19 Best Travel Apps & Websites So Good You’ll Wonder How You Ever Traveled Without Them
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People love to tell us we’re “so lucky” to travel the way we do. Or that we must be really rich.
Neither is true. We just know which apps and websites to use.
After years of traveling the world full-time, Mike and I have built up a little arsenal of tools that help us fly cheaper, sleep cheaper (sometimes completely free), get around for next to nothing, and keep everything from turning into a logistical nightmare.
So here they are. 19 of our favorite apps and websites, sorted by what they do from snagging cheap flights to scoring free accommodation.
Most of these will be completely new to most people, but you might know a few of them here and there.
Flight Deal Alerts & Cashback
This is the good stuff, so we’re putting it first. These do the deal-hunting for you and drop the steals (and a little cash back) straight into your inbox.
1. Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights)
If you’ve heard of Scott’s Cheap Flights, this is the same company/app with a new name. Going sends you up-to-date flight deals so you can travel the world on a budget without doing the digging yourself.
It’s completely free, and I’ll show you a few tips below:
Tip: Skip the premium trial at first
While I love this website/app, I think it’s important to test it out before going all in. However, when you sign up for Going, it will make it seem like you need to pay in order to use it, but you don’t.
Skip through the paid options to get to the free option. Then test it out for a few weeks before committing. I truly think you’ll love it; it certainly has saved us a TON of money. But it’s always best to try it for yourself.
Once you’re on the free version, tell them your home airport, and they’ll deliver the best flight options and deals to your inbox.
I also HIGHLY suggest frequently checking their “ACTIVE DEALS” section. You can find that on the homepage of their website.
>> Click here to sign up for a free Going account
2. Secret Flying
Secret Flying is one of the reasons we’ve flown business class for the price of economy more times than I can count.
They share the lowest fares out there, including “error fares,” which is when an airline accidentally lists a flight for way less than it should be.
Thanks to their Facebook page, we’ve flown business class to Asia for $550 each roundtrip and to Europe for $200 one-way.
The thing is.. Secret Flying has changed over the years. I guess we can’t expect them to stay the same forever, but they used to allow their free users to discover business class error fares.
Now, they require payment for the business class deals. So keep that in mind. Do I think it’s worth it? Yes. One business class deal at the prices they find them for is worth 100x what you’d pay for a subscription.
But you have to weigh that for yourself.
At the same time, you can just stick with the free version and you’ll still find incredible economy deals.
3. Daily Drop
Daily Drop is a newer one that’s taken the travel world by storm.. at least in my book!
It’s especially awesome if you’re into points and miles.
It’s a daily newsletter (and app) packed with flight deals, points news, and travel tips.
Instead of spending hours on travel aggregator sites, you can simply go to the DailyDrop app or website and find the cheapest flights there are for your destination and where you’re going. In the image above, you can see that I typed in Minneapolis to Auckland and found flights as low as $1100. Typically, those flights cost $1800+, so they’ve really got these deals on lock.
You’ll also receive emails from them with the best deals for your airport.
And of course, my favorite part. Not only are they showing you the best flight deals, but they also offer in-depth courses and cheatsheets about points and miles, card reviews, and more.
To sign up, click on this link here and scroll down to where you can register for a free account. Utilize the website/app and decide if you like it. And from there, you can upgrade to premium.
>> Click here to sign up for a free DailyDrop account
4. Rakuten
I’m sure you’ve heard of Rakuten before, but I’m surprised by how many people have never used it. It’s by FAR the easiest win for saving money, getting cashback, and finding deals on all things, including travel.
To be clear, Rakuten is not a credit card. You simply use the portal to make everyday online purchases through the merchants you were already going to use, and they give you cashback for it.
You don’t pay more because you’re using Rakuten, which is a common objection I see people make. They simply earn commission from the company you’re purchasing from (again, at no extra cost to you), and they share that commission with you.
Rakuten is an easy win, and a slightly different flavor of the same idea. It gives you cashback on everyday online purchases, and no, it’s not a credit card.
It’s completely free and services thousands of stores and companies.
Here are a few of our favorites:
>> Click here to sign up for Rakuten for free
Flight Search & Booking
Once you know a deal exists, here’s where you price it out and book.
5. Skyscanner
I’m sure you’ve heard of Skyscanner, and maybe you’ve even used it before.
When we can’t find flight deals through DailyDrop or Going, Skyscanner is our go-to for comparing prices across a ton of airlines at once.
The features we love most are “Whole month” and “Cheapest month,” which show you the cheapest days to fly across a huge stretch of time.
If you can be flexible, this is pure gold. We’ve used it to grab tickets from the USA to Thailand for as little as $400 roundtrip.
6. Skiplagged
Okay, this one’s sneaky, so stay with me..
Skiplagged finds “hidden city” fares. So, say a flight from Detroit to Miami costs $245, but a flight from Detroit to Houston with a layover in Miami costs $187. You book the cheaper one and just get off in Miami, and that’s it.
One VERY important catch.. this only works with a carry-on (your checked bag would fly on to the final city), and airlines aren’t fans of it, so don’t do it on a roundtrip.
But for one-ways, it can save you a ton of money.
Points, Miles & Award Search
The points world feels intimidating until you have the right tools. These do the heavy lifting.
7. Point.me
Booking flights with points is where people get stuck because the airline websites make it weirdly hard to find good award seats. They do that on purpose, of course.
But point.me fixes that.
Basically, you tell it where you want to go, and it shows you which miles will get you there for the fewest points. It turns a confusing mess into a super simple search bar.
You will have to sign up for an account, but it’s free to use. All it takes is your email address.
Not to mention, once they have your email address, they send you really helpful travel deal emails that I think are worth reading anytime you get them.
I have to say, point.me is not nearly as easy to use as my next recommendation below, so keep that in mind. If you find the website hard to navigate, you’re not alone. Check out PointsYeah instead.
8. PointsYeah
This is my absolute favorite website to use for points travel. It does almost the exact same things as point.me, but it’s wayyy easier to use.
It helps you search award availability across a big range of airlines and hotel programs so you can spot the best use of your points.
If you have a pile of miles and you’re not sure how to spend them well, this is a great place to poke around.
And honestly, you’ll be shocked at the deals they find. 5,000 points for a one-way flight from New York to London? Unbelievable.
Note: Again, you will have to create an account with them, but it’s free. They just require your email address, which is fair for the amount of value they provide.
9. Roame
Roame is another slick award-search tool that’s been getting a lot of love lately. It’s the same idea a point.me and PointsYeah; they’re finding the best travel redemptions, with a clean, fast search.
Honestly, I recommend trying a couple of these and see which one surfaces the best deals for the trips you really want to take, or which interface you like the most.
I have friends that prefer Roame over PointsYeah, so see for yourself!
10. AwardWallet
AwardWallet tracks all of your miles and points balances in one place, across every program, and warns you before any of them expire.
If you’ve ever lost points because you forgot you had them, this is the fix. It’s super simple, free, and something I recommend to any frequent traveler.
11. The Opinion Terminal & Opinion Miles Club
These two are so similar that we needed to group them together. Both the Opinion Terminal and Opinion Miles Club let you take simple surveys in exchange for airline miles.
It’s a mindless way to rack up points while you’re sitting on the couch. We’ve used both, they’re free, and they’re a fun little way to chip away at your next flight.
Free & Cheap Places To Stay
Accommodation is usually one of the biggest lines on any travel budget. These are how we shrink it, sometimes all the way to zero.
12. Trusted Housesitters
This is our number one recommendation, hands down.
The idea behind Trusted Housesitters is that you look after someone’s home and pets while they’re away, and you stay for free.
We’ve used it so many times, and the experiences have been incredible. We even got to babysit a black lab puppy twice in a multi-million dollar home in Colorado.
There’s an initial membership fee, but it pays for itself with your very first stay. Plus you get to hang out with somebody else’s dog or pets, which, let’s be real, is half the appeal.
NOTE: While this seems scary, it’s no different than using Airbnb except that it’s free for you, AND they require background checks for everyone involved. We also only stay at people’s houses that have verified reviews from other house sitters.
>> Click here to sign up for Trusted Housesitters
13. Couchsurfing
This one might freak you out, but hear me out.
Couchsurfing connects travelers with locals who offer up a spare couch or room for free.
When I was a 20-something, I did this all the time, as a solo female traveler, and had nothing but good experiences (shoutout to our Couchsurfing crew at Oktoberfest).
Always use common sense and take precautions, but it’s a genuinely lovely way to meet people and save money.
14. Hotel Tonight
We’ve drifted toward more hotels lately because there are fewer strings attached than with some other stays. There’s no checkout chore list, and they are more dependable.
And Hotel Tonight is how we get them for cheap.
Hotel Tonight connects you with discounted rooms for stays happening very soon, so it’s perfect for last-minute nights.
Another perk of using Hotel Tonight is that for every booking you make, you’ll get a 10% credit of the price of your stay that goes toward Airbnb. An unusual perk given the platform and tool, but still really neat!
Work For Your Stay
Want to cut accommodation to nothing and live somewhere for a while? Trade your time for a free stay.
15. WWOOF
WWOOF, which stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, connects travelers with organic farms around the world. You give a set number of hours per week, and in exchange you get free room and board.
Projects run from a few days to several months, so you can find something that fits your schedule. And in your time off, you can go explore!
I’ve had several friends do this and absolutely love it, so I had to include it here for those who are looking to get away on a tight budget.
16. Workaway
Workaway is the big one in this space, and it goes way beyond farms. Hosts need help with all sorts of things, hostels, family homes, eco-projects, small businesses, and you pitch in a few hours a day for your room and board.
There’s something for just about every skill set and travel style.
17. WorldPackers
WorldPackers is another work-exchange platform, with a big focus on hostels looking for extra hands. Help out at reception, with social events, or around the property, and stay for free.
It’s great for slow travelers who want to plant somewhere for a few weeks.
18. HopperJobs
HopperJobs works along the same lines. It matches travelers with hostels and other spots that need short-term help.
It’s worth checking out alongside WorldPackers to compare what’s available wherever you’re headed.
Note and Transparency: Even though I think these are neat opportunities, I would only really recommend doing this for the experience of it. I don’t think you need to work for free, even if they offer you room and board. Most of the places on the list are locations that are VERY cheap to travel and stay. A remote job, even one that brings in a few hundred dollars per month (which is fairly easy in 2026), could be a better option for freedom and flexibility than working for free.
Getting Around
One more, for when you need to move around but on a budget.
19. Car Relocation (iMoova & Transfercar)
This is one of the cheapest ways to get a car or campervan, and very few people know about it.
Rental companies sometimes need a vehicle moved from one location to another, so they let you drive it for next to nothing, occasionally even throwing in a gas stipend.
iMoova and Transfercar are the two main sites for this, and they have offers around the world!
The Wrap-Up
So there you have it, 19 tools that help us travel more, for less, and with a lot fewer headaches.
Pick the two or three that match how you travel, a deal alert, a place-to-stay tool, maybe a points tool, and you’ll already be ahead of most people.
The point is, travel doesn’t have to be expensive. Mike and I have built an entire life around proving that, and a big part of how we do it is just knowing these tricks of the trade.
Now go book something good!
