Before embarking on your trip, you should have a list of apps to download. I’ve come up with a bunch of useful apps. Even if you don’t use them all, they are still good to have just to be prepared.
I know I’ve listed a ton of apps. Butttt, some of them will come in handy, I promise!
42 Apps to Download Before You Leave
I’ve made it smooth sailing for you. Most of these apps I’ve used. Others I have just heard positive reviews from friends.
There will be posts that I created that are specific to each country that I’ve visited as well, such as Thailand and South Korea (Coming soon).
I’ve also separated them by category. But in my iPhone, they are under just one folder to make my life easier.
Accommodation
- Agoda
- Airbnb
- Hostelworld
I always forget about Agoda but it is pretty cool and cheap. I used it in Thailand a few times. I’ve used Airbnb multiple times. I’ve always had a positive experience with it. I have yet to use Hostelworld and it’s been on my phone for at least a year now. One day.
Communication
- Facebook Messenger
- Google Duo
- Google Voice
- Skype
- Talk360
Who doesn’t have WhatsApp?? Skype is great and you can pay a small fee for calling any other country. Talk360 is the same. I used that when I was in Korea and it worked great.
Google Duo is good and free. Google Voice has to be setup before you leave the US so you can get your landline phone number. I set it up when I got home from Korea so I am excited to see how it works.
For Facebook Messenger, you do need a Facebook account but that can be set up easily.
Entertainment/Games
- Podcasts
- Sudoku
- Ted Talks
- Streaming Apps
- Netflix
- Hulu/HBO Max/Disney Plus
I became a Ted fanatic when I was in Korea. I. CANNOT. STOP. Sudoku is fun and challenging. I also LOVE jigsaw puzzle apple.
Of course, Netflix worked internationally and you can download movies/shows before you depart. With the others though, you do need a VPN. I used Nord VPN when I was in Korea and can’t complain. It worked great. Podcasts are always entertaining as well.
Financial
- jetBlue credit card
- Oanda
- PayPal
- Transferwise
- Venmo
PayPal is international. I swear I used Venmo when I was in Thailand but maybe not. They are not international.
My jetBlue credit card is awesome and I always use it overseas. It doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees. Then, when I come home, I can use it to fly throughout the US cause the points don’t expire.
Oanda and Transferwise are good apps to have. Oanda shows you the exchange rate and Transferwise you can connect to your US bank account and transfer money that way.
Language Learning
- Duolingo
- HelloNative
- HelloTalk
- Google Translate
- italki (Here’s my referral code)
- Memrise
- Preply (Here’s my referral code)
- TripLingo
I love all of these apps. They have all come in so handy while traveling and also just for entertainment.
Memrise, Duolingo, HelloTalk, and HiNative are completely free (unless you choose to upgrade).
I highly recommend it when you are in the intermediate level. I think Duolingo is more for beginners to get familiar with the language.
HiNative, HelloTalk, italki, and Preply you can all speak to native speakers of whichever language you choose.
However, you have to pay for italki and Preply, but they are reasonably priced. I have found some great tutors on both websites.
With TripLingo and Google Translate, you can download the language of your choice so you can always use it. TripLingo also has categories for you to choose from if you’re just looking to have a conversation.
Others
- Air Visual
- Google Docs
- Google Photos
- Meditation Podcasts or Calm/Headspace
Air Visual has been with me since Thailand. Since I lived in a huge factory town in Thailand, it helped knowing what I was getting myself into. It also helped in South Korea.
Google is great, as we all know. You can save your photos on Google’s free app as a backup.
Meditation has taken over my life, in a good way. Calm and Headspace are great but you do have to pay for them if you want more than just the basics. Instead, I just download podcasts and that way I always have them. My favorite is Chel Hamilton. Her voice is so soothing.
Safety
- Geosure
- Sitata
- Smart Traveler
- TripWhistle
You can use Geosure to stay up to date with your surroundings. It will give you a list of categories and then a percentage that tells you how safe it is.
Even the free version of Sitata is useful. You can find hospitals and look at the alerts in the country where you’re heading to.
Smart Traveler is honestly such an important app. It gives you a list of all of the countries and then where the U.S. Embassies or Consulates are located in that country. You can also apply to STEP (smart traveler enrollment program) through the app, which you should do. It is such a great resource.
TripWhistle has the emergency phone numbers for the country that you choose. It finds your location and you just need to press the button to call that emergency number.
Travel
- CityMaps2Go
- Google Maps
- Hopper
- Maps.me
- Orbitz
- Rome2Rio
- Skyscanner
- Waze
CityMaps2Go and Maps.me are great cause you can download maps when you have WiFi/service so once you get to a new area, you can just use your phone and follow the downloaded map. Google maps is always great too. Waze is more for if you have a car but it’s awesome cause there are many ‘wazers’ that log in on the app and can forewarn you about things such as traffic, police officers, when there’s an accident, etc. Love it.
Hopper and Skyscanner always have unbelievable prices. Waaaay cheaper than other sites that I’ve found. Orbitz is okay too.