You can make your next in-town vacation a success with apps that help your staycation ideas come to life. There are apps out there to find deals at restaurants, keep kids occupied, and make sure you don’t miss any fun local events.
So, keep reading to find apps to help you save you money, find fun things to do, and more during your staycation.
1. Find the Best Local Dining & Activity Deals With Groupon
When it comes to saving money on your staycation ideas, it’s hard to beat the Groupon app for iOS and Android. In the Groupon app, you can buy vouchers for a variety of products and services at a reduced price.
Groupon typically has a wide selection of restaurants on any given day that are selling vouchers for discounted meals.
But the app can also help you find staycation ideas by suggesting local activities like playing paintball or going go-karting.
Fortunately, getting started on Groupon is easy:
- Sign up for a free account with your name, email address, and a password
- Enter specific details about yourself, including what kinds of deals you’re looking for and what types of food you’d like to eat
- Choose the deal that you want, and buy the voucher
After you purchase a voucher, redeem it at the activity location or restaurant by entering its PIN code. If you have access to a printer you can print out your voucher and bring it with you.
Groupon also has a section with coupons and promo codes that you can use to save money without a voucher.
2. Find Fun, Local Things To Do With Eventbrite
Find fun activities for the whole family with the free Eventbrite app for iOS and Android devices.
You can use the Eventbrite app to:
- See a list of events that are happening close by
- Register for and get tickets to events with the app, no paper tickets needed
- Learn the details of the events you’re going to, including directions on how to get there
If you’re staying near friends or family, you can use the Eventbrite app to share your staycation ideas.
You can also store your payment information on the app to make buying tickets extra fast and easy.
3. Enjoy Meals Wherever You Are With Grubhub
After a long day exploring your staycation ideas to the fullest, you may not be in the mood to cook or go out for dinner. So, if you’re tired after a packed day of activities, turn to the free Grubhub app for iOS and Android.
Grubhub offers food from a wide variety of local restaurants that you can have delivered to you, even if you’re staying at a hotel, Airbnb, or resort.
Start by typing in the address of where you’re staying, and Grubhub will let you know the restaurants that deliver to your area.
After choosing your restaurant, checking out the menu, and ordering your meals all through the Grubhub app, use the app to:
- Track your order and get updates on when it will be delivered
- Save your order history, so you can quickly reorder previous meals
- Pay for your food
You can also place your order anywhere from two hours to four days ahead of time with the preorder function, so you can fulfill all of your staycation ideas without skipping a meal.
The Grubhub app accepts a number of payment options including virtual wallets or cash. Also it’s easy to place multiple orders from numerous restaurants.
And if you find yourself in an area where Grubhub doesn’t deliver, you can always schedule deliveries a day in advance using the Taskrabbit app instead.
4. Help Keep Your Kids Entertained With the Meetup App
If you’re staycationing with kids, it can be challenging to find something for them to do, especially when they’ve already exhausted all of the fun from their learning apps. The free Meetup app is a useful way to schedule playdates for your kids so your staycation ideas can stay on track.
After you download the Meetup app, join the Playdate Groups section of the app, and then use the app to:
- Search for local playdates to find what’s available near you
- Use direct messaging to communicate with other parents to confirm the details of the playdate
- Create your own playdate group that other local parents can join
You can stay in touch with the other playgroup parents by sending instant messages through the Meetup app. Or, you can use the app to share your staycation ideas with other parents or ask for theirs.
Apps Help Elevate Your Staycation to the Next Level
After you’ve put the time in researching and coming up with fun staycation ideas for the whole family, you’re now ready to turn to these free apps so you can make the time spent with your loved ones even more fun and memorable.
