The plan for 100 Nights of Summer: Hit 15 festivals in 15 weekends in 15 different countries. With my schedule and a shoestring budget, I leaned on a few apps to help me find the best travel while on the road.
Skyscanner
For finding the best deals on flights, I found Skyscanner to be my go-to website. If you’re flexible, try searching for the cheapest flights across an entire month rather than specific dates . If you’re really flexible, you can just select “Everywhere” to see the best deals from your location to around the world.
Rome2Rio
You can’t always fly, and Rome2Rio has become my first stop when searching for overland routes. This website features a user-friendly interface that breaks down buses, trains, and even ridesharing services like BlaBlaCar (see below). It’s not always complete, but has been a help over the summer.
BlaBlaCar
This popular ride sharing service out of France is used all over Europe. Go on the website, find a ride, and contact the driver. Payment is handled when you meet up in person and drivers have limitations on what they can charge which means super competitive rates.
AirBnB
Everybody knows about AirBnB, but it’s beginning to take a turn towards amazingly creative places to stay. For instance, check out this place I stayed in Berlin for $40/night which ended up being one of my favorite stops of the tour.
WhatsApp
Texting across borders of European countries can be costly which is why many on the continent have WhatsApp installed on their phone. It makes group texting simple, while including perks like images and videos. With no data plan needed, I was able to keep in touch (and secure some lodging) with festies from around the world.
Maps.Me
The beauty of this open-source mapping app is that it works offline and with GPS. Even if you don’t know where you’re going, you at least have an idea of where you’re at.
Google Translate
Before heading into a new country, I usually translate a few handy phrases like “hello”, “thank-you”, and “where are my pants.” Even with my mangled pronunciation, people around the world appreciate the attempt to at least communicate in the local language.
Photo Credit: Sunset in Serbia, Vito Valentinetti