I bet you have your favourites apps to use on your phone when you’re traveling around.
Am I right?
So do I.
There are so many apps I never tire of using and time and time again it’s proved me useful and enjoyable while I’m on the move from country to country, or even continent to continent.
But usually I don’t share with my readers what’s on my phone. But you’re in luck. I’m feeling ever so generous and I’m going to give you the ultimate secrets on what’s hiding in my pocket or in my hand. Some, it’ll be glaringly obvious, some will be apps you’ll probably have never heard of before and some will probably make your eyes roll.
So here it is, my top ten apps!
Tinder
Yes, let’s get this out of the way. Your first eye roll.
Can I just say how much I LOVE Tinder?
For those who haven’t had the fortune to know about Tinder, it’s an (dating) app where you can connect with people around you. The beauty is that you can swipe right to like or left to pass on people Tinder recommends to you. If they like you back, it’s a match! Then you can start chatting!
So, do I use this to date people in that country? Maybe. But it’s a great way to connect with the locals who can give you genuine advice what to see or do that other tourists don’t know about. If you’re lucky, they might give you a tour of their city. But be warned, if they ask you to meet in a dark alley, I’d probably pass and get swiping left.
Skyscanner
Everyone chant ‘cheap flight, cheap flights, cheap flights!’
That’s what you’ll get with Skyscanner. In just a few taps, you’ll be able to get the best deal to find the perfect flight for you at the cheapest price.
What I love about it is that I can play around with it and filter by price, airline, departure and times and compare my searches. Heck, it’s an invaluable tool on how I managed to travel the world the last four years!
But my ultimate favourite thing to do with Skyscanner is the ‘Everywhere’ search. If I’m struck by a serious case of wonderlust, all I have to do is use the ‘Everywhere’ search that will give me inspiration with different prices for destinations around the world for a particular date. It just takes all my energy not to book everything everywhere!
Whatsapp
Say goodbye to overpriced SMS messaging service as Whatsapp is a cross-platform messaging app which allows you to message your loved ones without having to pay for SMS. There is absolutely no cost and it’s the perfect way to stay connected to your friends from another country!
Inkly
Can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE, and did I say LOVE, Inkly?
I use this amazing app as my way of sending postcards back to my parents. Don’t you ever get toured of trying to find a post office and work out how much their stamp equivalent is to send your tacky postcard back to your loved ones? Have no fear, Inkly is here. You can cherish your travel memories by sending personalised postcards (in my case, a picture of me doing something goofy at a destination) with your handwriting (which you photograph and they upload onto) to the recipient of your choice. Yes, there’s a cost but at £1, that’s a bargain.
Just make sure that you don’t send a topless pic to your parents and wishing that they were here.
TripRider
Designed by travellers for travellers, TripRider is a smart travel notebook for organising and sharing your trip details in one place.
No, longer you have to consistently open a multitude of apps, wasting battery, to try and plan your trip with your scatty travel mates. It’s all there in one app: TripRider. From the moment you pick your destination, you can capture every moment and share your complete travel story using a well-defined itinerary and stored tips.
Easy peasy, lemony squeezy.
GoogleMaps
Pretty much a no brainer really why I use this app. Deriding the iMaps after it failed me in Buenos Aires, I downloaded GoogleMaps and never looked back. Navigating my way round destinations and between destinations like a pro, GoogleMaps is always my first port of call to find out the best way. It even uses real-time traffic information if you’re in the car, bus or even train.
And what’s weird that even if you are out of range of WiFi or not connect to your data plan, GoogleMaps will still be able to tell you where you are on their maps. (Except in the air, of course).
A shout out to my long-suffering travel mates. Ever wondered why I keep stopping every time we go literally anywhere? It’s all because I want to capture ‘that photo’ of ‘that destination’ and upload swiftly onto my Instagram account.
If you don’t know what Instagram is, more fool you. It’s an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking channel. You can take pictures and videos, upload them onto Instagram and you can even connect it so that it also posts onto Facebook and Twitter making your followers envious of your adventures.
‘What’s Facebook?’
Go…AWAY.
Wallet
Do you spend too much of your time at airports or in front of reception desks rummaging around your bag to find your travel documents? It’s annoying, isn’t it?
With Wallet, you don’t have to worry. It’s THE App to keep track and secure your most sensitive information where you can store your online boarding passes, accommodation check in documents and even event tickets! Just a couple of taps and you can breeze through your life as simply as possible.
Just imagine me saying ‘ta-dah!’ when asked for information.
LondonTube
Okay, this app can’t be used anywhere else in the world except London. (it’s in the name, hint, hint).
Now, that I’m living and working in London, this app is the best way for me to plan my adventures around London in just a glance. I don’t have to shove irate commuters to one side to view the hugely complicated maps in tube stations while others complain I’m not topping up my OysterCard.
So, if I’ve got a travel event like The KLM TweetUp in Tower Hill and I need to get there from Kings Cross, I’ll check out the app and immediately know which tube lines and which station to come off long before I enter Purgatory the London Underground.
CaxtonFx
CaxtonFx is my go to service for my currency cards. With their card, I’m able to withdraw money in that country’s currency at most ATMs without having to worry about eye-watering exchange rates or carrying huge amounts of cash on me. What’s more, the beauty of caxtonfx is that it’s a pre-loaded card. You only load as much money as you want on that card and should you lose it, your bank accounts are still protected.
Cheap, cheerful and easy.
So there you have it! My top ten travel apps! What about yours? What apps do you use?
Do you want to know what other travel apps I have on my phone? Let me know in the comments below!
