Our Favorite Travel Apps
Traveling is not what it used to be. We’re in a digital age where selfies and Google Maps are the pillars of a trip abroad. Embrace it! Your life will be much, much easier if you give yourself all the resources you need to create a plan in a pinch. So, we’ve put together our our travel essentials to help with any crisis. Consider this your cheat sheet.
Accommodation
Hostelworld
This is our go-to search engine for finding hostels around the world! You can filter your results by price, room type, rating, and even proximity to downtown! Check out the hostel reviews made by recent guests to get an idea of what the place is really like! Check out Hostelworld here.
AirBnB
Airbnb is a great option for a more private getaway. You can find any type of home, from open-air jungle camps to 8-room mansions on the Californian coast. All for a reasonable price too - well, maybe not the mansions. Check out AirBnB here.
Booking.com
A great place to search for a nearby hotel, ranging from luxury boutiques to the room cheapest in town. The listings are usually the best prices you can find online. Booking.com is your best friend when all the hostels are fully booked and you need somewhere to crash.
Kayak
Another great hotel search engine. Kayak.com compiles listings from all over the internet to compare prices!
Transport
Google Maps
If you only use one app for the rest of your life, let it be Google Maps.
Maps.Me
Maps.me is great for offline maps. Download areas ahead of time to access them whenever you need - no wifi needed!
Rome2Rio
This is the ultimate travel app. Put in your start and end destinations, and voila! Now you have all the different ways to get from A to B - including time tables, cost estimations, transfer points, and booking links. Planes, trains, boats, bikes, trikes and more!
Sky Scanner
Consider this the king of all flight apps. Not only can you find the best deals for your target date, but you can also compare prices across an entire month, or even throughout the year. Better yet, Skyscanner gives you suggestions for affordable getaways with their Explore feature!
Uber
Uber is the quintessential rideshare app for your phone. When you put in your destination, it estimates your ETA and the price of the ride, then connects you to nearby drivers for pickup. It’s usually not the cheapest option, but it’s affordable when you split it with other riders - which you can do in the app! Check the app when you arrive in a new country, it’s not always available in your area!
Grab
Grab is the ‘Uber’ of Southeast Asia. Don’t be surprised if a guy on a scooter picks you up. But don’t worry, they have extra helmets.
BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar is a rideshare website geared towards longer drives. Any driver can post their intended route on the website, and if you want to go to the same place at that time, you can reserve a seat in their car.
Europcar
Want your own car? Europcar offers car rentals at an affordable price - yes, even if you’re under 25.. depending on the country. You can even drop it off at a different location. Hello, roadtrip!
Trainline
Trainline is the best app for getting around Europe on rails. Select your destination and it’ll show you the times and prices to get you there. Book directly and it’ll even save your scannable tickets on the app.
Go Euro
GoEuro is your European best friend. Put in any two destinations in Europe, and it’ll spit out all the ways to get there - flights, trains, or buses.
Money
Splitwise
Splitwise is the best way to avoid awkward conversations about splitting bills when traveling with others. Keep track of who paid for what in the app, and level it off at the end of your trip. You can even count in different currencies!
Venmo
Venmo is the quick, cash-less way to settle your debts. Link it to your bank account and when someone gives you $ in Venmo, either transfer it back home or leave it in the app for your own debt settlements.
Paypal
PayPal is a more official version of Venmo. PayPal connects directly to your PayPal account. ‘Friends and Family’ transfers are free!
Currency Converter
Do yourself a huge favor, and download a currency converter to the front page of your phone. You’ll use it all the time.
Personal Banking App
Avoid facing surprises at the ATM. A personal banking app is essential for keep an eye on your remaining funds.
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab offers the ultimate bank account for long-term travelers. Trips to the ATM will be a breeze with withdrawal fee reimbursement, baseline currency conversion, and unlimited cash pulls abroad.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred is the world’s go-to travel credit card for good reason! Put all your purchases on this bad boy and soon you’ll be taking another trip with your well-earned points!
Planning
T-Mobile One
Looking for no-fuss plan for your phone? T-Mobile offers a plan that gives you unlimited texting and data (up to 2G) in 210+ destinations.
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Top Picks
Technology is always changing, and new apps seem to be coming out every day. But if we had to pick three MUST HAVE apps, we’d go with:
Google Maps
Hostelworld
Any offline currency converter
That’s all we’ve got for now! Whichever you apps you end up downloading, make sure you keep them updated.