Living in the gold age of digital technology, some apps are just too good to pass on. I’ll leave here my list of must-have apps on the road!

Maps.me

https://mapsme.fr/ — Offering a free alternative to Google maps, based on offline functionalities, this is the best map app I’ve tried. Just zoom on somewhere you will go while being online, and the app prompts you to download the map of the region. With very little effort, you’ll be all set for your travels!

Booking.com / Hostelworld / Airnbn

https://www.booking.com / https://www.hostelworld.com / https://airbnb.com — All these booking app can make your life easier. You’re in a rush? Just hop in a coffee shop, get some Wi-Fi, and book your next accommodation for the night. There you go, you just avoided sleeping in the streets of paying too much money in the nearest hotel. Also, they offer good offline features, so you can show your reservation to the hosting when you get there.

ProtonVPN

https://protonvpn.com/ — I like to have my login data secured. So each time I’ll do some banking or that I have to login on a website or service, I’ll use my VPN. It’s a paid app and this usually makes the network slower, but I like to keep my passwords to myself!

TravelSpend

https://travel-spend.com/ — To keep an eye on your budget, this app is your best friend! Input what budget you have, how long your journey will last, and start inputting each and every spending you have. No need to calculate how much you just spent, just input the amount, select the corresponding currency, and everything is done for you and calculated in the default currency you chose. No hassle. Whether it’s cash, credit cards, Revolt credit cards, PayPal, centralise everything you pay and you will have a great time. You can then see average spending per day, categorize your spending as you want, and keep an eye on your money.

Postcard Creator

Play store / App store — This app is only for Swiss people. With this app from the Swiss Post, you can send one free postcard per day, and as many other postcards you want by paying 2 CHF. It does lose the romantic aspect that the postcard did travel through the world, the stamps and the handwriting, but it also saves you the hassle of going to the post, it makes sure your card is not lost on the way, and you can put your own pictures on it. It’s a choice of comfort for me.

Google Translate

https://translate.google.com/ — Well, no-brainer for me. This can help you in difficult situations, especially when you don’t speak the regional language and need to communicate. Think to download your target languages offline, and also to make sure you download the corresponding keyboard to let strangers answer using your phone.

Rome2Rio

https://www.rome2rio.com/ — Good app that will give you different possibilities to go from A to Z. That can make you discover cheap and alternative means of transportation to planes.

Xe currency

https://www.xe.com/fr/currencyconverter/ — Very good app to convert prices in your own currency, os you can avoid bad surprises.

SplitWise

https://www.splitwise.com/ — Super helpful when you travel in groups, this app allows you to split costs. Just keep track of everything, input the things you pay, and how they should be shared, and at the end of your trip, all you have to do is hit a button, and the app tells you exactly how much money you owe, simplifying transactions, balancing debts and making sure you have to make the fewer transactions possible. Pure genius!