Apps & Websites
Oh you know, just a list of various apps and/or websites that might be useful to you as you plan your travels to Italy and beyond. I’ll be updating this page frequently, so check back if ya wanna!
General Travel
Apps
This is the single most useful travel planning app I have ever found like for REAL. It is honestly the app I wish I’d thought of when I was searching for something to help me plan my travels. It is SO helpful that I almost want to keep it to myself and just pretend I am really that organized. Almost…
Keep all your travel plans — flights, rental cars, trains, hotels, Air BnBs, etc. — in one super handy app. While Portico is amaaaazing for itinerary building, TripIt keeps all the logistics of your trip in one place, easy to use, right there, on your phone, in an app, boom, bam, pow, there you have it. Kayak is TRYING to do what TripIt has already perfected but honestly, I like TripIt’s UI better.
So let’s say you and your pals are paling around like some gal pals out on the town, and it comes time to pay for your gal pal dinner. You can either make the waiter sad by telling them to charge Bianca €23.06 for her chardonnay and green salad, Madison €14.57 for her gin and tonic (no food, thanks), and Gynnafør €32.49 for her shiraz and foie gras… OR, just make fucking Gynnafør use her platinum card because you KNOW she’s just looking for yet another opportunity to show it off, and use Splitwise to figure out how to pay that bitch back! It’s a super easy way to travel as a group, keep bills simple, and everyone’s costs are split and no one feels bad. I heart this app, let’s be honest.
I am putting this on here because even though I’m sure most of you know about it, Suna and I know the guy who built it so I am bragging. If for some reason you DON’T know about it, this is the absolute hands-down best way to figure out how to get from point A to point B. Want to go from the London to the castle but don’t know the best way to get down there and what modes of transportation there are available to you? Rome2Rio got your back. I think it’s more user friendly than Google Maps, plus did I mention that Suna and I know the guy who built it? Yeah, because Suna and I know the guy who built it. Just FYI. We know him.
Oh hi I’d never heard of this app before but Heather L. suggested it and then I looked at it and now I’m all, “where have you been all my life, lover?” and that is exactly what happened. THIS IS AN APP FOR PACKING LISTS. You guys, I just kept that shit in my head (which loses shit all the time, just ask Steve), or I made (and then ignored) a ToDo list, or I just threw shit in a bag and called it good. Now I can be a real live girl and use a packing list app as if I knew what I was doing. THANKS HEATHER!!
Websites
Seriously, there are some cheap flights you can get RIGHT HERE. You can also get alerts when prices drop and more and it’s great and one of my go-tos. And it should be yours, too! What, you don’t like saving money?! Are you some sort of a monster?!
You prolly want to know what € = in $ and then you can budget properly and also the other way around because well, you know. So look no further than Oanda! LOOK NO FURTHER, I SAID.
Italy
Apps
Buy tickets for your Italian train adventure! The fast trains like the Frecciarossa are especially awesome; get from Rome to Florence in an hour and a half what the WHAT?! Both the app and the website are super easy to use. Super.
Kind of like Uber or Lyft, only without all the raping. And it’s with taxis! TAXIS! Remember them? Massive disclaimer: sometimes, if they’re busy or it’s raining or they simply don’t feel like it, you won’t get a taxi even if you call it on Free Now. But usually you will, so it’s still great.
Rick Steves Audio Walking Tours: Italy
I’M SORRY.
When I told Olive (age 11) about this app, she said — and I quote — “that sounds dumb.” (Olive also said that Emily, Janine, and I — and I quote — “talk like (we’re) in the ‘80s,” and so I said, “THAT’S RAD,” and you know who didn’t laugh? Olive.) But I think the gamification of this lil’ language learning cutie works. Good for adults obvi, but especially good for kids who want a little fun with their language learnins. I have been able to brush up on some long-forgotten Italian words, and while Colin is too busy collecting sea slugs to pay any attention yet, he will learn one day. ONE DAY.
Websites
I love this blog. She’s from Texas, he’s from France, but they live in Florence! What wacky adventures will they get into next? Find out on Girl in Florence! She really has EXCELLENT advice about where to go and what to do in the city, especially as an ex-pat. Pam and I also learned the hard way that she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to cocktail bars.
Another excellent blog by um… an… um… American who lives in Rome. Her tips are on-point, and this and Girl in Florence are two of my go-to’s for stuff n thangs in these two cities.