Holiday planning and adventure has changed drastically over the past couple of decades, and bar the used of the same planes, the process is almost entirely different to that prior. The way we go about reaching our sunny destinations has been completely re-vamped since the implementation of smartphones into near-about everyone’s pockets. Partnered with Audi A8 dealers, Lookers, we examine the newest apps that revolutionize how we attack our holiday, both planning and execution.
Booking
The time has arrived, all the bank holidays have been and gone, work is draining and continuous and your only solution is a break, to relive the stress. You’ve decided a holiday is a must— your work request was accepted, but where do you go from there? just a few years ago this would b the travel agents nearby. Furious page turning commences, trying to find the right destination for you in a book so hefty it wouldn’t be out of place in Argos. Nowadays, this can all be done on your mobile phone.
The flight
Each one of the many comparison applications for finding flights have their own unique selling points meaning each is viable for different causes. For the sake of keeping things simple however, we have whittled this down to our favourite three.
The pain of booking a flight early for the sole purpose of ensuring they don’t sell out before you can get one, only for the price to drop the following week is unmatched. With Hopper however, this is not a concern. The app monitors 15 billion flights every day to find you the right deal. When you’re on the app, things are aesthetically pleasing as well, with colour co-ordination used to help users distinguish between the expense of the flight and the time of year.
Undecided on where do go but your budget is the only thing deciding affecting destination? If this sounds like you, then Kiwi will prove to be a valuable widget. Once you’ve selected your home destination, it provides you with a map and how much it will cost you to get to each destination on it. No more repetitive searching.
Have you thought that maybe sometimes the cheapest flights are not showcased on the airline’s website? It should come as no surprise that the most economically viable flights are being hidden from us — realistically, why would they not let us pay more? Skiplagged focuses on finding the loopholes in flying — it might be that booking a longer flight, with a stop-over works out cheaper, or by getting off at certain destinations en route can save money.
The accommodation
Arguably Airbnb is the best movement in the app space for re-inventing travel. Hotels, as much as they offer a wide range of choice and variation, don’t quite match up to the quirkiness offered by property rental app Airbnb. The site, which operates in more than 190 countries in the world, offers users the potential to rent villas, single rooms, yachts, treehouses, and much more — often at a considerably cheaper rate than that of hotels. Similarly, the experience section now provides customers with the opportunity to immerse themselves in more than just the tourist board suggestions, alternatively getting involved in the activities suggested and often carried out by locals.
On holiday
If you don’t happen to have a candidate waiting for you upon arrival to the country, downloading Hotelinfo could be the best thing you ever did. So, while your GCSE language skills proved to be of little worth here, you’ve managed to navigate your way out of the airport thanks to your inherent knowledge and understanding of exit signs. This trusty app links straight to the hotel, where you can chat to staff, ultimately getting the best directions to the hotel, or suggestions for a taxi — just remember to check your roaming tariffs.
Traveler’s cheques are a thing of the past, no longer must that visit to the travel agents happen. In fact, we don’t require currency at all anymore. Using your debit card abroad was always somewhat of a cruel mistress, especially when you arrived home to discover a host of transaction and exchange fees had debited your account. Now however, with the invention of app-only banks like Starling and Revolut, you don’t need to incur fees for using your money abroad. All you have to do is sign up, get your card, and upload cash via your domestic account.
When you phone nowadays can act as almost anything, what is the need for writing down your own checklist? Packpoint assesses the weather forecast for you on a daily basis, while also asking you the activities in which you will be partaking, so its impossible to leave your hiking boots or swimming shorts at home.
Walking round a foreign city can be intriguing and relaxing, but have you ever seen a structure or landmark and wanted to know the story behind the location?? Well, if you have, you aren’t alone! Unlike having to devote your entire day to a guided tour, you can do now find out all those unanswered questions. Simply download Detour, plug in your headphones, and listen to a fully narrated tour of the city — from a local with considerable knowledge of the area.
Above we have provided you with just some of the apps that you can take advantage off when you are travelling to make your trip that little bit easier — however, the market is awash with numerous handy additions, so go have a browse!
With our provided apps you can make your holiday as simple and hassle-free as possible therefore creating the perfect escape from work imaginable. The useful apps out there are not just limited to these here, so having a quick browse of those on the app store is certainly a viable idea.
