Are you setting off on a travel adventure and looking for ways to make it more convenient and safer? Load your phone up with the following apps for a smoother, worry-free experience!
Accommodation Booking
Figuring out where to stay has become much easier and safer with the advent of accommodation booking apps. Hotels, hostels, and apartments open their doors in droves almost anywhere, and the right app can help you find one that perfectly matches your budget, comfort level, and location requirements. Better yet, they make it snagging last-minute deals or booking months in advance a cinch.
Transportation & Ride Share Apps
Selecting and reaching your accommodations is one thing; venturing out from it and coming back safely is another. Most developed urban centers, as well as the better part of Europe, Japan, and South Korea, have sprawling public transport systems that will get you where you need to go quickly and efficiently.
Apps that offer real-time line statuses, ticket prices, and route checks will be invaluable. For everything else, and for returning to your lodgings safe and sound at 3 AM from the middle of nowhere, there’s always ride-sharing.
Travel Planners & User Review Aggregators
Travelers looking for deeply personalized and meaningful trips won’t want to miss travel planner apps! They’re essential for getting curated guidelines for everything worth experiencing at your next destinations, from tourist traps that really live up to the hype to hole-in-the-wall bistros with unmatched local cuisine. Reviews by authentic visitors will help you arrange your itinerary and avoid places with a consistently bad rap.
eSIM Services
Until a few years ago, going abroad meant having to buy physical SIM cards or endure steep roaming prices to maintain a reliable mobile connection. The embedded eSIM chips that come with newer smartphones and the apps that make them work finally eliminate the hassle.
You can install an eSIM app and sign up for the best local carrier deals before departing. You get to keep using your physical SIM, and it’s even possible to sign up for multiple plans for seamless connectivity while touring several countries. There are many eSIMs to choose from, and you will find tons of reviews on Reddit, just like this one Saily review.
Currency Exchange Apps & Expense Trackers
Unless you’re sticking to the EU, that country-hopping tour will also greatly benefit from a currency tracker. These handy apps offer real-time exchange rate information, ensuring you’re getting fair rates and paying adequately. You might be tempted to overspend even then, which is where expense trackers come in. Apart from living up to their name, these apps can help you plan and stick to a budget as well as share expenses with travel companions.
VPNs
Travelers rarely pay attention to their online safety, which local cybercriminals know how to exploit. Learning how to set up a VPN and getting a trustworthy one will help you protect your passwords, personal and payment information. With a VPN, you secure any other data a vulnerable network, like public Wi-Fi, might otherwise leave exposed. It’ll also let you bypass any local internet restrictions and enjoy content that would otherwise be restricted to your home region.
Translation Apps
Most locals are friendly and willing to help out, but they may not understand English or other major languages you might be versed in. Translation apps bridge the gap, allowing for comprehensible communication in near real-time. You might also want to use a language-learning app to memorize some essential phrases before your trip. The locals will appreciate the effort, and you’ll make yourself understood quicker.
Emergency Service Apps
Being aware of emergency numbers like 999 in the UK or 112 in the EU is a good start, but emergency service apps can be life savers in their own right. They can provide specific local emergency numbers, point you to the nearest open pharmacy, or offer invaluable advice for addressing specific local diseases and conditions.
