Hi, my travel readers! Thank you for keeping reading my travel articles. I don't know why I never thought about writing about more travel adventures after seeing so many places. Since moving to Eurasia, we got to discover more amazing destinations. Today, I had a small chat with one of my followers (check her out @thesimplesarah). Sarah was asking me for tips for how to travel in Europe. Our conversation inspired me to write this blog post. I am sharing with you my favorite travel apps that I have been using while traveling.
1. Maps.me is probably the best app I have ever used. It works without cellar data and you can drop a pin on certain locations to prepare you for traveling in areas with no wifi or cellular data use. Make sure to load the map of the city where you are planning to travel.
2. Paris Metro / City Rail Map . In case you planning to take a trip to big cities like Paris, NYC, Barcelona, Portugal etc All major cities have a metro system! One of these apps has a city subway map that is easy to use. It can also locate your location and let you know which subway to take. Or you can always look at the apple store for particular cities like: Barcelona Metro, Lisbon Metro, etc. Always make sure that you load one that will work without cellar data!
3. Flixbus. If you are planning to take some trips around Europe (26 countries) and save some extra $$ for more travels - FlixBus is a way to go! I can't share my experience with Flixbus in other countries (though, I rode similar lines like Lux Express in the Baltics), but I took this bus from Munich Airport to get to another German town, and also travelled from this small town to bigger cities. The road was longer, but was cheaper than train. Normally, the bus offers a free wifi. From my experience, sometimes their wifi is working great, sometimes not very good. Every bus has a bathroom. Make sure to bring sanitizer, snacks, and toilet paper. You never know! The app works great. You can show your ticket from the app with no need to print out.
4. DB Navigator. If you come to Germany, even for short trip, and plan to take a lot of trains. I am going to advise you to sign up for their promotional ticket "Bahn Card 25 Probe". You pay only 19 euro for the card, but you can travel for 3 months with 25% OFF on every single ride. It helps only if you are traveling a lot via rail! Don't forget to cancel your card before expiration date, because it will automatically charge you for the next year. The app works amazingly. You can load your ticket and Probe card. I also booked tickets through the app and got notifications when anything changed.
5. I Visited App. To not lose track of how many countries I have visited, this is an app that I have been using so far. It is kind of fun when adding new countries to my list.
6. Booking.com I love booking.com because you can always find cheap options and book your hotel right away (with the option of free cancellation!). I remember when we travelled across the country, I booked our stays on the same day, or even a few hours before check-in. Also, it's great to read reviews that are usually pretty revealing. The app is handy because it keeps your reservations and stays organized, negating the need to print off hotel confirmations. I am sharing my referral link to my friends, so they can get an extra $20 off for their next stay, which means I get $20 too. If you are planning a trip very soon, use my referral link ;) →→ here.
7. Uber / Lyft / Taxify. If you are not sure how to use buses or the metro system, or are just super exhausted wanting to get to your hotel faster, I always use taxi apps. Since Uber has a bad reputation, I would advise you to send the car number to your friend just for your safety! Btw, Uber doesn't work in many European countries. Taxify seems more popular in many Eastern European countries and in Eurasia. Taxify is also much cheaper than Uber.
8. Express VPN. You want to be able to check your emails or banking information, and feel protected while using public Wifi. I always use a VPN in other countries to protect myself from hackers.
9. Expenses OK. As a travel and style blogger, traveling to other places can involve meeting with other people and making expenses you'll need to track for tax season. Knowing how you spend your money is the best way to stay organized. I try to pay by credit card usually, because it lets me keep track easily. Though, sometimes cash is the way to go for certain businesses!
10. DocuSign. While traveling, I usually don't bring my computer, just because I don't have time to do anything on it. I check my emails through my Gmail app. Sometimes, it happens that I get contracts and need to sign them quickly. This app saved my life!
11. Skype. To stay in touch with my family, or even if I have to call overseas, Skype is my best friend! The cheapest way to call your family or friends, I always use Skype! All you need is just to find a good spot for Wifi. There are other similar apps, but Skype is tried and true.
12. Tile. Don't want to lose your wallet, keys or camera? Use TILE! I advertised Tile a year ago and never knew that I will order more for myself and my family. It is a little tracker that can fit into your wallet or be your keychain. Find more here. Anyway, the app is the way to find your belongings if they got lost.
13. Canary. Since we leave our house so frequently, we need to keep our home secure with the Canary Home Security Camera. I can watch my house from other countries, and if anyone enters my house, my app will send me signal very quickly. Well, the sensitivity of the camera is so good, that it reacts even to change in the light and air (especially during bad weather).
14. Whatsapp. Another way to stay connected with my family and friends. I actually love this app because it eats so little of your data (unless you are sending pictures!). You can also call your friends as a free international call.
15. Wifi Map. I discovered this app last year. One of my friends advised me to use it. Basically, you can find out the password of any location that has WiFi. No need to ask for passwords anymore. Pretty crazy, right?!
I hope this post was very helpful, and if you know any other great apps, please share in the comments below. This post wasn't sponsored or paid!
1. Maps.me is probably the best app I have ever used. It works without cellar data and you can drop a pin on certain locations to prepare you for traveling in areas with no wifi or cellular data use. Make sure to load the map of the city where you are planning to travel.
2. Paris Metro / City Rail Map . In case you planning to take a trip to big cities like Paris, NYC, Barcelona, Portugal etc All major cities have a metro system! One of these apps has a city subway map that is easy to use. It can also locate your location and let you know which subway to take. Or you can always look at the apple store for particular cities like: Barcelona Metro, Lisbon Metro, etc. Always make sure that you load one that will work without cellar data!
3. Flixbus. If you are planning to take some trips around Europe (26 countries) and save some extra $$ for more travels - FlixBus is a way to go! I can't share my experience with Flixbus in other countries (though, I rode similar lines like Lux Express in the Baltics), but I took this bus from Munich Airport to get to another German town, and also travelled from this small town to bigger cities. The road was longer, but was cheaper than train. Normally, the bus offers a free wifi. From my experience, sometimes their wifi is working great, sometimes not very good. Every bus has a bathroom. Make sure to bring sanitizer, snacks, and toilet paper. You never know! The app works great. You can show your ticket from the app with no need to print out.
4. DB Navigator. If you come to Germany, even for short trip, and plan to take a lot of trains. I am going to advise you to sign up for their promotional ticket "Bahn Card 25 Probe". You pay only 19 euro for the card, but you can travel for 3 months with 25% OFF on every single ride. It helps only if you are traveling a lot via rail! Don't forget to cancel your card before expiration date, because it will automatically charge you for the next year. The app works amazingly. You can load your ticket and Probe card. I also booked tickets through the app and got notifications when anything changed.
5. I Visited App. To not lose track of how many countries I have visited, this is an app that I have been using so far. It is kind of fun when adding new countries to my list.
6. Booking.com I love booking.com because you can always find cheap options and book your hotel right away (with the option of free cancellation!). I remember when we travelled across the country, I booked our stays on the same day, or even a few hours before check-in. Also, it's great to read reviews that are usually pretty revealing. The app is handy because it keeps your reservations and stays organized, negating the need to print off hotel confirmations. I am sharing my referral link to my friends, so they can get an extra $20 off for their next stay, which means I get $20 too. If you are planning a trip very soon, use my referral link ;) →→ here.
7. Uber / Lyft / Taxify. If you are not sure how to use buses or the metro system, or are just super exhausted wanting to get to your hotel faster, I always use taxi apps. Since Uber has a bad reputation, I would advise you to send the car number to your friend just for your safety! Btw, Uber doesn't work in many European countries. Taxify seems more popular in many Eastern European countries and in Eurasia. Taxify is also much cheaper than Uber.
8. Express VPN. You want to be able to check your emails or banking information, and feel protected while using public Wifi. I always use a VPN in other countries to protect myself from hackers.
9. Expenses OK. As a travel and style blogger, traveling to other places can involve meeting with other people and making expenses you'll need to track for tax season. Knowing how you spend your money is the best way to stay organized. I try to pay by credit card usually, because it lets me keep track easily. Though, sometimes cash is the way to go for certain businesses!
10. DocuSign. While traveling, I usually don't bring my computer, just because I don't have time to do anything on it. I check my emails through my Gmail app. Sometimes, it happens that I get contracts and need to sign them quickly. This app saved my life!
11. Skype. To stay in touch with my family, or even if I have to call overseas, Skype is my best friend! The cheapest way to call your family or friends, I always use Skype! All you need is just to find a good spot for Wifi. There are other similar apps, but Skype is tried and true.
12. Tile. Don't want to lose your wallet, keys or camera? Use TILE! I advertised Tile a year ago and never knew that I will order more for myself and my family. It is a little tracker that can fit into your wallet or be your keychain. Find more here. Anyway, the app is the way to find your belongings if they got lost.
13. Canary. Since we leave our house so frequently, we need to keep our home secure with the Canary Home Security Camera. I can watch my house from other countries, and if anyone enters my house, my app will send me signal very quickly. Well, the sensitivity of the camera is so good, that it reacts even to change in the light and air (especially during bad weather).
14. Whatsapp. Another way to stay connected with my family and friends. I actually love this app because it eats so little of your data (unless you are sending pictures!). You can also call your friends as a free international call.
15. Wifi Map. I discovered this app last year. One of my friends advised me to use it. Basically, you can find out the password of any location that has WiFi. No need to ask for passwords anymore. Pretty crazy, right?!
I hope this post was very helpful, and if you know any other great apps, please share in the comments below. This post wasn't sponsored or paid!
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