I made this list while I was planning my European Backpacking Adventure, but most of these apps can be used all around the world. I also listed apps for iOS but I’m pretty sure most (if not all) of these are available for Android phones too.
I’ve only had a smartphone for the past 2.5 years, but now it never leaves my sight! Photo cred
Saves maps for offline usage as well as highlights top attractions. Download the maps for the cities that you are interested in exploring- before you leave home, and have them ready to use as soon as you land.
He has audio guides for museums and other historical walks all over Europe. Simply download the tracks you are interested in before you leave home, and then pull up the track again once you are ready for him to guide you around town! It wont really help you if you are traveling around Asia, but there are also interviews with famous people and cultural talks that you can download for entertainment/educational purposes.
To practice French and German while I’m in transit or have a little downtime. There are many other languages you can try (I’ve been using it for about a year to practice Spanish).
When I am planning trips and or trying to buy something I like to know what rate I’m getting so I can budget better. This can also be used offline. I always struggle with the exchange rate when I first get to a city so I like to have this app around until I get the hang of the prices/exchange rate in the new place I’m visiting.
This app will allow you to search out top restaurant and attractions wherever you want to go. I find it really accurate in most cases. Sure, some of the reviews could easily be faked, but it would be a lot of work to fake the thousands of comments for some of the stuff on there. I also like to use it to help remember where I have been, and I am just starting to rate places I’ve been to in the past.
An honorable mention must go to Skyscanner because I love to search using “Everywhere” as my target city and finding the cheapest fair available for the date I want to travel. It is really good at finding the budget airlines that you wouldn’t think of booking with off the top of your head too.
Did I miss one of your favorite travel apps? Mention it below!
Teaching Wanderlust 
Check out Simply Declare For tracking purchases for customs.
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of that app, thanks for the suggestion. I will be sure to check it out!
LikeLike
Great list, thanks.
I love XE and Trip advisor.
LikeLike
You’re welcome!
I used both XE and TripAdvisor the most while I was in Colombia. For some reason getting my head around spending 38,000 for a nice meal in Bogota was a challenge that only several times playing with XE could solve. Another thing I liked about Tripadvisor is the “Near Me Now” aspect of the app.
LikeLike
For travelling with friends, we use splitwise. It’s a great app to help keep track of expenses!
LikeLike
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve never heard of that app. This summer one of my friends decided to join what I had planned to be a solo trip, so now we could definitely use this app you mention. I will check it out!
LikeLike