All important Apps that one needs to have to plan a trip in India. Flights, trains, buses, hostels, hotels, taxi, photo editing. You name it and we have listed it to help you save time and effort.
Travelling may seem all fun and games but if you’ve ever planned a trip yourself – you’d agree that the struggle is real! However, thanks to the generation we live in, advancement in technology and digitisation, the way we plan our trips has changed forever.
There are tonnes of apps to help us and you can literally plan your entire trip at your fingertips.
However, one can get overwhelmed with the number of apps to work with; which is why we’re here for you. Read on to find out how you can plan your trip like a pro!
Only the most important part of your trip; getting to your destination! Finding the best deal is not an easy task considering the plethora of options available today; but fear not – we will simplify things for you!
TRAVEL & STAY:
1. IRCTC Connect
Trains in India are economical and almost every place in this country is connected by Indian Railways. All you need to do is create an account and then booking tickets, cancellation, refund and everything else is just a cake walk. Even instant bookings in Tatkal (one day in advance) are easy to do.
HOWEVER! – Do plan your travel well as just like you, others would be booking tickets and you don’t want a dicey situation of no tickets after planning everything else
https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search
2. Make My Trip , Yatra & Goibibo
An all in one app to take care of all your travel needs, what could be better? These apps are not restricted to booking your accommodation only but they have Hotels/Hostels, Flights, and Holiday packages, Bus, Trains, Cabs, Villas, even Visa!
HOWEVER! – Compare the prices on all 3 sites to get the best deals of the lot!
Download these apps or these website links might be helpful https://www.makemytrip.com/ , https://www.yatra.com/ , https://www.goibibo.com/
3. Trivago
“Hotels? Trivago!” – the brand has successfully drilled this tagline into our minds and Trivago has become synonymous to hotel bookings. Being a marketplace for hotel booking websites, it compares the prices of the same hotel room on different websites and you can choose the site that offers the cheapest rates. The booking process is quite hassle-free.
It is a useful app to have if you are a frequent traveller or when in need simply visit https://www.trivago.in/
4. Airbnb
Many youngsters are opting for Airbnb’s over hotels these days. The reason being the family feeling it gives you. Airbnb lets you choose the type of stay from different options, whether you want to share a private room; need a complete apartment or a huge villa. You get to live with warm and welcoming hosts, indulge in their culture and get a taste of their cuisine too maybe! It is a much better and homily option as compared to a hotel and truly gives you an insight into the culture of the place you’re travelling to.
HOWEVER! – As this is someone’s home, you will have to take care of the property as if it your own and keep in mind that you may not have housekeeping facilities everyday
5. Ixigo
Another one stop application for everything you need for booking a trip. It is very convenient and user friendly for any railway or flight details. Hotels and bus bookings can also be done.
6. Booking.com
Put in the destination, dates and number of travellers, it lists down all the places; from backpacker hostels to luxurious resorts. Use the sort option according to your preference.
The best part is you can reserve your stay without paying anything in advance or cancel your stay 24 hours from the booked date for free.
This one is surely a must have. Go ahead and download, you would not regret. https://www.booking.com/
7. Hostelworld
This application is most helpful especially for backpackers as it lists down all the hostels anywhere in the WORLD. Depending on the policy of the hostel, certain amount of deposit must be paid, but has free cancellation until two days before the booking with the refund.
8. Redbus
Bus service to almost all touristy places, anywhere in India is available to book via Redbus. You get to choose your pick-up & drop-off location and even book your preferred seats. Depending on the type of bus service it allows you to cancel or change the date of journey as well. Buses are preferable than cabs and it is cheaper and safer while traveling overnight or to remote places.
A great option in India to travel by road.You can download their app or simply visit their website for bookings https://www.redbus.in/
9. Skyscanner
When it comes to flight booking another website that not many known of is Skyscanner. A cool feature of this website is that you can add a particular flight as a favourite and keep a track of the fluctuating price until it drops to cheapest. If you’re not sure about your destination you can select “everywhere” in the destination column and choose the cheapest flight to any destination. So not only does it help you find the best deal but also helps you discover new places to visit!
ITENARIES:
While some are gifting with efficient planning skills; there are others who struggle with keeping tabs on each and everything while travelling. Here are some apps that will help you do just that.
1. Google trips
You would agree that Google has made life easier. Google trips automatically you’re your reservation details from your Gmail and saves it together under the name of the destination. You can bookmark all the places you want to visit, mark few as favourites and these will reflect in your maps searches as well. It makes things a lot more easy to manage for sure.
2. Visitin
Exploring has never been easier. Gone are the days when one would just walk off and discover places on the way. Now with limited time schedules it is important to priorities what you want to see and also make the most of your trip! With Visitin all you have to do is enter the destination, enter the name of your hotel/hostel, tap search and you’ll get all the best things to see within 40- 80 kilometers from where you stay. You can also view it in map view so that it’s easier to know which ones are in which direction; saving you the hassle of getting lost.
3. Tripoto, Tripadvisor, Triposo
These three applications acts more like a guide so that you get an idea of the destination. You may come across an offbeat place, or someone must have posted about a hidden island or a cheaper alternative to travel. You can write your experience in Tripoto and earn some credits or participate in their contests to win a trip/prize. Tripadvisor has a forum where you can type in any travel related questions and someone from the community might help you with a correct response. When it comes to Triposo, it offers wide array of information of any place you wish to visit. About sightseeing or cities, all the tours and activities you can do in that place, every information is readily available in one click.
Basically, the 3 apps really help smoothen the process of making your trip planning easier!
EDITING:
Clicking pictures while traveling is equally important, but sometimes the clicks are not as per your expectations, worry not. They just need a little editing to look exactly how you wished them to be.
1. Snapseed
It might seem average in the beginning, but once you learn to use the tools to enhance the image and create a better version of it, you will never switch to another app for editing. There are many tutorials on how to use this app that may help you to learn as well.
2. Picsart
Few features that are lacking in Snapseed are available in Picsart like square-fit, cloning or editing videos. You can use both Snapseed and Picsart to create the perfect image.
3. Unfold
Ever wondered how bloggers post beautiful stories on their Instagram account? You can create them too using Unfold, it helps you edit a picture to make it Instagram story perfect. You can choose from wide options of templates and fonts to add two pictures together in one making it look amazing!
MAPS:
1. Google maps
Needless to say, google maps is the go-to app for directions even for local purpose. You can add stops and enter all the sightseeing spots to create a live map for yourself. You can see images uploaded by others of any place you are searching for, making it easier for travellers to get an idea beforehand.
2. Maps.me
Surprisingly Maps.me shows trails for many treks from base to summit which is very helpful for hikers. You will have to download the map of the state on your phone every time you visit a new state so it is available offline which makes it easier when internet connections aren’t strong.
TAXIS:
For all local travels Uber & Ola are available in all major cities. If you don’t have them already then download now.
EXPENSES:
1. TravelSpend
Most difficult part while travelling is to manage expense and to follow the targeted budget. And, jotting them down on notepads can be cumbersome. TravelSpend helps you stick to your budget by admonishing the limits per day you are allowed to spend. You have to set the total budget for the trip and the app splits it into the amount allowed per day from the number of days you’re spending there. Later on you must keep adding the expense as and when it occurs.
Download it from appstore or Google play https://www.travel-spend.com/
Go on, now you’re ready to take on that trip you have been planning to take for months! Life is too short to wait- start planning and head off to that dream destination!
Read Also – Top Travel Tips for India
