17 Best Travel Apps: App in the Vacation

Just turning off the smartphone to truly relax during vacation is probably a challenge for most people. Unless, of course, you check into a Zen monastery for a week of digital detox and leave your phone at the gate. The temptation to post photos of your cocktail on Instagram at the dream beach is significant. Moreover, the smartphone is incredibly versatile and, equipped with the right apps, can become an all-in-one tool. Here we present some useful travel apps that you should definitely install for your trip.

Crumpled maps, thick guidebooks, and bulky dictionaries? That's no longer necessary. With the best travel apps, your smartphone can make life and your backpack much easier while traveling. Let's take a look at these truly good, free, and useful travel apps!

Even if you wonder why you still receive emails about 'deals in Mamallapuram' two years after booking a hotel in the Indian town of Mamallapuram (it's lovely there, but you don't necessarily travel there every two months), we are big fans of Booking.com. The familiar features of the desktop version can also be found in the app, including filtering options and maps. Not only is it practical to transfer bookings to your smartphone's calendar with the Booking.com app, but you also receive a paperless confirmation that can be used for check-in via the app; no internet or even a printer is needed. Managing and modifying bookings also works smoothly through the app.

The Booking.com travel app is available for iOS and Android.

Lists? We actually don't like them at all. Yet, during our last trips, it has often happened that we forgot something or didn't consider something important. So, we took a closer look at a little helper: the app Pack the Bag. The first plus point: the 27 ready-made inventory lists that prepare you for any type of trip, whether it's for hiking, festivals, or vacations with pets. Very practical are categories like Multimedia, Payment Methods, or Before Departure, which save you a lot of thinking. In addition to maintaining inventory lists, you can create your own packing list. Whether you really need features like sorting packed items by location is debatable. However, practical reminders that you should start packing now and filters that let you see what has already been packed are certainly helpful. It's also useful to record the weight of items once so that there are no surprises at the airport later.

Pack the Bag is currently available only for iOS, Android users can switch to the app Pack Point.

Gone are the days of stashing copies of flight tickets, passports, and other important documents in various pieces of luggage. Nowadays, we don't even send those documents to our own email anymore, but instead store them in the cloud, usually in Dropbox. Photos for temporary storage find their place here too. Theoretically, you have access to your data any time and everywhere in the cloud; unfortunately, using Dropbox requires an internet connection. Folders can only be made available offline in the paid version. If you need more free storage than Dropbox (2 GB) provides, you can find more with Google Drive (15 GB) and OneDrive (5 GB).

Dropbox is available for iOS in iTunes and for Android in the Play Store.

Depending on the vacation destination, we quickly find ourselves on the website of the Federal Foreign Office to inform ourselves about entry requirements and security situations when planning our travel. The app of the Federal Foreign Office is especially useful, particularly if you're already on the go. In addition to 'Travel Preparations' and 'My Travel Country', there is a category called 'What to Do in an Emergency' which includes all important addresses and a location and messaging function ('Where am I' and 'I am OK') with which you can inform friends and relatives. Countries with security warnings are marked in red. The good thing is that many functions can be used offline. However, safety advisories should always be checked online. The app reminds you of this.

The travel app is available for iOS and Android.

We enjoy exploring new places on our own while traveling. However, sometimes it's interesting to join a guided tour because you often learn things that would otherwise remain hidden. You can either painstakingly click through the vastness of the internet to book these tours, or you use the GetYourGuide app. There, we have already discovered several interesting tours for our travels, which can easily be booked through the app, even at short notice. The mobile ticket is loaded directly onto the phone.

If you're a little lost on-site: the travel app recognizes your location and shows activities and attractions nearby. You can also book admission tickets through the app, saving yourself long waiting times. Overall, GetYourGuide offers more than 31,000 activities around the world.

The travel app is available for iOS and Android.

So there you are in the maze of old Delhi when your mobile router gives out, and you realize you have nothing to open the SIM card slot on your iPhone. You don't want to activate data roaming. So you try to ask around. Not an easy task, as none of the rickshaw drivers or vendors around you speak English. We've since downloaded MAPS.ME to our phones, a map app that works offline. Just download the appropriate map, open the app, and you can see where you are and where you need to go. You can also search by categories such as restaurants, ATMs, or public transportation. The directions are very detailed. But beware: if used continuously, your battery runs out quickly.

You can download MAPS.ME via iTunes for iOS or in the Google Playstore for Android devices.

You can try to memorize the exchange rate of your travel country and use your smartphone's calculator to figure out whether the market seller or taxi driver is trying to overcharge you. Alternatively, have a currency converter travel app on your phone, such as XE Currency. Over 180 currencies are available in this easy-to-use app with live exchange rates. To ensure you can convert the price of a taxi ride or the alpaca wool socks at the market offline: simply save the current exchange rate before your last internet access. Useful extras: you can adjust the frequency of rate updates, and you can set your base currency. Additionally, after a free registration, you can transfer money to friends or relatives abroad: quickly and, above all, securely.

The currency converter is available on iTunes and in the Playstore.

Even though many of us still love the feel of printed books, we know that when you're on the road for an extended period and want enough reading material, your backpack can get pretty heavy. Adding another device besides the laptop and iPad mini? That's unnecessary. Our tip: simply download the Kindle app. It's very practical and reads just as well on new phones or tablets as on a Kindle. E-books purchased from Amazon appear directly in the app and can be read on multiple devices. And if you like, you can even listen to the corresponding Audible audiobook in the background.

The Kindle app is available for iOS and Android .

No matter where you are: it has to be a high view. Viewpoints, towers, rooftop bars - how nice it is to see a city from above. You know the Eiffel Tower, and you know the Empire State Building too. But sometimes there are more hidden places that offer a fantastic view. With the travel app Views on Top, you can discover places with views all around the globe, whether they are bridges, Ferris wheels, or hotel pools. If you want to plan ahead, use the 'Location' or 'Category' features. Otherwise, just activate the 'Near Me' function on-site, and it will show you the spots with views, including information and directions.

The travel app is currently available only for iOS.

We can hardly remember the last time we sent a postcard from a trip. It became too cumbersome to look for stamps and mailboxes at some point. A little more expensive than 'normal' postcards and stamps, but personal, are the custom photo greeting cards that you can send worldwide through the travel app My Postcard. Through the app, you choose the desired template, upload a photo from your album or Instagram, and type your personal message and the recipient's address. Then just pay, and the card is on its way to grandma or your godmother. The price per card starts at $2.49, including worldwide shipping; you need to recharge your account beforehand.

My Postcard is available for iOS and Android.

Do you remember the time? When you had to sit in an internet café to do video calls with your parents over aging computers via Skype. Today, there's the Skype app on your phone and iPad, so you just need a place with Wi-Fi. Although most people now use WhatsApp for voice calls from abroad, Skype is still worth it for calls to landlines. You'll need to load a balance to make calls.

The app is available for devices with iOS as well as for those that run on Android.

The Uber taxi app is extremely practical: just indicate where you want to go, and the app searches for the nearest taxi for you. Payment is made by credit card; in some cities, cash also works. Also great: with UberGreen, you will ride emission-free because you will only be offered electric cars. And if you want to ride a bike, that's also an option - just select an e-bike, and you're set.

Uber is available for both iOS and Android.

You sit alone on a bus or train somewhere in the world and have a long journey ahead of you. Often, the only thing to do is to sleep. Or you treat yourself to a series to disconnect and experience something different. Sometimes that's just necessary! Streaming services are great for this. With Netflix and Amazon Prime, you can download movies or series episodes in advance and then stream them offline.

You can find Netflix for iOS and Android, Amazon Prime Video for iOS and Android can be found here.

You finally want to see the Mona Lisa in all her glory, but outside the Louvre, culture lovers are standing in an endless line waiting? We've experienced this many times, not just in Paris. But that was over once we downloaded the Tiqets app. It sends tickets for museums easily to your phone - whether you are online or offline, secure payment included. You can avoid hours of waiting by using a Tiqets ticket because you are usually allowed to enter preferentially and can skip the line. One tip: Order your tickets at home if you know what you want to see where.

Tiqets is available for iOS via iTunes and for Android in the Play Store.

Sure, there are many language learning apps. But Memrise is a bit different because this app works particularly well for those who love to travel the world. Instead of boringly cramming vocabulary, you will learn a total of 11 languages - including Korean, Chinese, Turkish, and Japanese - in a playful way. It's not about mastering a language entirely. We consider standard phrases that you always need on vacation to be essential. We find the videos featuring locals much more educational than we did in school. We also highly recommend Memrise to refresh your skills. The free basic version is sufficient - if you want access to all courses, you'll need a Memrise Pro subscription.

Memrise is available for iOS via iTunes and for Android in the Play Store.

Why this app is called Polarsteps is completely a mystery to us. But that doesn't really matter because Polarsteps is really good! You can let it suggest travel destinations, plan travel routes, and edit them anytime. Quite good: Polarsteps also shows the best options for getting from A to B. Best of all, it tracks your trips. You can include videos and photos and all your favorite places - whether you've been on a road trip for weeks or just touring for the weekend. In the end, you can create a photo or travel book from it! It's a bit like the travel diaries from the past, just more modern.

Polarsteps is available for iOS via iTunes and for Android in the Play Store.

We highly recommend Hostelworld to all backpackers out there! With this app, you can find affordable accommodation in hostels and youth hostels almost everywhere in the world. In total, you can find nearly 18,000 of these budget accommodations in around 180 countries within the app. Some are at the beach, and some are likely right in the jungle! You can also book your rooms through Hostelworld, even in offline mode. 'Hostel Speak' helps you communicate your accommodation in a total of 43 languages. And if you don't even know where your next trip should go, then download the app right away and get inspired by the 'Top Travel Destinations' feature.

Hostelworld is available for iOS via iTunes and for Android in the Play Store.