I swear by the Hopper app. Finding that app made all of my dreams of frequent travel come true. I am so sad that it took me so long to find it.
This wonderful app allows you to find deeply discounted prices on flights to anywhere. I recently purchased two round trip tickets from New York to Spain for $854.00!! And, it is simple to use. All you have to do is plug in your destination and dates of travel.
Once you provide the dates and destination, Hopper will do a search and give you an array of affordable flight options. Hopper also tells you if there is a strong possibility that the rates will significantly increase or decrease so that you can decide if you want to book the flight immediately or watch for better rates. If you choose to watch for better rates you simply select watch flights. You will begin receiving notifications when better deals become available or when there is about to be a dramatic increase in price.
If you are thinking about taking a trip that requires you to fly you must give the Hopper app a try.
As a corporate executive who traveled quite a bit, my ex-husband was a die hard Marriott fan. The Marriott rewards points he accumulated through work travel allowed us to stay at some wonderful Marriott sites when we traveled as a family. This made me a loyal Marriott customer who relied on my Marriott rewards to make travel more affordable.
So…suffice it to say, I was not so open to the idea of Airbnb when my two oldest daughters suggested I give it a try. All I can say is we sometimes need to take advice from our children. They have a wealth of knowledge that is often overlooked. Airbnb in a nutshell is DA BOMB! Not only can you find some super nice accommodations on Airbnb, they are also affordable.
The Airbnb app is similar to the Hopper app. All you have to do is plug in your desired destination and dates of travel. Airbnb will then provide you with a large selection of affordable places to stay. You simply scroll through and find the place that is best for you.
If you are traveling with others, Airbnb allows you to create a list that you can share with others so that everyone can participate in the selection process.
And, if you are looking for experiences and adventures while at your desired destination, Airbnb gives you some cool options that you can book directly from the Airbnb app. It seems Instagram walking tours are a big thing these days! I’m not quite there yet :-).
Here are some pics of my Airbnb during my trip to Phoenix
Uber is another app that I did not embrace as quickly as my children. The thought of getting in some strangers personal vehicle as they acted like a taxi driver just freaked me out! Of course my kids gave me hell and told me I was acting like an old lady. I didn’t care. I kept paying those high cab fees until I went to New York on a trip with Gabby one weekend. I almost passed out as I watched the meter steadily climbing while we sat still in traffic! Strange people driving me around in their personal vehicles are alright with me now :-).
Uber is super convenient and affordable.
When you are ready to go somewhere all you have to do is open the app, plug in the address to your destination, and watch Uber locate a driver for you. Before you get in the strange person’s vehicle you will know how much the trip will cost you. Uber also tells you how long it is going to take for your driver to arrive so that you do not have to stand on the sidewalk waiting and waiting for your ride to arrive.
When you set up your account you will connect the credit/debit card that you wish to use for payment. Once you reach your destination your card will be charged automatically. No more sitting on the curb trying to make change or waiting for your credit card to go through.
For those of you that are still concerned about safety, Uber also tells you the make and model of the vehicle picking you up, the tag number, and the driver’s name. That feature really helped to put my mind at ease. Although to be quite honest when I realized the amount of money I would save using Uber I was willing to give it a shot regardless.
Of course, if you are in a city with public transportation I recommend you go that route. Not only will you save money, you will have a chance to be amongst the people in the city you are visiting.
As a recovering extreme planner, Google truly helped me to have a clear plan of action when embarking on a new adventure. Unfortunately this mindset made me closed to other things that I probably would have truly enjoyed. Now I use Google to increase my knowledge base before I head out to visit a new place. Once I arrive at my destination, I use Google to find restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. near me. I have been able to find some really cool spots this way and can’t remember what my travel life was like before Google.
Google Maps is my navigation go to! Not only do I use it to get around in my vehicle, I love to use it when I am walking in a new neighborhood. If you’ve never tried it, simply plug in the address, select walk, and enter. Google Maps will tell you the distance, how long it will take you to walk to the destination, and how to get there.
Okay, now that I have shared some of my favorite travel apps with you all, I need you to reciprocate! What are your favorite travel apps? Why? What else do you recommend I use while traveling?
Can’t wait to hear from you all!
Much love,
Tonza
Glad u enjoyed your trip and I will one day be able to travel and take trips as well. I had to agree on the Uber when I go to Greensboro my girlfriend be trying to get me to ride in them but I haven’t gotten up the nerves yet but I will try it. Glad your trip with family was fun and safe as well a new experience.
Let me know when you give Uber a try!!🙂 Thanks for reading!
The good thing about these apps is you don’t need to talk or deal with humans…… The bad thing about the apps are…. You don’t deal with humans……. I am in the Real Estate industry in which I can help someone SELL or BUY a home WITHOUT meeting them…… Call me Old Fashion, BUT I still like the human touch even though I have CLOSED deals with out meeting folks…… Change….. it’s GOOD until it’s NOT….. Imma send this to my travel agent….. LOLOL
You are absolutely right about human interaction, or a lack thereof. Sometimes I truly miss the face to face interactions back in the day when I was much younger😂. Other days I am perfectly fine not connecting with other humans.🤣 I guess it is all about balance!