Best travel apps to have with you when abroad

Travel has changed dramatically over the course of just a few decades. The impact of low-cost flying, ease of booking accommodations, globalization, social media, travel blogs, digital cameras, and equipment has radically altered the ways in which we visit foreign places.

Nowhere is this more true than with ubiquitous smartphones, which provide an undeniable advantage when we consider the domain of travel. Their influence can be seen, especially when we are deprived of them. When we are abroad and our phone battery dies or there is no coverage, we regress back to the days when travel was actually difficult, dangerous, and unknown.

With smartphones, we eliminated things such as heavy guides, giant paper maps, and the synching of our watches to new time zones. They clearly provide much more: weather widgets allowing us to plan our visits, currency converters, and god-given real-time translator apps that allow us to understand symbols and speech that are completely alien to us.

The “mandatory” apps and widgets whicthat need are these:

But there are a slew of other apps aimed at travel and tourism that enhance the experience and help us in the organization and general exploration of a foreign place. Apps for booking hotels and flights, ridesharing, mobile payments, note-taking, and journaling, as well as all the social media apps where we can share our experiences with others.

Below is a list of some of the most useful apps to always have on your phone while traveling. Sooner or later, you will need or enjoy having installed them.

Skyscanner allows users to compare travel costs and book flights, hotels, and rental cars. The app also provides travelers with exclusive deals and access to discounts on flights and accommodations. Skyscanner is free to use and easy to access from any device. The website and app also have an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making them an ideal choice for anyone looking to plan a trip. Skyscanner also includes helpful features such as price alerts, flexible date searches, and destination insights.

Hopper is a mobile application designed to help users book flights, hotels, and car rentals at the lowest possible prices. Its algorithms will compare the costs of thousands of airlines and hotels and suggest the cheapest options. Additionally, users will be alerted when any ticket or accommodation prices drop, enabling them to purchase at the best prices available. The app also allows for the direct booking of flights, and hotel and car rental reservations.

Kiwi is an app and website for booking flights worldwide. It allows users to compare flights from over 600 of the world’s major airlines in order to find the best prices and deals. The platform provides a range of tools for searching and booking, including the ‘Flexible Dates’ feature, which allows users to search flights for days around their desired date, as well as the ‘Nearby Airports’ and ‘Price Calendar’ tools, which allow users to explore different options and find the most economical flights. Furthermore, Kiwi also includes a 24/7 personal travel advisor service, allowing travelers to plan their trips with guaranteed customer service and assistance.

TripIt is an app created to help travelers stay organized while traveling. It provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use interface for users to keep airline, hotel, and car rental reservations organized, as well as tickets, documents, and other details associated with their trips. It also offers features such as real-time flight updates and the ability to share trip plans with others. TripIt helps users “get there” with less stress and fewer hassles.

Wanderlog is an app and website that allows users to keep track of and share their travel stories. Through a user-friendly interface, users can easily record and plan trips, keeping notes, copies of tickets, and photos in the same place. Wanderlog also provides features such as activity tracking and currency conversion and tracks expenses to help users save money. Finally, users can share their stories on social media and interact with their followers to build a community of like-minded travelers.

CheckMyTrip is an online travel app that allows users to manage and access all their travel information in one place quickly and easily. It allows users to access real-time information about their ticket, hotel, and rental car reservations, view flight statuses, get airport updates, receive travel notifications, and more. It is available on iOS and Android devices.

It’s always a good idea to have multiple hotel booking apps installed. This way, you can find better deals and sometimes actually find accommodation when the destinations are extremely popular at certain moments and the different companies always have a number of rooms dedicated to them.

Airbnb is a popular online platform that enables people to rent out their homes as short-term lodging for guests. It also offers experiences tailored to the guests’ interests. Guests can book short-term stays in hundreds of thousands of properties around the world, and Airbnb’s large selection of unique homes, locations, and experiences allows guests to find something that suits their needs. Airbnb also offers helpful services such as reviews, customer service, and 24/7 support.

Hostelworld provides users with the ability to search and book over 36,000 hostels from all over the world. It has an interactive map that allows users to easily find nearby hostels, read reviews, browse photos, compare prices, and book their accommodations. The app provides access to a wide range of filter options, such as type of accommodation, type of traveler, and whether the hostel is pet-friendly or not. It also offers a discount club, discounts on group bookings, and a rewards program. Hostelworld makes it easy to find and book the perfect accommodations for any budget or itinerary.

Agoda is an online travel agency and hotel booking app and website that specializes in rooms and discounted rates at over 1 million hotels and homes around the world. It provides features such as special deals, rewards points with each booking, and flexible payment options, making it easier to find and book the perfect accommodation for any budget or destination.

Expedia is an app and website for booking travel experiences such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages. It provides users with access to fare data and air ticket prices. The app also gives users access to detailed information about hotels, including reviews, photos, and maps. Expedia helps travelers find the best travel deals, track their flight status, and connect with other travelers. Additionally, users can use Expedia to compare flights and hotels, book rental cars, and reserve special packages all in one place.

Booking.com is an online travel and hospitality service that allows users to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and other services from anywhere in the world. The site provides detailed information on a range of travel products and services, as well as easy-to-use booking tools. Users can access their virtual travel assistant to create a customized booking experience and get personalized recommendations. Booking.com also promises the best deals and a wide selection of properties. All bookings are securely processed and customer service is available 24/7.

Tripadvisor is an online travel platform that offers user-generated reviews of hotels, restaurants, and experiences. It helps travelers plan and book their trips by providing unbiased advice from millions of users and a variety of resources, including worth-reading reviews, detailed descriptions of the destinations, and highly ranked services. Tripadvisor also offers smart search and booking tools to ensure seamless travel planning.

Google Maps is the most popular and arguably best mapping software on the planet but Maps.me allows for offline navigation. It lets users access detailed maps of over 150 countries, navigate between locations, and access custom routes and guides. It can be used to search for points of interest, making it useful for travelers and commuters alike. Maps.me also features reviews of places and attractions, 3D buildings, and real-time GPS navigation.

Timeshifter is a sleep optimization app designed by sleep specialists and astronauts to help travelers adjust their body clocks to different times and locations. It provides personalized jet lag plans, suggests optimum sleep windows, and provides personalized alerts to help people stay on schedule. The app also includes tips and tools to help people adopt healthier sleep habits and improve their overall sleep quality.

must-have app. Google Translate is a free language translation service developed by Google that can instantly translate text, web pages, speech, and images between multiple languages. The service can translate words, phrases, and texts between over 100 languages and includes features like audio pronunciation, language detection, and camera translation. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and can be used for communication, travel, business, and other professional purposes.

The first majorly successful ridesharing service is Uber, but depending on the country, certain ridesharing companies are more successful than others, so it is always good to have some alternatives ready.

Uber is a mobile app and website that lets customers request a ride from a nearby driver. Customers enter their destination when ordering, and can pick from a variety of ride options, including luxury vehicles. They can track the driver’s progress, get an estimated time of arrival, and even pay directly through the app. With Uber, customers can ride with a licensed, insured driver while avoiding the hassle of waiting in line for a taxi or private ride.

Lyft is a ridesharing platform that provides people with a fast, reliable, and affordable way to get around. The app and website let people book a ride with just a few clicks and provide detailed information about the driver, the route, and the cost. Riders can also share their experiences of the ride with friends and family, as well as get access to special discounts and services.

In several countries in Southeast Asia, the major ridesharing (and food delivery) service is Grab, which allows users to book rides with a network of certified drivers. Through the app, users can request a ride, track the car’s location and payment, and even pay with cash or credit card. The app also allows users to choose from a wide variety of transportation options, including private cars, taxis, and GrabExpress. The website provides updates on routes and fares, jobs, and more.

1 Second Everyday is an app that encourages users to record a short video each day to create a video diary of their lives. Users can select snippets of video from the past and present to create their own personal time-lapse story. This app has multiple features like video trimming, custom length compilations, and audio overlays that help users capture their everyday moments. This app helps create beautiful and lasting memories. After a couple of weeks of use, replaying the collage of past moments is a joy to look at and share with others.

been is a simple app where you enter the countries or cities you have visited or lived in. It then gives you a neat visualization of the globe and statistics, as well as gamified achievements so you can brag about how much of the world you have seen. Users can sign in so the map is updated automatically and synched across multiple devices.

Polarsteps helps travelers easily track and share their trips. It allows users to take photos, add notes, and track locations as they move around to create a visual record of their journey. It also allows travelers to share their trips with friends, family, and even the world, by creating interactive maps and stories of their travels. With its easy-to-use interface, Polarsteps is a great way for people to ‘leave their mark’ and create unique memories that will last a lifetime.

A journaling app is great to jot down some notes of all the new things that you see and experience during your travels. On top of that, a cloud backup service is also necessary, as losing your photos and memories of great visits is really depressing.

Dropbox is an online storage platform that allows users to store, share, and synchronize files across different devices and platforms. With its web, desktop, and mobile apps, Dropbox allows users to access files anywhere, anytime, from any device. Dropbox offers users the ability to share files with other users as well as collaborate on documents with shared folders, view, edit, and comment on Office files and photos, and store files in secure and organized folders.

Day One is an app and website that helps users keep a journal of their lives. Through a simple interface, users can easily capture their thoughts, memories, and moments with text, audio, photos, videos, and drawings. The app and website offer guided journal prompts, built-in search for easy tracking, and powerful visual analytics to track growth, explore insights, and look for connections. It also contains password protection to keep entries private. With DayOne, users can easily stay connected to themselves over the course of their lives.

Evernote is a powerful app and website that enables users to capture, store, and sync notes, ideas, and visuals. It allows users to organize and access their projects, ideas, notes, and more, across all their devices. Features include the ability to take notes in various formats, clip webpages and images, turn conversations and ideas into action plans, collaborate with friends or colleagues, and research and store resources. Evernote’s synchronized storage helps keep notes in sync across all devices, making it easy to access and use when needed.

Being in foreign countries almost always means different currencies to deal with so having a currency converter app as well as a means to receive or withdraw money without large bank fees is extremely useful.

Revolut is an app and a financial services company that allows users to spend, send, and receive money without any fees. It also provides banking solutions such as budgeting, payments, and customer support. It has a built-in budgeting feature that allows users to track their spending and set monthly targets. The app offers a multi-currency account where users can manage multiple currencies with no international money transfer fees. Additionally, customers can use the app to send and receive money securely with no added commission fees.

XE Currency is an app that provides live international currency exchange rates. It includes a currency converter with live rates, historical charts, market analysis, and a currency calculator. It also features a currency encyclopedia with information about over 190 currencies, 24-hour bank rate updates, along with stock market and cryptocurrency information. XE Currency is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Wise (formerly TransferWise) is an international money transfer company that allows customers to make quick and easy money transfers. It is known for being very transparent and efficient by working with local and mid-market banks in each country where it operates. It provides customers with an estimated cost and an estimated time for their transfers. Wise even allows customers to choose from different transfer methods and currencies. The app and website provide customers with a safe and secure environment to make international transfers.

12Go.asia is the most popular and rich provider of all things tickets in Asia. It is an online travel booking platform designed to make trip planning easier for travelers. The website and app provide a wide range of services, from transportation (planes, buses, trains, ferries, etc.) to activities and tours to local attractions. All available routes and services are clearly displayed on the easy-to-use interface, which allows travelers to easily book their desired trips with the click of a button.

Tiqets is a mobile ticketing app that allows users to purchase tickets for events and attractions with complete ease. With the app, users can find a variety of ticketing options, from top attractions to individual sellers, buy tickets online with a few taps, and check out without leaving the app or website. The app also supports multiple payment gateways, ensures secure checks to prevent fraud, and tracks ticket sales across multiple venues. Tiqets also keeps up with trends and offers users personalized deals and promotions.

GetYourGuide is a travel and trip-planning app that helps users plan their trips with ease. The app provides helpful information, tips, and discounts for users to plan and book their trips, including finding activities, attractions, and tours tailored to their specific needs. By connecting users to local service providers, GetYourGuide helps travelers get the most out of their vacation budget. The app also provides reviews and ratings of activities and destinations, as well as booking and payment options.