So you have relented to your passion. You have decided - against all odds - to leave your home country and travel abroad. And you are traveling to the country, where you will spend some quality time alone, far from the hustle and bustle of your demanding professional life.
Travelling to a foreign has always been a life changing experience. You get the opportunity to meet and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. You get to know about their customs, their language, their traditions, the food they like, and most importantly how they behave.
Having said that, visiting a foreign country without doing any homework on your part can be a disastrous experience. There are many factors that you need to consider before making the final decision to travel abroad.
Well, taking this particular decision - to leave your country for a visit to a new country that is completely unknown to you - is really a tricky one. Don’t worry though! As a new visitor to a foreign land, you can use some smart apps to help yourself, while navigating through the unknown alleys of the foreign country.
In this particular blog, I am going to elaborate about some the most common smart apps that frequent travelers use in order to avoid any problem at hand. These apps are not ranked in any particular order.
1. XE Currency Exchange
You travel. You need money. It’s that simple. Habitual travelers know about all the hiccups they need to go through to get their currency exchanged with the local currency of the land they are travelling to. It’s a tedious process. In most cases, you pay more and get less in exchange. With technology taking over, exchanging currency online has become a norm.
There are several currency exchange apps available, but XE Currency Exchange app leads all the rest. It’s fast, reliable, and most importantly free of cost. With XE Currency app, travelers can exchange their money within seconds.
It supports all the major platforms. Users can get information related to currency exchange live, right on their smartphone screens. There is a comprehensive chart available, through which users can navigate and choose from more than 30,000 currency options available. With more than 40 million downloads, it is by far the most popular currency exchange app in the world. It is compatible with Windows, iOS, Android, iPhone, etc.
Visit Website (http://www.xe.com/apps/)
2. Duolingo
Language is a great connector. What if you visit a foreign land and can’t communicate with the locals? It’s all because you don’t understand the local language. Don’t worry travelers! We have a great solution for your language barriers.
Duolingo is an interactive app for language learning. This app offers bite-sized lessons for language learners that are quite effective. It is one of the most commonly used apps by travelers, lagging behind Google Translate only. With Duolingo, you can easily learn and communicate in 21 languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
This particular app is available absolutely free of cost. Duolingo app supports Windows, iOS, and Android platforms. One of the best advantages of this app is that you can learn language anytime, anywhere in the world.
Visit Website (https://www.duolingo.com/)
3. WhatsApp
WhatsApp has really revolutionized the online communication sphere. It is easily the most downloaded and most used mobile communication app available for all the major smart devices and platforms, including Windows, iPhone, Android, Symbian, Blackberry and Mac OS, etc. It also supports all the major web browsers, except the Internet Explorer.
Today, WhatsApp has more than one billion active users per month. This statistic alone is the testimony of the app’s popularity worldwide. And now with end-to-end encryption available, travellers can use this amazing app to communicate with their loved ones, friends, and colleagues, without any fear of being tracked online.
It is available free of cost, hence, if you are traveling to another country, you can just download it for free from any location around the world. It is also the first ad-free mobile communication app available.
Visit Website (https://www.whatsapp.com/)
4. Ivacy VPN App
It may be the case that the country you are visiting does not provide you with the web content of your choice. And you might find it hard to protect and secure your online transactions while traveling abroad. There is nothing to worry about.
With Ivacy VPN premium app, you can do whatever you want online, while remaining anonymous over the web. Enjoy flawless streaming of your favorite online channels, sports events, movies and songs with Ivacy VPN app. With 256-bit military grade encryption and peer-to-peer file sharing available, travelers can stream and download their favorite torrent files without any hinderance. Ivacy is one of the most trusted VPN service provider in the world today, with more than 250 optimized servers in 100+ international locations.
Fast speed, optimized server performance, complete privacy and security, and affordable pricing, this is all you as a traveler can get in a single Ivacy VPN package. Ivacy is the best VPN app for Windows, Mac iOS and Android devices. The annual subscription plan is available for $1.83 per month. Travelers can enjoy a wholesome 85% discount on annual subscription.
Visit Website (https://www.ivacy.com/)
5. TripIt App
TripIt is really a one-step solution for all the tourism lovers. It takes your traveling experience to a whole new level. Have you decided to go abroad? Have you planned your tour? Not yet? Well, no issues. I have an excellent app for habitual travelers that helps them plan their trips well in advance. Travelers can also book their flights on the go, with an option to select alternative flights available. Also, they have the freedom to choose their seat on the flight.
With this particular app, travelers can manage their tours, edit their traveling plans, and even store their traveling documents in one place. TripIt is available for free. There is also a pro version available for $4.09 per month.
With this proTrip, tourists can get real-time information about their flights and destinations to travel. It is also an ad-free app. TripIt supports Windows, iOS, Blackberry and Android devices.
Visit Website (https://www.tripit.com/)
6. Google Maps App
Google is everywhere. So does Google Maps. There are 1,162,460 websites that currently use Google Maps application. It is the most commonly used web-based mapping application in the world.
As a frequent traveler, you can make best use of Google Maps app to find your destinations in an instant. There is no need to keep a compass on board. With easy-to-use interface and smooth navigation, tourists are able to get real-time information about the places they tend to visit.
It supports all the major platforms and operating systems including Windows, iOS, Mac OS, Android etc. Users can get in-depth information about any location of the world, any time, without any hassle. And more importantly, you don’t have to pay a single buck to download it.
Visit Website (https://www.google.com/maps)
7. Airbnb App
Just like TripIt, Airbnb is yet another popular app for travelers around the world. Tourists can easily book their favorite destinations from around 34,000 cities and 45,000 listings available with this particular app.
With user friendly interface and smooth navigation experience, this app has won the trust of millions of travelers around the world. Airbnb supports all the major platforms including iOS, Windows and Android etc. For android users, the Airbnb app is available free of cost.
With matchmaking, neighborhood matching and neighborhood guidebooks - three new features now integrated into the Airbnb app, travelers will have no problems in finding their potential hosts, neighborhoods for themselves. The guidebook feature helps a tourist select any of the best sightseeing locations within the city and country, the tourists are visiting.
Visit Website (https://www.airbnb.com/mobile)
8. ChefsFeed App
Are you hungry? Do you want to quench your thirst? Well, finding delicious and affordable food in a foreign country is really a cumbersome job. Ask the tourists, and they will tell you the hardships they tend to face when it comes to eating food outside in a foreign land.
ChefsFeed is is a very good smartphone application available for foodies - especially those who want to experiment with their tastebuds, while traveling to another country. Travelers can find any type of dish on the menu.
Travelers can get the real taste of dishes recommended by top chefs of the world. If you are traveling to another country and want to have exquisite dining experience, this app will help you find the the top restaurants within the country of your choice. More importantly, you are entitled to get useful guidelines and advice from other food junkies of the world. This particular app is available for free for android and iOS devices.
Visit Website (http://www.chefsfeed.com/)
This brings us to the end of this blog. There are many wonderful apps available for tourists and travelers around the world. I have included the best eight apps of the lot. I have deliberately missed out on some other apps that you should need to have with you on the international trip. Now, it’s your turn to contribute to this blog with your comments, suggestions, opinions and ideas.
Happy Traveling!
Be sure to follow Brad on Twitter @bradhaddin81