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20 Travel Apps You’ll Actually Use

The most useful Apps to aid you on your travels...

Article by

  • 05 June 2017
  • • 7 min read

When it comes to travelling, there are some great apps made especially to aid backpackers out on the road - and we couldn't live without them in the 21st century! Here are the ones that we recommend at St Christopher’s...

1) SKYSCANNER

Finding cheap flights has never been easier. Now you can do it on the go, from your phone with the  Skyscanner  app. Search and compare cheap flights, hotels and car hire all in one place. Plus there are no booking fees and no hidden charges.

Download on App Store or Google Play


2)  ST CHRISTOPHER’S APP

The St Christopher’s App offers a hell load of benefits for backpackers. You book a bed at the hostels with no deposit required (and pay on arrival), cancel free of charge and check-in online. Basically you can make changes to your trip as you go, without losing any money! This app is also a great way to connect with other travellers staying at the hostels. St Christopher’s has hostels all over Europe and a great option for modern, clean and fun budget accommodation!

Download on App Store or Google Play


3) GOOGLE TRANSLATE

Stuck on interpreting another language? Need a paragraph translating? Want to converse with someone in their native tongue?  Google Translate  has you covered. The App instantly translates words, phrases and paragraphs - and it has some new-ish super cool features. You can record someone speaking (or yourself), and Google Translate will talk back to you in a translated language of your choice. Not to mention, you can now hover your phone camera over some text and the App will translate it for you instantly!

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


4) DUOLINGO 

Sticking to the language theme. Want to learn some lingo in more depth? Use the  Duolingo  App, the best way to pick up useful phrases and words. It’s 100% free and a popular way to learn a new language from scratch. With 24 languages to choose from, the best things in life really do come free! You can do 5-20 minute courses per day and set daily goals for yourself.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


5) HOPPER

Hopper  tracks, analyses and predicts flight data so that you can score the best prices and times to buy your plane tickets!

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


6) CITYMAPPER

When you’re in a new city,  Citymapper  is a great way to help you explore. Making big, complex cities easy to navigate, you can find top sites nearby to where you are or where you’re going to be. Not just that but you can locate nearest tube stops, cycle stops, docks and trains, plus get real-time departures and delays. There’s a reason it was nominated the Best App by Google in 2017!

Download on App Store or Google Play


7) UBER

We all love  Uber  so do we really need to explain it? Need a cheap ride? An Uber driver will never be far away get you where you need to be. Just insert your destination in the App, and the nearest driver will be located, ta da! (Also no cash required like normal cabs, Uber takes money straight from your account). Apps similar to this are Grab and Lyft.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


8) PACK POINT

If you’re anything like me, you’re a self-confessed unorganised packer (often forgetting important things for your travels).  Pack Point  is here to provide a complete packing list for your holiday, a great App to keep you organised. It even bases its packing lists on your length of travel, weather at your destination and activities planned during your trip. Super helpful so you’ll never forget an item again.

Download on App Store or Google Play


9) GOOGLE MAPS

We all use this (even when we’re not travelling). To find the easiest route to where you need to be - whether it’s by foot, train or car -  Google Maps  will give you live, accurate directions to follow until you arrive at your destination. Google Maps uses your location to find out where you are - and if you take the wrong turn, it will tell you! A total life saver (whichever city you’re in). Tip: if you have no internet outside of your hotel, screenshot your journey before you leave the Wi-Fi zone.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


10) XE CURRENCY

A great currency exchange app. I’m no maths buff so currency conversions go right over my head. However,  XE Currency  does it all for me. Calculate live currency and foreign exchange rates with this free currency converter.

Download on  App Store or Google Play


11) HAPPYCOW

An App for Vegans - and they swear by it. Finding vegan food in a new city isn’t always easy but Happycow will pull up the closest Vegan and vegetarian restaurants to wherever you are. You can use this App virtually anywhere in Europe - and it will also guide you to the best ones to hit in a city based on stars and reviews!


12) SKYPE

Skype  allows you to make calls and video calls back home for free! (As long as the person you’re calling has a skype account too). Who wouldn't want this amazing App? Avoid roaming charges and do things the Skype way! Skype is also free!

Download on App Store or Google Play


13) LIVE TREKKER

If you’re going on a long trekking trip across a country (or a few),  Live Trekker  allows you to track your journey in real-time so you can look back and re-trace your every step on an interactive map. It also lets you share photos and memories every step of the journey so you can look back and reminisce on all the good times you had at each place.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


14) TRIPADVISOR

My first port of call for recommendations in a new city. For the best reviews on where to go, where to eat, where to sleep and where to drink! TripAdvisor a great app to get more info and trustworthy reviews on restaurants in a new city. And it's so much easier investigating on the App, than on the normal website.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


15) ROME2RIO

A fantastic journey planner. Discover how to get from A to B by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes on  Rome2Rio .

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


16) SPOTIFY

A must-have App for travelling. Because what’s travelling without music? Check out our  Ultimate Summer Road Trip Spotify Playlist  so you’re all prepped with the best tunes for your trip!

Download on App Store or Google Play


17) TUBE MAP

When a newbie in London, you have no chance understanding the complex tube system without this bad boy. Find out the exact line you need to take, how many stops to get you there and which is the easiest route! The  Tube Map App  also gives departure times.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


18) FIND MY FRIENDS

If you lose your friends at a festival,  Find My Friends  will come in handy to reunite with them again. Make sure all of your friends have the App, and it will track their Iphones whenever you’re in a time of need.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


19) MONZO

The latest craze and for a good reason. It’s basically a new style of banking where you're given a Monzo card that you put money on - and then you get a whole load of benefits. With the  Monzo App , you can travel with no commission and zero charges when spending abroad using the card. It’s also a great way to manage a budget. Other benefits: you can instant receipts and spending notifications.

Download on  App Store  or  Google Play


20) SHAZAM

Picture being at an awesome bar in Barcelona and a banging latino tune comes on. You’re dying to know what it is so you can listen to it again when you get back home. With  Shazam , just record a couple seconds of the song and it will instantly tell you what it’s called and who it’s by. MAGIC.

Download on App Store or Google Play

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