There are many reasons why people love to travel. Some want to experience the sights and sounds; others want to try the food and experience the local culture. There are also many reasons why people don’t love to travel: keeping track of itineraries, language barriers and more. Luckily, your phone is often all you need to make things easier.
Whether you are someone who has traveled a lot in the past and plans to continue doing so, or you want to begin filling up your passport and a travel photo album, there are apps out there to make your traveling experiences even better.
Here are the 5 best travel apps for people who like traveling, or those who can’t wait to get started on their journey to becoming a world traveler.
1. TripIt
Traveling requires a lot of planning and organizing. This can be stressful when trying to keep track of all your reservations, destinations and dates, even if you are the kind of person who loves to travel. TripIt is a mobile app, available on all devices, that can help make traveling much easier for you.
With TripIt, you can put together something called a master itinerary, which is made up of every single piece of the travel planning process. All you have to do is send the app your confirmation emails from the sites that help you reserve your flights, cars, hotels, restaurants and more, and will package it all together into an easily accessible itinerary for your viewing wherever and whenever.
The app also lets you update your friends and family about where you are on your trip with its sharing feature, which makes it very easy to make quick virtual memories while focusing on what’s going on right in front of you.
2. Postagram
Well into the digital age, it’s hard to get away from social media even when you are away traveling. It makes sense that you want to update your family and friends on your travels, but you don’t have to stick to social media, and there’s a better option than old-fashioned postcards.
Postagram lets you instantly send custom photo postcards to those who want updates on your trip, so you don’t have to deal with traditional postage or stay glued to Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat. Postagram lets you send beautiful and personalized updates quickly, right from your phone.
With the Postagram app, you can both update your family and friends on your travels with personal messages and enjoy the trip without having to access a dozen different apps when you could be enjoying the weather or the view.
3. Bravolol
Possibly one of the most difficult parts about traveling to different countries is being able to communicate with others. You need to be able to ask for directions if you get lost and interact with the environment and culture, and in some cases, you want to make sure you are being polite and at least make an effort to speak and understand the local language.
Bravalol isn’t just like any other language learning app. It is built specifically to help you learn the most important phrases in a language so that you can communicate effectively with others while traveling. You can use it to learn phrases and vocabulary in French, German, Chinese and many more world languages.
Another handy Bravalol feature is the dictionary, which can help you learn to understand specific words and phrases others might be using around you, so there can be effective communication on both sides of the conversation.
4. Currency
If you have spent a lot of time traveling so far, and there is no chance you’re going to slow down anytime soon, there’s probably only one part of traveling you wish you could improve: having to convert your home country’s currency with that of the currencies of the countries or regions you are traveling to.
Thankfully, there’s an iOS and Android app for that. Currency, perfect for when you are heading anywhere abroad, gives you up-to-date exchange rates for currencies in over 150 different countries. It is an easily accessible and highly efficient tool and makes it so you can find the appropriate exchange rate between your currency and the currency of your travel destination in no time.
It’s simple: all you need to do is select your country, type in the amount of money you want to convert and to which currency you want to convert it to, and it displays it right away. It’s both user-friendly and very easy to navigate and use.
5. Localeur
As a seasoned traveler, it is very easy to venture all around the world and still miss out on some of the most important parts of visiting different parts of the globe. Don’t be one of those people who only visits the most popular attractions listed on travel websites: download Localeur.
The Localeur app immerses you in the local culture and cuisine of the places you want to visit on your next vacation. It lets you sign up and review local locations in your own city, but also gives you recommendations from others based on where you are planning on traveling to.
In-between sightseeing, you can consult the app to figure out the best places to dine and find quality, authentic entertainment. You can, and should try to be a tourist who experiences more of what the local population does on a weekly basis, instead of just sticking to crowded tourist spots.
Everyone should get the chance to travel to new locations, and with these travel apps, it is getting harder and harder to make excuses as to why you can’t. You can keep track of where you’re going and where you’ve been, share with your friends, keep track of your expenses, speak the local language and experience authentic local culture, all with the help of your phone.
If you haven’t discovered your love for traveling yet, it’s likely you will soon. Check out these apps. They might even inspire you to start planning your first trip.
