17 Must-have travel apps for a smoother trip

We are often asked which apps we use when traveling. This article will give you an overview of all the apps you can find on our phones. Flights we search via the browser most of the time, and hotels more via apps, but that’s our personal preference. By the way, find out how to get the best flight deals here.

1. Accommodation Apps

booking.com: The standard but for us also the best booking site for accommodation. We find the cheapest price here 80-90% of the time. Even when searching through hotel comparison sites like Trivago, Booking is usually the cheapest option.
Airbnb: We also use it often, especially when we don’t like the results of Booking. It is the #1 site for private accommodations in our opinion. Pro tip: if you’re not only traveling for a few days but want to stay in the same place for several weeks, you can get weekly and monthly discounts on Airbnb. The monthly discounts are usually more worthwhile, sometimes you get over 50% off.
Hostelworld: Most of the time it’s our emergency solution. We use it rather rarely when hotels are only listed there or somehow a room is still free, while on other platforms the hotel is already full.

2. Apps to get around

Google Maps: The standard route-planning app that’s a must-have on every phone. We also use it to look at reviews for hotels and especially restaurants. Make sure to download parts of your map to use it offline.
Maps.me: Many people don’t know this app, but it’s worth it. You should download the maps you’ll need beforehand via WiFi. Then you always have offline access to these maps without having to consume valuable mobile data. Sometimes these maps are even more detailed than Google Maps. Especially for hiking trails, trekking routes, or scooter riding in Southeast Asia.
Uber: We used it in Latin America and Asia because it is quite cheap by European standards. In our opinion, it’s also safer than cab rides in because you know beforehand who the driver is, what the car looks like, and the license plate. If any of these three things don’t match the information in the app, it is better not to get in the car. For cab rides, as a tourist, it is often difficult to tell if the cab is official and licensed or not. Two more advantages: the price is fixed, so you don’t have to negotiate and you can pay with a credit card in the app. That means it’s more convenient when you arrived in a country recently and don’t have cash yet.
Be aware that in some countries Uber is not officially allowed, but for most of the world, it’s tolerated. We had a funny encounter at the Medellin airport when two policemen suddenly jumped in front of our car trying to stop it. Our driver just drove around them and kept going. He said he will better avoid the airport in the next few days. Check out more adventures in Colombia here.
By the way, the Asian Uber is Grab and on Bali, there is also Gojek.
park4night: for all campers among you, park4night was by far the most helpful app for us. Here we found the most beautiful and secluded pitches. Yet, it can be a bit crowded in the peak season at many sites. And even without a camper, the app is worthwhile to find free parking spaces or toilets for city trips.

3. Apps for Finance & Security

TravelSpend: This app makes sense especially if you are traveling for a longer period. We tested 3-4 apps that manage travel expenses before our world trip and can tell you that, TravelSpend is the most successful. The free version offers all types of expenses that you need. An absolute recommendation to keep track of your expenses. With our code KKONTOUR, you will get a 50% discount on your first yearly payment of a yearly TravelSpend Premium subscription.
Banking App: It’s a must for us to have online access to our bank or credit card account. Here you can react the fastest, should you suspect some negative behavior. By the way, you can find out which credit cards we recommend here. We also suggest that you don’t use your banking apps when you’re on a public WiFi network. The risk of your data being spied out is too great.
Surfshark: To prevent this from happening, always use a VPN (Virtual Personal Network). Here you have encrypted access to the WiFi and it is much more difficult to hack your devices. If you are interested in using a VPN service, check out our article here. We use Surfshark, but there is also NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
Sicher Reisen: This one is for the Germans out there. It’s the official app of the Foreign Office. It has helped us massively, especially due to the ever-changing Covid restrictions. But the app is also helpful for recommended vaccinations and visa requirements. But don’t be put off by the security warnings!
Cov-Pass App: Also necessary in times of Covid. It’s an official app of the European Union which shows your Covid vaccination status. For us, every time we entered a country, we only used this app. We never had any problems using only the app and not having a printed certificate.

4. Multimedia Apps

Of course, we all have the usual apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Netflix, Spotify, and DAZN on our devices. We won’t go into this in more detail now, because it’s not travel-specific and everyone has different needs. For everyone who wants to share their travel pictures and videos on social media, these are a few apps that might help you out:

VN: It is a free video editing app that is easy to use and has quite a large feature set. Again, as with many other apps, you just have to try around a bit.
InShot: It serves the same purpose as VN. Kevin prefers to use VN, and Kathi prefers InShot, it’s a matter of taste.
GoPro Quik: This app is necessary if you want to pull your videos and photos from your GoPro to your smartphone.
Lens Buddy: this app improves the self-timer function of your smartphone. Here you can set the camera to be triggered at different intervals. This is especially useful if you want to take different poses without having to run to your smartphone all the time.
Lightroom: To edit the images. You can play around here with lightning and shadows. We use presets so we can edit with one click, but you can also adjust afterward.

Are you planning a trip?!

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