With the 42 Best Travel Apps of 2019 you can plan, book, and manage every aspect of your entire vacation from your smartphone. These are the apps that you should download today:
Best apps 2019 – for Travel Information:
BBC News – What’s happening in the world today? I like to get a global perspective on news, which I can’t get from American news focused on Trump 24/7.
Google Maps – An absolute critical app for navigating your trip. Before you go, download a map of your destination. When you arrive, even with no internet, you’ll have all the info on the map for your destination, and the GPS “blue dot” will show you exactly where you are. If you have pinned your hotel, you’ll always be able to find it. I use this to find my way home at night, to see if the cabbie is going the right way, or taking me on an expensive scenic tour.
Wikipedia – If you do no other research, you can at least read up on the basics of where you’re going on Wikipedia.
Nest – I have webcams on my front and back door of my home. I can see what is going on at my house from anywhere with Nest.
Speedtest – Sometimes it seems like the internet is SLOOOOOOW. I’ll do a speed test to see if it is just crummy wi-fi, and then look for other wi-fi.
Amazon – Sometimes you need a travel guide RIGHT NOW and Amazon can deliver one to your kindle immediately.
Google Docs – ALL my travel info goes here. Into a google doc that I can’t lose.
Weather – You can set multiple locations so you can check the weather forecast for where you are, as well as your next destination.
XE Currency – You NEED to know the exchange rate before you get off the plane.
Clock – Set all the locations you are flying to, and there will never be any confusion about time changes.
Altimeter – This is a useful app for understanding how high up you are when travelling in mountainous areas. Really fun to have on Kilimanjaro, or Peruvian bus rides.
PADI – If you are a diver, you can store your certification card in this app, so no need to bring the physical card.
Google Photos – I take pictures mostly just with my iPhone. As soon as I get back to the hotel at the end of the day, I edit a few, delete a few, and then back them all up to Google Photos, and delete them ALL off my phone. Then if my phone is stolen, at least I have all my pictures. Also, in some countries, police might demand to search your photos. Best to not have any.
WordPress – for editing WorldwideWilbur on the road
WorldMapFree – this is just a very basic offline world map. Sometimes I want to look at a map and consider travel options when I am on a plane without internet access for 10 hours. I can use this app to check the map.
Best travel apps 2019 – for Entertainment on the Road:
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video – for movie time when I’m burned out.
Podcasts – I always have a dozen or so of my favorite podcasts downloaded. These are a great way to spend a couple of hours, and take up a heckuva lot less storage space than a movie.
Pandora – When you wanna listen to the radio, but not the radio stations of the country you are in.
White Noise – I’m used to sleeping with a fan going. Sometimes a room is TOO quiet, and I’ll turn on the white noise.
Best apps 2019 – for Transportation:
Uber – I LOVE using Uber in foreign countries. This past year I used it all over Kenya, South Africa, Belarus, and Ukraine. In all of these places I would surely have paid much more for each ride going by taxi and getting screwed with the “tourist price”. With Uber, I don’t have to haggle, and I don’t have to explain where I need to go to someone who might not speak English. If you have never used Uber, sign up HERE to get $5 off your first ride.
Turo – Turo often beats corporate car rental companies. I always check Turo when renting a car. If you’ve never used Turo, sign up HERE and get $25 off your first Turo rental!
Momondo – THE best airfare booking app there is. It beats every other flight app at finding the cheapest fares and the most possibilities.
All the Airline Apps – I have the app of every airline I commonly use. It allows me to see flight delays before the airport lists them, I can see how many seats are left sometimes which lets me know if I might get offered compensation for a bump. If a flight gets cancelled I can re-book immediately through the app while everyone else is waiting in a line. I currently have apps for Alaska, Delta, Southwest, United, American, and Hawaiian.
Best travel apps 2019 – for Lodging:
Booking.com – Hands down the best accommodations booking site. They have the largest listings, and always at the lowest prices. I don’t bother with any other hotel search sites anymore.
AirBnB – I always check whats available on AirBnB before making a decision. Especially in expensive cities, AirBnB is often the cheapest option. If you’ve never used it, sign up for Airbnb HERE and get $40 off your first $75+ Airbnb stay!
Hotel Chain Sites – I churn credit cards to get hotel points. So I have the apps for Hilton, IHG, Mariott, and Hyatt. I always check what rooms I can get for free first thing.
Best travel apps for Communications:
Google Translate – This app is just amazing. You can have a complete conversation with someone who does not speak your language. You just select the two languages that are to be translated, and take turns pressing “talk”, speaking, and then seeing the translation written out in both languages. It doesn’t always understand speech perfectly, but you can see what it thinks you said, and if it is wrong just hit delete and then speak again, maybe using different words. The app gets it about right 80% of the time. It requires internet access for the speech to translate feature. Google Translate also has several major languages you can download and then use offline for type-to-translate.
Google Voice – I can forward my US mobile phone to my Google Voice number. Then if I am out of the country for a month, people can leave messages on my Google Voice account, and I can get them from anywhere.
Facetime – the best way to have video calls with other people on an iPhone.
Facebook Messenger – another option for free texting, and video calls.
Skype – Still the leader for cheap voice calls and video calls to anyone from anyone. The best way I’ve found to call grandma, if grandma doesn’t have an iPhone.
WhatsApp – While seldom used in the US, where everyone has a paid monthly telecom plan, WhatsApp is the #1 means of communication in many developing countries. All you need is wi-fi and then you can send texts and video chat for free. For people in countries where buying minutes and data is a major expense, this is the way to go.
TorGuard VPN – You are going to have lots of time stuck in airports or coffee shops with nothing to do but surf on free wi-fi. You do NOT want to be checking your bank account on that open-to-anyone free wi-fi. Or perhaps you find yourself in one of the lovely police states of the world that block Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc. You must have a VPN, and according to the Wirecutter, TorGuard is the best budget VPN there is.
When you are ready to book your trip, be sure to use the best booking sites on the best travel apps:
Book Your Accommodation
Choose your lodging using Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)
Get Travel Insurance
You can’t afford to travel without travel insurance. Car accidents, illnesses, and theft do happen. It could save your life. I never travel without it. I use World Nomads.
Need Some Gear?
Check out my Worldwide Travel Packing List for the best travel gear for your adventures. I’ve already read all the online reviews, and tested it all out, so you can just click and buy the best stuff.
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