20 Free Travel Apps Every Backpacker Must Have

With the development of so many travel apps nowadays, you can get overwhelmed with which ones to download. You can always try them out and decide for yourself but lucky for you, we’ve done the research and tested as many apps as we can to bring you 20 of our favorite travel apps. These apps will drastically improve your travel experience – from creating an organized travel itinerary, getting the best flight & accommodation deals, locating WiFi hotspots, being alerted of potential diseases, and more!

Best of all, all travel apps in this list are 100% free to download. Keep in mind that some have in-app purchases and pro versions but just using the free features is enough to get their benefits.

Planning

1. TripIt | Organizes your travel plans in one place

If you don’t have time to create a detailed and organized travel itinerary then you should definitely download this app. All you need to do is forward the confirmation emails of your trip, stuff such as your hotel, flight, and other reservations. TripIt will then automatically create a master itinerary for your whole trip. It works offline so once it’s saved on your phone, you can access it anytime.

2. TripAdvisor | Reviews of hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more by travelers like you

TripAdvisor offers over 200 million candid reviews & opinions on all things related to travel. It’s a great tool when you need to find out where’s the best place to stay based on your needs, places to eat, stuff to do, and more. Using this app will make planning your trips easier and lessens the risk since it’s based on the experience of others.

3. Wanderlog | Plan, map, and share your trip

Wanderlog is an incredibly flexible travel planning app. It’s a collaborative itinerary document where you can keep track of all your flights, hotels, places to visit, and notes. You can research destinations and activities, map out a daily itinerary, and keep track of flight and hotel reservations by connecting your email, or book hotels or Airbnbs through the app itself. Plus, like Google Docs, on Wanderlog, you can collaborate with friends and family on your itineraries in real-time and add notes and links about the places you want to visit.

Flights

4. Hopper | Know when to fly then buy the ticket and score you the lowest fares

What if you had your own personal travel agent that constantly searches for the best times to fly and buy tickets to your desired destination, well that’s exactly what the Hopper app does. Enter your departure location & where you’re headed and Hopper will do the rest.

5. SkyScanner | Compares millions of flights to find you the cheapest deal

SkyScanner is a great app to do some research on potential trips that you’d want to go, quickly compare prices of different airlines, and find alternative routes for your travels. Once you’ve found the best deal you can book directly from the app, it links directly to the airline or travel agent but there are no added fees.

6. Flight+ | Real-time flight information tracker

The Flight+ app allows you to see any flight around the world in real-time. It constantly updates as well if there are any changes to the departure/arrival times, terminal and gate changes, and seating charts. Useful if you want to track relatives or friends who are traveling, and for getting info on your flights as well.

Where to Stay

7. Hostelworld | Find and book hostels around the world

Searching for the best & cheapest hostels to stay in has gotten easier thanks to Hostelworld. The app allows you to search & book hostels based on your preferences (price, location, etc.) and provides reviews of past customers to give you an idea of what it’s like.

8. Airbnb | Rent unique places to stay from local hosts in 190+ countries

If you are tired of staying in hotels or hostels and want to experience something different then Airbnb would be a great option. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month – Airbnb offers various accommodations that are hosted by other people. You can choose to be a host yourself which is a great way to meet fellow travelers and earn some money along the way.

9. HotelQuickly | Last-minute hotel booking at amazing prices

This app can be a lifesaver if you’ve missed your flight or just need to find a great deal on a hotel room quickly. HotelQuickly only shows hotels rated with 3 – 5 star quality and updates daily to provide the lowest prices possible. As of the moment, it is available to more than 190+ destinations in 15 countries across Asia-Pacific.

Travel Essentials

10. XE Currency Converter | Live rates & currency conversion

Stay updated with the latest exchange rates and find out the exact conversions of your currency with the XE Currency Converter. This is one of the simplest but most useful tools used when traveling in different countries. It also stores the latest rates if you use it offline.

11. WiFi Finder | Locate wireless connections when you travel.

One of the most common problems travelers face is finding a decent WiFi hotspot, WiFi Finder helps you locate wireless connections nearby or anywhere around the world for future use. This is great especially to the digital nomads who work while traveling. It can be be used offline as well as long as you’ve used it online beforehand.

12. Google Translate | Break through language barriers

Don’t know how to speak the local language? Simply type what you want to translate on the app, select the right language, and you’ll have an instant translation. Most languages also provide an audio pronunciation to help you communicate it.

13. Google Maps | Provides directions, interactive maps, and satellite/aerial imagery of many countries

Never get lost in a foreign place with the help of Google Maps. It pinpoints your exact location, tells you how to get to your desired destination, and allows you to search for nearby hotels, restaurants, and other establishments. The offline function is said to be released sometime this year.

14. Maps.me | Completely offline maps for mobile devices

An awesome alternative to Google Maps is Maps.me, the main difference is that it allows you to store your chosen routes and directions offline. You might not always have the internet on your phone so this app will take care of that for you.

15. Trail Wallet | Travel budget app and expense tracker

Handling finances while traveling can be a challenge especially if you are traveling on a budget. Trail Wallet takes the headache out of expense tracking so you can focus on the fun. It has simple and easy to use features for keeping track of your expenses and maintaining your travel budget.

Emergency

16. Sickweather | Scans social networks for indicators of illness.

No more worrying about potential illnesses and diseases within a particular country by using Sickweather. The app will alert you of any diseases reported so you can prepare and avoid it. No one likes getting sick while traveling.

17. wikiHow | Learn how to do anything

wikiHow is one of the best sources when it comes to learning how to do something, they have a category called the “Emergency Survival Kit” which helps you get through tough situations. You never know what you might run into during your travels so it’s best to be prepared.

18. Find my iPhone & Where’s My Droid | Locate your mobile device.

Both apps function the same way and are used for the same purposes. The only difference is that Find my iPhone is for IOS and Where’s my Droid is for Android users. Once you’ve setup, you will be able to trace your phone from other IOS or Android devices. Really helpful if you lose or misplace your phone while traveling.

Travel Boosters

19. Findery | Share the places you love and explore the world

Findery allows you to share and discover stories about a particular destination as well as local tips & secrets. It’s basically like leaving digital notes via the app on places you’ve been to, others will then be able to read your notes to gain local knowledge about that place.

20. Instapaper | Save anything, read anywhere

Instapaper allows you to quickly save and store articles, videos, travel guides, and all other web content for future use. You can assess them anytime even offline. It’s great when you have a long journey ahead of you and don’t have access to the internet.

I hope these free travel apps improve your overall travel experience. Please tell us which ones are your favorites and if you have some recommendations as well by commenting below. Happy travels!

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