While packing up things around the apartment, I decided to procrastinate and get on my android tablet, and look up some apps for the upcoming trip to make it productive. Simple, right? Oh no, simply typing ‘travel’ in the app search brought a plethora of hotel/motel/hostel apps. Slightly overwhelmed by the enormity of the selection, I decided to help narrow it down to what I have found useful, user-friendly, and helpful in finding a good deal.

Here are a few things to think about when looking for your “perfect app”;

First, it really depends on how nice/rustic you are willing to travel.  If you like nights with no noise, and your own bathroom, you may want to find a motel/hotel or certain hostels*. If you can sleep anywhere, don’t mind sharing a room, and are looking for a more frugal option, you may be able to do a hostel.

Second, when searching for the app, you can narrow the list down by type of accommodation, region that you are traveling (ie. ‘Hotels in Italy’ and ‘Bali hotel super saver’), all the way to lifestyle preferences (ie. ‘Green Hotels – Hotel Search’).

Last, when looking for booking apps for hotels and hostels, try to find apps that encompass many different venues, limiting yourself to just one chain will significantly decrease your options when you are abroad, and it can get very pricey.

My top 3 Hostel/Hotel Apps for backpackers are

1. Best hotel & hostel finder (through PulpHotel.com)

                           Pros:

Living up to its name, I just discovered this app, and it is quickly becoming my new best friend. The app is arranged to also compare ratings, and has a detailed list of what each criteria of the rating is based off. This app compares prices from different booking sites, and many Hotels/Hostels, and will show you the best deals. The browsing function will allow you to compare based on locality, including distance to airports, places of interest or cities.

                           Cons:

Bookings are not done on the app, but instead it forwards you to the website to finish your booking.

My solution:

Use this app for comparisons, and try booking through the suggested sites or apps. The site I saw the most while checking out the app was for hostelbookers.com (their app is #3 on this list).

2. Hostel World (from HostelWorld.com)

                           Pros:

I have been using Hostel World for a while, and used it a lot on my last few big international trips. My view here may be tainted by my familiarity, but it has made my traveling very easy and stress free. The search menu is very basic, put in where you want to stay, select the date you want to arrive on the pop-up calendar, the next prompt will be the day you want to leave, and allons-y, your on your merry way. The search results can be filtered to price range, and includes campsites in certain areas (great for the outdoor enthusiast). It is a great app for finding somewhere fast.

Past bookings can be stored on an account for future reference (not required, though should you wish to create one, it is free,) and will show the dates and durations you stayed for. This helps me reconstruct timelines of what I was able to do in each place, and plan for the next time. After your stay, a follow up email is sent out asking you to rate your stay if you would like.

Bookings can be made directly through the app, and you can change dates, and cancel on the app as well. You can also save payment information through your account to book quickly and easily.

Cons:

Not as user friendly, or as snazzy, as their website. But it gets the job done. Not included on the Pulp Hotel app comparisons either, which means you are not sure if you are getting the best deal.

My Solution:

Manually compare this app to #1. There are certain deals that are only offered on here, (I discovered this when I went to Fiji,)  and is worth a look.

3. hostelbookers (from hostelbookers.com)

                           Pros:

This app offers a WIDE variety of accommodation. Their Facebook page boasts to offer “hostels and guesthouses to igloos and ex-prisons!” With no booking fees, (one of the only major booking sites left that don’t have them,) they also have a cheapest price guarantee. The hostel bookers site is used on the Pulp Hotel app, and from what I saw, really did have some of the best deals. No account required to book, and can be done through the app.

Cons:

The facility offering lists are not as detailed as on Hostel World’s app, though it is thorough. If you do have an account through the hostel bookers website, there is no way to sign on with the app.

My Solution:

If there is a specific facility that you need at a hostel, compare the prices between this and #2, and determine if the better deal is with the cheaper price, or which may offer free breakfast/internet as part of their deal.

My recommendation is to get all three, (after all, they are free apps,) and compare them to your personal preference.

Next time, I am going to go through all of the different apps, and come up with the 10 most user friendly and useful free travel apps for gap years, backpacking, and world travel.  The ‘tool’ apps if you will, that will organize and simplify your trip.

Travel on!

Kiki

*I would like to quickly debunk the myth that hosteling is always/only staying in multi-bed dorm rooms. Most hostels do offer private rooms, and most of the time will have a much better price for them than other hotels in the area.