After much experimentation, I’ve finally settled on my top necessary apps that I always have with me on my smartphone when I travel. Depending on your destination, these may change, but some (like budgeting, planning, etc), will be great, no matter where you go!
- Trail Wallet
- when you change currencies quickly, or when you’ve first arrived to a new currency, sometimes it’s tricky to know exactly what you’re spending. With this app, you can set a daily limit in your home currency, and then enter in expenses in whichever currency you are operating in. Currency exchanges rates are calculated whenever you are connected to wifi.
- you can also add various categories for your expenses, and then use it as a helpful future trip budget.
- instant feedback from the app tells you exactly how you are doing based on your daily budget.
- Google Translate
- make sure you upload your needed languages prior to leaving a wifi zone
- instant translations when pointed at text (handy for metros, road signs, etc)
- type in a few words or a phrase and get a translation on the screen, or read to you (or the person you are trying to communicate with).
- if connected to wifi, you can have a real-time, instantly translated, and then read outloud in the translated-to language (speak to a Russian speaker through the app in English, it will read out the speech in Russian, and vice versa)
- Shutterfly
- even with my backup storage, I prefer to also store my photos and videos to an internet-based storage area. The app makes the transfer seamless
- SitOrSquat
- Just in case the title isn’t clear, this is a bathroom finder. Ever find yourself in a strange city, out exploring, and then realize you have the need, but have nowhere to go?
- Ever crave a luxurious Western Style Toilet? This app tells you where to find the clean, and free ones!
- Help make this great! Once you’ve used a facility, or have found a new one, update it with cleanliness, expense, style, etc. Help the next poor traveller; we’re all in this together!
- Pocket Guide Audio Travel Guide
- though there are free guides, and many incentives (buy one, get two free, etc), there are just as many paid guides. However, this is an excellent app providing amazing walking tours of the city. It shows you your route, stops you with an audio recording when you arrive at an important monument/statue, etc, and then makes suggestions based on where you are in the city. If you can’t find yourself a local walking tour at a time that works for you, this is the next best thing. And you’d give those guides a small tip, so a few dollars (1-3 USD per city map) for a tour is at least as inexpensive as the local guides are.
- Skype
- or whatever your preferred method of back-home communication is
- Tripit: Trip Planner
- a one-stop place to store all your reservations, tickets, confirmation codes, rail/bus journeys….anything that you receive an email from detailing your reservation, can be put into tripit.
- emailed reminders about important events/tickets/reservations
- I’ve found the free version great, but a paid version is available with some extra benefits (like searching for alternative flights)
- DB Navigator
- especially vital for anyone traveling within the EU, plus several additional countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, the Balkan countries)
- search schedules for trains to and from most cities or towns.
- purchase tickets directly in the app for trains that make transfers in Germany or Austria
- Trip Advisor App/Yelp/Foursquare
- any app that can show you some sights to see, local restaurant recommendations, or places to stay
- just remember that this list is not inclusive, and it may not be fool-proof (who knows how many paid positive reviews appear, or how many negatives are taken down?)
- Home Banking App
- With online billing/bill payments, and wifi in most countries and cities, this is not an essential app. However, I enjoy the security of having the app on my phone (instead of trying to do banking in an internet cafe – yes, they do still exist…), and it’s nice to be able to check and make sure things are still going well with your overall finances
Honorable Mentions: Though the following are not necessarily essential for ongoing travel, they can help in the planning process, or are necessary for various electronics you may carry.
- Hopper – airfare preditions
- type in most destinations and you’ll get advice on when to purchase the cheapest tickets
- Google Drive
- free online storage – picture uploading or important online document storage (yes, you should do this. And here are few other things you should do, and why‘.)
- 3M Cloud Library
- access your home-country library online – borrow books for e-readers
- HERE Maps
- I prefer the city tour maps above, but this is very similar – but without the tour – for those that simply like to plot their own travel courses and be able to navigate back to their hotel
- Pocket
- Save articles, stories, news, videos while on wifi, and watch/read anywhere
- Travel Phrasebooks – available for most languages
- Buddify/Relax
- Sometimes I am just too wired and excited to sleep after a long day adventuring. These amazing apps provided guided meditation and calming stretches, and you can track your progress as well
- Speedometer
- Ok, I’m weird. I like to be able to randomly know how fast my transportation is going, and then I like to calculate our arrival time and distance…(wow…are you still with me?). When I’m on a bus, in a car, on a train or ferry. This app tells me how many kilometres/miles per hour we are travelling.
Keep in mind that sometimes, you don’t need all your regular ‘at home’ apps. But sometimes, it is important to keep them. I was recently in Cuba, and before I left, I deleted several apps from my phone, getting some space for pictures and video. One was Facebook. I figured I could always access it via an internet browser.
Within a few days, I was craving some Facebook news and I tried to redownload the app. Surprise! Can’t download the Facebook app in Cuba. (99% of my trip was perfect. Find out more about why you should go there NOW here).
Know that not everywhere has the same flexibility and accessibility as we do in first world countries, and you may regret your self-imposed detox (though nothing lasts forever!).
There you have it! My best thoughts on the most important apps you can travel with.
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