Where do you start when planning your trip?
Is it through a friend’s recommendation? Through a dreamy photo you’ve seen online?
I’ve gathered my favourite apps I use to get inspiration right down to finding the nearest public toilet! And they’re all free to use which is a bonus!
INSPIRATION
Pinterest – A website and app full of collection of images, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration because it links one image to another so if there’s something you like the look of, it will show you other similar options too. You can also create your own ‘board’ and ‘pin’ the images you want to save and create a whole collection!
Travelstoke – Providing interesting spots in the world, this app has great recommendations for more local and authentic things to do around the world.
Trover – A great way to expand your bucket list, you can save travel tips and share inspirational places with other like minded travellers and join one of the best communities out there!
Instagram – The one and only ‘gram! This app has over one billion monthly active users and keeps growing year by year! It’s a very visual app, so you’ll find loads of pretty pictures you can save to folders and build up your travel inspiration!
TRANSPORT
Rome2Rio – This is perfect for those of you who simply don’t like flying! Rome2Rio shows you alternative routes using land travel, and also takes you directly to the ticket booking site and gives you and estimate of the ticket or petrol prices.
Uber – A very popular taxi service used in most big cities worldwide! You’re able to book a taxi to arrive within minutes without having to hail one down. The app also shows you the driver and car information, which you can also share with friends or family for extra security. However, there are certain countries we’d advise to be more cautious than others when using an Uber, as some drivers can be dodgy and claim to be working for the company or they haven’t done proper checks on them.
TRAVEL CURRENCY
Monzo – This is a UK based prepaid card which we’ve used in pretty much all the countries we’ve visited and it has always worked. You can take up to £200 for free for 30 days, then they charge you 3% if you go over the limit. Withdrawals are free in the European Economic Area (EEA). The good thing about Monzo is that it converts the currency for you, so you don’t need to convert it when it asks you at the ATM.
Caxton FX – This a multi currency card which is again pre-paid. You can lock in conversion rates for up to 24 different currencies so when you use it, you already know what rate you’re paying at.
TransferWise – With over 30 countries available to use in, this pre-paid card is known to be reliable and is ideal for people travelling around or even living abroad.
Revolut – As a digital only banking app, Revolut organises your expenses in different categories so you have more control of what you’re spending your money on. We had a bit of trouble using it in the Dominican Republic, because one of us had a Visa card and the other one was Mastercard and the machine wasn’t accepting the Visa one. Again, there’s a limit on how much you can take out, which is $300 over a 30 day period.
OUT AND ABOUT
Google Translate – This is definitely in our top 3 travel resources! You can download a language offline so you can communicate in another language wherever you go without using WiFi. There’s even a feature where you can translate images and text, so you don’t need to guess what you’ve just ordered for dinner because you couldn’t read the menu!
XE Currency – This is great for currency conversion on the go and it’s one of our most used apps. You can set a widget on your homepage with different currencies and it will automatically give you the conversion while you’re offline. Just make sure you update the currency in the widget first when you get WiFi so it can give you accurate results.
Duolingo – A free language learning resource you can use while you’re out or before your trip. You could even make good use of that 8 hour flight and learn a new language on your way to your travel destination! You’ll be able to save your favourite words on there which also have images, so don’t let the language barrier stop you from doing anything!
Flush – Yes, you’ve probably guessed from the name and the logo that it has something to do with toilets. And it does! This is a worldwide toilet finder which uses your GPS location and also tells you information such as whether they’re free to use, have disabled access and whether they’re open. A pretty handy app in our opinion!
HIKING TRACKERS
AllTrails – Labelled as one of the best hiking apps, AllTrails allows you to easily navigate your chosen routes and gives you information at each stop point, as well as details of your durations, ascent, decent and distances. We used this religiously in Hawaii, where more than half of our holiday was hiking!
CHASING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Aurora – If you don’t fancy hanging around all night looking for the Northern Lights, this app will predict when the best times are to go out and what the visibility will be like. We used this in Norway and found it to be pretty accurate. But then again, this is nature so just use the app as guidance and don’t rely solely on the information it gives. Part of the fun is the anticipation of seeing the lights and being in total darkness!
FITNESS ON-THE-GO
Fitness Blender -It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle even whilst travelling and there are many ways to do it. Hiking and walking is of course number one, but if you find that you’d like to do some extra exercises or just feel like you need a good stretch, Fitness Blender provides many free workouts you can use at home, at the beach or in a hotel room and doesn’t require any equipment. We’ve been using it for years and have saved so much money by never signing up to a gym!