You Will Thank Me – 10 Travel Apps You Need To Know About
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You look at your calendar and realize the day is quickly arriving for your big international trip! Time to get packing!
Check your list to see if you’re forgetting anything:
- Passport? ✔
- Boarding Pass? ✔
- Capsule wardrobe appropriate for your destination? ✔
- Portable Charger? ✔
But what about your phone? Have you got all the apps you need to make your trip hassle-free? Aren’t sure just which travel apps you’ll need to make your overseas vacation less stressful, and more enjoyable?
Sit back and relax, because I’ve got you covered. These 10 travel apps worth downloading are my most used and loved travel apps. They have made the last few years of being a world traveler so much easier. From translators to maps to making sure you catch your plane on time, I’ve got an app for every travel need you might have!
10 Best Free Travel Apps for Travelers
Google Translate
I’m giving the number one spot to my number one favorite travel app. You may recall that I’ve mentioned Google Translate before (here, here), and while it may seem to bring it up again is overkill, I will have to respectfully disagree. Google Translate is one of the best travel apps on the market when it comes to traveling abroad.
Just like all travel apps, Google Translate has its own advantages and disadvantages. In the plus column, using the conversation feature is super user-friendly. You first choose which languages you and the other person are speaking in, and then you take turns speaking into the microphone. Google will translate each person as you go, and this makes ordering in restaurants or speaking to sales clerks so much easier!
In the minus column, Google Translate isn’t very accurate when using the camera feature. You are supposed to be able to hold the camera up to a picture or sign with foreign writing on it, and it will translate the entire picture into your native tongue right before your very eyes. This is very hit or miss. I find it doesn’t work very often, but the wrong translations can wind up being hilarious!
You can download over 50 languages so the app will still work even when you’re offline. This is especially handy if you like to wander outside of crowded touristy areas since wi-fi can be hard to find in remote places.
Download this travel app on Apple or Andriod or Google Play.
Airbnb
I started using Airbnb about a year and a half ago, and once I started I never looked back! Having more space to stretch out with private bedrooms for our family has made traveling with the teens much more enjoyable.
The Airbnb app is very well designed. You can use the app to message with your host, which is especially useful when you first arrive in your new city and may need better directions or instructions to access the house. You can use the map to book on the go or to pinpoint a house for rent in a specific neighborhood. I like that you can filter houses by price and number of people sharing the house. This makes finding the perfect house for you a breeze!
If you want to try Airbnb yourself you can use my code to save $25 on your first booking!
Download this travel app on Apple or GooglePlay.
FlightAware
FlightAware is a terrific app for keeping up with your flights in real-time. You can monitor flight arrivals and departures. You can even see when a plane is taxiing in. My favorite feature is you can see what planes are flying overhead wherever you are in the world! This app is super useful when you’re worried about catching a connecting flight or for planning a pickup for your arrival.
Download this travel app on Apple and Android.
TripCase
I only recently discovered this app on my trip to Seoul, and it has quickly become one of my most favorite travel apps ever.
With this app, you can keep all of your trip details – from flights, hotels, airport maps, and itineraries – all in one place! No more scrolling through your emails to find the confirmation number! Hooray!
And speaking of emails – you can forward your confirmation emails to trips@tripcase.com and they will input your trip information for you into the app – saving you time! They also offer auto-import if you book through one of their affiliates. TripCase has thought of everything to save you time!
I like that you can keep others updated on your trip- all you need is their email address. When you share your itinerary with someone, TripCase will automatically keep them updated on your trip, so you don’t have to.
To download this travel app on Apple or Android.
It goes without saying for someone like me who has a travel blog, Instagram is a very valuable tool for my business. But, I think Instagram is a valuable tool for anyone who is taking a vacation.
Use Instagram as a guide to finding unique places on your next trip. For instance, just by using #Saipan I came across this historical location that wasn’t listed in any guidebook for tourists about Saipan. I clicked on the geotag map located under the hashtag and was able to have a map lead me right to the exact location. Easy peasy!
Instagram is also great for discovering the best restaurants that only locals know about, as well as seeing what others are wearing to gauge what the weather is actually like. Want to know what the weather in Seattle is going to be like when you land this afternoon? Search #Seattle and you will find hundreds of up to the minute posts from Seattle that will help you with your last-minute packing.
Download this travel app at Apple or Android or Microsoft.
Maps.me
Yes, Google Maps will work in most cities. But not all. When we discovered that Google Maps didn’t cover Seoul, we discovered Maps. me, and there is just no comparison. Maps.me is the clear winner. Did someone say “travel apps with offline maps”? Coming up!
This nifty little app not only covers basically anywhere you want to go, but you can download the maps and use them offline. This app and a fully charged portable cell battery are all I need to feel confident navigating any new city in the world. Maps.me uses a special data compression method to keep the file size low for the offline maps. Offline maps that don’t eat up your data? Sign me up!
You can download this travel app at Apple and Andriod.
Trail Wallet
Built by full-time travel bloggers, Never Ending Voyage, this smart app makes keeping your travel budget in check a cinch!
I’ve tried lots of travel expense apps, but this is the only one I recommend. Trail wallet has a beautiful interface that is fast, easy to use, and takes the headache out of keeping up with receipts and managing expense spreadsheets.
My two favorite features of Travel Wallet are the daily budget feature, which helps to see exactly how much you have left to spend each day, and that you can add amounts in either your home currency or choose from over 218 local currencies.
You can download this travel app at Apple.
XE Currency
Ever wonder if you’re getting ripped off when you’re trying to figure out how much something costs in a foreign currency? XE Currency takes the stress out of currency conversion with live exchange rates for over 180 foreign currencies and has a mobile currency calculator!
Download this travel app at Apple or Andriod.
When it comes to which travel apps you need to have not just for travel, but for life in general, Whatsapp comes in at the top of that list.
Even though I technically live in the United States (US Commonwealth to be exact), I am still geographically located in Asia. This means I can’t get texts messages from back home or use FaceTime. How do I get around that problem? WhatsApp!
I’ve used WhatsApp for years now. My family and friends prefer to use the walkie-talkie function, and it’s great for texting/sending pictures/video. The video call is always clear (depending on the strength of the local wi-fi), and the phone call feature has never given me any issue.
I use WhatsApp almost exclusively for all my communication with friends and family, and I find it to be very easy to use overseas as long as I have a wi-fi connection. You can even send a map of your exact location to your contacts so your mom can stop worrying so much. (Hi, mom!)
Download this travel app at Apple or Andriod.
Nord VPN
There’s nothing worse than finally getting a chance to unwind after a long day of sightseeing, only to find out YouTube or Facebook has been blocked in the country you’re in! To get around this problem you will need to use a VPN or a virtual private network.
Nord VPN is my favorite VPN service. Thanks to its thousands of servers across the globe you will never have to miss the latest episode of your favorite show or wait a week to see the newest cat video. I also highly recommend you use a VPN when you are using your data in public to keep your browsing more secure.
Now through October 1, 2018, you can purchase NordVPN for only $2.75/ month! That’s three years of online security for only $99! (Want 20% back on your NORD VPN subscription? Install Ebates for automatic rebates on your online purchases! Yes, I want to save 20%!)
Download this travel app at iOS or Andriod
Everyone needs these top 10 travel apps when they are traveling abroad or just to the next city! These apps will make your trip less stressful, more organized, and in the end, that means you will enjoy your trip more. Now doesn’t the promise of a relaxing time make these travel apps worth downloading?
Is there a travel app you love that I left off the list? Let me know in the comments!
I will be taking the next two weeks off to prepare for my month-long trip to America. No need to worry if you notice I’m a little less content heavy the rest of this month, I’m just busy packing my bags and shopping for presents for my nephew and best friends.
While I’m back home in Tennessee, I’ll be eating BBQ and shopping at Target as much as possible. You can expect some fun picture heavy posts from our trip to South Korea for the month of September. Sorry, I won’t have a lot to say, but spending time with my family and friends back home only happens once a year, and I plan on getting every second I possibly can with the people I love.
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