Best Travel Apps you Absolutely Need for a Great Trip Abroad

After researching and planning places on your phone for what seems like forever, you’ve finally booked your trip and are just about ready to jet off, woohoo! Most of your planning is complete, but your phone is still an incredibly helpful tool that you can utilize on your trip as well. Before you leave, you’ll want to make sure these Travel Apps are pre-downloaded on your phone just to make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible! (Plus you don’t want to be downloading things abroad with some sketchy slow internet you find nearby)

1. Google Photos

This is one of my most recent additions to my favourite Travel Apps and I wish I had started using it sooner. You will definitely be taking lots of photos on your trip and the last thing you need is to lose all your precious memories by something happening to your phone. Google Photos is free and offers free storage of your photos, automatically backing up all your photos for you, so no matter what happens your memories will not be lost!

Bonus if you find you run out of storage quickly on your phone, once they are backed up to this App, they are permanently saved there and you can free up some of that precious room on your Camera Roll.

Available Free on IOS and Android

2. Airbnb

Airbnb is often a really great website to use to find a place to stay at a reasonable price. It’s nice to have to option to stay in a non-touristy neighbourhood as well, for a more authentic experience.

I had a terrible experience at a Hostel once and Airbnb really saved me to find a great stay at the last minute in a really nice neighbourhood!

Available Free on IOS and Android

3. Messenger

Checking in and letting people know where you are and what you’ll be doing is really important when travelling abroad. With millions of people on Facebook, there is bound to be someone you know that you could message on here. Quickly message someone you’re okay and send photos of your trip, there is even a Video Chat option.

If you’re trying to communicate and Facetime/iMessage isn’t an option, this can be a great alternative.

Available Free on IOS and Android

4. Netflix

As exciting as travel can be, there will always be moments on long plane rides or waiting for a train where you need something to do. Offline downloading movies and tv shows on Netflix is a great way to fill some down time for me.

Don’t forget there are often different movies and shows available in other countries which can be exciting, though when your flight ends you likely won’t be watching too much while you’re out exploring.

Available Free on IOS and Android (Monthly subscription required)

5. Google Maps

The great thing about Google Maps is that you can offline download maps of all the places you will be visiting. This way, even when you don’t have Wifi, you can find the places and streets you are looking for.

Available Free on IOS and Android

6. XE Currency Converter

When you’re looking at a souvenir and trying to determine if its a good deal, using a currency converter can really come in handy.

This app has up to the minute rates as well as an offline mode, which will give you a great idea of the price of that souvenir or museum ticket even without Wifi.

Available Free on IOS and Android

7. Expenses Tracker

My first big trip I was tracking all my expenses in my ‘Notes’ app, which started getting incredibly confusing and hard to follow when the list piled up and the currencies kept changing.

Instead, use an expense tracking app, which can automatically convert different currencies into your own and make your daily expenditures easy to breakdown and track.

8. PackPoint

If you have difficulty knowing what to pack for your specific destination, or just prefer having your packing list be digital, this just might be the app for you.

You can use this app to determine what you should pack based on the length of your trip, the types activities you plan to do, and the weather conditions.

Available Free on IOS and Android (Premium version also available)

9. Metric Conversions

Whether it’s your determining suitcase weight in Kilos or just navigating Celsius vs. Fahrenheit, having access to a quick conversion tool can come in handy more than you might realize. This is one of those Travel Apps that you don’t realize you actually really needed until you get there!

Available Free on IOS and Android

10. Ride Hailing

Ride hailing apps can differ based on whether you are traveling, but having an app to get you a safe ride in an unknown place is important.

Check out Uber, Lyft, Careem, Grab, Gett, Taxify, or Cabify based on which country you’re traveling to.

Now that you have all the Travel Apps you need, get out there on your travels and have fun!