Technology has made travel much simpler in many ways, particularly through the use of apps. Today I wanted to share some of my favourite travel apps, and I’d love to hear yours as well! I’m focussing mainly on apps for while you’re on the road rather than planning ahead, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on those too!
Google Maps
This is a pretty obvious one, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a mention! Not only is it fantastic for getting directions and being able to search for things like the nearest supermarket, but it can be used offline as well. If you’re travelling places where you’re unlikely to have phone coverage you can download offline maps in advance and still be able to follow your little blue dot around. Seriously helpful stuff!
TripIt
TripIt works as a super simple way to set up your travel itinerary – all you have to do is forward your confirmations for flights, accomodation and anything else and it organises them for you in chronological order. The interface is super user-friendly and you can even share your itinerary with friends and family so they know where you are!
City Mapper
City Mapper is an incredibly handy app to help you get around a city, and it works in lots of cities across the world. Simply put in your location and destination and it will pull up all kinds of transport options – public transport, walking, cycling, ride share, you name it. Plus it shows the costs of each option so you can compare them, and even how many calories you would burn if you walked or cycled. The list of cities it works in is always growing, so if your destination isn’t there yet keep checking back.
XE Currency
I’m usually not too bad at getting in the swing of currency conversions when I travel, but some currencies I just never get my head around (I’m looking at your Hungarian Forint). This app is incredibly helpful for times like that because you can quite literally convert every world currency. It even works when you’re offline by using the most recent rates. It also has functions like historical currency rates and even the price of metals, but as a travel app its simplest functions are by far the most useful.
Google Translate
Google Translate is a seriously helpful tool. Not only can you type in words to get the translation but the camera function can even translate images and signs which is amazing for menus and street signs. It will even say the words for you if you’re really struggling to make yourself understood. You do need to download the languages in advance to use them offline, and it doesn’t have all the languages yet, but for the ones it does have it’s incredibly useful.
Weather Channel
I have a weather app I love for when I’m at home, but it’s Australian focussed so not much good to me once i board an overseas flight. Enter the Weather Channel app! Not only is it helpful to get a sense of the weather before I leave so I know what to pack, but obviously for day-to-day exploring plans as well.
Trip Advisor
This is another relatively obvious suggestion, but again for good reason. It’s such a useful tool for looking up ideas for sightseeing, restaurants, bars you name it. I always take the reviews with a grain of salt, but the photos and forums can be super handy. I like to use it to help research ideas for what to do when I get to a new place, as well looking for vegetarian friendly places to eat.
Time Out
The Time Out app has info on bars, restaurants, events and things to do in cities all over the world, so it’s an excellent tool to find fun activities no matter what you’re interested in. It’s especially great for things like concerts and other one-off events, and to find bars and restaurants outside of the touristy areas. It covers a seriously impressive range of cities too!
WhatsApp is my go-to app for keeping in touch with people while I’m travelling, as well as friends that live overseas. Not only does it work well for standard functions like texts and sending photos but you can make calls through it for free when you’re on wifi which makes it perfect for staying in touch with people back home.
Happy Cow
This app is really only for my fellow vegetarians, but it’s definitely one of my favourite travel apps! It’s an app that helps locate vegetarian and vegan friendly options in cities across the world. It covers everything from supermarkets to restaurants complete with reviews and ratings. I use it constantly when I’m travelling, particularly in countries where vegetarian food isn’t super easy to come by at all restaurants.
Kai | Cebu Tours
September 8, 2018 at 12:18 pm (6 years ago)Totally agree with your list of apps that are useful for every traveler. I especially love the google maps, trip advisor, XE Currency and Google Translate. These are the apps that are very helpful to me.