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Vacations are awesome; they make you happier and open your mind up to new experiences and people. But they can also be less than awesome sometimes, and a big reason for that is money. The last thing you want is to overspend when on a vacation. Luckily, there are dozens of apps available all around the world that make planning trips easier. We have covered some of these apps here, here and here, but there are still a few out there that can help save you some money.
An OYO room
Oyo Rooms is one of the top budget hotel chains in India right now, and the USP about them is that every place offers the same basic list of services, including free Wi-Fi, complimentary toiletries, air conditioning and complimentary breakfast. And for a traveler on a budget, that’s more than enough for a quick stop before moving on.
If you prefer a wider range of hotels beyond a single chain, you could check out Booking.com. The hotel and vacation rental booking app let’s you book a room, and in many cases they will not charge your cad until a day before booking. This makes it useful if you want to keep a backup room booked and ready but with the option to cancel if your plans change in the middle.
A guide explaining the ancient note on Varanasi to the morning tourists
AudioCompass has been designed with India’s tourism ministry and is essentially a library of audio tours that guide you through many of the country’s top tourist places. The app has more than 1,000 places of interest already and works offline. Some of the audio tours are free, while most of them are paid, albeit at a reasonable rate. If you want an alternative to local guides and don’t really like meandering about a point of interest with no information, this is a good option.
We’re cheating a bit here by including a site, but you get the idea. Couchsurfing is pretty old in the West, but it is catching up in India. The idea is that you can stay at a person’s place for a night or two for free. It saves you lots of money and gives you a closer look at the life of locals. There are thousands of hosts at all the major metros in India, but not so much in smaller towns and rural India. Also, there are some security concerns involved too, so use with care.
A local train in Mumbai
We’ve covered how ride-sharing apps like Uber and Ola can help, but if you prefer to ditch the private car in favor of public transport, the app Ridlr should help you decipher the schedule of buses and trains. The app has timetables of more than 15 cities right now, all available offline. You also get real-time information on departures, arrivals, cancellations and delays.
Hungry and confused about where to eat in a new city or town? Zomato works in a lot of places, and it is the largest restaurant directory right now in India. The system is well-organized, with discounts also available on some restaurants near you. You can choose the restaurant based on cuisine, with customer reviews also available to make things easier.
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