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Traveling is fun, but it can also be expensive. Smart travelers know there are ways to save on their upcoming vacations — all you need is flexibility and the right travel app.
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Here are four travel apps that will help you save money on your next vacation.
hopper
Hopper lets you book flights, hotels, and rental cars around the world. The app predicts future booking prices and lets you know if the price is likely to drop or if now is the best time to book. It uses trillions of data points to analyze pricing patterns from airlines, hotels, and rental car companies.
Enter your destination and travel dates to search. Hopper will show you the cheapest travel dates for when you want to go. Once you select your dates and flights, the app will advise you to book now or watch your trip. If our algorithm predicts that the price of your trip may drop, it will let you know when it's time to book.
There are also flash deals that Hopper negotiates with its travel partners, and if your dates and itinerary are open, you can sign up to be notified when a flash deal becomes available.
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Skyscanner
Skyscanner sounds like an app for finding the best flight deals, and that's how it started. But now, you can use the Skyscanner app to find the best deals on hotels and car rentals, too. The search engine has a “search anywhere” feature that lets you enter your departure city and date to see all the places you can go.
However, unlike other apps, you just find the best deal on Skyscanner and book directly through the airlines, hotels, and car rental companies.
Hotel Tonight
For those who travel “where the wind takes them,” Hotel Tonight is a life and money saver. The app allows you to book a hotel for the same night, sometimes at a heavily discounted price. Hotels sometimes offer last minute discounts, since they don't make any money unless the rooms are booked. If you're staying in a popular city in the off-season, or at least when there's not much going on, you can get a great deal.
For example, Hotel Tonight recently offered a same-day stay at Boston's Battery Wharf Hotel for $194 a night, compared with $423 for the same stay two weeks later on the hotel's website.
GasBuddy
On long trips, saving even a few cents per gallon on gas can add up. To find the best gas prices near you, or to find the closest station to avoid running out of gas, try the GasBuddy app. The app finds gas stations near you and sorts them by price to help you maximize your savings. GasBuddy data is user-generated, so information may be out of date in less populated areas.
The story continues
Using apps to save money on travel is a smart way to do so, but don't forget to book the right trip. Traveling in the off-season, or “shoulder” seasons before and after peak season, can save you a lot. You can be flexible with your dates and book hotels in lesser-known locations.
bon voyage!
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Top Travel Apps to Save on Your Next Vacation
