The 10 Best Travel Apps

Looking for the best travel apps to help make your international trips more organized and convenient? After traveling Asia for 2.5 years and Europe for 1 year, these are the Apps we ABSOLUTELY cannot live without, but be sure to download prior to leaving for your trip…as the internet may not be fast enough for download upon arrival or it may not be available in the new country you’re visiting!

10. Rome2Rio App

Rome 2 Rio is my GO TO for booking transportation by plane, train ,ferry, bus or car, especially in Europe. Basically, you put in your desired destination and starting point and it tells you all the modes of transport to get there, including prices! It also includes all the links to airlines, buses, trains and their respective websites. It’s pretty revolutionary!

9. iBooks App

I’ve used Ibooks to download and save countless number of itineraries, confirmation letters, travel books, blogs posts, train tickets, itineraries…you name it. It’s super easy for pulling up quick info at an airport, etc.

8. Hotel Tonight App

Everywhere we go, if we’re not staying in Airbnb’s, we use the Hotel Tonight app. You seriously get the most incredible deals on hotel because hotels want to fill up their empty rooms. We’ve stayed in super awesome hotels all over for a fraction of the cost and, many times, you’ll get upgraded to a suite! Not to mention the booking process is seamless. Just note you can only book 7-days in advance. Get $25 off your first hotel tonight booking with my discount code: NIWALZ

7. Google Translate App

Google Translate has helped SO much while traveling Asia and Europe, especially in the grocery store where things aren’t labeled in English and I’m wondering if I’m buying regular potato chips or green tea chips (HAHA)! It works offline too, which is great, just be sure to download the language prior to going out on the town in your new city!

6. Instagram App

I used to be the biggest fan of websites like TripAdvisor, but I’ve really migrated away from them and I’m more into Instagram, Bloggers and Facebook groups to get REAL information on the places we’re going to.

5. Skype App

There’s NO better way to make international phone calls than with Skype. Be sure to load credit prior to leaving your home country, as we ran into a jam with some countries not allowing us to load credit while we were there (South Korea and China).

4. Google Maps App

This is a no brainer…we use Google Maps EVERYWHERE! FYI, you can pre-load your map while connected to wifi and it will still work while your roaming around and not connected to the internet. Do note that Google does NOT work in China, so use Maps.Me instead.

3. Units Plus Converter App

Definitely one of my favorite and most utilized apps, Units Plus is simple to use and has currency, weight, speed, temperature, length conversions and MANY more…plus it works offline! I literally use it daily on the treadmill, at the store…everywhere! It’s been especially helpful while shopping abroad and converting dollars.

2. WhatsApp App

WhatsApp is the BEST way to text/call anyone all over the world, although we’ve found that some countries favor Viber (the biggest competitor for WhatsApp). Do note that the person you are calling/texting MUST have this app downloaded as well and you must have a working phone number to set either of this apps up initially. The app works with wifi.

1. Airbnb App

Airbnb is probably one of the best ideas ever made…we used it SO much while traveling and saved a TON of money (especially in Japan!). We’ve stayed in over 45 Airbnb’s so far and have only had one poor experience. If you have the time during your trip, take advantage of the weekly and monthly discounts that many Airbnb hosts will offer, it’s a great way to save extra cash! Get $34 off your first Airbnb booking with our promo code!