My Favourite Travel Apps

Using apps for travel can be so helpful.  Here are some of my favourite and most used. But do not underestimate having a hard copy of your documents. You never know if your device can be lost, stollen or simply just break.

Stellarium

Stellarium is an app that allows you to use your mobile devices to scan the sky and identify stars, constellations and planets.  Stellarium shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.  It is always fun to use this when travelling to see a different perspective and constellations we may not be able to see from where we live.

We were lucky to use this app while we were in South Africa.  We stayed in a lodge in the middle of the bush with no light pollution.  The stars were amazing!  We had such fun using this app!  And we had our first glimpse of the Southern Cross!

Uber

The Uber app gives you the power to get where you want to go with access to different types of rides across more than 10,000 cities.  You can schedule a pick up time and choose the ride option you would like (eco friendly, larger or premium vehicles),  let the driver know if you are up for a conversation or prefer to ride in silence and add up to two extra stops during your ride.  Check your destination to see if Uber is available.  Not all cities or airports have this ride sharing service.  A great feature about using a ride sharing company is that you won’t get “taken for a ride”.  You settle on a flat rate at the time of booking.  So if traffic or construction are a problem, a taxi meter isn’t running.  There are instructions on their website outlining the entire process!

I was in Cartagena, Colombia exploring the walled city.  My Spanish is limited to asking for another beer and where the bathrooms are, so asking a taxi driver to take us to another location was not really possible.  So we requested an Uber to our location, set up two extra stops for liquor and coffee, and then finally to our destination.  It was seamless.

Rick Steves Audio Europe

The Rick Steves Audio Europe™ app organizes Rick's vast library of self-guided walking tours and radio interviews into geographic playlists covering Europe's top sights, travel tips, and cultural insights.

It is no secret I am a Rick Steves fan!  I love to listen to his interviews in preparation for trips and the walking tours are amazing!  They thoroughly explain the history, art and architecture.  Best of all it is free!

XE Currency Converter

Knowing what you are spending is very helpful if you want to stay on budget.  But when pricing is in a currency you do not use every day, XE is a great app to put in the amount you would like to exchange to your home currency.

I once bought a toque in Norway for my dad.  It was 1998 and I didn’t have access to a currency converter.  It cost me over $70CAD.  If I would have realized how much it cost in Canadian dollars at the time I would have put it back!  Whatever happened to that toque, Claude?!

iTranslate

Due to their ability to break down language barriers, translation applications have become increasingly popular.  Using hand gestures may be a way to get some of your points across, but it may not translate entirely accurately.  iTranslate helps eliminate misunderstandings.

I was looking at a menu in a restaurant in Germany and I did not understand much.  I was curious about a dish that came with “frites”.  I figured if I do not like anything else I will like the fries!  I pointed to the menu item and shrugged my shoulders with my hands up.  🤷‍♀️ His response back was priceless.  He pushed the tip of his nose up with his finger and snorted like a pig.  A pork dish with fries was served, and it was delicious!  While it was a great interaction, it may not always turn out this way.  Get a translation app!

Tripit

TripIt is a travel planning app that helps you organize and manage your travel plans in one place.  You can forward your email reservation confirmations and they will create your itinerary, or you can create your own very easily (my preference). Flights, hotels, car rentals, activities and restaurant reservations are just some of the plans you can keep track of in this app.

I like to have all my travel reservations in one place for every trip we do.  TripIt uses a chronological order, day-by-day system. It is handy to look up my itinerary and if I need easy access to my confirmation numbers it is all right there.  I also like that I can easily text a read-only copy of my itinerary to family and friends who like to keep track of what I am up to!

FlightAware

Track planes in real-time above your head, or all over the world. Easily track the status of your flight, check for any delays on the inbound aircraft, see weather radar, and set up alerts to be notified of any changes.

I like to use Flight Aware on top on the airline app because I find it can give different details like weather and possible changes to in-air routes.  I am such a nervous flyer, it brings me comfort to know everything I possibly can.  If I could be sitting in the pilots lap I would!

GoogleMaps

Get real-time GPS navigation, traffic, and transit info.  Get directions for driving, transit and walking.

Google Maps is my go-to navigation app especially when walking.  The app will often show you photos of your surroundings so you can use these as landmarks. This can help navigate you to your desired destination.  It has prevented a couple squabbles about who should be asking for directions!

Kindle

Read anytime, anywhere! On the bus, on your break, in your bed—never be without something to read. The Kindle app puts millions of books, magazines, newspapers, comics, and manga at your fingertips.

I like to read when there is downtime on vacations, on planes, trains, or waiting in airports, but I do not like to clutter my bags with books.  I can have books on my phone or ipad and the only space they take is memory!  I also use Libby, a library app, where I can borrow books for free.

SurfShark

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) service protects your data. It does so by establishing a secure connection between you and the internet. With a VPN, all your data traffic is routed through an encrypted tunnel. This disguises your IP address and makes its location invisible to everyone.

I use a VPN for two reasons.  1.  When I a doing banking or booking travel for a client it helps protect private financial information.  2. When using streaming services, such as Netflix, I choose the IP address for the country I want to mimic and watch content supported for that country.