Best (Free) Travel Apps
Travel is getting easier these days with the technology that is available at our fingertips. We have put together a list of our most used (free) travel apps.
Currency
This app is a must if you are heading overseas. It is quick, clean, and shows an accurate currency exchange. All you need to do is type in the amount in your desired currency ($200USD) click = and it shows the price in multiple currencies at once. If you are not on a international data plan, just be sure to update the app when connected to wifi every few days to get the most accurate exchange rate.
GoogleMaps
GoogleMaps has a great interface and is pretty easy to use. It’s great for finding the locations of local supermarkets and ATMS. And lucky, Googlemaps has offline connectivity, incase you do not have an international data plan. All you need to do is open the app, go to menu, then click offline areas, and add a custom area. The area is generally pretty big, but if you would like more incorporated in your map, you can zoom out, or you can download multiple sections of the map. Once you have completed the download, you are free to use it offline!
Airline app
Almost every airline has an app available to download for free. We recommend downloading the app for your airline to give you up to date departure times, potential delay information, airport information, and even to download your boarding pass to have on your mobile device.
Accommodation booking service app
Email confirmations are great, but it is even better to have all of your information in hand and accessible incase of any issues finding the accommodation, problems at check problems in, or just for your own records.
TripAdvisor
We use TripAdvisor for every destination we visit. Most cities allow you to download the map, including all of the attractions and restaurants in a city, to use offline. So, you are in luck if you forgot to download your GoogleMaps map before heading out :)
Main attractions are listed in a 1-10 order based on user reviews, as are restaurants and some activities. You are able to save attractions and restaurants to your offline map, so you can do your research at the hotel or at home before your trip and arrive always knowing exactly where to go and what to see. The app also has a timeline feature, which is pretty fun! All you have to do to take advantage of this feature is turn on location services and enjoy your day exploring a city! At the end of the day, when you open your timeline, you will see a list of all of the landmarks and restaurants you visited that day! It even shows you your walking, driving, or flight path! Although it does feel a little creepy at first, it’s actually proven to be a fantastic feature when you’ve had a very busy day, or if you have trouble remembering which laneway you wandered down in Rome to find the delicious hole in the wall pizza place…
Google Translate
This app is seriously clever. Say you are in Amsterdam, you are trying to figure out which bus to catch, but the only signs are in Dutch… Google Translate, to the rescue! Simply hold your phone up to the sign, click the photo button and the sign will be instantly translated into English. This app works for a number of languages from French, to Croatian, to Polish and Arabic. Google Translate also lets you speak the words to be translated, so if you are having trouble communicating with a local, you can speak in to the microphone and it will translate what was said to or from English. It also allows you to type and write the word or phrase you are trying to translate!
Speak Easy
Speak Easy is a great app to learn the basics of a language, quickly. The free version of the app covers greetings, basic phrases, railway/trains, travel essentials, days, and numbers. 630 more phrases and topics can be purchased from the app store for $3.99. The app covers the following languages for free - French, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Gate Guru
Gate guru provides the amenities of the airport, as in restaurants, shops, and services. It lets you if these amenities are pre-security, in arrivals, or near a specific gates or terminal. There is also a map of the airport, so if you have a tight layover and want to find out exactly how to get to your next gate, you can check the map to get a better idea.
Inkly
This is a fun, easy app for anyone who wants to send postcards home! You can upload a photo from your library and add a handwritten letter to your postcard or greeting card! These postcards ship anywhere in the world and are comparable in price to buying a postcard and a stamp, with the benefit of not needing to find a post office!