Top 8 Travel Apps To Use For Road Tripping Around Australia
Published: January 2024
Updated: June 2024
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In this piece, I share with you my favourite apps to use for your road trip adventure down under. Australia is a big place, and these travel apps will help you find your way around easier and allow you to stick to your budget. See below my top 8 apps I recommend:
1. Fuel Map Australia
Useful for: finding cheapest fuel, logging fuel purchases
One of my favourite apps by far, is Fuel Map Australia. Fuel Map shows real-time fuel prices around Australia, sourced from government sources. The locations of petrol stations are shown on a map with the last known fuel price for that petrol station. The app also provides a fuel log, to help you keep track of your fuel purchases.
2. Hostel World
Useful for: finding the best deals on backpacker accommodation, engaging with other fellow backpackers
Hostelworld is a platform in which you can book backpacker accommodation in hostels. You simply search your desired destination; dates & number of guests and it will show you all available hostel accommodation & prices for that area. One of my favourite features of the Hostelworld app is that once you have booked a hostel, you can access a group chat for others staying at the hostel on the same dates as you which can be helpful in making new friends and finding out what activities are on nearby. I have often found friends through Hostel world to join for the day, whether it is for a beach day or a lunch date and definitely helps you feel less lonely if you are solo travelling.
3. Google Maps
Useful for: finding directions to destination, finding fastest routes, finding places to eat or view
Google maps provides easy turn-by-turn navigation to your destination. Maps provides you with real-time traffic information. This app also allows you to search for nearby businesses, restaurants, and attractions. Google maps shows you the fastest routes for walking, biking, public transport and driving.
4. Booking.Com
Useful for: finding accommodation, attractions & transport
Booking.Com is a seamless app, allowing you to find nearby accommodation with competitive prices, memorable experiences, and a variety of transportation options. One of my favourite features of the booking.com app is their loyalty programme called Genius. Genius allows you to unlock lifetime discounts and rewards on accommodation with the more stays you book. There are 3 Genius levels which provide excellent discounts and rewards for your stays.
Useful for: finding experiences and activities to do in each location
Get Your Guide can be used via their app or online, and allows you to book excursions, tickets to popular tourist attractions and more. Get Your Guide provides a variety of activities available in each city you search for, and ensures there is a tour for every type of traveller.
6. Wikicamps Australia
Useful for: finding free campgrounds
Wikicamps is an app useful for campers and caravanners that provides you with valuable camping information including locations of free camps, 100% generated by other fellow camping enthusiasts. Wikicamps shows campgrounds, caravan points, hostels, points of interest, dump points, information points, rests stops and also includes reviews from past campers that have stayed in the same spots you are looking to stay at. Wikicamps is an extremely useful app – it currently costs $9.99 to buy the app – however it is definitely worth it, as the app provides you with so much valuable information.
7. Skyscanner
Useful for: finding cheapest/quickest flights
Occasionally whilst travelling Australia, you may not always have enough time to see all of the beautiful places you wish to see by car, and it can sometimes be helpful to take a quick flight if you want to see the other side of the country in a short time period. This is where SkyScanner comes in handy - SkyScanner helps you find the cheapest and quickest flight routes for your chosen destination, by comparing all available flights from all available airlines. You simply add in your destination & preferred flying dates, and it will show you all of the available flights, usually filtered by the cheapest and/or quickest flight times for your convenience.
8. Notes
Useful for: Planning
Notes may seem like a basic tool, however I have come to love using the notes app while travelling. It is useful for planning out your day, as well as planning out a rough budget. I have also found myself mostly using notes when talking to other travellers and backpackers along the way - often someone will give you the name of that super yummy restaurant or a tour group you should try, this is when I find notes most helpful as I can quickly jot down the name and come back to it at a later date. Notes can also be useful as a journal if you are limited on space in your luggage