Must-Have Travel Apps for Navigating Southeast Asia

Accommodation

1. Hostelworld: most popular app for finding hostels, where a majority of backpackers stay for cheap rates

2. Booking.com: used for booking both hotels and hostels

3. Kayak: offers budget-friendly accommodations, ranging from hostels to affordable hotels

4. Agoda: a booking platform offering discounts and points for stays (offered everywhere in the world but most popular in Asia)

   • be careful when booking luxurious accommodations, as there have been complaints by users that the price has not been guaranteed upon arrival to the accommodation

Transportation

1. Skyscanner: check flight options, has a setting that allows you to see flights to everywhere in the world from cheapest to most expensive

2. Grab: rideshare app, equivalent to Uber

   • offers transportation via motorbike and car

   • also offers food delivery service

3. Gojek: another rideshare app

   • offers transportation via motorbike and car

   • only available in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines

4. 12Go: plans complicated travel routes and offers direct purchase tickets for transportation

5. Rome2Rio: transportation organizing app that offers easy routes between destinations

Planning Excursions

1. GetyourGuide: plan excursions, day trips, and tours

2. Klook: similar to GetYourGuide, but you can even book transportation tickets

Other

1. Whatsapp: not only is the primary form of communication outside of the U.S. but many accommodations have Whatsapp numbers for easy communication via texting

2. Google Maps: have proved to be the most reliable in getting around the busy streets of Southeast Asian cities

3. Tripit: a place to store all of your travel, accommodation, and excursion information, offering the ability to share this with parents and friends

4. WorldPackers: where to find volunteer and work-in-exchange-for-accomodation opportunities

5. Xe: currency converter

6. Foodpanda: mostly used in Cambodia and Laos

7. Booky: most used food delivery app in the Philippines

8. Gomamam: Brunei's most popular delivery app