Travel involves a lot of planning! From flights, hotels, taxis, to activities, there’s a lot to get in order. That’s why in this article we’ll cover the best travel apps for making your trip planning fast, easy, and enjoyable!
Now, we find that a lot of people know about some of these apps, but the majority of people are not using all of the features of these apps. So, we’ll also share some tips on how to get the most out of these app’s features when you travel.
Google Maps
The first app is a must, and you probably have it on your phone right now! That app is Google Maps.
Google maps is one of the best travel apps because it’s versatile and allows you to navigate to your destination by foot, car, or with public transportation. Its public transportation directions are so accurate, you will almost feel like a local even though you are a complete stranger.
One feature that people rarely use however is the saved locations feature. Before I go on a trip, I will input every sight and restaurant that I’m interested in going to into Google Maps. I will even put a note to remind myself of when and why I wanted to go there because sometimes I forget these details. This saved feature is so helpful for staying organized and to remind exactly what you wanted to do. Want to see the full tutorial? Check out the full video below!
When I save all the destinations ahead of time like this, it makes it so easy to get go to the next stop with just a few clicks. I highly recommend storing your whole itinerary in Google maps because it’s a huge time saver and is much easier than checking your itinerary in multiple places.
Rome2rio
Another navigation app that I love is Rome2rio. Rome2rio is great at giving each possible transportation option for traveling between cities or between countries. Just put in your starting and ending city and Rome2rio will show you each mode of transportation including by car, train, bus, ferry, or airplane.
Rome2rio will also show you the estimated time it will take to travel each different mode of transportation and the cost. Having this information makes it easier to decide whether you want to take the cheapest mode of transportation, the most scenic, or the fastest.
Google Translate
When you are traveling internationally the language barrier will sometimes be a problem, but Google Translate can really help you when communication is breaking down. It’s one of the best travel apps because you can just speak into the app and Google Translate can translate it into over 100 languages.
The camera feature is also essential for reading signs and food packages. We use the camera feature often to read how to heat up food while we are abroad.
Ling App
If you really want to dive into the culture and actually want to learn the local language, we highly recommend Ling App. This app is amazing with over 60 languages available. I’m using it right now for Thai and I love how it trains you to improve your speaking and challenges you to write the Thai alphabet perfectly.
We’re thinking of going to Croatia next and this app even has Croatian. There are not many apps that have both Thai and Croatia, so I look forward to changing languages whenever I change countries because when you learn the local language it really opens you up to understand local culture even more.
If you are interested in trying Ling App for yourself, you can try a 7-day free trial here! Ling App is sure to revolutionize the way you learn a language!
Grab
You probably already know about Uber and Lyft as popular ride-sharing apps, but if you are coming to Asia you definitely want to download Grab. Grab is one of the best travel apps for getting around South East Asia in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Grab makes it easy to get safe and affordable transportation when you travel. Grab also gives you an estimate on how much a fare should cost, so we regularly use the fare estimate feature as a guide to negotiate better flat-rate prices with non-Grab affiliated taxi drivers. Of course, using the meter is best, but if you ever need to negotiate a flat rate, the Grab app will help immensely. Taxis are always going to cost a bit more than Grab but at least you will know better than to pay double and triple the rate.
Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor is so useful for finding the top things to do in any city, and their reviews make it easier to decide which sights, restaurants, and tours will be best for you. With Trip Advisor, it’s easy to save and organize your full itinerary. Although I really like this feature, I still save everything in Google Maps so it’s easier to navigate to these sights when the time comes.
We’ve also booked quite a few tours through Trip Advisor and we’ve been very pleased with their tours and activities.
Klook
Klook is another great option for booking tours and activities. I find the tours on Klook are a bit cheaper than Trip Advisor, but they are just as good quality-wise. Klook also has really get transportation options. They offer reasonably priced private car transfers from the airport to your hotel. They also make it easy to hire a private driver for the day. If you’d like $5 off your first booking, you can check out our Klook affiliate link here!
Units Plus
Another must is a currency converter. There’s a lot of free options out there, but I really like Units Plus because not only will it convert any currency, it can also translate Celsius into Fahrenheit, kilometers to miles, and kilograms into pounds. As Americans, we still haven’t mastered the metric system yet, so it’s helpful to have an app to make these conversions quick and easy.
Expedia
For accommodations, my favorite app is Expedia. So many accommodation booking sites, do not clearly tell you if you are getting a king, queen, or double bed. For us, the difference between a double bed and a king bed is enormous and it’s something that I will not compromise on. We love that Expedia clearly lists bed size and the room size which are both big factors in us making a decision about accommodation.
Another feature that I really like is when you have a confirmed booking Expedia will translate your hotel’s address into the local language for your taxi driver. I can’t tell you how many times that feature has been a lifesaver.
Don’t forget Expedia offers more than just hotels. Their selection of condos, apartments, and private homes even rivals Airbnb. Plus, Expedia’s service and cancellation terms are typically better than Airbnb as well. We will occasionally use Airbnb and Facebook Marketplace if looking for long-term monthly rentals. But when looking at short-term accommodations, Expedia just does it better!
For communication, WhatsApp is one of the most commonly used messaging systems abroad. With WhatsApp, you can call and text any participating international number without the hassle of approving “friendships” as on other apps. Many tour operators will ask for your WhatsApp number so they can coordinate hotel pick-up times with you, so we highly recommend setting up WhatsApp before your trip so it’s easy to communicate when you get abroad.
Google Fi
Accessing mobile data while abroad can be a big concern for most travelers. Buying a local sim card at the airport can be a good inexpensive solution for getting data while you travel. However, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of changing your phone number as you change your sim card in each new country, we can highly recommend changing your mobile provider to Google Fi. With Google Fi, as soon as you land in a new country, your mobile data will update to that new country within two minutes. It’s crazy fast and really reliable and perfect for staying connected while you country hop!
Skyscanner
For flights, I use Skyscanner for research purposes. I love hitting their “Explore” button to see the most inexpensive destinations to fly. When you are flexible and literally will be happy going anywhere new, you can let price help you make a decision.
I personally only use Skyscanner for research purposes only because I prefer booking flights directly with the airline. When you book directly with the airline, you get better service in terms of ease of rebooking and rescheduling flights if things go wrong due to weather or pandemics. Sometimes airlines tell me that they can’t change my flight if I’ve booked through a third party and I’ll have to contact the third party to change the flight. When you book through the airline, the communication is just better. I get updates about flight time changes, gate changes, and this up-to-date information saves you from a lot of inconveniences.
SafetyWing
For travel medical insurance, we recommend SafetyWing! Travel medical insurance has always been important, but nowadays since the pandemic, it is even required in some countries. Some destinations require you to show proof of travel medical insurance that includes covid-19 coverage. SafetyWing makes it easy to get that type of travel medical insurance and to get the documentation you need to get through immigration. Get a free SafetyWing quote here!
The Best Travel Apps for Entertainment
Travel can involve a lot of downtime, so it’s important to have some go-to entertainment apps to keep you entertained while you patiently await arrival at your destination.
Netflix
We definitely believe that Netflix is the best app for entertainment! Just make sure to download a TV series and a couple of movies before your flight, and you will have hours of entertainment to look forward to even when you are in airplane mode.
Spotify
One of my favorite apps for music is Spotify. With Spotify, you can have access to unlimited music and make playlists of your favorite artists or genre of music.
Audible
If you like to listen to a book on the go, Audible is the best app for you! We love consuming books this well. It’s highly engaging and entertaining way to consume knowledge.
Kindle
If you prefer to read books, Kindle makes it easy to take dozens of books with you as you travel without weighing you down in the least.
Games
We also suggest downloading a few games as well and variety is essential for keeping you entertained while you travel.
Final Thoughts about The Best Travel Apps
We hope these travel apps will make your trip planning fast and easy so that you can focus on having and great experience and a great time!
In addition, we encourage you to read…
- The Best Travel Gear for Quick and Easy Packing
- The Ultimate Guide to Working Abroad
- How We Started Traveling Full-time
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