Here are ten apps and devices that I have come to rely on in travels to over ten countries in the past year. These aren’t necessarily brand-new apps, but some are either new to me or have enhanced features since the last time I used them. These 10 apps make travel easier for me.
The Airaolo app acts as a clearinghouse for e-SIM data plans around the world. My Pixel 6 Pro smartphone came with the ability to add e-SIMs without removing my Verizon SIM card. These are data plans only with no cell or text service. Search Airaolo by country or region and choose a plan to suit your needs. You can register before you leave and view available plans on their website or mobile app.
I used 7-day plans in Spain and Morocco and a 14-day plan in Morocco. In five weeks of travel, I spent US$45 on data plans in those three countries.
See related article on Plugs and Power for Travel
When I retired and started traveling more, I found that I was losing track of plans. Spreadsheets were cumbersome and with so many apps, I didn’t want to keep printing confirmations. TripIt saved the day by providing a convenient platform to track flights, hotels and activities in one place simply by forwarding confirmation emails to the app. Best of all, my itinerary can be shared with others.
How can I get from Point A to Point B? Rome2Rio can answer that. Enter Madrid to Marrakech and you’ll find information, schedules and prices for planes, trains, cars, ferries, and buses. Occasionally, the information is outdated or incomplete so once you identify your preferred method of travel, check the provider’s websites directly. I use the mobile app and website.
I used Rome2Rio multiple times on my trips to plan transportation when we didn’t have a rental car. In Peru, all flights originate in Lima, so traveling between other towns is done by bus, colectivo (small vans) or private car. In Morocco, we traveled by ferry to get there and used trains within the country. Rome2Rio was helpful to identify modes of transportation, though we did find that it didn’t always list every operator–it’s a good first step but if you’re not finding what you’re looking for, expand your search.
Timeshifter has become an essetial app for managing jetlag when I have trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic flights that take me across many time zones. This app works magic based on science to ease the discomfort of jetlag, which always takes a terrible toll for me. After I enter my flight information, the app prompts me to take actions such as drinking a cup of tea or dimming the lights over a three-day period before the flight. See my detailed review of Timeshifter here.
The Google Translate language app has been around for a while, but when did they add the function where you can point your phone camera at a block of text for instant translation? It’s so helpful. It’s best to download the language you want in advance for offline use. Words and phrases can be stored in a custom list.
In the small towns outside of Lima, Peru, many museums only had interpretive signs in Spanish. It made a vast difference in our appreciation of what we were seeing to be able to read the signs. It was so helpful for translating menus, especially on the first day in each country when we were adjusting to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Arabic. Before I headed into a new country, I created a short list of words I know I’ll need, such as please, thank you, how much, excuse me, bathroom and beer. I added common food terms such as chicken, beef and fish so I could get an idea of common menu items.
The XE currency app is my go-to app for figuring out what that big wad of Moroccan dirhams means in US dollars. It has a clean interface, and several currencies can be added, which is helpful when crossing borders frequently. My list contains Euros, Canadian dollars, Peruvian Soles, Moroccan Dirhams, and Argentine Pesos.
The Time and Date website is what I used to check time zones around the world, especially if I’m scheduling a call. It’s packed with features relating to dates, scheduling, calculating time difference and time between dates. A simplified version called World Clock is available on a mobile app for Android or Apple.
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ChatGPT, an articifical intelligence app, is quickly becoming one of my most valuable travel planning tools. In the early stages of researching a new destination, it’s nice to know what the top tourist activities are, and how long each might take. In a few seconds, ChatGPT can generated a detailed itinerary that provides a starting point for research. It’s not perfect and may not get everything right, but that’s acceptable because I’ll do further research, looking at travel blogs, guidebooks and other resources. The more information you include in a prompt, the better the information the app returns List your interests: culture, shopping, outdoors, hiking, foodie destinations, cooking classes, beaches, etc. A typical prompt from me is something like, “Please create a 3-day itinerary for Tokyo. I like culture, nature, museums and food. I don’t like gaming, nightclubs or amusement parks.” It’s also useful for quick but thorny questions such as which airlines fly nonstop between destinations.
In Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, we didn’t plan lodging ahead of time. Instead, we reserved rooms one-to-three days in advance. Our favorite apps were Booking.com, Agoda and the Accor website. Both Booking.com and Agoda offer loyalty programs and user reviews. We like Ibis Hotels in the Accor group for brief stays as they are reasonably priced, offer clean rooms, a consistent experience, hearty breakfasts, and are usually centrally located in or near tourist hubs. Accor also has Mercure, Sofitel, and other brands within the group to satisfy a range of price points.
Google Maps is the standard for navigation and worked well on our road trip through Spain and Portugal and finding our way through the maze of the medinas and Morocco. Waze, a Google product, is also popular with travelers. Both are accurate and Waze has additional crowd-sourced information.
My favorite apps come and go. For this update, I removed Tile (I almost always bring carryon luggage only), Voice Map (love the self-guided audio tours, but it’s only in limited locations), and Whatsapp (it’s becoming ubiquitous, isn’t it? I use it all the time, but so does everyone else).
These apps and devices can make travel easier, enhance travel planning and allow you to maximize your enjoyment of visiting new places.
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