Nowadays, you will never see a traveler holding a physical map and trying to navigate with it. We rely (sometimes a little too much) on our phones while out on adventures. Modern apps made traveling much easier and better organised. A smartphone can be a helpful and securing tool in a new and strange place. But it can also be a distraction that won’t allow you to truly enjoy your trip. To help you use it as a device to enhance your experiences rather the distract from them, we’ve shared below our picks of the best apps for travellers. It doesn’t include lots of the apps which you’ll already have on your phone (like the Instagram, Gmail, Facebook etc). We choose the specific apps which we use ourselves that make our travels easier and better.

Best apps for travellers

• MapsMe– Alternative to Google Maps. We found that MapsMe tends to have more detailed city maps than Google Maps. For example cities like Marrakesh or Venice where getting lost on the small streets is inevitable.
• Google Translate– it saved us many times and allowed us to have a conversation with locals and for sure is a must of our best apps for list. Simply start the conversation mode and allow them to talk to your phones mic. Another option we love here is the immediate translation pictures. We use it often in the restaurants to translate the menus.
• Uber & Grab– best apps for getting around the cities. They also solve the problem of getting ripped off by taxi drivers or worries security.
• Native airline apps– they hold your travel bookings, allow to check in online and store your boarding pass on your mobile. With low-cost airlines (i.e. Ryanair, EasyJet) it’s now standard for you to check-in online and receive your mobile boarding pass. If you don’t do either of these things, then you will have to pay an inflated price for the “privilege” of checking-in at the airport (I forgot to do it once for a WizzAir flight and had to pay 40 Eur just to be able to check in for my flight).
• Revolut– Revolut cards and accounts are completely free to apply for and we use this card solely for our payments and withdrawals abroad. The Revolut card is a prepaid debit card that you can top up with your regular credit card. You can use it in the same way as any other credit card. It’s very easy to use as you operate it via an app on your phone. And the best part is? There little to ZERO exchange fees on most foreign currencies!! You get the current exchange rate of the day, best value for money.
• WhatsApp– we know this is an obvious recommendation in a best apps for travellers list, and you all probably have it on your phone already. However, it’s worth mentioning that many businesses use Whatsapp as the only way of communication. In Indonesia, we did all our bookings with WhatApp. Whether it was renting a car with a local company, booking a cruise, or a Jeep Tour.
• Booking.com & Airbnb– navigating those apps might not be as easy as the website format, but it’s worth it. Booking.com has an additional -10% on many accommodations in you book via the app. Airbnb app allows you to easily communicate with your host and stores all the conversations that be use as evidence and for resolution in the event of a dispute or issue.
• Netflix– Netflix’s licensing system lets you stream and download way more options than the competition apps. The key thing for travellers is to download a bunch of shows and movies for offline watching BEFORE you hit the road.
• SunSurveyorLite– a very useful, little app if you like taking pictures. It shows the exact movement of the sun for the following day. It means that you can plan a beautiful sunrise shoot with the right background and the warm says of the sun on your face.
• Park4Night– the best app for traveling in a campervan and car camping. It shows you the best spots for the night, as well as useful places like drinkable water sources, or picnic areas.
• Windy– we found this weather app to be the most accurate, especially with the rain predictions and cloud coverage.
• Hello Aurora– a must app for anyone traveling to the destinations where you can see the Northern Lights.
• Night Sky– who doesn’t love to stare at the starry sky? This app shows you the constellations that are visible above your head.
• Been– to keep track on all the countries and places you’ve traveled to.
• Lightroom– to edit your pictures on the go.
• VN– to edit your videos on the go.

↬ READ: Essential Packing Tips For All Travellers

To conclude our best apps for travellers list without sounding too cliche, remember that a really nice part of going somewhere different is the possibility to disconnect from your social media or the daily news. Even if your phone is crucial for safe and comfortable travelling, we recommend that you try to use it as little as possible during your trips. Change up that routine and watch the sunrise as the first thing in the morning, not the Instagram feed.