Travel Smart, Spend Less: Top Apps That Are Changing the Game

Around 74% of Americans rack up a debt of around $1,100 after returning from a trip. Typical reasons for overspending include confusion about currency conversions, a failure to keep track of spending, and the wish to simply “be in the moment” and forget about daily worries. Of course, the shock often arises when they get home and discover they are in the red. The good news is that you can easily stick to a budget when you travel. There are a myriad of iOS apps that can ensure that you have the time of your life while making smart money choices.

Wanderlog for Affordable Itineraries

Popular app, Wanderlog, allows you to visually view your entire itinerary, so you can see if it contains too many activities or their total cost is unaffordable. Top features include the importation of flight and hotel reservations and discovery of new activities and restaurants. You can also use Wanderlog to calculate the shortest and most direct route to your destination, so you can save costs on transport. 

Currency for Conversions

Currency differences can make you feel like you have more money to spend than you really do. For example, if you are from Canada and you are travelling to Indonesia, you may be surprised to find that one Canadian dollar is equal to around 10,800 rupiah. This can lead to the false idea that you have more money than you do or simply confuse you when you are out and about shopping for mementos and food. The app, Currency, provides a simple solution to this conundrum by displaying up-to-date exchange rates for over 160 currencies worldwide. 

PocketGuard for Budgeting

PocketGuard uses various algorithms in order to create and calculate your disposable income, essentially creating your budget for your trip. It also provides comprehensive analytics, creating reports that suggest adjustments and optimize your spending. As for safety, PocketGuard uses the same 256-bit SSL encryption as most major banks, which guarantees that your funds will stay secure.

Splitwise for Group Travelers

Cost savings don’t have to be limited to individual travel. Thanks to Splitwise, large groups of travelers can lower their individual expenditure. The app invites you to keep track of who spent how much in the group, and allows you to split expenses. It additionally enables you to pay friends back and record the transaction. What’s more, it supports over 100 currencies. The app also works offline, so you needn’t worry if you are in an area with poor coverage.

Wally and WallyGPT

Powered by OpenAI, Wally’s WallyGPT feature ensures that excess spending is reduced to a minimum. This feature automatically tracks your spending by connecting your wallets and bank accounts, and it can spot unusually large charges. What’s more, with every expense you log in, you can take a picture of the receipt for your records. These are attached to your expenses and saved to your camera roll, in an album titled “Wally receipts.”

Mint for General Budgeting

Mint’s goal is to represent cash flow in an easy and comprehensible format. It connects all your bank accounts and creates a straightforward summary. It also allows specific budget to be divided into various categories, such as accommodation, transport, food, and more. The ability to categorize expenditure is particularly important when you are on holiday and need to identify what aspects of travel you might be spending too much on.

Tripcoin for Tracking Expenses

Tripcoin is a free app that allows Apple users to track all of their expenses during each trip they take. Each expense can be tied to a category, date and time, location, and even a screenshot. These notes are later used by the filter feature, which allows users to quickly and easily locate specific charges. A real time currency converter is also included, so that custom exchange rates can be input. The app’s Dropbox integration allows for backups to be created at any time. The app works offline as well as online, meaning that users have the option to avoid spending on a data plan.

The Bottom Line

Thanks to a plethora of modern apps, travel no longer has to break the bank. Top apps such as Tripcoin, Splitwise, and Currency can streamline itineraries, optimize routes for cost-effective transportation, offer accurate exchange rates, personalize budgets and even use artificial intelligence to maximize your savings. Embrace the digital tools that transform your travel mindset and unlock the magic of unforgettable adventures without the hefty price tag.

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Jacqueline Cowell

Working as a motoring writer gave Jacqueline Cowell the chance to put her past experience as a mechanic to good use, once she became a mother and decided to stay at home with her two young children. She now puts together pieces for a range of different motoring websites, but in her free time restores classic vehicles with her husband. She is also a regular contributor to Apple Tech Talk.