Digital world – Have app, will travel

Travelling is not only exciting but can also be stressful especially if you are on are on a tight budget. I organise all my travel from apps on my phone – like the saying goes: “Let your fingers do the walking”.

Here are some of my favourites:

• Skyscanner Looking for the best price on Flights. Skyscanner can show you price comparisons for all flights. The reason I love this app is you can load up your destination and dates and then sit back and wait. Each day you will get notifications when prices have dropped. All prices are in New Zealand dollars. There are also options for accommodation and car rentals
• Air B n B I love Air B n B – whether you want to stay at an apartment, or even a castle, or maybe go glamping, you can find everything your heart desires at Air B n B. At first I was a bit sceptical, as I am totally a hotel girl. A friend swears by this app so we booked an apartment in San Diego last year and at the price we paid I was blown away –downtown San Diego, five star with a spa and a pool overlooking the sea. I can tell you, I’m converted. With Air B n B you have different options from booking apartments to just booking bedrooms. There is nothing better than having an apartment to yourself where you can cook your own meals at half the price of a hotel room. Weekend holidays within New Zealand are definitely an option too
• Uber In the big city and need a ride? Download the Uber App. Uber is as easy as setting your location on the app then a driver is dispatched. No cash is exchanged – payment is taken automatically from the passenger’s debit card – and no tip is required. The app is intuitive and shows your driver driving to you on the Uber map. You can see how many Uber drivers are in the area and I found this service very affordable
• Google Now is an intelligent personal assistant. It collates all the information that you need during the day. I found this very helpful with my flights. It is intuitive enough that it sends you an update on traffic and suggests what time you should leave for the airport. Everything from your hotel bookings, the weather at your destination, nearby attractions, restaurant reservations, traffic updates. Google Now syncs with your search topics as well as bringing in important information from your Gmail account. This app makes travelling a breeze
• Facebook messenger This app helps you keep in touch with family while you’re away. There are many messaging apps you can use for this, but I have found Facebook messenger to be the best because everyone has Facebook and most check it every day. I love that you can message and call within the app. This is a godsend when you have children travelling because you can also see when they are online! One of my favourite uses for the app is recording audio to send messages. Time to start planning my next trip.