top travel apps for bloggers

5 Travel Apps to Try on your Next Trip

September 4, 2013

It’s no surprise that everything is going mobile these days and for a traveler, that’s super convenient. Granted, I still travel with my Macbook Air but that’s because I need to be writing and blogging from the road. Otherwise, I’d be perfectly content with using just my iPhone because there are so many helpful apps to solve all my problems. These five apps that are well worth a download (at least in my opinion!)

Find inspiration with AFAR

Since becoming an AFAR Ambassador this past spring, I’ve spent countless hours on their site creating highlights and wanderlists but when I’m on the road, I often find myself browsing other entries from members of the community on their mobile app. It’s basically a mobile version of their homepage and the layout looks similar to Instagram so your eyes will be very familiar with the navigation. Find things to do, places to stay, and activities to try by sifting through the user-based content. You might just find your next destination.

Book your hostel with WeHostels

I’ve written about WeHostels before and I haven’t shut up about it since. If you are on a budget and looking to book a hostel (or bed & breakfasts and affordable hotel) WeHostels lets you see who else will be there before you book. This is particularly advantageous for solo travelers who want to meet other backpackers during their trip. Users can chat with each other via the app, plan activities together and leave reviews of the hostels. Besides the gorgeous design of the app itself, there’s really nothing else out there that offers the same service.

Get organized with TripIt

Speaking of booking a hostel, there is a lot of planning that goes into a trip and TripIt helps you make sense of it all. You can either forward all of your travel confirmations (flights, hotels, bus tickets, etc.) to TripIt or you can use their auto import feature. I opted for the latter, which means that TripIt scans my email for confirmations and creates an itinerary for me and puts all of my information in one place. This sure beats printing everything out or fumbling through a stack of paper at the airport check-in desk.

Learn the language with TripLingo

I’m a huge fan of Google Translate but I can’t really rely on it if I’m outside the US because I turn off my data browsing and stick to Wi-Fi. In search of other language apps I stumbled upon TripLingo and have been happy with it thus far. The free version only unlocks a basic level of information and I haven’t upgraded yet. There are currently twelve languages to choose from and a couple different types of learning tools including flashcards, lingo for various travel situations and of course, on the go translations.

Stay connected with Viber

Up until a few days ago, I had not heard of Viber but I’ll be testing it out next month when I’m outside the country. Similar to WhatsApp, Viber allows users to call and text other Viber users for free. It’s important to note that you must be connected to Wi-Fi or have your data service activated. Once you download Viber and enter your phone number, it can access your address book to display who of your contacts is already set up with the app. There’s an option to include a photo like you would on other social networks and it makes searching through names a lot easier.

What’s your favorite travel app? Tell me in the comments below!

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Hi! I’m Megan,

a Scorpio sun and Libra moon who left her job in the music industry to travel and write full-time. Since then, i´ve explored more than 60 countries in the hopes that you will, too.

The world is made of magic and so are you!

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