The ease of my daily travel has been largely due to the magical device I carry around. My cellphone has been extremely valuable to me on this journey. Apart from the obvious service as a way to communicate, combined with Google Maps its navigation functionality gets me to where I need to go every day. In large cities, it tells me what bus or subway to take and how many stops I will be on for. I have also become an app collector on the road and have found a few that help put the world at my fingertips and make planning a breeze.
Trail Wallet
I discovered this app through a great blog I follow by a couple who travel around the world together. I had been struggling with a way to keep a budget in a way that fit my needs. This app is perfect and functions flawlessly. It’s the best $2.99 I spent for my trip.
Airbnb
I use Airbnb for 95% of my accommodation needs and their app comes in handy when booking rooms around the world. I can communicate with my hosts and make wish lists of places I want to rent. Sometimes it’s fun to pick a place I’ve never been and see how people live. It’s a great way to get motivated to travel. It gives you a much more local experience. Sometimes you can even come away with new friends through connecting with great hosts. If you haven’t signed up, I highly recommend it and you can save $25 off your first rental from my referral here.
Day One
I wanted an easy way to keep a journal and save space in my luggage. I can add a photo from the day to each post and sync all my entries to both my phone and laptop. This app even reminds me to write entries and best of all, weighs nothing!
Rome2rio
When I first started planning my trip, I had no idea how to get from point a to point b at times. This app shows you the way. Just type in two cities and it will map out all route possibilities for you with links to flights, trains, buses and more. It’s a must for travel!
Skyscanner
This is a great way to find flights. It searches from a very wide selection and is great for international travel. You can even set travel alerts to tell you when a certain flight’s price has changed. I have used it for all my flights.
Google Translate
Pick two languages, type the words you want translated and go. You get a written and an audio translation. While the feature isn’t always successful, you can use your camera and translate written words when you are out and about. I find it helpful in grocery stores when I can’t read labels.
Trip Advisor
While Yelp is popular in the United States, Trip Advisor is the way to go overseas. I love finding restaurants and attractions through it. A great added bonus are the travel guides that users create for cities. I often look through them to find interesting and sometimes off the beaten path attractions.
Podcasts
I am often on long bus and train rides and podcasts can really help pass the time. My favorite is Radiolab. I often find myself laughing out loud or moved to tears by the amazing stories they feature. Time flies and I actually learn interesting things about the world through them.
Love these traveling tips.Perhaps you should write a travel guide for us people that are not travel savy. Make it simple for us simple folks.
Thanks mom! I will give you a personal class on it when I get home. 😉
Hi Sheri,
Just came back from a trip to Belize. Stayed at San Pedro Island. It was awesome, especially the snorkeling and a visit to Shark and Stingray Alley. Never saw so many wild sharks circling my boat.
Downloaded all the free apps you mentioned. I want to use AirBnb but it is scary staying with strangers. How has your experience been?
Feroz
I’m glad you had such a great trip! I’ve heard good things from other friends about Belize. I want my parents to look into it as they are tired of Florida and want a new warm place to visit in the winter. The sharks sound awesome and a bit scary. I have had a few amazing experiences, mostly great, and one bad on Airbnb in 4 months of travel. I find it to be much better overall than hotels as you stay with people who can help you see things you wouldn’t normally by being in a hotel. I like feeling more at home and often feel safer leaving my things in a house than a hotel room. A lot of the time, the people I stay with have a genuine love for their city and travel and want to share it by opening their homes. And you might just walk away with a new friend after your stay. I understand how you feel about staying with strangers, sometimes I get nervous still. If you are afraid to share a house, you can refine your search by looking for an entire home/studio. I also look for “superhosts”. These are hosts that guests nominate and rank very highly. Also, look for homes with a good amount of reviews and read your host’s description to see more into their personality. Even though I had one bad experience, I still find Airbnb to be my first choice and don’t book hotels much anymore. I hope this helps!
Thanks for the tips, I’m gonna try them! Petr
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Skyscanner is most definitely my go-to app when I book flights; it’s so much easier than comparing all flight prices yourself! 🙂
Me too! It’s the best 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
I use most of these apps, mainly trip advisor and Airbnb and I love them. Didn’t know about Rome2rio thought and looks amazing so I’ll give it a go!
Nice to know about these Apps that you use while Traveling. There is no doubt, Apps always helps somewhere even I also use “Trip Advisor” whenever I plan for a Trip.