From finding the best off-the-beaten-track hangouts to mix with the locals to keeping track of spending, we explore the best apps to streamline your travels and enhance your journeys!
Best app for travelling with your dog: BringFido
Listing over 500,000 places worldwide that love your four-legged friend as much as you do, with plenty of tips for travelling with your dog in tow.
Best app for staying organised: Wanderlog .
Bring all aspects of your trip together in one app – keep details of your flights, hotel reservations, and tickets booked all together, as well as recording sights, attractions, and restaurants you are keen to try out. Stay organised with checklists and a spending tracker.
Best app for vegans: Happy Cow
Easily find vegan dining options wherever you are in the world.
Best app for local inspiration: Steller
Providing recommendations for things to do, places to eat, and sights to see based on a combination of other traveller’s recommendations and AI.
Best app for getting recommendations from locals: Localeur
Localeur offers insights from locals in over 200 cities around the world providing unique access to a global community of local insiders and authentic recommendations on where to eat and drink, world travel tips, road trip guides and personalised travel guides,
Best app for eating like a local: EatWith
For a truly authentic experience, EatWith lists local neighbourhood restaurants and can even connect you with local hosts who are happy to cook for travellers in their homes.
Best app for those in search of authentic travel experiences: WithLocals
Connect with locals and discover hidden gems away from the hordes of tourists. A must for those seeking a truly authentic travel experience.
Best app for recording your trip: FindPenquins
Create a journal of your travels automatically with the ability to order a book full of your holiday photos, maps and information on your return.
Best app for outdoor fitness lovers: AllTrails
For those looking to hike, cycle or run on their travels, AllTrails provides suggestions as to the best routes to meet your needs, all reviewed by community members.
Best app for finding things to do locally: Headout
Wherever you find yourself in the world, Headout offers inspiration for local events and activities even at the very last minute.
Best app for navigation: Google Maps.
Needs no introduction. The best way to plan your route, allowing you to download offline maps before your travel, The app now uses AI to help with travel searches and find restaurants, ATM’s and petrol stations.
Best app for booking attractions: Viator.
Not only can you use it to book tickets to over 300,000 attractions, tours, shows, and much more wherever you are in the world, but you can also use the app to access tickets meaning you don’t have to queue in line.
Best app for managing your budget: XE
How much does that locally crafted artisan handbag really cost? Currency converter XE not only allows you to keep track of your spending, but can also be used offline.
Best app for speaking like a native: Google Translate
Over the years, Google Translate has helped many travellers get out of sticky situations, but now it can also be used to upload photos of signs in different languages and alphabets for translation. An added bonus is that it can also be used offline.
Best app for wheelchair users: Wheelmap
Wheelmap provides information on wheelchair-accessible restaurants, sights, and attractions in over 30 countries for wheelchair users and those travelling with prams or heavy suitcases.
Best app for road trippers: Waze.
Avoid traffic, roadworks, tolls and speeding cameras on your trip with up-to-date community-based information as to traffic hazards that lie ahead.
Best app for a relaxing preflight drink: Priority Pass
Get discounted access to over 1500 airport lounges worldwide.
Best app for rail travel: Trainline
Can be used to book trains in over 40 countries worldwide.
Best app for avoiding car rental queues: Virtuo
Hassle-free car rental organised from your phone.
Best app for understanding tipping etiquette: GlobeTips
To tip or not to tip is the often stressful dilemma at the end of a meal. Is there a tipping culture? How much is standard? And should I leave it in cash? GlobeTips provides tipping guides for 249 countries. The app scans your bill and applies tipping rules to calculate the right tip amount based on your satisfaction level.
Whatever you seek from your travels, there’s likely to be an app to enhance your adventures—and if not, there soon will be. Some apps help plan the essentials, such as finding the best driving routes or the cheapest train fares. Others assist with practicalities, like locating dog-friendly restaurants. And increasingly, many are dedicated to providing an immersive travel experience, helping you live like a local. Regardless of their purpose, apps have a huge potential to enrich the travel experience. So with that in mind, unleash the power of the technology in your pocket, start downloading and most importantly, happy travelling!