Solo Travel around the world has become so cliche that everyone who has a bunch of mobile apps can survive the trip at an economic cost. Well, they were not wrong to say that because Mobile Apps has made it absolutely possible. For a start in a totally strange land, people need to make sure they have a safe place to stay, a good place to eat, awesome party location and of course convenient mode of transportation besides a tour guide. If you’re in a place that is outside your country and/or in a place that does not speak/understand your language you will definitely need a translator and to be updated of the current exchange rate. Worry no more, for there are free mobile apps at your disposal that can help you out on the road.
Book Flights for Travel
For some reason when people say Travel Round the world, it’s implied that Air is convenient and less time consuming and in many cases, cheaper. Somehow people associate Cruise with Luxury and unless our payroll every month indicates 4 digits or more Cruise still appears to be a luxury option. Nobody wants to plan their travel and arrive at the new place broke, do they?
Skyscanner is just another search engine that fetches all the flights around the world that filters from lowest to highest price range. This makes planning trips for travelers that easier. Besides acting as just a search engine, Skyscanner also points out the cheapest flights for different destinations from your nearest airport by using the location of your phone. Skyscanner app is available in both iOS and Android platforms. Now what makes this app better than other mobile apps that provide similar service is that Skyscanner searches results for Country to country instead of the city that you enter. In countries with multiple airports, this is a bigger advantage as this eliminates the user having to painstakingly search for cities separately and compare the costs.
Accommodation
So there’s an on-going (never stopping) comparison between CouchSurfing and Airbnb over the internet when it comes to backpackers picking their homes in a foreign land and they are both good options. So let’s just get this over with!
Both Airbnb and Couchsurfing are good options in Travel when it comes to booking your accommodation but it all depends on whether you prefer to stay with a crowd or private space. When you book via Couchsurfing you get to meet other backpackers all the time whereas if you book via Airbnb, you get to choose whether you prefer to stay in the crowd (includes host) or separately. They are both secure and in any case, if you would like to contact the support team, they are available online 24×7. Good advice would be to review the hosts as the cancellation rates tend to be higher with CouchSurfing especially when it comes to popular cities. Couchsurfing tends to get competitive while this is relatively not common with Airbnb hosts.
Free Wifi
Oh, and isn’t that a bit obvious that you need an internet connection to survive in a big city? or in many cases, an island?
So there’s this cool app called Wiffinity that allows users to find and connect to wi-fi networks around them. Users can also add the networks that may not be displayed in the results. It even works offline, when its map can discover where the next Wi-Fi hotspot is around you. Another cool feature is the way the app manages access to password-protected Wi-Fi hotspots, meaning users never have to share personal details again. Wiffinity is free and available for iOS and Android. The only drawback is how the battery drains faster than a Samsung phone. And you don’t need to share your personal details to access this service.
Sightseeing
So you have booked your flight ticket, managed to find yourself a nice cozy home with fine internet, what’s next?
If you have not already exchanged your money that is valid at a foreign land then you have a shoulder to lean on for the exact exchange information. This App called Currency is the simplest money converter out there and is available in 17 different languages which are free to download and to use and it provides exchange rate information for over 100 currencies and countries. Convert your cash on your own and eliminate the risk of vendors sensing they have a tourist on their hands.
Again, if you had not already planned the places to visit in a new city, then you have a bone for spontaneity which is good because this App called Foursquare helps you with local Restaurants or cafe around you. Google Maps also displays results for local attraction but what makes Foursquare more reliable than Google Maps or Yelp is the intuitive search feature that displays results based on your preferences where you specify your favorite things and Foursquare makes better suggestions on what locations close to you would most likely meet your needs. With Foursquare, you can save the places you would like to visit. This way, you can always have a record on the places on your wishlist.
Oh and almost forgot the Language! Don’t worry if you’re in Japan and you feel that not many people can understand you (and most likely vice versa)! Use Google Translate and you will be grateful to Google for not just Android, the first open platform for mobile devices.
