Though-out my time travelling, I have met lots of people and done a lot of research which has introduced me to many apps. I try to use as little travel apps as possible as I don’t want to be reliant on WiFi but the apps I mention below are ones which I think are very important!
All of the apps that I mention are free! Without further adieu, lets get into my favourite travel apps!
Polarsteps
Polarsteps is a way of your friends and family seeing where you are and where you have been! You can upload past trips and pictures, but I love it when I am abroad and I can see the exact route that I took.
While abroad, you can upload photos to your location so your followers can see what you’ve been doing, alongside a paragraph about what you’ve been doing.
I also love how it gives you statistics on where you have been in the past, it’s even more fascinating if you take time to upload previous trips.
Trainline
This app is dependent on where you are in the world; it is based in Europe. However, I recommend looking at the train companies in the country that you’re in as you never know when you might need it.
On this app, you are able to input when you want to depart, or arrive, and if there is a certain station you would like to bypass.
You can also get a railcard for approximately £30 per year, although it is dependent on which one you are eligible for. The 18-25 saver card allows you 1/3 off the original price! So if the travel you are looking into is costly, I highly recommend getting a card.
Travelling by train is such a good way of travel, one that I really prefer. I don’t get very travel sick by it (providing I am facing the right way!) and there is such beautiful scenery as it tends to pass through the countryside.
You can view the Trainline website here!
Hostelworld
I would really recommend this app to budget travellers, or those looking to stay somewhere cheap for a night or two.
Hostelworld is a worldwide community of hostels! It comes highly recommended from all travellers I have spoken to and they have been very helpful in this time of the pandemic.
The app is also very easy to navigate and it’s brilliant having your accommodation information in the same place!
You can view the Hostelworld website here.
Booking.com
Leading on from an accommodation app, I bring you Booking.com! I have booked with this company many times, and they too have been very understanding and brilliant during this time!
The best thing about this app is that they give you the cheapest price of the rooms. I have looked on the hotels themselves and they don’t provide the same low cost as this website. I have never been able to find a cheaper site.
You can also set up an account and become a member, leading to you getting points for your bookings and getting discounts on future accommodations.
Your airline app
If you are flying as a mode of transport, I highly recommend having your airlines app downloaded on your phone. It allows you to stay up to date on the flight status (although keep an eye on the airport board too) and you can have all your information on there.
For me, having this app makes me feel more in control as I can check that I’ve definitely got the right time and terminal!
If flying long haul, I also highly recommend becoming a part of the member crew so you can get air miles!
Duolingo
Duolingo is an app that’s brilliant for learning a language! The fact that it is free is even more brilliant.
It is a brilliant app for children as it gives you rewards and gems and such for completing different lessons. But I think anyone who can read and write is capable of learning on here. I am currently trying to learn Dutch as my family is moving to Amsterdam!
Uber
I recently found out that Uber is running in South America! I don’t know why it surprised me so much, but it did and it makes me realise how big this app really is.
There has been a lot of negative posts in the media about this app, but I personally have never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. I do recommend having this app as a backup plan, in case you get lost as it sends a taxi directly to your location. In certain areas, it isn’t safe to be walking home at night and taxis are highly recommended.
Bus Checker
I won’t lie to you, this app is terrible to use! But is has the information you need and that is why I still recommend it to you.
You allow the app to use your location, and then you select where you want to go and it tells you the bus routes you should get on, including the bus number and the timing of the bus route.
I have been using this app for years and it’s never let me down!
I have used a lot of apps to try and stay in contact with my family, and I have found that WhatsApp works the best. It does need data or WiFi to use, but you can easily send images and videos across, as well as have big group chats. This is highly recommended if you struggle with anxiety while travelling (read my post here).
WhatsApp can also be used on Android and Apple and it is connected to your phone number so it is very easy to add your contacts.
You can also call your contacts when you have good enough WiFi as it doesn’t use your minutes.
Great post! There are so many apps available that it is always interesting to see what apps other people rely on.
I would add – MapsMe. You can download the maps in advance and find where you are in the world. It is really helpful if you don’t want to use data to find where you are going.
It doesn’t work everywhere, but City mapper is really helpful too for buses/trains/getting around cites.
Thanks for making me aware of this! I haven’t heard of this one before
I used to use hostel world a lot when I was traveling on a budget. Things have changed though and now I use booking. I never heard of Polarsteps before, I will check it out as it sounds great.
I love PolarSteps! Thanks for introducing it up me!!!
Thank you for your article! So informative ..cant wait to travel again!
Thanks for the suggestions! I am also a fan of Duolingo and of downloading the airline apps. However, the most enlightening bit of your article for me was Polarsteps! I always wondered what was the app that you could use to track where you had been, and never stumbled upon this one. THANK YOU!
much helpful….. Thanks for sharing these apps….. These are actually what everyone needs….
I love my travel apps. I travel so much and use the Hopper App to hold flights and watch for when the fares decrease. It is awesome.
I haven’t heard of this one before! I’ll check it out as it seems very useful
These are great. I knew of some of them (and use some religiously) but there were a couple that I’d never heard of – Polarsteps and Trainline. I’m not in Europe, but I’ll remember Trainlien if we take a trip. I am going to download Polarsteps and check it out!
I use Whatsapp and it has been very useful to me no matter what country I find myself in. It does require wifi but I have an global cell plan so that does not hinder me at all.
I have the app for Booking.com and it was great deals for our Tokyo trip last year. I check out the other recommnedations!
I absolutely enjoy using apps when I travel. A few of them you mentioned I have used including Booking.com, WhatsApp, Uber but seeing that Uber isn’t used in many places in South East Asia I recommend ‘Grab’ which is similar to Uber but more popular in those countries.
These are some great apps. I will keep them in mind for when i travel. Thank you
Uber and WhatsApp are definitely must have apps! 🙂 Instead of Booking, we prefer Hotels.com because we’ve had many problems with Booking. Google Maps, XE Currency, Skyscqnner, TripAdvisor are the other apps that we absolutely need when traveling.
I am using some of these apps already. they are really helpful for my trips. thank you for introducing me to the rest 🙂
A great list of Travel Apps. I hate having too many apps on my phone unless they really provide value. Whatsapp is great for staying in touch with friends and family overseas. The bus checker and Duolingo would be good ones to have I think.
Thanks for this handy list! I already know and use a few of them, but I hadn’t heard of Polarsteps before, that app sounds really fun!
These travel apps comes in handy. Thanks for the recommendations.
I also like to use GateGuru which allows you to check to see what gate you are flying in/out of.
I haven’t heard of this before, so thank you! I’ll check it out
I have used several of these apps. They are very helpful. I will be looking into the others!
When I start traveling again this is an app that I need.It sounds very useful
So glad that I’ve come across your article. My dream is to travel the world. I shall download the apps that I like from your list. They should come handy.
Love DuoLingo! I’m currently working on learning Chinese. Another UK-based rideshare is Kapten. Prices were cheaper than Uber when I was in London in January. I will check out PolarSteps!
Thank you so much for this tips I can’t leave without Uber and I love duolingo.
Great post with helpful l recommendations. I’m familiar with some of these but a few I’ve never heard of and can’t wait to check them out.
I really like Hotels.com as well, I find in bigger cities they often have better selection than Booking.
Love this! I already use several of these apps but a few are new to me. Definitely going to check the new ones out, thanks!
I will check these out for sure! They sound like good ones. I do have Uber. Also Lyft, since they sometimes are cheaper.
When we’re allowed to travel again I’ll defo download one or more of these. I love Duolingo and have used it for several languages.
These are all such useful apps when travelling. I have never heard of Polarsteps but it sounds awesome and a great way of remembering where you’ve been and to show you family and friends too. Will be downloading that for sure!
I couldn’t live without what’s app and I love Duolingo. Thanks for the useful tips. Making a new travel folder on my phone right now!
Thanks for your recommendations! I had actually never heard of Polarsteps, but it seems like such a nice way to share your travels with friends and family – will definitely keep this in mind for my next trip.