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Traveling these days can be SUPER expensive, but it doesn’t HAVE to be if you do it right.
I’m a big traveler and while I enjoy a nice splurge here and there, I prefer to use less money on more trips rather than more money on fewer trips. These are some of the apps I use that save me TONS of money! Even if you’re a brand loyalist, you can still get some great deals with these apps below.
This post is all about apps for budget travel.
5 FREE BUDGET TRAVEL SITES
Expedia (OneKey Points, Pay Later)
This is my #1 MOST USED travel app since I started traveling with someone else. You can use the website or the app, it doesn’t matter. I use the app because when I’m on the go and I don’t have my laptop, it’s super easy to use.
The reason I really like this app is because of all the hotel deals, you can find here. Depending on the location, they also will show you VRBO deals, which might be cheaper than a hotel. As you’ll see at a later point, I’m not really a hotel person, but when I have to this is my GO-TO place. If I know I’m traveling somewhere in the future, I like to make groups with hotels that I like in the city I’m thinking about visiting.
A super nice feature about Expedia is that you can use One Key points. Additionally, you can do a Reserve Now, Pay Later option, which allows you to pay at the hotel when available. You can’t use the One Key points/money that you earn from booking a Pay Now booking when you use Reserve Now, Pay Later, but you can always cancel and pay then to use it!
Skyscanner
Now on to my number 2 most used budget travel app. I’ve been using Skyscanner for YEARS since I heard one of my old favorite YouTube channels talk about it. I like to browse there even if I’m not planning on going anywhere.
You have options to search any month anytime and anywhere in the world. This is so nice if you’re not sure where you want to go or if you just want to find the cheapest destination. You can also filter airlines that you don’t want to fly.
One thing I’ve noticed recently, however, is that it does not show up in economy class even if you choose economy class. If the airline has Basic Economy, that is the price that it will show. I’m not sure if I’m the only one who has seen this, but the economy price is usually higher once you click on the link to go to the airline/travel agency website. If you like to/don’t mind flying basic economy (me, generally), this will be no problem but if you want to fly regularly economy, you might just have to put up a little bit more money than is shown on screen. Hopefully, they’ll fix this soon!
You can also sign up for travel alerts on this website for certain flights you’re looking at. Southwest is not on Skyscanner or any of these sites.
Hopper
I like to use this website when I know a location that I want to go to, but I want to see what the best time of year is to go/if the time I’m planning is decent, and when the prices will be the lowest. I love the feature of saving a flight and getting an alert when the price goes down or up.
The best feature in my opinion, though, is that you can see if it’s a good time to book or if they think flight prices will go down (price prediction). They also have a colored date grid to tell you high, mid, and low prices for your flights! It’s a great app, check it out!
HostelWorld
I’m a hostel girl through and through when I can. In the US it’s harder (or impossible in some locations), but there’s some really nice ones in some cities like LA, Chicago, and NYC. There’s even some in Alaska!
Now, people tend to have misconceptions or a lesser knowledge of hostels. You can book solo rooms and you can book rooms from 2 people up to 24 (or more potentially) sometimes! However, every hostel is different.
Some hostels have a full kitchen, some have less included in their kitchen, and some have none at all. Some have bunk beds and some have flat beds or a combination (like the Suites DF Hostel in Mexico City). Some of them even have bars!
Most of the hostels I’ve stayed at have had some form of breakfast included. The three I stayed at in NYC did not, which isn’t surprising at all. But I love my NY bagels anyway…
Hostels also have lockers or storage for your things, activities through the hostel, information on city activities, and an international community. I love making friends at hostels, and it might seem scary at first, but it’s become one of my favorite things and has created some of my favorite travel memories.
OH! Be sure to look at HostelWorld, but book on the hostel’s website if they have perks or deals. HostelWorld does have a chat feature with other guests (that can be hit or miss) which is the only reason I’d book on there if the hostel’s website didn’t have any deals.
Google Flights
While it’s browser-based and not an app, Google Flights is actually where I found my flight to Europe on PLAY Airlines for 2 people at $750 TOTAL. Many people swear by this site, and for good reason. The interface is fairly easy to use and it’s nice to be able to see the full globe of possible locations with prices.
While I use Hopper when I pretty much know where and around when I want to go, and I use Skyscanner when I’m not sure where in the world I want to go, I usually use Google Flights when I know a specific region I want to go to and want to see what location is best to fly into. It’s also nice because they have an option for flights within the next 6 months for a weekend trip, a 1-week trip, or a 2-week trip.
All of these apps can help you in different ways which is why I have them all! These have all my flights and lodging covered, but I think the next app I’m going to try is one to keep track of all my points that I can use to get free travel called Travel Freely: Points & Miles!
This post has been all about amazing apps for budget travel. Whether solo traveling, traveling with a group, or just another person, these apps will definitely help keep your expenses low!
