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?