiasts. Here you can create routes through forests, mountains, and even swamps (greetings to St. Petersburg). Plus, the app allows you to mark interesting places in advance to find the desired location faster and easier.
MAPS.ME
An app that almost all seasoned travelers have on their phones. It works based on constantly updated OpenStreetMap offline maps. In the app, you can plot a convenient route to desired attractions, hotels, and restaurants.
Organic Maps
Maps suitable for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. All service functions work offline. Among the advantages, it includes metro maps for major cities.
Finding excursions
Those who love to discover new things will find these apps useful. In them, you can find an excursion or a guide.
Weatlas
Here you can find Russian-speaking excursions even in the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, not to mention Paris or Rome. In total, there are over 4,800 offers in 468 cities worldwide.
Download: iOS
Sputnik8
Here you can find almost everything — from an individual walk in Budapest to a group bus tour in Suzdal. The app offers over 10,000 excursions in 80 countries and 600 cities.
YouTravel.Me
An app with excursions and custom tours for every taste. The routes here are well-thought-out, with information on each city's attractions. YouTravel.Me operates in Barcelona, Istanbul, Rome, Prague, Tallinn, Milan, Paris, Madrid, Jerusalem, and so on.
Guidebooks
Want to save on a guide? Easy peasy! Here are apps that will help with that.
Surprise Me
Here you'll find city tours around the world from locals. You'll visit the famous sights anyway, but secret gardens and hidden corners are hard to find without someone who knows them.
What's cool: in the app, all excursions are described in detail with historical references for almost every interesting building or monument. And when you follow the route step-by-step, the next point only unlocks when you reach the previous one. The app will notify you via GPS. It's also hard to get lost — the app has a built-in compass.
Surprise Me doesn't just create a route; it does so in an interesting, game-like format. At almost every step, there are tasks whose answers need to be entered into a special field. This way, the app teaches us to notice interesting details. Moreover, all this works offline, so it's especially easy abroad — no need to connect to Wi-Fi or buy a local SIM card. The service itself is free, but you'll have to pay for the excursions.
izi.TRAVEL
With this app, you won't even need a guide. Just download izi.TRAVEL to your phone, grant location access, and that's it: you can walk around the city and listen to the tour. Generally, the app works online, but if you download the desired route with an audio guide in advance, you won't need internet access during the process. However, there's a catch: izi.TRAVEL uses Google Maps, so you'll need to install them too.
With these apps, you won't be bored, even if you're on a solo trip. They will be great companions for those who are just learning how to travel alone.
Ground transport
FlixBus
Here you can find comfortable and cheap buses that will take you anywhere within Europe. The app saves passenger data (no need to re-enter it every time), shows the bus's geolocation (a very useful feature: in many cities, bus stations are confusing, for example, in Dresden). The main advantage is that the ticket price in the app is 10% lower than on the website. If there's a cancellation or delay, you'll know instantly, and no printouts are needed for boarding. Also in this category are Ecolines and RedBus apps (for India and Southeast Asia).
DB Navigator
An app for train travel in Germany. It's convenient, offers fast payment, provides all train information, and has a special feature for those running late: the app generates an alternative route to your destination.
BookingCar
Booking, but for cars (which is clear from the name). The scheme is simple and straightforward: choose rental dates, country and city, specify driver's age. And voilà — a ready selection of cars according to your requirements.
Money
Oanda
"Oh, caps for four euros! Ah-ah-ah-ah, lunch for ten euros, great! Five euros for a magnet? Cheap!" Has this ever happened to you? Some of us still involuntarily live in a world where the euro is 70 rubles. We are tempted by prices for small things, and spending becomes unstoppable. And then we sit with a cup of cheap tea and think, "Where did all that money go?" To avoid unpleasant surprises, use a currency converter to plan your travel budget. It shows not only the current exchange rate but also the rate for a specific date, and it immediately includes the exchange commission.
CoinKeeper
You can't just plan something without financial control! The CoinKeeper app will help us with this. It's convenient for tracking expenses, forming, and planning a budget. The service itself is free, but some functions are only available in the paid version, such as data synchronization with cloud storage and collaborative work with family members.
Internet
One of the main fears when traveling is being without communication and internet. But it's good that there are apps that help you find free Wi-Fi on your trip.
Osmino Wi-Fi
What kind of vacation is it without the ability to upload a fresh photo to one of the social networks? But for this, you'll need internet. If you haven't bought a local SIM card — no problem.
Use Osmino Wi-Fi. This program will show you where you can connect to Wi-Fi, and if there's a password, it will tell you that too. And thanks to the huge community of fellow travelers and users, information about access points is always fresh, like the mountain air of alpine meadows.
Wifi Map
A real find with the world's largest Wi-Fi database. In addition, the app can tell you how reliable the connection is and if there's good coffee nearby. So it's all pros: both drinks and internet.
Download: Android
This is our selection of useful travel apps. We are sure they will come in handy. We wish you great trips!
