These are the apps that I use almost every day when I travel and when I’m around, you maybe already know them, others you can download through the links that I leave you, they are all free!
They will allow you to organize your adventure as an independent traveler from the departure till you get back home, booking airline tickets and accommodations. They can be useful to find the way to your destinations and give you an idea of what to do during the day!
The 10 best travel apps, with their main features and some tips on how to use them!
MAPS.ME
This is the app that I open the most during the day of exploration.
It’s an offline map that works without being connected to Internet, you only need the GPS of your smartphone to find the right direction, you just have to download the maps of the countries that you wanna visit.
There are many hotels and guest houses, restaurants, bars, shops, hospitals and pharmacies, banks and atms, gas stations, museums and tourist attractions that you can find via the search button directly in the App. There is the useful option to find a free Wifi in the area where you are , still using the “search” button.
There is an interesting pin backup system, saved on the Web!
You can estimate the distances and approximate travel times by setting the starting point, the arrival point and what kind of transport you will use. It is possible in some countries to book a private car as the App is connected to Uber services.
SKYSCANNER
Another essential App is Skyscanner, a powerful search engine to find cheap flight tickets, comparing many offers of many airlines fares the App will list the prices and departure times that you can then filter according to your needs.
I find particularly useful the possibility of setting the destination on “everywhere” and to understand where it costs less to fly on the dates that you like.
AGODA
Once you have decided how to get to your destination you will have to find where to stay.
Over the years I’ve tried to compare similar Apps, for now I have found good prices using Agoda for hotels, hostels and guest houses booking.
Use the filters: based on what you want to spend, which area of the city you want to stay and the customers ratings who have already stayed in the room you are going to select. Always remember to take a look at the comments before deciding to book, to get a general idea of the place based on who has already visited there.
I tried Agoda in Asia, I don’t know how it works in the rest of the world. To be sure to find the best solution that suits you is better to compare also other solutions on other Apps: Airbnb, Booking.com, etc …
COUCHSURFING
An App that will allow you to interact with the people of the country you are visiting with a multicultural experience!
You can request a place to stay for free for a night or a few days (do not overdo!), but the most interesting thing is the opportunity to meet some locals for a dinner, for a coffee or just a walk and learn something more about their culture and how they see things from a different point of view than ours.
With the “Hangout” feature you can see who is connected around you and decide whether to meet them, there are always interesting travelers and locals with whom to chat or organize some activities.
You can also join some events organized by the other couch-surfers, such as cultural and linguistic exchanges.
XE CURRENCY
It’s important to have an idea of what you are spending, trying to keep an eye on your travel expenses! With this currency calculator, which I consider one of the most essential Apps to use during a trip, it’s easy to understand how much it costs, in your local currency, what you’re buying in a foreigner currency.
Very useful when you need to exchange your money, always check the exchange rate through this app.
There are many other similar Apps, this is my favorite.
GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Essential, even if I don’t use it very often, Google Translate! I prefer to make myself understood by the locals using the few words I know of the country’s spoken language or simply by using gestures, but I do not deny that this App is super useful and that I have used it in different situations.
You can translate sentences into practically any language by writing using the keyboard, by hand on the screen of your smartphone or by using voice messages. One of the most interesting options gives the opportunity to take a picture of any writings and translate it directly from the image, it works quite well!
I noticed that Google Translate works better with translations from English to the local language or vice versa, so set one of the two languages to English and the other to the local one.
UBER
An app that will attract the hate of taxi drivers … Uber! A perfect way for getting around the city: safe, cheap and (almost) scams free.
In some countries there is also the Uber Moto version, where the driver comes to pick you up with his two-wheeled vehicle!
Now it also has a food delivery service.
If you are in Southeast Asia Grab works much better than Uber!
SNAPSEED
If you take pictures with your phone and want to have a photo-editing program this powerful App, which I use daily, is the one for you.
There are many options that allow you to adjust the image cut, the lights and shadows, the contrasts, correct the perspectives and all that you need to get a quality picture directly on your phone!
To get an idea of what you can get with this app, check out my Instagram account: @lucadeluchis
GOOGLE KEEP
This is an excellent App that will allow you to keep your thoughts or take notes by writing annotations, you can use the keyboard, drawing directly on your smartphone using your finger (but better a suitable pen) or record voice messages.
You can add images, share notes, add “collaborators” and everything is saved on your Google webspace.
ADOBE READER
The printed books is undoubtedly much more practical and you get less tired reading a paper version of your novel or essay, but if you do not have too much space in your backpack and you want to continue reading what your favorite writer wrote for you or if you have documents in Pdf version Adobe Reader is an app that you must download!
