Be it for a weekend or a round-a-world trip, here are some applications that make our nomads life much easier.
Find your way
Maps.me
An essential to travel! This offline GPS application allows you to prepare your itinerary ahead (by downloading the country’s map before) so to always have an available up-to-date map, even offline. It is possible to pin some addresses (restaurant, guesthouse, etc.) and to sort them with colors depending on their type. A must-have!
=> Completely free app to download here.
Manage your budget
Handtrip
Another unmissable application in a traveler’s life, especially for long term trips. Handtrip makes your daily budget management very easy. All you have to do is noting every expense that you make; the app will then analyse them and create graphics to identify the most important items at a glance, or the remaining budget, etc.
=> This app is free but you can pay for a more useful version if you use it a lot. Only available on Android, here.
Easy Currency Converter
No it’s not only because I am really bad in math and in mental arithmetic that I recommend this app! It will save you from headache every time you change currency, and will probably avoid you some swindles! Very easy to use, you can save your favorite currencies, instantly convert the amounts that you need and all of this offline.
=> A free app (but you can pay if you want avoid the ads) to find here.
Tricount
“Good accounts make good friends”, but it can soon become a source of conflict when you travel with a group. This app became unmissable to hold accounts that are shared with harmony and justice. You just have to note every expense, who paid for it and with who it should be shared. Tricount will then count who owns money to whom. Goodbye Excel and your pocket calculator!
=>Totally free app to download without hesitation.
Find accommodation
Booking
Is it necessary to present Booking.com ? Whether you are looking for a very comfortable hotel or a small budget guesthouse, Booking has the advantage to be very complete and easy to use.
With the app, it is possible to book your accommodation in one clic – once you have filtered the offers with all your criteria (location, WiFi, rating, etc.) -, to save your favorite places and share them, and to modify your reservations if necessary.
=> Free app to find here.
Hostelworld
If there is a reference to find quality hostels around the world, it’s definitely Hostelword! Forget your image of old dusty hostels, this website (and its app) allows you to compare very easily the available places in your research zone, depending on the prices, the comments etc. Bookings are simple and intuitive, definitely a must!
=> Free app to download here.
Couchsurfing
Who doesn’t know Couchsurfing yet? Essential if you want to stay with hosts and meet locals all around the world, this network is a precious ally during a trip. Much more than just a solution to sleep for free, it’s the richness of the cultural exchanges that makes it really interesting.
=> With this free app you can manage your profile, get in touch with hosts, join other travelers and locals in the cities that you visit. To discover here.
Pratical stuff
Free converter
Currencies and units of measurements change depending on the countries, which can lead to risks of misunderstandings and headaches for every traveler! Faster and more efficient than you mental calculations, Free Converter calculates the data that you need (mass, volume, speed, time, etc.) and much more.
One drawback for the currency calculation, which needs a connection to work. But there are some very efficient dedicated apps, as mentionned previously.
=> As its name says it, this app is… free.
Google Keep
A useful app if you are traveling… or not! Essential mate for all the ideas that cross your mind, Google Keep is ideal to note all your TO DO lists, make some vocal memo (transposed by the app afterwards), to save photos, etc. and to sort them with colors and labels to make their organization easier. Instantly synchronised (as soon as you have some connection), your notes can be read and edited on your computer via https://keep.google.com/
=> A free app!
Pocket
Here is an app that could change your life in transports, be it in the Parisian metro, in a local train lost in the French countryside or in a bus deep into the pampas! Pocket is a very ingeneous tool that saves the articles or videos that you want to “keep for later”. From your computer or your phone, you just need to save the article or link that interests you, which you will be able to consult later, even offline.
=> Essential and free app, to find here.
Wifi Map – Free Passwords
The WiFi, Holy Grail for the traveler. Though, it is not that easy to always find good connections! WiFi Map delivers you locations, tips and passwords to access free WiFi hotspots available all around the world. It is updated by the users themselves. I did not have the occasion to try it on other continents yet but I will update this article during my round-a-world trip.
=> Free app available here.
Guides by Lonely Planet
Even if we tend to prefer traditional printed travel guides, we cannot deny that they are heavy and that the smartphones can favorably replace them. The app Guides by Lonely Planet offers free guides throughout the 5 continents’ main cities. Far from being exhaustive yet, it is enriched every year and allows you to consult – after having downloaded the data before – all the useful infos to visit each city, which are listed on a map available even without connection. The app also delivers language tips to help you speaking and you can save your favorite places on it.
=> Free app here.
Wipolo
A very useful travel assistant: Wipolo centralizes all of your reservation emails (transports, accommodation, activities…) and extract the essential information, giving you the possibility to access them every time you need, even offline. You just have to forward your confirmation emails to the app, which will then do the job. Useful also to share a travel project with your friends!
=> Free app to find here.
Point it
As your best English or Spanish won’t always save you on the other side of the globe, and as your signs won’t always be the most expressive, here is an app that could give you a good hand. With Point it, you can show what you need / are looking for in a very simple way, that everybody can understand: in pictures!
I did not have the occasion to use it yet but I found the concept interesting.
=> This app is unfortunately not free (2,39€). Find it here.
Travel
Skyscanner
If I had to choose only one site to compare flights, it would definitely be Skyscanner. It can also be used to rent cars or book hotels, and the app allows you to make researches with many criteria (length, number of stopovers, departure or arrival time, etc.). Simple and intuitive.
=> Free app here.
Even more apps?
I forgot your favorite app? Tell me about it (just below)!
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