Travel apps have evolved into much more than just tools for navigation and hotel booking. They can help you travel more sustainably, support local communities, and discover unique experiences. That’s why we’d like to provide some inspiration for the travel apps you might want to use on your next trip. BILD: ©Nina L – people images | Stock.adobe.com

Five apps that make your trip a little more sustainable

The apps I recommend are genuine recommendations and not advertisements (I receive no commission or other benefits).

#1 Use FairTrip to find authentic and fair bars, cafés, and shops at your vacation destination

FairTrip: This community-driven app has everything you need, including bars, restaurants, hotels, shops, NGOs, and unique experiences. The best part? Users can submit their own suggestions, which then undergo review by the FairTrip team. They take the categories “Authentic,” “Fair,” “Green,” “Local,” and “Social” into account. It’s the perfect way to support local businesses and discover places off the beaten path!

#2 HappyCow: An app for finding vegan and vegetarian restaurants

HappyCow: Many vegans and vegetarians are likely familiar with this app, as its accompanying website has been around since 1999. Also community-driven, HappyCow shows you vegan and vegetarian restaurants, as well as other businesses oriented toward a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, such as farmers’ markets. It features photos, user reviews, and a dedicated map.

#3 PackPoint: An app to help you pack light

Packpoint: As we mentioned in our article on ultralight travel, reducing your load by even a few grams can help lower CO₂ emissions and spare your back. Packpoint can help you with this. It shows you what to pack based on your trip’s duration, the weather at your destination, and your planned activities. So, it’s the perfect way to keep your luggage as light as possible.

#4: Refill: Finde kostenlose Wasserstationen, überall wo du bist

Refill: The app shows places where you can refill your water bottle for free. Unfortunately, the community is still too small to guarantee suitable stations everywhere. However, expanding this would be worthwhile, and many of our Green Pearls® partners (e.g., SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Germany and Hotel Weihrerhof in Italy) are already listed.

#5 Rome2Rio: Connections from A to B

Rome2Rio: This brings us to the last section: travel. Rome2Rio shows travelers almost every possible connection between locations around the world, whether by bus, train, ferry, plane, or carpool. This makes it easy to find alternatives to flying or driving, thus making your trip more climate-friendly. If you want to know if you can travel from Lisbon to Marseille by train, for example, you will receive the relevant train routes, price information, and a link to purchase your ticket.

We hope we’ve inspired you for your next trip! Do you have any favorite apps that help you travel sustainably? If so, feel free to share them in the comments!

Author: Ben