As you may know, you can travel now around the world with a really low budget, and these apps will help you to find the best options to save some money but, still have a great experience, and the best part is that you can use them in pretty much every city in the world. So let’s start.
Go Euro: This App is a must to find transportation options; here you can find Trains, buses, and flights with different schedules, meeting points, and prices. Keep in mind that you can get really cheap tickets if you book it with enough time; Believe me, one month or even just a couple of weeks earlier will save you so much money, even in high season.
Another advantage it is that you have a lot of online payment methods and if you live in one of the European cities and you have a public transportation discount card, some of them special for students or people under 26 - 29 (it depends on each country), you can register the number in the App to receive the corresponding discount, If your trip includes that country.
HostelWorld: We used this app for our trip to Italy (I'll tell you more about it in my next post) and it was a great choice, so If you like to travel in the "Get new friends" mood and meet people from around the world at the same time that you save some money, this app is also one of your best options. Here you’re going to find a lot of hostel options ranking by city, price, score and so much more with all the trust of a recognized app.
The payment methods are quite simple, you have to make a deposit with your credit/debit card, normally 10% in euros, pounds or dollars, and pay the rest in the hostel when you arrive. You can also choose between the Non-Flexible Booking or the Standard, the only difference is that with the last option you'll pay around 1€ extra to protect your deposit in case of cancellation, then you can use it to make another booking.
As you can see, this is a great option to find the best hostels with the best price and keep safe all your information, so if you use it, don’t forget to write an honest and objective review about your stay, this will help other travelers to know more about a place before they book. Remember to book with extra time to save more money.
Couch Surfing: This App is a great option to know a lot of people while you travel around the world; here, someone allows you to stay in their house or “in their couch”, for free. The main purpose of this is to make new friends and get to know more about the culture and traditions of a specific place. You can be the host or the guest!
The key to having a great experience is:
Do not think of this as a Hotel; it’s a shared experience, so be nice and helpful.
Send the requests with enough time. Keep in mind that in the popular cities it would be harder to get a host and in case you can’t find one, you will have extra time to find another option.
Read the whole profile of your possible host and make sure you have something in common, mention that in your request. Remember that you choose CS as a way to make new friends so is a good thing that you can offer something to teach or that you would like to learn.
Get verified. Yes, you will have to pay 54€ but this will give you more chances to get a host, your profile will be more trusted and you'll get unlimited messages to send requests, so at the end, it can be a good option, especially if you plan to use CS frequently.
Read the reviews! It is always good to know what other people experienced and this will help you to make the best decision before you choose a host/guest.
Leave a review. In the same way that the reviews helped you, share your experiences could help someone else to find the best host or accept the best guest, so be honest and concise.
Enjoy & make friends around the world for the rest of your life.
Get your guide: I also used this App in my trip to Italy and I have to say that it saved my life in Rome and my only regret is that I didn’t found it before. Here you can find a lot of activities with the best prices in different cities, which is a great option if you don’t have a lot of time or any specific plan.
This App gives you “Skip the line tickets” for the most popular places, regular tickets, guided tours, and even free walking tours, just remember to book this with enough time because they have limited places. Plus, the guest service is willing to help you in at least 5 different languages, and I must say that have this option is very useful and they were very efficient and helpful when I needed them. So give a quick look before you travel and I promise that you will find something great to make the most of your time on each trip.
Well, now you have more options to plan your next trip, my last suggestion is:
Check more websites before you buy something, especially the entrance tickets for popular places, because sometimes it could be even cheaper to buy the tickets in the official website or directly when you get there, as is the case of The Accademia Gallery Museum in Florence, to see the David by Michelangelo (Check my next post to know all about it).
For more recommendations check all the Postcards & the Gallery, and if you want to know more about a specific topic do not hesitate to leave a comment, I'll be more than happy to help you.
See you in our next postcard.