27 Best Apps To Use When Travelling

If you have always wondered what are the best apps to use when travelling, then you have come to the right place. 

In this article, we are going to outline 27 of the best apps that you should simply not travel without.

Travelling long-term can be stressful, but with these amazing travel apps you can travel safe in the knowledge that everything on your trip is covered. 

We have split our travel apps into categories so you can easily identify the type of travel app you need, and which are the best apps to choose when travelling. 

Read on to find our best app suggestions to help you travel successfully this year.

Disclaimer - this blog post contains affiliate links where we can earn a commission, if you make a purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Nowadays, it is impossible to consider travelling around the world without at least a few of these crucial apps. Travel apps for phones are ubiquitous and have made the whole experience of travel so much less stressful. 

With these travel apps, you can board a flight to your next destination and book your accommodation as you’re sat in the departure lounge. As you’re waiting for your luggage to come around the carousel, you can happily research the best things to do in the area and order a taxi to your hotel.  

No longer do you have to sit and scroll on your laptop for hours and hours to fine-tune every detail of your trip - you simply find a good wifi connection, grab a coffee, and can have your entire trip planned out within minutes thanks to help of a few handy travel apps.

Best Flights Apps to use while Travelling 

We are going to start out with the basics here, by outlining the best flight apps to use while travelling. These apps are vital for any travellers looking to go on any multi-destination trip, as the costs of flights can potentially make or break the number of places you will be able to visit. 

Although each app has its strengths and limitations, whenever we travel we tend to have at least 3 or 4 flight comparison apps on our phones. This way we can quickly scan the same flight route on each of the apps to make sure we are paying the least amount of money possible for our flight. 

Momondo

The basic premise of Momondo is the same as the other 3 apps listed underneath, to provide a platform to compare flights to find the best possible deals. 

Where we think Momondo excels is its ‘anywhere’ feature. Using this feature, you simply put the name of an airport you intend to fly from into the search engine and instead of selecting a specific destination, you can choose ‘anywhere’ and the app will generate hundreds of different budget friendly options for you. 

You can even cater the ‘anywhere’ search based on whether you want an adventurous trip, a city break, a romantic break etc. While on our 6-week backpacking adventure through South America, we used Momondo’s anywhere feature to find cheap flights from Cartagena to Lima. 

Momondo App

Skyscanner App

Skyscanner

Potentially the most recognisable flight comparison app on the list, Skyscanner has been offering budget flights to travellers since 2001. 

As Skyscanner celebrates its 20th birthday, it is no less important to travellers now as it was back at the beginning of the century. One of the strongest features of the Skyscanner app is that you are able to compare flights, hotels and car rentals all in one place. 

Another cool feature of the Skyscanner app is that you can choose your flight date as a month, rather than a specific day, so that it will generate the cheapest flights for the entire month. Particularly useful for those looking to travel with a flexible itinerary.

Hopper

Founded in 2015, Hopper is one of the newer flight comparison travel apps but that doesn’t make it any less valuable to would-be travellers. 

The thing that sets this travel app is its freakish accuracy for predicting flight prices and trends. The app itself claims to predict flight price trends to a 95% degree of accuracy and who are we to disagree with that. 

You are also able to set up an alert feature using the app, that will notify you when a specific flight route or destination is becoming cheaper. Great for travellers that enjoy searching far in advance for their next destination , rather than those that prefer to spontaneously book a trip a few days in advance.  

Hopper App

Expedia App

Expedia

Whereas Skyscanner is a travel search engine, Expedia is actually an online travel agent. This means that you are able to book flights directly through its app without having to be sent to a third party website. 

Obviously this has its limitations in that you may have to search for a little longer to find the deal you are looking for, but it does help to know who exactly you will be booking your flights with. 

Best Navigation Apps for Travelling

We are going to continue our round-up of the best travel apps to use when travelling with arguably the most important apps - the ones that actually help you navigate your way around your new destination. 

It’s certainly a thing of the past to consider bringing a map with you while travelling, and although there are those that prefer traditional paper forms of navigation, most people have happily adapted to the use of travel apps for that particular job. 

Google Maps

Realistically, is anybody going to travel without Google maps nowadays? Everyone has heard of it and for good reason. With an unbelievable range throughout the world, Google Maps is able to make you feel at home absolutely anywhere.  It’s not only one of the best apps to use when travelling, but it’s simply one of the best apps to use full stop. 

Remember that as a tourist in a destination, you are always going to be safer when you appear to be familiar with your surroundings. You are less likely to become a target of scammers or pick-pocketers if you wander around the streets with confidence. 

Google Maps has its famous Street View feature that allows you to become familiar with some of the streets around you, before venturing out. One of the best things about travelling is discovering new places for the first time, but for when you are in an area of a destination that you may not trust, Google Maps Street View will give you that extra layer of comfort. 

Google Maps App

Maps.me App

Maps.me

Certainly less well-known than Google Maps, but no less useful. Maps.me is a very useful navigational app to use while travelling. With maps available from all over the globe, the likelihood is that wherever your next destination is, Maps.me will have you covered. 

One of the best features of Maps.me is that all maps are downloadable to use offline, meaning you don’t have to trust the strength of your internet connection in order to navigate your way around a city. 

Maps.me is also great for when you want to search for specific places to eat, what to do and where to go in a destination. 

Uber

Again, this is one of those apps that the majority of people reading this article will be familiar with, but that doesn’t make it any less vital for travelling. 

It has become the norm to be able to book an uber from a hotel or airport rather than trying to flag down a taxi. It is quicker, simpler and often it can be a lot safer. Uber offers the security of you being in a tracked car with a registered driver - particularly brilliant for any solo travellers out there. 

Uber App

AllTrails App

AllTrails

One of our personal favourite travel apps, AllTrails is an essential app for anybody considering going hiking while they are travelling. 

With hiking information available in over 100 different countries across the globe, AllTrails is great for informing eager hikers on the difficulty, length and popularity of trails. 

We used the AllTrails app on many of our hikes in Lake Louise and we found it brilliant - it was great for letting us know which the easier hikes were, before we moved on to some tougher hikes in the area.     

Best Accommodation Booking Apps for Travelling 

Now that we have outlined the best travel apps for flying to a new destination and navigating your way around, we are going to highlight some of the best travel apps for helping you find the cheapest accommodation options in your destination of choice. 

Similar to the flight comparison apps, we would always recommend downloading 2 or 3 different accommodation apps. Simply because they are designed to be comparisons, so doing a little comparing of your own, between apps, is likely to result in finding the best option for yourself. 

Hostelworld

As two travellers that enjoy cheaper travel options, Hostelworld is an app that we never want to travel without. 

Described as the ‘world’s leading app for wanderlusters on a budget’, Hostelworld is the perfect travel app for people that don’t want to spend too much on accommodation, but also don’t want to have to spend hours looking for a cheap deal. 

Hostelworld App

Hostelworld App

Airbnb

Booking accommodation through the Airbnb app is particularly brilliant for people that are travelling in large groups. 

After working for several years at a Summer Camp in upstate New York, we are accustomed to travelling in large groups with all the people we have made friends with throughout the summer. For this, we always use the Airbnb app - it’s rare that you will find accommodation options for large groups of travellers that will be cheaper than a big Airbnb. 

Incidentally, being able to travel with a large group of friends that you have just met is just one of the many reasons why you should work at a summer camp at some point in your life.  

Airbnb App

Booking.com App

Booking.com

The final choice of our 3 recommended accommodation travel apps that you shouldn’t travel without, is Booking.com. 

Booking.com is particularly suited to finding the best deals on reasonably priced hotels. Rather than specialising in hostels like Hostelworld, Booking.com tend to offer a broader range of accommodation options. 

Best Apps for Researching Activities when Travelling

You have arrived safely at a destination, booked yourself into accommodation, and are now wondering what on Earth there is to do here? Well, in this section we reveal our favourite travel apps for researching activities to do while travelling. 

Discovering a new place without a single itinerary can be liberating, but for those that prefer to hear the most popular recommendations, these travel apps will be suited to you. 

Culture Trip

The Culture Trip app is your go to travel app for finding interesting and fascinating activities and things to do while travelling. 

The app is very simple to use and you begin by typing in your destination to the search bar, and a wealth of travel resources will appear. The app will generate suggested experiences in the area, interesting things to do, places to stay and even where to eat and drink. 

The great thing about the app is that along with being able to book tours and activities directly through Culture Trip, they also produce a number of interesting blog articles on destinations. So rather than simply producing the customary ‘best things to do in Medellin’ article, they will also create a ‘best neighbourhoods in Medellin’ article or a ‘budget travellers guide to Medellin’.  

This makes the Culture Trip travel app so useful as you can truly find something for everybody when reading their articles. 

Culture Trip App

GetYourGuide App

GetYourGuide: Tours & Tickets

While searching for unmissable sights when backpacking Peru, we used the GetYourGuide travel app to find as many tours and cultural experiences as possible, at affordable rates. 

When travelling with a time limit, you often want to cram as much as possible into your travel itinerary and may not have enough time to plan every aspect of your trip. This is where GetYourGuide comes in handy. 

For example, when we were in Medellin, Colombia, we really wanted to visit the famous El Peñón de Guatapé, take a boat trip around Pablo Escobar’s former home, and visit the very colourful Guatapé town.

Under the time constraints we weren’t sure whether we would be able to do the trip by ourselves. Instead, we searched on GetYourGuide and found an amazing tour that offered all 3 of these activities in one day. 

GetYourGuide is also brilliant in that it will promote local tour guides, so you are free in the knowledge that you’re readily giving back to the communities you are visiting. GetYourGuide is certainly a very useful travel app that we would highly recommend you download for your next travel adventure. 

Tripadvisor

Arguably the most famous travel app that tourists use while travelling, Tripadvisor has become synonymous with travellers around the world, attempting to find reputable places to eat, drink and stay. 

A feature that people often neglect when using the Tripadvisor travel app, is the ‘things to do’ section. This section has a fountain of knowledge and resources when it comes to the best activities and events in a certain destination. 

Best of all, Tripadvisor handily categorises all things to do in a city based on your interests. So if it’s an architecture tour you’re after, they will have you covered. If you want to learn more about the history of the area you are visiting, then they will have plenty of recommendations for that too. 

Tripadvisor has long been known as one of the premier resources for all travellers, so don’t forget to grab the Tripadvisor travel app the next time you are about to hop on a plane to go travelling.  

Tripadvisor App

Pinterest App

Pinterest

Lots of people may have heard of Pinterest, but might not necessarily associate the app with travelling. We do however, believe that Pinterest is an incredible travel resource and a brilliant app to use when travelling. 

For good reason, people often attribute the app to beautiful social imagery and a great resource for home decor inspiration. While Pinterest is great for these things, in recent years the number of articles regarding travel advice and tips that can be found on the app has skyrocketed. 

Simply create a free Pinterest account, and then type ‘activities to do in *destination* into the search bar. You will then have access to a vast array of travel blog articles that cater to exactly what you’re searching for. 

Best of all, with the Pinterest app you are able to save all these articles (or Pins, as they are known on Pinterest) in one place by ‘re-pinning’ them to your ‘boards’. Meaning you can go back and read them whenever you like, without having to scroll through google to find them again. 

On our Ticket 4 Two Please Pinterest page, we not only create pins for our own travel blog articles, but we also re-pin other bloggers’ articles. Thus, creating a network of resources, tips and advice for travelling all around the world.  

Best Apps for Road Trips

This next section is going to highlight the best apps to use while going on a road trip. Primarily, these apps will be focused towards longer road trip itineraries across countries or regions, but many of them can be used on shorter road trips across one or two days. 

These travel apps will come in handy when you’re going on a long drive around an area you haven’t visited before. The apps will help you to get behind the wheel, safe in the knowledge that you have all eventualities covered, from the comfort of your own phone. 

Park4Night

When you’re venturing on a long road trip, the one part of the adventure that can be stressful is finding where to park up for the night. Often, people will feel more comfortable using registered hotels, campsites and hostels. This is perfectly acceptable, but for those looking for a more budget-friendly often, Park4Night is going to be a great app to use when travelling. 

The premise of Park4Night is simple - you search for the location where you want to stay for the night, and a number of parking spot suggestions will pop up. Most of the suggestions will have been made by fellow roadtrippers that stumbled upon a great spot to park and added it to the app. 

The Park4Night app is particularly useful for those wanting to experience van life, or a cross-country roadtrip over a number of weeks or months. The prospect of having to find a safe and affordable parking spot every night can be daunting, but using the Park4Night app can alleviate those worries.

Park4Night App

Roadtrippers App

Roadtrippers

When embarking on a road trip it is often useful to have some sort of rough itinerary, and this is where the Roadtrippers app comes in handy. 

On the Roadtrippers app, you are able to plot a course between two locations, a starting destination and a final destination, and the app will generate a route for you. Along the route, the app will also highlight a number of popular places to visit and things to do. 

Although there are a number of worldwide destinations available, the Roadtrippers app is particularly useful for those planning an overland trip around the USA. 

iOverlander

By definition, iOverlander is a travel app designed with overland travel and road trippers in mind. The goal of the app is to create a network of resources for overland travel in as many locations around the world as possible.

When travelling overland, a number of daily/weekly tasks have to be completed in order to survive. The likes of finding gas stations, refilling water, emptying the garbage, finding food etc. The iOverlander app helps people find all the necessary amenities they will need to survive while on a road trip. 

Another great feature of the app is that a number of people have begun to add areas of particular interests, alongside the usual amenities recommendations. Meaning you can now go on the app, find the gas station you’ve been looking for, and accidentally stumble upon a once-in-a-lifetime hike that a fellow roadtripper found a few months previously. 

The iOverlander app is an essential tool for any traveller that is looking to explore the world by road. 

iOverlander App

Gasbuddy App

GasBuddy

(US, Canada and Australia only) Another app that is brilliant when exploring North America by road is GasBuddy. The task of constantly stopping and refueling can be arduous while on a road trip, but is unfortunately one of the necessary tasks you need to complete in order to continue on your journey. 

GasBuddy helps in that not only does it highlight all the places along your intended route to be able to refuel, it also provides you with a handy comparison of all the prices of the relative gas stations. It can be tempting to fill up whenever you see the nearest gas station, but with the GasBuddy app, you can strategically plan your gas stops in order to save the most money. 

When travelling, most of us like to get the most from our money, and using the GasBuddy app is certainly going to help with that while you’re on your next road trip. 

Great Entertainment Apps to use while travelling

When you’re travelling, there are going to be a number of downtime periods when you are in need of some sort of entertainment. For us, we always bring a selection of the best travel games for couples to keep us entertained on our adventures. Although they do keep us occupied for hours, they can often take up valuable space in our backpacks or suitcase.  

Nowadays, there are a number of different apps you can download and use while travelling that will help you keep entertained while on those dreaded overnight bus journeys, or the 6-hour layovers in airports. 

Spotify

A staple app for many, Spotify has become an essential app used by travellers all over the world. Whenever you are in need of some music to listen to, Spotify is your best friend.

With the free version of the app, you are able to customise playlists, but will only be able to listen to them with a suitable wifi connection. On top of this, you can only use the free version of the Spotify app for 14 days when you’re abroad. 

We therefore recommend signing up to Spotify Premium. With the monthly subscription, you are granted access to an insane number of artists, songs, playlists and podcasts, that can all be downloaded for use without an internet connection. Again, this makes the Spotify app perfect for those looking to keep entertained when on the longer, less eventful stretches of their travelling journey. 

Subscribing to Spotify Premium also grants you unlimited access to your music while abroad, making it a perfect app to use while travelling. 

Spotify App

Spotify App

Audible

When travelling, carrying a number of great travel books to read can become difficult. With limited baggage allowances on flights, it is a hassle to bring more than one book with you on your adventures. 

With the Audible app however, you are able to download books to listen to directly from your phone or tablet. Suddenly, the number of books you can theoretically bring with you while travelling has increased enormously. 

Signing up to Audible’s monthly subscription gives you access to an unprecedented number of audio books that will keep you entertained for hours and hours while on the road.  

Audible App

Netflix App

Netflix

An app that most people cannot travel without nowadays, is Netflix. Gone are the days when you had to download a wealth of tv shows and movies onto a hard drive, and bring that with you while travelling. 

Instead, subscribing to the Netflix app grants you access to a host of brand new shows and films to keep you occupied and entertained for hours while on the road. Downloading plenty of movies on Netflix is one of our top tips for surviving as a couple in hostels. Simply plug your headphones in, and for a brief while you can forget that you happen to be sharing a room with 14 other travellers that haven’t showered for 3 days. 

Best Banking Apps to use for International Travel

One of the most important aspects to travelling unfortunately is finances. As much as we would like to think otherwise, organising and sorting finances is one of the most crucial facets of going on any adventure. Thankfully, there are a number of Banking apps that can help you organise your finances while you're away. 

Obviously, one option is to download your home banks’ corresponding banking app, so you can keep track of your money while you’re away. Sometimes however, banks can charge a lot of money to use your card abroad and can sometimes block international transactions. 

We have therefore highlighted three banking apps that have been designed specifically for international travel. All 3 require you to create a bank account, but this can be done entirely online. 

Monzo

Being able to create a bank account on your phone is the perfect situation for many travellers, and the Monzo app is able to provide exactly that. 

With a Monzo bank account, you are not charged a fee to use your card internationally, making it a perfect account for travelling. Additionally, Monzo also pays interest on your savings account, meaning you are able to accrue money for absolutely nothing - always a positive. 

Any country or ATM that accepts the use of a mastercard will accept a Monzo card, making the universal use of a Monzo card one of the premier reasons why they are so popular within the travelling community. 

With a Monzo card, you are able to withdraw £200 every month for free, before experiencing a 3% charge on any additional withdrawals. When compared against a regular home bank withdrawal fee, it is easy to see why the Monzo app is one of the best banking apps to use when travelling internationally. 

Monzo App

Starling App

Starling

Voted as Britain’s best bank in 2020, the Starling app allows you to create a bank account for the comfort of your very own home. At the tap of an app, you have a fully functional bank account that allows you to use and withdraw money all around the world. 

You will be sent your debit card in the post and once it arrives, you are able to travel freely around the world safely in the knowledge that your card will allow transactions wherever you are. 

The greatest thing about the Starling app, and the reason we choose to use Starling when we travel, is that everytime you use the card, your app sends a notification to your phone stating how much you have spent, and where you spent it. 

Best of all, the Starling app will categorise your spendings throughout a trip based on what you have bought. At the end of a trip, you can easily total how much money you have spent on accommodation, food, activities and anything and everything in between. 

With easy to use features, including simple transactions between multiple different accounts, the Starling app is an absolutely essential banking app for any traveller looking to venture abroad. 

Signing up for a Monzo or Starling (we use Starling) joint account, is one of our top tips for surviving your next trip as a couple. It makes the whole process of working out who owes who money, very easy. Simply transfer the same amount of money into the account periodically throughout the trip, and you will never have to worry about one of you having to owe the other money. 

Wise App

Wise App

Wise (TransferWise)

If you’re looking to transfer money from one international bank account to another, then Wise is your best option.

Wise, formerly known as TransferWise, is best-suited for those travellers who will be opening a bank account in another country. So if you’re working a ski season in Canada for example, then Wise is able to help you transfer money back to your home account, or alternatively you can send some funds to your new foreign bank account.

Once you set up your Wise account, you can transfer money to Wise from one international bank account, and then transfer directly to a different International bank account (for a small fee).

For more information on how to use Wise, and to make a free account, click here.

Best Language Apps to use while travelling 

One of the best parts of travelling is being able to meet, and communicate with, people from all around the globe. So unless you are a polyglot, you will probably be in need of some useful language apps when travelling so that you can make your way around the country effectively. 

Google Translate

No doubt this is the most popular language app available when travelling, but that doesn’t make it any less useful. 

The Google Translate app is brilliant for those times when you need a quick question or phrase translating. Popular phrases such as ‘where are the nearest bathrooms?’ might escape you in the moment, so having Google Translate on hand can certainly save your blushes. 

With the Google Translate app, there is the added benefit of being able to translate speech directly as somebody is talking. Although this often isn’t translated verbatim, it is ideal for assessing the general gist of a conversation.

Google Translate App

Duolingo App

Duolingo

Travelling is as good of a time as any to immerse yourself in a foreign language, and a brilliant app that can help you with this is Duolingo. 

Rather than simply translating for you, as with Google Translate, Duolingo has a wealth of resources and activities to assist you with learning another language. 

Duolingo helps you learn a language while on the move, and having been described as the ‘world’s best way to learn a language’, there is no better app to help you communicate with the locals while travelling.  

There we have it - a conclusive round-up of 27 of the best travel apps to use when travelling. These travel apps make the whole process of travelling a breeze. 

From booking your flights, to finding the best things to do in a destination, we hope these travel apps will make your travelling experience as straightforward and as stress-free as possible.