12 Trip Planner Apps To Save You Time Planning Your Next Trip

Today, travel is not as stressful as it used to be. There are several apps and websites that you can use to travel well, stay safe and have a stress-free convenient trip. And above all, have amazing luxurious experiences with half the money that you would pay back home.

Travel is not costly anymore, if you plan it accordingly. And I am not talking about travelling saving every penny, eating cheap and staying in shady hotels etc. None of that. Make use of the power of your currency and stay in decent, luxurious places in Asia or in south America or anywhere else where a good stay is possible making use of the currency exchange rate and lower cost of livings.

Here are some websites and apps that you can use to travel well planning your next holidays efficiently. Not only to save money, also to have a stress-free experience.

I am writing this with a view to help short term travellers and long-term travellers who travel as a lifestyle or those who want to start a lifestyle like that.

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2019-01-07T14:18:34+00:00January 7, 2019|Travel Tips|0 Comments

Search engines and tools to find cheap accommodation

These are some apps and websites that I frequently use to find cheap accommodation when travelling. As a general rule of thumb, know what you want (hotel, private room, dorm etc) and where you want to stay (centre or outside the city) to get the most out of these tools.

If you want the best prices, search on all of these tools. I usually set a budget and get the highest that money can buy. For example, it is better to go for a highest double room in a 3- or 2-star hotel rather than going for a single room in a 4-star hotel.

Because I am generally an introverted person and have to push myself to be sociable, rather than being miserable by myself, I usually go for double rooms in hostels. You get good quality double rooms with the social atmosphere of the hostel. This is especially good for small groups and solo travellers who likes the privacy. This is usually the case, but if you are in a city like London where the prices are very high, even these double rooms can be overpriced for what it actually offers. So […]

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2019-01-02T22:28:26+00:00December 27, 2018|Travel Tips|0 Comments

How to Meet People When Traveling – Apps, Tips, Anxiety

When you travel, this question must have crossed your mind. You travel to meet new people, for new experiences and so on. You left because you were not having enough sex or you want some anonymity in doing so – so you travel. You travel because you want to “find yourself”. You travel because you are lonely.

You are just “making friends” when actually you are looking for some romantic interaction. Someone who likes the things you like, which is to travel. To have a girlfriend or a boyfriend who you can travel with. With whom you can take pictures with and post on Instagram – so you feel that you are having an awesome life. All this.

Nowadays, with technology you can create relationships however superficial or meaningful. But meeting is the first step. There are several apps that you can use to meet people.

Use couchsurfing app to meet locals and travellers. You can use the hangouts section, enter what you want to do and wait for responses. Or you can request to join other hangouts that is happening. […]

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2019-02-24T14:15:10+00:00December 21, 2018|Lifestyle, Recommendations, Relationships, Travel Tips|0 Comments

Benefits of Long Term Travel

There are many benefits for long term travel. Here are some.

It can be cheaper to travel long term. Many places are cheaper than staying in a place like London or Europe, especially if you are travelling to eastern Europe, Asia or South America. I stayed in Lviv, Ukraine for 3 months, eating out all three meals, engaging in local activities, spending time in cafes and bars – about $800 dollars a month. That is a lot less when compared to living in London, where I am usually based. I usually spend around £4000 a month when in London.

You will get to meet a lot of new people. Not that this is very meaningful to me, but you will improve on your social skills, and you will become more tolerant of people’s bad behaviour, appreciate small little gestures of kindness from others etc. You will be more relaxed with people. While it won’t cure of any social anxiety you have, you will be more relaxed with it and realise that most of the people you meet are in the same boat.

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-12-24T21:18:41+00:00December 11, 2018|Lifestyle, Travel Tips|0 Comments

How to book cheap flights – The Most Effective Ways

Here are some tips on how to book cheap flights.

I know how much you want to get the best deals out there when it comes to planning your holiday. I understand. And you can bag some good deals if you have some basic knowledge on how to find them.

Use popular search engines

There are many popular search engines out there. The ones that I use are kiwi.com, momondo.com, skyscanner.com and kayak.com

And that is the order that I always search in. First Kiwi, then Momondo and then Skyscanner and lastly Kayak.

I also use some specialist websites that are built for a specific purpose – for example to design my stop overs I use airwander.com.

Kiwi’s website and app are good for finding the cheapest flights. I can easily look for several flight combinations that will give me the cheapest prices. That is what I like the most about kiwi.

The search engine does this by checking with different airline companies and joining them, instead of sticking with just one airline. Or flying you into a major hub in a region and then taking a domestic connection from there.

Because the legs of the trip can […]

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-11-03T17:06:52+00:00November 3, 2018|Travel Tips|1 Comment

How to travel Europe by Bus – Travelling Europe on a Budget

Bus travel can be comfortable too…

Are you as intimidated by bus travel as I am?

I used to be scared at the thought of bus travel. I have not done any long bus journeys in the beginning of my travels. Living in London meant that there is no need to do so. I was not interested in travelling within the UK and when I wanted to, I took the trains or a flight. And I travelled by plane to most places when I wanted to go outside the UK.

The thought of bus travel came to me only when I started slow travelling about a few years ago and when I heard from other travellers staying at my hostel or other long-term travellers. I was surprised to learn about the cheap ticket prices as compared to other means of transport.

I quickly learned actually how convenient and comfortable it can be. Of course, I am not going to exaggerate by saying that a 7-hour bus ride is more comfortable than a 55 minutes flight journey. Of course not. But the point is that depending on priorities when you travel bus travel is worth considering. It is becoming increasingly […]

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-10-18T11:57:00+00:00October 3, 2018|Travel Tips|0 Comments

How to Avoid Bad Hostels – Tips on Booking Hostels

Booking accommodation can be stressful for any holidays, there are so many things to consider. But here are some basics on booking hostels, that will take the stress out of it and make it a bit easier.

Hostels are good for having a good social atmosphere that you won’t get in a hotel. Force yourself to stay in a hostel to get out of your own head every once in a while, get out of your comfort zone in a good way. That does not mean that you should stay in bad hostels, so here are some tips to avoid them.

Match your personality

Pick a hostel matching your personality. Are you a party animal? Then you might want to pick a party hostel than a laid-back chill hostel.

I personally am not a party animal, so I tend to go for hostels that have good reviews about being quiet rather than having a noisy buzzing environment.

Contrary to the popular belief that you won’t be able to meet other travellers if staying in non-party hostels, you can actually make some meaningful connections with other travellers in non-party hostels. Why? Because most of them are sober J You just need […]

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-10-01T14:13:30+00:00October 1, 2018|Travel Tips|0 Comments

How To Instantly Improve Your Connectivity On The Road

I was searching for ways that I can use when I was going to travel to Chile. Because I did not have a plan I could use with the EE network that I am on contract with in London.

Then I came across this app.

This app is very cool, because it shows you all the spots near you, in a city where there is Wi-Fi available. It is basically a crowd-sourced app where users who use a Wi-Fi submit its password, and the app makes it available to the other users of the app.

You should have it if you plan to travel without data.

I would not say it is 100% accurate, some of the passwords are outdated, but still highly effective.

My favourite thing about the app is that, it automatically connects to a Wi-Fi if you turn on the location capabilities to run in the background when you are not using the app. I am an iPhone user, so the settings might be a bit different on an android.

I highly recommend it Wi-Fi Map.

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-06-16T21:52:36+00:00June 16, 2018|Travel Tips, Uncategorised|0 Comments

Best Travel Apps To Save Time And Money

Apps can make your travel experience even better. Here is a list of best travel apps that you can use.

Some of them are not necessarily travel only apps, but extremely useful for a traveller.

Best Travel Apps

Destination Information

Culture Trip
Triposo
Tripit
Booking.com guides
Lonely Planet

Itinerary creation

Google Trips
Triposo

Money exchange

Revolut
Monzo
Xe

Transport

Uber
BlaBlaCar

Dating

Tinder
Bumble

Meeting people

Meetup
Couchsurfing
Eventbrite
Tinder
Backpackr

Communication

iMessage
Whatsapp
Viber
Facebook Messenger

Navigation

Google Maps
HereWeGo

Offline Maps

Google Maps
HereWeGo

Translation

Google Translate

Languages

DuoLingo
Babbel

Hotel Booking

Booking.com
Agoda
HotelsTonight

Hostel

Booking.com
HostelWorld

Free accommodation

Couchsurfing

Apartments

Booking.com
Airbnb

Flights

Kiwi.com
Kayak
Skyscanner
Momondo

By Hashin Panakkaparambil|2018-06-15T20:38:17+00:00June 15, 2018|Travel Tips, Uncategorised|0 Comments

7 Advantages of Using Booking.com to Find the Best Accommodation.

Booking.com is the best website that I have found in terms of functionality when you want to find good accommodation in a new city. If you are a solo traveller then you might want to stay in places where you can easily meet people. Or may be you want your own space and at the same time want to meet new people. May be you want to be in a central location where you can walk to or at least in commutable convenient distance from the popular attractions. There are several advantages of using booking.com if you know how to use it properly.

I use this website very often, though I refer to other sites such as Airbnb and hostelworld.com This one is my favourite.

It is my favourite because you get a genius badge as you use the website more and more. That means you get discounts, secret deals and perks such as early check in and late check out.

Below are some tips to find the best accommodation that suits your personality and intention of travel.