6 Helpful Apps When Traveling Internationally
I am amazed at how people used to travel prior to the invention of the smart phone. How did people find where to stay? How to communicate? Sometimes I think about going on a trip with just a map and a Rick Steves tourist book and see what happens. Would it make it better or more tedious? I’ll keep you posted if we end up doing a trip like that, but for now we have the beautiful invention called the smart phone.
With the smart phone comes many beautiful apps. Below are a handful of apps we used almost daily on our travels and I would highly recommend you consider downloading before you head out on your wild adventure.
#1. GoogleMaps
Hands down if you only have enough space to download one app it should be GoogleMaps. We have used GoogleMaps to drive through Turkey, walk through Rome, ride the bus in Bangkok. We used GoogleMaps everyday and 98% of the time it gave us the right directions. However, it did struggle to pin point our exact location when walking through the Medinas in Morocco, because everything is so densely packed in those spaces. But besides that, GoogleMaps gave excellent directions.
#2. Google Translate
Downloading some sort of translation app is also key when traveling internationally. Google Translate which was really user friendly and efficient. Giving you the option to either type your question or use the microphone to use an audio option. Which we used the audio option a lot, because we didn’t want to offend somebody in case they didn’t know how to read. Language is the most challenging thing when traveling, having a translation app helps bridge that gap in a small way.
#3. Google Lens
It may seem I have a sponsorship with Google or something, but Google just has figure out some helpful ways to make travel way more favorable. Exhibit A, Google Lens, in this app you can take a picture of what you need translated and it will give you a rough translation of what it is saying. We used this multiple times when trying to figure out what’s on the menu or what is at the grocery store. Am I about to buy a block of cheese or lard? Google Lens will help a lot, giving you an idea of what you are looking at.
#4. Tricount
If traveling with other people, it can get confusing on who owes who money. When using Tricount you just type in who is in the group, who paid what, and at the end of the trip it will do the math and break dow who owes who. So helpful, especially if you are like me and math is a struggle.
#5. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a very popular communication app used globally. A lot like Facebook’s Messenger app. WhatsApp uses WiFi to send and receive text messages. If you decide to go without an international phone plan this is a great way to communicate with the people you are traveling with and with people back at home. Plus, if you make any new friends while traveling, they will probably communicate via WhatsApp.
#6. TooGoodToGo
I love this app. We have used this app several times in Norway and in Italy and we have ended up with some very yummy food. This app is set up with several grocery stores and bakeries in the different cities around the world. At the end of the day when products are past the date to sell on their selves they list the products on the “Too Good To Go” app where you can purchase for a discounted price.
Most times you purchase the products as a surprise bag, giving you a variety of goods. The products are still in very good condition and we have had no issues with produce that had gone bad. Thankfully, there are several options to chose from and you can set filters on the search to location, price, and even the stores you prefer. This app saved us so much money, highly, highly recommend.
There you have it, six helpful apps that will hopefully help you in your next wild adventure.
