I'm not going to cop out and feature only cheap countries, that's not fair. You can minimize your expenses anywhere you travel, and there are travel apps that can help you do that. I actually tried traveling without a mobile phone and survived. I just had to draw maps on a paper, and I became that creepy stranger who will ask if I can use your phone to make a call. I recognize that it has always been my fault when I lose stuff so I just need to stop daydreaming while I walk in the city. At some point, I had to buy a cheaper smartphone after losing one for the nth time. I guess I am just too nice giving away my mobile phones to strangers.
Traveling does not have to be time-consuming and expensive with the right app. Check out my handpicked list of the best travel apps to simplify your life.
Maps.me
It's a free offline map with turn-by-turn navigation. Whether you are traveling in a small town or a huge city, it would be easy to check first where you are going and how to get there. It will also save you some money knowing that you can easily just walk up to your destination. You just have to download the app and the map of the city or the whole country. It is fast, detailed and free.
This is my #1 app because it is so useful to me considering my really bad sense of direction. I don't even how it has been possible for me to travel. I traveled to cities with horrible traffic and complicated metro system such as Bogota City in Colombia, and Maps.me became my friend. I collected bookmarks of places and panicked when I suddenly lost them all. One night, I was feeling lost walking on some unknown street and had to remember hard the address of where I was staying. I guess that is important too.
Uber
Whatever they say, Uber for me is still the best ride-sharing app. You just need some data plan or wifi somewhere at least. Since I don't really spend money on a data plan because I'd rather buy food, I usually ask some friends I've met to book for me and rideshare. Or I just use the free public wifi, thank goodness there are still free things in this world! Most of the time I like to commute like a local around the city by taking the metro or bus, it is much cheaper. However, if I happen to come back late from somewhere, Uber helps me avoid the stress of rush hour madness in another country. It just makes me feel like I'm going home from work again. And in some countries, Uber is allowed, so I can still be picked up from the airport and avoid those expensive taxi fees.
Airbnb
If you can't afford hotels, there's Airbnb. Anywhere you travel, you can still minimize accommodation expenses by choosing Airbnb instead of hotels, it is still way cheaper. Airbnb is a hospitality service letting people lease or rent short-term lodging. It can be some extra room in their house or their holiday villa in Bali, it has become anywhere in the world now. You can have the luxury of a private space and experience the hospitality of locals at the same time.
Hostelworld
If you can't afford Airbnb, there's still the Hostelworld. Airbnb can still be quite expensive in some countries, so if you still want to travel and don't mind occasional bedbugs and late night noises from another bed, then the hostel is the way to go. Mind you, it can't be all that bad, I had stayed in really nice hostels for like $5, with comfortable bunk beds and complete facility - kitchen, lounge with TV or Playstation, swimming pool, pool or ping pong table, and bar. I'm not exaggerating, I stayed in these hostels for weeks just because of the facility, and also friends. I got this price in Colombia though, in South East Asia, expect to get what you paid for most of the time.
Couchsurfing
If you still can't afford Hostelworld, then there's Couchsurfing. What's good about this is it's free, and free is good. Don't get me wrong, it's more of a hospitality exchange. It's welcoming strangers to your home for free, so apparently, it is not for everyone. I just like anything that is not for everyone. Usually, the locals offer their extra rooms or couch for language or cultural exchange. So someday if they travel to your country, they would be hosted too. You usually cook for your hosts, share good moments and sometimes even travel together. In the end, you win a friend. Since I can barely afford anything, Couchsurfing has been a topic of my travel stories. I've been a member of this community since 2009 and it totally changed the way I travel. Actually, it made it possible for me to travel and have friends from all over the world. Sure I have some few nightmare stories just like in other aspects of my life, but anyway, I can attribute my 4 years of traveling to Couchsurfing. Thanks to this community, anyone can travel now.
If you want to read something later, you can save anything from a browser and other apps into your pocket. It will sync across your phone, tablet, and computer. It is useful to me because whenever I'm researching something about a place or a travel destination, I can just easily save it so I can come back and view it offline. It saves me some money by knowing about the places, bars, restaurants, and other budget information. I just need to collect it when I have a wifi connection. Tell me about those waiting time in the bus terminal, I can read some articles using the Pocket app. Because I don't have a kindle that might get stolen from me too. Just FYI, not all countries are safe, I'd rather lose one gadget than lose them all. It already happened to me many times. And also, I don't want to lose more files, so I'll save it all in the cloud.
"occasional bedbugs".....lol
I woke up this mornin' and looked up at the wall; the coodies and the bedbugs were playin' a game of ball.............
Haha, I just guess they are taking over.
Maybe do a blog on any critter/animal anecdotes you may have from your travels....
Dogs always adopted me on the hiway...Little bloody hobos:D
A Bolivian Dog Who Protected Me Through the Night: A Dog's Story
In case you missed. Oh yeah I have more to come! 😊
Very helpful post for those who love to travel, and we totally love to do so! :)
You've been followed and upvoted.
Lots of love, @ExtremeRomance
Thanks!
hostelworld has very affordable places!!
I have never used couchsurfing. I always wonder if the vibe is different from airbnb.
Hope your travels are decent ;)
I can't promise.
Airbnb is my favorite. I also like the Trip Advisor app, especially when I'm looking for nearby restaurants
I also like TripAdvisor, especially when I'm looking for a job haha.
Hahaha
I use all of the above, except Pocket! I also find Google Translate app with offline languages indispensable.
Google translate is really helpful!
I've heard about Maps.me, however I always wondered why not use the Offline Google Maps?
Also, you can install languages in Google Translate, which enables you to use it offline aswell!
While booking my flights, the agency exported my trip with TripCase. I haven't used it so far, nor do I know if its amazing. Do you have any experience with this?
I haven't tried but I will check. Maybe because I got used to Maps.me now.
I don't have any experiences with Tripcase, but thanks I will check it out too!
Sure, let me know :D
Very nice post. Useful information for us.. thanks
I know couch surfing; not aware of hostel world. I have used Global freeloaders twice in the UK.
Now cannot use any of them because I have changed! It goes against my principle of living in someone else's house.
It should be easy for a girl, yet there are safety concerns. ;)
P.S. There's Woofers too, where you do menial jobs for the landlord in exchange for a free stay. I have plans to start such a site or one to help travelers. Touch wood.
There are always safety concerns everywhere.
Reveal spoiler
It goes against my principle of living in someone else's house.
And maybe it goes against their principle of you living in their house too.
"And maybe it goes against their principle of you living in their house too."
That's true, but I won't prefer now even if someone invites. Then hosts accept a couch surfing request in the first place.
About safety concerns: most fears are baseless because the motive is to entertain guests from another culture.
And it would also be more convenient not to look if nobody invites you. Couchsurfing is more about them welcoming you, not about if you like them. It hurts our egos, but it is convenient to forget it.
Cheap opinions won't give us a place to stay, money will. :)
Good point!
We have our varied life experiences. Ego never helps, and it's best to swallow it.
I would prefer to travel with loads of money. However, living in an expensive hotel would rob one of the adventures with the locals.
I think it's best to have the security of money, yet live in cheap places to have a stupendous travel experience.
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I've become a pretty big fan of Air BnB. I've used it on 2 trips, and it saved money on a hotel room.
Yeah, Airbnb is a cool invention.