Built as a personal travel tool, shaped by real trips and everyday spending decisions.
When2Spend was created to make it easier to understand what things really cost when you are travelling, without constantly doing exchange-rate maths in your head.
Why I built When2Spend
When travelling, whether shopping, having a drink or eating out, I often find myself wondering how prices compare to home — is this cheaper, expensive, or roughly the same?
I built this app as a quick way to help me visualise prices in different currencies. I also added tools such as the scan option, so you can look at a menu or receipt and quickly convert the prices — helping you decide whether something feels like a bargain compared with home or more of an expensive treat.
Part of Travel Tools & Tips
When2Spend is one of several small tools and apps I have created as part of the Travel Tools & Tips project.
The wider project focuses on simple, practical tools for travellers — apps that help with planning, comparisons, international trips and everyday decisions while away from home.
Most of the apps I build come from real situations where a small utility tool could make travel a little easier, clearer or less stressful.
Professional background
My day job is working in product design and digital product development.
I work as Head of Product Design at BroadShield, a UK-based company focused on workforce development software.
My professional work involves user experience, product strategy, interface design and helping build practical software used by organisations and teams.
Building projects like When2Spend outside of work gives me a way to experiment with ideas, get back to basics and stay hands-on with product creation by building small focused tools from start to finish.
When2Spend and the other apps on Travel Tools & Tips are personal side projects created independently in my own time. They are not products of BroadShield, and BroadShield is not responsible for the content, tools or services published on this website.
Free to download apps with practical uses
The When2Spend app was built as a small personal side project in my own free time, to solve a simple everyday travel problem.
In my professional work, there are dedicated teams covering areas such as IT and infrastructure, whereas the purpose of this project is for me to get back to basics and learn by personally handling every step myself, at my own pace and without commercial pressure.
I often compare building apps to Lego for grown-ups. I enjoy creating practical tools, experimenting with ideas and continuing to learn, so I genuinely welcome feedback — both good and bad — to help the app evolve and improve over time.
My goal is not to build a commercial platform or software company, which is why I plan to keep free versions of my apps available to download. Some parts of the website or app may include adverts, but this is mainly to help cover costs such as hosting, development and app store fees.
That same philosophy shapes the wider Travel Tools & Tips project — creating practical travel and utility tools that are simple, fast and easy to use without unnecessary complexity.
My aim with this project is to build useful tools, keep learning and receive positive feedback or good App Store reviews from people who find my apps genuinely useful.