Tourism has changed a lot in recent years, specifically for city trips and short breaks, with the main driver for this being technology – thanks to handy devices, such as the smartphone, all necessary info about any destination is now available at the swipe of a finger through travel and tourism apps. Before these travel apps, it wasn’t easy to plan a city trip with family, friends or even to travel solo. Once upon a time, people had to rely on travel agents to make sure their trips went smoothly. Travel agents usually ensure you get to your required destination, book the accommodation and can also advise on additional services, however, not only do these travel agents charge a lot of money, they tend not to share previous negative experiences of the destinations and accommodation with the traveler, as this in turn affects them financially, via commissions and fees.
So, to counter this, companies and entrepreneurs have come up with a brilliant idea to cut out the middleman and ensure that travelers can view and review accommodation, experiences, transport and eateries all before they even pack their bags, in fact it’s even possible to let an app help with that too!
Best online resources to book your city break…
Airbnb
Use Airbnb online or through the app to rent a home instead of staying in a hotel. After you type in your destination and travel dates, you can sort the results by the type of home, its price, whether it has the amenities you need, and more. If you find something you like, you can book it right from the app. Using Airbnb’s new “OMG” you can find city break rentals that are out of this world. Once you’ve made a reservation, you can look for and book other things to do in your destination, like wine tastings, theatre shows, and concerts.
Booking.com
Booking.com is a great hotel search site that might be just what you need if you’re looking for a place to stay in a foreign city after the first place you booked was delayed, canceled, or had some other problem. The Booking.com app gives you access to more than 29 million listings for places to stay, works in 43 languages, and has 200 support offices in 70 different countries.
Best apps to get organised…
TripIt
TripIt helps you get rid of clutter by keeping all of your plans and documents in one place. You can have your reservations automatically sent to TripIt, which lets you see travel confirmations, flight itineraries, theatre tickets, hotel booking information, rental car reservations, ferry tickets, and driving directions without ever leaving the app. TripIt also makes it easy to share your travel plans with the person who will pick you up at the airport or train station or with anyone else who may need to coordinate with you.
Packr
Passport? Wallet? Lucky travelling socks? We all know packing for a city break looks very simple on paper, but very seldom does it pan out that way: from negotiating baggage allowance, to remembering whether or not the hotel has a pool. Enter Packr, a cool little app that helps you get ready for a trip. It can automatically check the weather at your destination to give you custom packing tips or even get rid of things you don’t need.
Best apps to keep you safe on a city break..
TripWhistle
TripWhistle makes a map of where you are and makes it easy to text or email your GPS coordinates or location. It also has emergency phone numbers for firefighters, doctors, and police in almost 200 countries. After all, 999 is only for emergencies in the United Kingdom.
Uber
Yes, Uber (or any other local ride-hailing app) is convenient, but it may also keep you safe. If you use this app when you travel, you’ll never get lost in a strange area late at night or have to deal with shady taxi drivers trying to rip you off.
Best apps to ensure you don’t get lost in your city break…
Google Maps
When you go to a new city, you need Google Maps (or even for getting around your hometown). You can map places, get directions (for walking, driving, public transportation, ride-hailing services, and more), and see how crowded your tube will be in some cities. You can make reservations at restaurants, save your favourite places, and read and write reviews of things to do, places to eat, shops, and more. If you know you won’t have internet at your destination, download maps of the city or area ahead of time so you can use them without the internet. The app works best when your GPS is on, which makes sense.
Citymapper
Google Maps is a GPS miracle if you are in a rural area but for navigatio on a city break you might want to use Citymapper instead. It is a better, more detailed travel planner that will help you get from point A to point B like a local. It also figures out how much your chosen trip will cost and saves your route offline. Not only is it updated in real time, but it also shows all kinds of ways to get around (rental scooters, Uber, regular taxis, water taxis, trains, tubes, buses, and more), and cyclists will be shown the best routes. If you’re having trouble getting around town, this app won’t let you down.
Best online resources to find food on your city break…
TheFork
TheFork is one of the best ways to find and book a table at a restaurant in Europe. Like OpenTable or Resy, you can look at restaurants by category and make reservations. TheFork has information on more than 60,000 restaurants in places like London, Madrid, Geneva, and Sydney, Australia. The best part is that when you make a reservation at a restaurant, you often get a discount. When you book a table through TheFork, you can sometimes save up to 50% on your meal.
Happy Cow
Happy Cow helps vegans and vegetarians find more than 180,000 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, farmer’s markets, and grocery stores in more than 180 countries all over the world. On the app, you can look for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free food, among other things. You can also get recipes and read reviews on the app.