While I was saving up for my overseas trip over the last year and a half, I had plenty of time to spend researching everything from destinations to food, trains to hostels. This led me to curate a great collection of apps on my phone that helped me to save money and book my trip more efficiently. From booking accommodation, finding guided tours and staying fit, here are some of my favourite apps to use that are helping me to save money while travelling in Europe this year.

HostelWorld

If you’re taking a more budget-minded approach to plan your trip, then this app is irreplaceable. With nearly every hostel in the world loaded on the app, you can book a bed for the night in seconds. From 4-bed female dorms to private rooms, you do have a lot of flexibility with where you’re staying – think of this as AirBnB for hostels!

Skyscanner

Admittedly I’ve probably spent to much time looking at flights on here that are completely unrelated to my upcoming trip, but the filter tools when looking for the best-priced flights are fantastic. It’s also good to use this app for price alerts on flights if you’re booking in advance and waiting for good deals to pop up.

GetYourGuide

This fantastic app allows you to book experiences across the globe, anything from an underground vaults tour in Edinburgh to a city canal cruise in Amsterdam. It’s also a great app to get free inspiration on popular sites and activities in each destination you travel through and compare prices (sometimes skipping a queue on a hot day can be priceless)!

ClassPass

A ClassPass membership provides you with access to any fitness class offered through their 30,000 partner studios – you’re no longer stuck with just one stuffy old studio anymore. With a free trial and plenty of classes available in more the 2,500 cities around the world, there’s no excuse for getting unfit on the road.

Rome2Rio

Once you’ve made it to your first location, it can often be quite a hassle to work out your different travel options to the next destination. Rome2Rio solves that problem by proving you with the key details (time, cost, length & transport type) of each travel option between two points. It’s also a great tool to map out your entire trip, so you know how much time you’ll be travelling for and how much to budget for transport costs.

Australia Post Postcards

Send postcards to your friends and loved ones back home, with postcards locally printed and posted from Australia (so your postcard makes it home before you do). Although this app needs serious work on its user interface, the ability to create postcards on your phone is worth putting up with the app for. It costs $1.99 to send postcards anywhere in Australia or $2.99 postage to anywhere outside Australia, saving you money on purchasing postcards and stamps as you travel.

Airbnb

This one is now probably a given, but if you’d like a more private space to unwind after a long day of museums, gelato and cobblestones, Airbnb provides a great solution. It’s also a good chance to interact with locals and experience the way they live, in comparison to a sterile hotel room. Also, if you’re planning to stay in one spot for a longer period o time (2+ weeks), Airbnb offers great long-stay discounts and can actually be cheaper than hostels at times.

Worldpackers

If you’re planning to be overseas for a while and are looking for unique experiences that are friendly on the budget, Worldpackers is a great way to exchange something you have a lot of (time) for something you don’t (accommodation & food). From helping at a youth hostel in Portugal, teaching English to children in Pakistan or farming in Malaysia, there are countless experiences to explore.

I hope some of the apps help you on your next adventure and if you’ve got any tips please send them my way via howtomoneyaus@gmail.com.

Happy Travels!

Kate – HTM Editor & Host

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