10+ Legit and Essential Travel Apps Best for Independent Travellers Worldwide
There are many benefits of travelling without relying on a traditional travel agency, and one of the best is the flexibility to explore destinations at your own pace and according to your preferences. However, travelling without a travel agency means you have to plan your itinerary, book flights, local tours, transportation, hotels, insurance, and sort out most things by yourself. While numerous travel apps and websites offer similar services, finding authentic travel websites and apps is crucial for your precious holidays.
Below, I’ve listed the travel apps and websites I personally use to book and organise my international trips, and I highly recommend them to you and every independent traveller.
List of Contents
Essential Travel Apps (sites)
Travel apps for booking local tours and tickets
Get Your Guide
GetYourGuide is an online marketplace that empowers travellers to effortlessly discover, compare, and book a wide range of activities, tours, and tickets to top attractions worldwide.
I appreciate it because it’s user-friendly, and both their travel app and website offer a wide range of options for travel destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and popular destinations in Asia. This makes it easy to check availability, book, and manage tours independently. Additionally, they provide quick and responsive customer service.
To assist users in making informed decisions and finding tours that best suit their preferences, GetYourGuide includes customer reviews for each activity. They also display the nationality of each reviewer, which I find helpful, as different nationalities often have varying expectations and standards.
Personally, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the quality tours I’ve booked through GetYourGuide and have found them to be reliable. I recommend trying out this German-based travel app (website) when you’re seeking tours at your travel destinations.
Sign up here for free and discover exciting tours around the world now!
Klook
Klook is also an online marketplace for finding tours at popular travel destinations worldwide.
The significant difference between Klook and Get Your Guide is that Klook is a Hong Kong-based company and has slightly more options for travel destinations in Asia than Get Your Guide, especially those less known Asian destinations (e.g., Taiwan) for non-asians.
I find it a great travel app (website) for finding tours and local transportation (such as private vans, scooters, ferry tickets, etc.) for travel destinations in Asia.
On their site, and app, you can also view customer reviews and the number of people booking each activity that helps making decisions.
Klook latest deals in 2023: up to 50% off, discover and book here.
(Limited time only: from 8-22nd September 2023, book now)
Sign up now for free and start to check tours for your holiday here.
Travel apps for booking local transportations
12 go
12Go is an online travel platform that specialises in providing transportation services in Asia (12 go.asia). Over time, it has expanded its routes to more countries worldwide (12 go.co).
The transportation options offered vary, include buses, trains, ferries, flights, and private cars, making it easier for independent travellers to arrange trips to remote islands, villages, beaches, mountains, vibrant cities, and more.
You can compare different transportation providers, schedules, and prices to find the most suitable options for your itineraries and budgets. The platform also provides customer reviews and ratings to help you assess the services.
Check out the various transportations options easily for your travel destinations here.
Travel apps for booking hotels
Booking. com
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Booking.com is one of the world’s leading online travel booking platforms, offering a wide range of travel booking services worldwide, including hotels, car rentals, flights, and tours.
I’ve been using Booking.com for hotel bookings for about 10 years now. It is a highly convenient travel app (website) for finding various types of accommodations, such as hotels, villas, guesthouses, resorts, and camping sites, hostels, as well as hotel apartments.
The platform provides clear customer reviews, ratings, hotel locations, and photos of hotels and rooms. It also includes information on distances to nearby attractions, making it easier to choose accommodations based on your preferred areas.
As part of their loyalty program, they offer significant discounts and special benefits to frequent users.
Booking.com 2023 Limited Time Offer: Discover the Late Escape Deal around the world NOW and save at least 15% on stays.
Minimum 15% saving available on new accommodation bookings at participating properties indicated by the “Late Escape Deal” badge on the search results and room selection pages. Bookings must be made before 11:59 pm CET on 03/01/24 for stays with check-in from 01/10/23 and check-out on or before 03/01/24. Discount
applies to the cost of room only (excluding any additional fees or taxes). If you make any changes to your booking you may lose your discount and be liable for the full amount. Discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion except Genius discounts. Room rates labelled “Partner Offer” are excluded from this promotion. This offer is provided by the participating property and subject to availability.
Unlock the great hotel deals and discounts on Booking.com here.
Agoda
Headquartered in Singapore, this travel app (website) is widely recognised for hotel bookings, particularly among Asians (although more westerners are also becoming familiar with it now). And it shares the same parent company, Booking Holdings, as Booking.com.
I’ve also been using this platform for about 10 years. It sometimes offers lower prices than Booking.com for the same hotels and room types. However, you’ll need to click the ‘reserve’ button to see the final price after taxes, and it may present different package options than Booking.com.
In some destinations, particularly in Asia, Agoda has a broader range of options compared to Booking.com. However, in some global destinations, especially in Europe, Booking.com offers a wider selection.
Typically, when I have the time, I compare both sites for prices and hotel options. You can do the same if you have the time available. Both Booking.com and Agoda platforms provide loyalty programs, and offer different discounts.
Check and find hotel deals at Agoda now.
Hostelworld
Based in Ireland, this is the ideal travel app (or website) for solo travellers or those on a budget who are looking for accommodations. It’s especially useful when you prefer not to stay alone and want to meet fellow travellers or simply save money for more activities.
Many hostels on this platform offer both dormitory (budget-friendly) and private room options, allowing you to choose based on your preferences while providing opportunities to meet other solo travellers from around the world at the common areas.
With customer reviews, ratings, photos, descriptions of facilities, and room details, you can get a clear idea of what to expect from the hostels and make informed decisions.
Tips: some of the hostels shown on Hostelworld are also available on Booking.com or Agoda, so if you are already members of Booking.com or Agoda, you can search the name of the hostels you found on Hostelworld on those 2 platforms. If the hostels you like aren’t found anywhere else, then booking at Hostelworld is very easy too!
Check hostels around the world here
Travel apps for booking flights
Kiwi.com
Based in the Czech Republic, Kiwi.com is a digital platform for travellers seeking more flight options at a lower cost. Their special virtual interlining algorithm helps users find unique ticket combinations that are not typically found on platforms like Google Flights or Skyscanner, often resulting in cheaper deals. Additionally, Kiwi.com provides some travel hacks that other flight booking sites do not offer.
The platform offers a multi-city search, and displays flight prices for the entire month and also shows the price for different cities on the map. Additionally, it features a unique ‘nomad’ search function that helps users find the cheapest routes for multiple destinations on their itinerary.
Find the hidden flights combinations and potentially cheaper flights on this unique platform now!
Google Flights
Google Flights is a travel booking site developed by Google that allows users to easily search and book flights. It provides various airline options, prices, and routes from different suppliers.
It offers similar functions to Skyscanner, such as ‘multi-city search,’ ‘explore everywhere,’ and ‘price tracking.’ One additional feature that I particularly like about Google Flights is the integrated maps on the site. These maps enable users to view flight prices for different cities, providing travellers with a quick overview and helping them discover potential destinations for their next trip.
Check the flights for your next adventures here
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a popular online travel booking platform that makes it easy for travellers to compare flight prices, airlines, and routes offered by various online travel agencies and airlines, allowing them to find great deals. Additionally, it offers booking options for hotels and car rentals. I’ve been using it since 2012, primarily for checking and booking flights, and I find it very useful and user-friendly.
One great feature is the ability to select ‘multi-city‘ when searching for flights. This makes it easier to explore options and costs for flying to multiple cities or airports in a single trip. In some cases, using the multi-city search can lead to cost savings compared to booking one-way tickets.
Skyscanner also offers an ‘explore everywhere‘ option for travellers who don’t have specific destinations in mind. It allows you to check the current cheapest travel destinations to visit. Additionally, on the departure and return sections, you can choose ‘the whole month’ to see the cheapest prices for different dates if your travel dates are flexible.
The platform also allows you to set price alerts. Skyscanner will send you notifications when the prices for specific flights change, enabling you to monitor ticket prices before making a booking.
Check various flights options here.
Travel apps for finance
XE Currency
This is a currency converter and money transfer tool that offers real-time currency conversion information for over 170 global currencies. I personally use it primarily for currency conversion and find it to be a very useful tool for international travel.
Additionally, you can check currency history and set rate alerts.
The best part is that you can use it directly on the website without the need for signing up or creating an account.
Convert the currency for free here
Splitwise
If you’re travelling with a group of friends and need an easy way to manage shared expenses during the trip, Splitwise is an incredibly useful and user-friendly tool for this purpose.
It supports various currencies, which is especially valuable for international trips or when splitting expenses with people from diverse nationalities.
Each person only needs to track their own expenses, and at the end of the trip, with just one click, this app will calculate and settle the entire group’s expenses. I personally use it for travel and also for managing house bills. I find it to be a magical tool and highly recommend it.
Check this handy tool out for free and organise your group travel expenses.
All of the travel apps and websites mentioned above are ones I personally use and find useful. I hope these recommendations assist you in planning your trips more smoothly, flexibly, and with the confidence to organise your journeys independently. I hope you have a great adventure and holiday!
Disclosure: Kindly note that some links provided above are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products or services that I trust and have experience with. When you use these affiliate links for your purchases, you’re helping to sustain this blog and enable me to continually provide you valuable content and insights about travel, wellness, and self-growth. Your support means a lot to me and is greatly appreciated.
