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Best Apps For Solo Travel
When you travel solo having travel apps makes your life so much easier. They help you navigate your way around, make sure you know what you’re spending and can help you understand the local language. Here are the best free travel apps (and some that you need to pay for) to download before your next trip:
1. Maps.me
Maps.me is my favourite travel app. Although Google maps is great, it’s not accessible if you don’t have photo data. That’s where maps.me comes in. It’s an offline map that you download before you go. You can then follow the map when you’re in a taxi and show taxi drivers (who get lost) where you need to go. You can save places as favourites which pinpoints them on your map so you can locate them easily. It even has a blue arrow pointing the way that you are meant to go. Can maps get any easier? This app is ideal for those of us who aren’t great at directions.
If you are planning on driving a car, Navmii is a free navigation and traffic app.
2. Currency
This app is a life saver if you are travelling to countries whose notes have more than one nought on the end. It works offline and is perfect if you are crossing the border with limited options to exchange money. All you need to do is put in the amount you want to exchange e.g. $10 and it shows the exact exchange in all of the currencies that you have already chosen. No more working out the currency in your head!
3. Tripit
Designed to make your travel plans more organised, TripIt allows you to forward your travel confirmation emails to the app, aggregating your plans into a daily itinerary. You can see when your next tour and flight is, and have all your plans into one handy little app. It helps keep everything together.
4. WiFi Map
We all need WiFi when we travel, whether it’s to book onward travel for our trip, stay in touch with friends and family or just download the latest Netflix series. WiFi Map helps identify free hotspots in 95 countries across the globe for easy access to a WiFi connection. For the countries it doesn’t cover, purchase a sim card at the airport.
5. Uber
Uber are in so many countries and are ideal for those who us who struggle with taxi drivers either not knowing where they are going or speaking the same language (or both!) Uber allows you to order a taxi on your phone and pay for it direct through the app. It tells you your driver’s name, the numberplate of the car and how far away your taxi is. You’ll never have to use unlicensed taxis again.
A must-have travel companion, Google Translate helps translate 90 languages through text and audio features. Instead of taking a bulky pocket dictionary for your trip you can just use your phone if you have problems communicating. It even speaks the translated words for you too. You do need data to use it.
7. GoEuro
Finding last minute transportation can be a bit stressful. If you are travelling through Europe GoEuro compares buses, trains and flight prices across Europe. The app has over 46,000 routes and partners with leading transportation companies such as National Express, Eurostar and EasyJet. It’s perfect for last-minute bookings.
8. BlaBlaCar
If the cost of a train, bus or car hire is too much, then try BlaBlaCar. BlaBlaCar is a ride sharing service that connects drivers with empty seat to passengers who need a ride. Just search for your route and look for a driver who is already going there. The app gives you details about the driver and the cost of the trip. It’s a bit like hitchhiking without having to stand at the side of the road. Your price basically covers the cost of the petrol and you may even make friends too. They even have a ladies only service too. BlaBlaCar overs 22 countries and has 25 million members.
9. Eatwith
For those of us who try to avoid the awkward dining out alone experience, Eatwith gives us the chance to dine with locals. It is a social dining platform that offers travellers an opportunity to have an authentic meal in-home in 60 countries worldwide with a local host. Eating local cuisine at restaurants is great, but dining in with locals is even better when you’re travelling.
10. Rick Steves
If you haven’t heard of him, Rick Steves is an absolute travel god. His website is bursting with detailed travel information to help you navigate your way around Europe. His self-guided walking tours are great for us Budget Girl about the Globes who don’t want to do a tour. He now has audio guides which you can download for various museums instead of having to pay for them at museums. Thank you Rick!
11. Geosure
GeoSure’s mission is to help make the world a safer place for everyone and they have created an award-winning travel app ideal for women travelling solo.
GeoSure is the only personalised, location-sensitive safety awareness app on the market. Using safety, security and health data, they are able to provide continuously updated safety scores for every popular destination and major cities about the globe. You can even check individual neighbourhoods meaning that you can travel with confidence, knowing which areas are safe and which ones to avoid.
It works by displaying a score from 1 to 100 for each location. Factors such as physical harm, women’s safety, theft, political freedoms, health and medical and overall safety are considered for the GeoSafeScores. The lower the score, the safer the location.
It enables a safer and more predictable travel experience. From realtime push notifications, to helping find safe spaces during times of uncertainty, their app empowers female travellers to travel with confidence.
12. Mark O’Travel
This is more of a fun app than a practical one as you can create your very own map of the world. It’s great for those of us who travel and want to trace out steps around the world. You just need to add all the countries that you have visited to design your personalised map. If you’ve ever wanted to make a map of where you have been, download Mark O’Travel.
These are just a list of some favourite travel apps. You may find others as you travel. Some apps are region specific such as Redbus which is used in India to book buses, and Taxify – an alternative for Uber – in Georgia, Europe.
Next time you strike up a conversation with a fellow traveller ask them which apps they use to add it to your list.
