Traveling to India? Check out these apps first
IMAGE: AJIT SOLANKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Whether you're planning an impromptu getaway, discovering the right place to stay or just finding your way around a new city, these India-centric travel apps make traveling around the country easier than ever before.
Here are some of our favorites:
Travel and hotel bookings
Among India’s most popular booking apps,Cleartrip and MakeMyTrip take reservations for flights, trains, buses and hotels (conveniently arranged according to Tripadvisor ratings).
Both feature a clean design, user-friendly interface and regular app-only deals. But while MakeMyTrip focuses on holiday packages, Cleartrip has over 5000 activities in 25 Indian destinations ranging from food tours to scuba diving. It also lets users view their bookings offline.
As anyone who's ever used the Indian Railways website knows, booking a ticket can be quite an ordeal. In contrast, their official app IRCTC Connect has a considerably faster and simpler interface to check seat availability and make new bookings. It also tracks existing reservations and offers journey alerts. Another IRCTC appBookmytrain also gives users the option of cash on delivery for tickets.
If you want to skip the insipid fare served on Indian trains, then Travelkhana offers an alternative with round-the-clock food delivery from its network of partner restaurants across the country. Enter your PNR number or train details, select a station and browse through the mostly-Indian menus of the nearest restaurants. You can also track your order, and pay online or in cash.
If you're interested in hitting the Indian highways, then check out the bus ticketing app Redbus, which lists buses run by various private operators, government-run tourist buses and Volvos in 22 states.
Travelers can search for buses by fare, timing, customer rating and facilities. Once you've booked your seat, you can track the bus schedule in real-time and even share it with your friends and family. The app also suggests convenient dropping points for riders.
Cheap stays
Travelling on a budget doesn't mean you have to stay in seedy hotels. Branded hotel chains OYO Rooms and ZO Rooms can be life-savers for travelers looking for last-minute affordable accommodation. Both promise standardized amenities such as air-conditioning, television, clean linen, breakfast and Wi-Fi in major cities, and allow users to search for accommodations near landmarks, neighborhoods or their current location. In addition, ZO Rooms' tie-up with Uber and restaurant search engine Zomato offers added convenience in looking for nearby restaurants and cabs.
If you're looking for boutique stays, then Airbnbhas a range of offbeat options to choose from. Think colonial mansions in Goa, Himalayan cottages and tree houses situated in the midst of a forest in Madhya Pradesh. Bypassing the comforts of hotel chains, it’s ideal for travellers looking to mingle with the locals and get under the skin of the place they’re visiting. The reviews and the option to contact the host make it easy to narrow down on a homestay catering to your interest.
Experiences and activities
Whether you're keen on trying an adventure sport or soaking in a city's culture, there are several apps that now make it easier to experience India's diversity than ever before. The official audio tour app of Incredible India, Audiocompassis a handy tool for anyone who's been disappointed by dodgy tourist guides. It has well-researched audio guides on food, heritage and culture, and local legends, covering everything from the architecture of the Taj Mahal to Bollywood star homes in Mumbai. The introductory destination guides are free, while the detailed sightseeing ones are priced reasonably. Both can be downloaded and then played offline at no additional data cost.
If you're looking to catch the latest movie, a popular play, or a cool gig in a city you’ve just landed in, Bookmyshow is the one-stop-shop for it all. With a footprint in over 200 cities, India’s biggest entertainment ticketing app sells tickets for movies, theatre, concerts, sporting events and food and cultural festivals.
Perfect for last-minute holidays and busy travellers, Tripigator is a nifty holiday planning app for India. The official travel planner of India's Ministry of Tourism, it creates customised itineraries based on your interests (adventure, family, romantic etc.), budget, location and trip duration. Confused about where you want to holiday? The app throws up a list of potential destinations near you, with sightseeing options, hotel and transport options and the approximate cost. For travellers who like to connect with locals and fellow explorers, Tripoto is a platform for user-created itineraries and travelogues, as well as a travel-themed social network. Each itinerary includes insider tips in the form of first-person reviews and photographs, along with a hotel booking section from Expedia.
If you're want to go off-the-beaten-track, thenThrillophilia has a wealth of activities spanning the length and breadth of the country. Ranging from a wildlife photography tour in Coorg to caving in Meghalaya, the experiences are organised thematically, e.g. women only trips, jeep safaris, cooking sessions etc. and come with reviews and popularity rankings.
Discovering local restaurants
An essential app for eating out, Zomato is great for discovering food and nightlife haunts. Each city has a series of collections of popular restaurants and long-standing establishments by themes and cuisine. You can search by location, cuisine and budget, browse through menus and user reviews, and even take an Uber cab to your chosen restaurant. If you’re too lazy to venture out, it also has an app called Zomato Order just for food delivery.
Communicating
The chat-based personal assistant app Helpchatcan be extremely useful when you’re in a new city. It works on everything from travel reservations and laundry to mobile recharge, booking movie tickets and connecting you to nearby shops. The Google Translate app makes it easy to communicate in a new language, with written and oral translation in Indian languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi. You can even use your camera to translate text in different languages.
Getting around
Can't figure out your way around India's confusing maze of roads and bylanes?NaviMaps, a comprehensive navigation app by MapMyIndia, lets you manoeuvre your way even without internet. The 3D maps cover a two-million-long road network spanning over 7200 towns and major landmarks, and can be stored and used without data.
The public transport app Ridlr makes it easier to save money on the move. It has timetables of buses, metro, trains and monorail in over 15 Indian cities for offline use, along with real-time information about arrivals, departures, delays and cancellations. Users can even track their ride and locate the nearest transport junction. On the other hand, ride-sharing apps such as Uber andOla Cabs offer quick and convenient options for different budgets. Uber operates in over 20 Indian cities and is especially helpful for international travellers with an existing account. Together with its subsidiary company Taxi For Sure, Ola has a considerably bigger fleet of cabs and autos in more towns and cities. Unlike Uber, its app allows rides to be booked in advance to avoid last-minute hiccups and has a helpline number for real-time assistance.
