10 Useful Travel Apps for Backpackers

Taking your smartphone with you on a backpacking trip? Here are some useful apps to download before you go.

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There are quite a few lists out there of "best travel apps", but most of these are for people going on a holiday. While an app like Expedia is great for finding premium hotels, it is less useful when travelling on a budget. Instead, the apps below are selected in particular for low-budget travel. Many of them can also be used without an internet connection. 

1. Currency conversion

The best way of not getting overcharged (or making mistakes when you're dealing with many currencies) is to have the latest exchange rates with you all the time. Currency exchange apps don't need to be connected to the internet to work.

iOS: try XE Currency or Convert

Android: try XE Currency or Unit Converter

2. Flashlight

It’s best to bring a small actual flashlight on a backpacking trip (preferably a head torch) but a flashlight app is a great little backup. It’s useful for finding stuff in dark hostel room, or finding your way when there’s a power cut (not an unlikely scenario in some developing countries).

iOS: Included for free in iOS 7, so upgrade if you haven't already. Here's how to find it.

Android: You probably have an app called 'Flashlight' already installed. If not, try Tiny Flashlight.

3. Hostel bookings

These are the two biggest hostel booking sites, and they both have their own apps that make booking the next hostel very easy, especially as you stay logged into your account.

iOS: Hostelworld & Hostelbookers

Android: Hostelworld & Hostelbookers

4. Offline reading

WiFi isn’t available everywhere and so you might want to store certain webpages for later reading, for instance for that next bus or train journey. 

iOS: use the Offline Reading option in Safari, or try Pocketor Instapaper

Android: Pocket or Instapaper

5. Cheap flight search

The popular flight search engine Skyscanner has its own app, making it easier to search for flights on your smartphone or tablet. Get it for iOS or Android.

Kayak also has an app for iOS and Android.

6. Travel expenses tracker

Need an easier way to keep track of your daily budget and expenses? There are some apps just for that. Check out Trail Wallet (iOS) or Travel Pocket (iOS & Android).

7. Travel journaling

You can use your phone’s built-in notepad to keep a travel diary, but there are also some appstailor-made for this purpose, which allow you to add photos, maps and other media to your entries. Try Trip Journal oniOS or Android for insance.

During my South-East Asia trip I also liked to use the free iOS app My Maps to keep a map of where I had been (which uses Google Maps).

(By the way, I wrote an article about travel journaling techniques here.)

8. Cheap calls

Be sure to install Skype (iOS & Android) -- not just to call friends or family back home on their Skype accounts, but also to be able to make cheap international calls. Just put a little credit in your Skype account and you can call numbers in your home country at local tarriffs. It's a great solution for when you need to call your bank or travel insurer, for instance.

You don't want to burn a $50 or €35 hole in your wallet just because a support desk is keeping you on the line for ages... which is what it can cost in some countries.

9. Language tools

There are a lot of translator apps but not all of them work offline when you are outside of WiFi range, so be sure to check this. 

The iOS app Languages lets you download language packs that you can use as a pocket phrasebook. You can also try Google Translate (iOS and Android) which has an offline mode in the Android version.

A pretty neat iOS app is iTranslate Voice which lets you say a phrase in your native language and get it translated on the fly. Unfortunately it requires an internet connection to work.

10. Security

What if your smartphone gets lost or stolen? There are apps that will help you track it down, and even possibly help you find the thief / good samaritan who has your phone.

iOS: use the 'Find my iPhone?' feature to track down your phone

Android: try third party apps like Where's My Droid or AntiDroidTheft

Both: check out Prey Project, which can protect Android or iOS smartphones and/or your Mac, PC and Linux computer, and help you track down a stolen device.