These are the very best travel apps for navigating maps and languages, communication, food and drink, and places to stay. These five travel apps will make your next trip the easiest one you’ve ever taken.
I’ll be honest: I would likely be very lost traveling without a smartphone.
I’m not naturally gifted at navigation (though I promise I’m getting better!), I love being organized, and finding amazing coffee anywhere I go is a necessity.
Needless to say, these are the best travel apps that I don’t go on trips without. This year, I managed to live two months in Europe without having a phone plan because many of these apps work offline too!
Google Maps
This is a no-brainer: when you’re traveling you have to know how to navigate. In my opinion, the Google Maps app is #1 of these five best travel apps.
If you have data you can use the Google Maps app for easy step-by-step navigation by car, public transportation, walking, or bike.
Even better, one function of the Google Maps app you might not know about is that you can download any map area for offline use. That means you can access the map even when you don’t have wifi or data. You can also choose certain points of interest to make available offline by marking them “Starred” or “Want to Go.”
Check out my in-depth guide on how to use Google Maps offline for travel.
Google Translate
If you’re traveling in a country that speaks a language you don’t, this app is essential. You can use this app to type in a foreign language and have it translate to English.
If you download the language for offline use, you can even do this when you don’t have data or wifi!
Little-known trick: you can also take a photograph of text in another language and it will translate the text for you.
Yelp
Yelp isn’t popular everywhere in the world, but it is a lot of places! I use Yelp to find the best restaurants and coffee shops everywhere I go.
Yelp shows ratings out of 5 stars from lots of user reviews, and it provides links to menus and prices. It will even tell you if a spot has wifi, whether it’s good for working, and what the parking is like. You can also use it to find recommended local businesses in some places, including shopping and services.
Airbnb
I’ve stayed in hotels, hostels, and I’ve even couch surfed several times, but my favorite way to travel is staying in Airbnbs. Sometimes they’re just as affordable as hostels and there are almost always options that are more affordable than hotel rooms.
I love it because you get to stay in a home, you might meet your host(s) who know the area and can give you advice, and oftentimes there’s a kitchen you can use (cooking, rather than eating out, is a big money saver while traveling!).
The app is great because it lets you keep your reservation information on you all the time. You can also communicate with your host directly through the app, and you can search and book through the app too.
I use WhatsApp especially when I want to keep in touch with people I meet while traveling, whether locals or fellow travelers. It’s an easy-to-use and secure app for messaging, calling, video calling, photo and document sharing, and sending voice memos. All these features are free over wifi or with data.
