5 Essential Apps for Travel

I have seen a lot of articles with apps for travel, but you don’t want to download 10 different apps for your next trip. I found most of the apps suggested online to be useless, so I created this article with apps that I actually use myself when traveling. These five apps make my trips run smoothly.

1. Google Maps

I cannot stress how accurate Google Maps is when providing directions. Throughout my European travels, Google Maps is my number one go-to. Since I don’t have a car, I use public transportation and I walk. When in any city, I open Google Maps and enter my destination. Then, it provides me with walking directions to the metro station, which metro line I should take, and which metro stop is closest to my destination.

Some people use an app called City Mapper and it is very cool too, but it doesn’t have directions for every city, so I prefer Google Maps.

2. Airbnb

If you use Airbnb for your accommodation, you need the app. It makes it very simple to communicate with your host. Whenever they send you a message, you will receive a notification and can reply very easily. You can also get information about your Airbnb, like the address or check in/check out times, very easily.

TIP: At the end of your trip, make sure to leave a review and rate your host through the app. They will do the same for you, so make sure you are a nice guest.

3. Google Translate

Google translate is a life saver. I’ve used google translate many times when traveling–for translating menus, for learning new phrases in a different language, and even to communicate with someone. You can type a phrase and google translate will say the word or phrase out loud.

TIP: If you have an iPhone, you can say, “Hey Siri, say ‘hey how are you?’ in Spanish,” and she will say it in a robotic Spanish accent. This is really helpful for fast, short phrases from English to Spanish.

4. Uber

I usually use public transportation when traveling, but when you’re in the club until 5 AM or have a really early flight, public transportation usually isn’t running. This is when you need to call Uber. There is no cash or card exchange between you and the driver. You get in the cab, get out, and they email you a receipt. Most places have Uber, but some cities have banned Uber. In that case, you can try an app called Taxify or use a regular cab. Uber is usually the cheapest though.

5. Splitwise

This app is great for traveling with friends. For example, in France, they don’t let you split the bill most of the time. So, if you paid for your friend’s meal, you can enter it into the app, and at the end of the trip, it shows you how much everyone owes each other. It’s very useful and makes everything easier. Split bills, not friendships.

 

These five apps are ones that I use for every trip, so I hope this article helped and will make your next trip run a little smoother!

For tips on cheap travel in Europe, check out my article here.

Make sure to follow my travels in real time on Instagram: @sarahsplanet_

Feel free to reach out to me on social media or email me at visitsarahsplanet@gmail.com.