Travel Blogger Jessi Vu (Vu Minh Diep, 33 years old) currently lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City. The girl who loves to travel and explore has had the opportunity to travel to 29 countries with a lot of experience in her pocket. She will point out the advantages and disadvantages of 5 travel applications she often uses for her trips through this article.
Jessi Vu has her own website to share her travel experiences.
1. Rome2rio
Travel enthusiasts are probably familiar with the Rome2rio tool for finding means of transport, optimizing routes and costs for trips.
Just enter the departure and destination, all means of transport along with time and cost will appear simultaneously. Thanks to that, customers can choose or combine the appropriate means of transport for their trip. For example, if you depart from Paris to Amsterdam, the application will immediately display 8 available results as illustrated below.
The first result is considered the most "optimal" for your trip. Click on the green bus ticket icon with bus travel results to learn more about departure times, operating companies, and travel routes. If you are hesitant about costs, you can look at the green "cheapest" results to choose the most economical mode of travel.
"When you go to Europe, this app maximizes its ability to search for vehicles, offering many options for suitable transportation services for you," Jessi Vu shared. But this is also the limitation of this app when it only focuses on coverage in Europe and the US.
If you use it on your phone (iOS or Android), the utility will be less than searching through the website on your computer. Users using the iOS operating system can only enter one departure point and one destination, not multiple points at the same time like on the Android operating system. You also have to combine the use of some other applications to know the exact fare of your train or bus because the price displayed on this application is only relative.
2. Skyscanner
Skyscanner is used to compare prices for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Currently, the app supports 30 languages and attracts more than 100 million users each month.
Skyscanner is an intermediary that aggregates airline tickets, please note that only airlines with API links will display ticket prices. For example, Bamboo Airways flights will not appear in search results on this page.
Skyscanner interface on iOS operating system.
Jessi Vu often uses Skyscanner to search and compare airfare prices. The first advantage is the easy-to-use interface, fast and convenient search results. Next, this application allows users to search by month (when not sure which day to go) to refer to the cheapest airfare of the month.
Skyscanner is just an intermediary with the function of searching for cheap tickets and comparing prices, but does not have the function of booking and paying for tickets. After choosing a satisfactory fare, the user will be redirected to the supplier's page. Note that the first results appearing on this application are often "sponsored", not the most convenient flights. In addition, the price displayed on the search engine is not the final price (when going to the partner page, the new price will be displayed).
3. Klook
Klook is a young start-up with rapid growth in the past 9 years of operation. This application allows users to book many types of tickets for sightseeing, train and bus tickets, tours, dining, entertainment, spa, cooking classes,...
You can plan ahead, calculate the cost of your trip, and avoid waiting or contacting other agents to buy tickets when booking through this app. "What I like most about Klook is that I get points after each transaction. At the same time, this app also offers many discount codes compared to the direct purchase price at the destination," Jessi Vu shared.
Klook interface on phone.
However, Klook also has some disadvantages that need to be noted when using it. "During my trip to the Philippines in February 2019, I purchased an island tour service on Klook. The actual number of destinations in the tour was less than the information described when I purchased. The service provider at that time gave the reason that the island was currently not receiving guests or was under renovation," Jessi recounted. She also emphasized that the nature of this incident was the service provider, and Klook only acted as an intermediary. If you encounter difficulties or problems during your trip, please contact and give feedback through these applications to get a refund or a satisfactory resolution.
4. Traveloka
Traveloka can be considered the most "comprehensive" application, compared to an integrated application of both Klook or Skyscanner. With over 100 million downloads, about 40 million monthly active users, over 20 products on living facilities and over 30 diverse payment methods, Traveloka is becoming increasingly popular with travelers.
Traveloka interface on phone.
Through Traveloka, you can book flights, hotels, airport transfers, and Xperience tickets. Receipts will be sent to your email as e-tickets and you just need to present them over the phone when checking in, no need to call to confirm or print out tickets/receipts like before.
"Traveloka has many discount codes for users. This is like a place to store, manage and synthesize all information about hotels - air tickets - tours very conveniently," she shared. In addition, when buying a combo of air tickets and hotels on Traveloka, you will receive the best price. This application also brings a pleasant experience to users with 24/7 customer support service in the local language.
5. Tripadvisor
As of the end of 2021, Tripadvisor has more than 1 billion reviews and opinions from the community, combined with more than 8 million services provided from hotels, restaurants, experiences, airline tickets, cruise tickets... reflecting almost the entire tourism industry of the world.
Tripadvisor interface on phone.
Without a doubt, Tripadvisor is the largest repository of travel-related reviews, experiences, and itineraries. Most of the reviews on this platform come from real-life experiences of travelers, so it is quite trustworthy to users. In addition, this application also provides great itinerary sharing for those who love to travel.
However, Tripadvisor is not immune to some fake reviews from people who have not experienced it firsthand. Smart consumers should carefully research destinations, restaurants, etc. before experiencing it through many different sources. "Most establishments and restaurants with good reviews and many stars will bring good experiences," Jessi Vu shared.
But in the service industry, the views on good - bad, suitable - unsuitable, delicious - unsavory will also depend on each person's personal experience, so consider it a reference channel for yourself.
