20 Apps to Optimise Your Life in London

Once you've arrived in London and set yourself up (have a look at my top 10 things to do when you arrive in London), start downloading some apps to make your life a bit easier.

The back of my husband's head is my main muse

Travel

1. Citymapper: my core public transport planner in London and most cities in Europe

2. Tfl Go: updates on tube serrvices; best used in conjunction with Citymapper

3. Santander cycle hire: shows you cycle hire and drop off locations around London. Each hire is £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes

4. Trainline: to search and book overground and intercity train journeys in the UK and Europe

5. Google maps: needs no explanation, but commutes aren’t as accurate as on Citymapper

6. Bolt: ride sharing that’s cheaper than Uber

7. Uber: when bolt isn’t available work

8. Freenow: when Uber and bolt aren’t work, or you need a London cab for any reason. Note that the meter fare is charged not what’s on the app

9. Reopen EU: travel requirements around Europe (if you’re still living in coronatimes)

10. TFL oyster: if you have a railcard and use and Oyster card, this app lets you top up easily

By the way, I'm all about budgeting well for travel - check out my post for my top tips

Food

1. Deliveroo

2. OpenTable: restaurant reservations

3. TooGoodToGo: for “magic bags” of food sourced from restaurants at the end of the day (a really cool initiative to reduce waste)

4. Olio: for person to person food sharing (another initiative to reduce waste)

Other

1. Your bank: Neobanking is amazing in the UK. My Monzo and revolut apps are easy to use and very informative

2. Your favourite grocery store: get on them loyalty cards

3. NHS app: for domestic and travel covid passes

4. TodayTix: for cheap rush and lottery theatre tickets

5. Royal Mail: for mail tracking

6. Snapfish: for 40 free prints per month (note that you still pay for shipping)