My Favourite Travel Apps
Categories Exploration, Favourite Places, Interrailing, Life Tips, Lifestyle, Technology, Travel, Travel Blog, Travel Tips, Wanderlust34 Comments
While I might actually work in e-commerce, I’m not the most tech-savvy person around. That being said my phone is my savior when I am abroad and I rely on it heavily for pretty much everything! The little gadget is my sat nav, my translator, my camera, my everything pretty much.. and I suppose I occasionally use it for it’s intended purpose, to contact people!
Because my phone is a huge part of my travels, I thought I would share my three favourite apps while I’m away. They are by no means ground breaking in any way but they are three that I just can’t live without!
- XE Currency Converter
Maths is not my strong point, so converting currency is not something I enjoy while abroad – so that is where this app comes in! When I don’t have it in me to figure out that €1 is the same as 308 Hungarian Forint I jump straight on to this app to help me figure out what I’m actually paying for something.
- Google Maps
This is a given, I mean, who doesn’t use this to get around when they are abroad? The only problem is when she sends you in all which-way directions and you have no idea where you are going! The worst is trying to use it offline, blindly following that little blue dot to figure out if you are going towards or away from your destination (which is now fixed if you are clever enough to download the route to use it offline.. which I am never clever enough to do!) That being said, I wouldn’t be caught dead without it when I’m away, or when I’m in Ireland for that matter!
- GPSmyCity
GPSmyCity is a travel article app that is brilliant for helping you find your way around. The app features loads of great articles and free walking tours that bring you around the best parts of the city. And what’s even better is that these maps work offline because you download them to your phone making it perfect when you are abroad and have no access to internet. They cover an extremely wide range of cities and countries meaning you can use this app pretty much everywhere!
You can actually download my Guide To Galway City for FREE here until August 18th!
- Spotify
I recently caved and started to pay for my Spotify. I didn’t really need it when I was in college because I was always on my laptop and the ads didn’t bother me – but now having the option to play songs offline is just too handy to miss. Gone are the days that I used to download songs one by one as Spotify has them all for me (and sometimes even in neat little ‘daily mixes’ of artists I like!)
- Google Translate
When I am abroad and frustrated with the language barrier I will always rely on my trusty google translate to sort me out! Most of the time I will write down what I want to say and just show them the translation and we finally figure out what we both are talking about! Another feature is the camera feature which allows you to choose a language and hover your phone over a menu, or any writing and it will automatically translate it for you. In places where they don’t carry an English menu this can really save you from ordering something off the wall!
Obviously I use apps like Air BnB, Skyscanner and rely on TripAdvisor & Booking.com quite a bit while I am away and Instagram is my go-to for posting all my travel pictures! but the above are the ones I use everywhere without fail. Aside from these apps I have to say that the next best thing to bring when I’m abroad is a good book, but that is for another post!
So, Are there apps that you depend on when you are abroad?
Great! Thanks for sharing your must have apps. I know exactly what you mean with your phone being your everything, It’s the same for me.
As much as I don’t want it to be that way, I can’t help it being my lifeline!
I could happily leave my phone at home every time I go abroad. The biggest thing for me though, is I use mine for listening to the local radio stations whilst I’m walking around. To me, it adds another level to travelling because theres so much music out there that I don’t hear in the UK. One of my favourite artists I actually came across in Norway! 😀
That is so interesting!! I never would have even considered this but it’s such an amazing idea ☺
I agree: I am technologically challenged but as far as apps go, these are my go to: Gasbuddy since I drive so much that finding a deal on gas really adds up. Yelp because, well, I like to eat. Bringfido so I can find places for the dogs.
I’ve never heard of Bringfido before but it sounds really useful!
It can help so much when you’re travelling with dogs.
Thank you for the advice and I love your theme :)) Its my fave too
Thank you ☺
I totally agree. Can’t live without Google maps and Spotify while traveling. I would also like to add Airbnb & Uber to my favorite travel apps list 🙂
Yeah I use MyTaxi a lot which is basically the same as Uber but I think it might be a small bit cheaper!
Love this! Google Maps is my absolute favorite. So far, it has worked in every country I have visited, and even got me to some obscure places in the Dominican Republic. I hope it just continues to get better. 😀
It’s just so helpful.. in Ireland it takes into consideration the traffic at that exact moment which is just so helpful for getting around and planning!
Google translate! It really helps whenever I am in places that locals are hard to communicate with. I just show them the words in translation when I need or ask something. 🙂
It’s such a lifesaver isn’t it!?
before tarifs from mobile phones are expensive on other european countries but now its been change so I totally agree on your favourites 🙂
Yeah I have no charges in Europe anymore since I am from Ireland and it’s made such a difference to my travels!
yeah that’s really a good news for us 🙂
Definitely can’t live without my phone while traveling! I already use many of these apps already but will have to check out the others (like the XE currency converter)
Either can I.. I hate relying on it as much as I do but it’s just such a magical little thing!
GPS and google translate both sound amazing..I will have to download those thanks for the great tips!
Google translate has really helped me abroad when the language barrier gets too much!
Very informative. Google Maps is something I always use while travelling. Don’t have Spotify in India, so have to rely on YouTube! Will give GPSMyCity a try! Thank you 😀
No way? I never knew that! YouTube is just as good though ☺
I love all of those apps – idk where I’d be without them actually. Spotify is my life when I’m abroad haha!
Spotify on a plane is a life saver for me I find! When you can’t sleep or have no book it drowns out the sound of crying children 😂
I quite like to travel with a good old paper map. Usually those i got from the tourism offices. There’s not always wifi and i don’t always have auto roaming. Plus i like to travel without being distracted by messages from friends, notification pop ups from fb, instagram etc. Traveling is my quiet time!! 🙂 But if i do have autoroamig, then google map app is most frequently used app. I use instagram and pininterest alot too, to see what good tips others have ☺
No way? Well done for going old school.. I find paper maps so hard to read because usually I can never even find where I’m standing 🙈
Hahahaa yeah i like it. It takes some turning of the map to match the surroundings :p getting lost can be cool too 🙂 and it forces me to really open your eyes and remember landmarks etc. If I’ve been to a place once i can always roughly remember where different places/buildings are and trace my way back to where i want to go again. I think it’s not down to a great memory( i don’t have best memory), its just because it engages the brain and memory more if using paper map. Google map is great though i agree. At least it tells me how far it takes and how to get there!!
Check out maps.me . Great directions app that works offline once you download the regional map!
Thanks for the tip! 😊
Before going abroad I like to use Duolingo in order to get a little more comfortable with the language I’m going to face. I like to use the Tiny Cards version as it focuses on specific topics such as travelling. Also, there is this app that I like to use when I travel on long distances – Personality Development. It a very nice lecture and has some really useful tips to share!
These travel apps are useful, helpful and practical. I am definitely downloading at least some of them!
Thanks Agness.. I hope you find them as useful as I do! 🙂