The smartphone is a modern worldly explorer’s best and most versatile travel companion. Once you put in the work to make it one by installing apps from a wide range of travel-related categories, that is. Here are the essential apps everyone should pick up to make their journeys safer, easier, and more rewarding.
Itinerary Planners
A healthy mix of planning and spontaneity makes for the best trips! Itinerary planners are a must for this since they let you supply info like flight and accommodation bookings, venue ticket confirmations, etc., and create a rough plan you can stick to or rework as the need arises. Whatever you do, be flexible, as mishaps and random adventures make for the most amusing stories back home.
Local Discovery Guides
The blurbs you’ll read about destinations on travel websites hardly scratch the surface. If you want to really get a feel for a place you’re visiting, you’ll want to ask both seasoned travelers and locals. Discovery guides aggregate reviews and comments from real people with actual travel or local guide experience. Use them to avoid underwhelming tourist traps, discover your new favorite watering hole, or go off the beaten path in search of worthwhile sights.
Maps & Navigation Apps
While GPS makes knowing where exactly in the world you are straightforward, you shouldn’t rely on it alone. Always keep an offline copy of local maps on your phone in case of problems and outages.
Navigation transcends simple general-use maps, though. App stores are brimming with apps that provide detailed public transportation networks, hiking routes, or cultural and historical trails. Some even use AR to improve your experience. Others emphasize accessibility and make navigation simpler for wheelchair users and travelers with other impairments.
VPNs
Even seasoned adventurers who know how to look out for their digital safety aren’t always aware of the digital dangers traveling poses. Connecting to the wrong network, especially unprotected public Wi-Fi, could result in getting your passwords or banking details stolen.
To prevent such miserable consequences, get a VPN for iOS, Android, or the OS your devices are built on. VPNs help you dodge the dangers of cyber threats by encrypting the connection, so anyone who wants to spy on or influence your device from the outside is out of luck.
A good VPN needs to have servers in your home country to let you access banking apps, streams, and other geo-dependent services wherever you are. It needs to minimally impact performance and speed while also going easy on your data. Most importantly, it should abide by a no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t keep records of your online activities.
The comparisons about the best VPNs on Reddit show that these criteria can make or break the software. Additional features like user-friendliness and customer support help move brands to the top of recommendation lists
Communication Apps
Going abroad shouldn’t have any impact on your ability to stay in touch with family and friends. If anything, you’ll want to check in regularly to share your whereabouts and the latest pics you took.
You’ll want a communication app with strong encryption that’s also light on bandwidth usage. That way, you can get messages through even if the connection is spotty or subpar.
Translation & Language Learning Apps
The AI-fueled boom in translation quality is among the best things that happened to anyone who travels internationally. Now you can have spirited philosophical debates or flex your flirting skills without butchering the vernacular or relying on others’ English skills.
That said, most locals appreciate the effort of learning some of their language’s basics. Plus, it’s an excellent way of picking up on cultural nuances and keeping your brain active. Just make sure to start using a language learning app at least a month or two in advance and keep at it every day until you master common phrases.
Ethical Travel & Sustainability Apps
Living a green, sustainable lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to limit travel to local destinations. Apps exist that calculate the carbon footprint that taking a flight halfway across the globe makes. They can help you choose airlines that offset these costs by planting trees and supporting other green initiatives, or make the difference up yourself.
Traveling ethically also means being aware of local labor laws or the state of animal welfare and avoiding exploitative activities. Having an app that points things like this out will bring you peace of mind and help nudge change in a positive direction.
