The Silk Road in a VW Grand California

The best travel apps in 2021 for Android / iOS

The best travel apps in 2021 for Android / iOS

The best travel apps in 2021, travel apps for smartphone or tablet and Android and IOS.

A smartphone is an irreplaceable travel companion for me. With the right apps, a smartphone helps save space and weight, helps plan your route, check exchange rates, book hostels, book flights, navigate and much much more. The investment in a local simcard usually pays back quickly, or an appropriate roaming package.

After quite a while on the road, some favorite Apps of my has to be named. Here is an updated list of the most important travel apps to mee. Of course, it's not just a list - you'll also find a reason why each app is so irreplaceable for me.
  • Here we go - Offline street navigation (Android / iOS)
Street names, house numbers, "Please turn left in 20m" - HERE or Here.com (formerly Smart2Go, Map24, Navteq, Nokia Maps) offers very good navigation in over 100 countries. Quite a few car manufacturers equip their navigation systems with Navteq map material (BMW, VW, Daimler etc.) Accordingly, the map material is of high quality. On a trip around the world, this software is simply unmatched. With an online connection, traffic jam avoidance is added - but the maps can be downloaded offline. Details about worldwide navigation with Here
The best travel apps with justification and helpful tips and usage ideas. The apps just have to go with! Whether hiking, biking, 4x4 offroad, kayaking - on Wikiloc you can find many GPX tracks, see their duration and difficulty. In addition to text and usually some photos, user comments give insights into the track condition, animal sightings and other helpful information, Without much training time allow great trips in the far but also in our home. 
iOverlander is irreplaceable for us overlanders when searching for wildcamping and campsites. Community based, new camp locations are added daily - especially for campsites with valuable additional information about the offered infrastructure. Especially for Africa and South America, this app is simply a blessing - and offers information that you would otherwise have to gather from many different travel blogs. Backpackers/hitchhikers should also find the offer appealing, since this clientele also often pitches their tents. The app often offers much more, the nearest ATM that also spits out dollars, the nearest laundry or supermarket. I have added many waypoints in South America. Help me out! 
The best travel apps in 2021 for Android / iOS
Park4Night is a competitor to iOverlander and is very popular with vanlife and campers. The wildcamp places are also quite an enrichment for us four-wheel-drivers. The community is large and accordingly numerous are the waypoints. Community based, new camp locations are added daily - especially at the campsites with valuable additional information. In Europe more widespread than iOverlander, with many more spots.
Traveler Map shows you other travellers nearby. You can see how they travel: bike, 4x4, RV and so on. You can add pictures to your profile. Perfect to get in touch. Perfect to get accompany for container sharing or for get a cheaper crossing for myanmar or china - with more travellers. Here you will find a review with futher details: 
The apps will support you while traveling. Audio books are no substitute for normal books, but they often sweeten the waiting times without being completely distracted from the surroundings. Even on my road trips without company, audiobooks are important to me. Lying relaxed on a lonely beach, the sound of the sea in one ear and headphones in the second ear an exciting audio book, without holding a book without having to turn the pages - sensational. I also like to listen to monotonous passages while driving. Alone in a restaurant - also a great accompaniment. Besides, you save a lot of space and weight.
The hang-out function is exciting for spontaneously finding company for dinner, sightseeing, a bar tour or a shared beer in urban regions. The simple and informal contact to locals, often expats themselves, who also offer you a couch sleeping place for one night, is nice here. Here you will find the right insider tips that you won't find in any travel guide. As an overlander with the vehicle I used Couchsurfing more to do local sightseeing together - I can only recommend it, especially for those traveling alone. . 
Whether you're a backpacker, hitchiker or overlander, every once in a while a little socializing is nice - that's what you'll find in hostels, especially in faraway countries, next to well-known campsites. Hostelworld offers a great overview and definitely the largest compilation of hostels around the world. The ratings and user comments allow you to get a good impression of what to expect on site.
If you are once again looking for a more luxurious place to stay to recover from the stress of traveling, it is worth checking the hotel prices in advance with this app. At the reception, ask for the rate first, then ask for a discount or upgrade - and compare with the information in the app - only in this way you get to the normal prices. Tip: In the spa of the better hotels often resulted in a contact for a great evening in a foreign city.
A currency converter with the indication of the last online update - is worth a lot when discussing a fair exchange rate. Be it when exchanging money or paying in foreign currency (USD/Euro) abroad. The app also shows the selling and buying prices for a currency (incl. date), so you can easily agree on something with the opposite party.
  • Messenger (Telegram , Threema, WhatsApp, Facebook)
The various messengers are already very useful to stay in contact with home. In my everyday travel life, however, I always used these apps to stay in touch with other travelers, to arrange to meet others in other places or in the city. Quickly send the location - simplifies a meeting immensely. Whatsapp allows to create and link share a group chat, so other travelers can join without exchanging numbers via link/QR code - helpful to get to a group chat with location sharing in Hangout (Couchsurfing)
  • Teleboy (Switzerland only (or VPN), Android, iOS)
Teleboy allows you to record TV shows from all popular channels. In addition, also their download for offline use. This is possible directly on the smartphone but also via browser on the PC. When it's hailing cats outside, a nice classic movie is just great. Commercial breaks can also be elegantly levered out, or rewind during playback. To be honest, I've only watched a handful of movies in half a year, but each time I was glad to have them with me. For downloading shows and 7 days replay you need a subscription. A free month lets you take shorter trips 4free.
The app is a boon for scouting new wild camping spots. By quickly switching various map materials (Google/Apple/Microsoft Satellite / Hybrid, / Terrain / Road map views you can quickly find a nice remote waypoint 3/4G reception required, or cache the region beforehand. Large-scale offline download is no longer possible. In addition, the app offers a good track recording/sharing: you can record and share routes, or import routes to follow them. Details about MotionX
A VPN provider that gives you safer internet on the go. You can log in to over 100 countries and then surf with the country identity you want. Allows you to use Teleboy (only via web, not via app), Zattoo, Netflix and other online services as if you were in that country. Besides, your provider or wifi provider can no longer see what you are searching for and what you are doing on the Internet. Complete guide to anonymity: How to avoid that Datacrawlers can catch you
With Google Translate you can - if you have an internet connection - translate live. My vehicle shipment from Peru, would not have been possible without this solution, without booking a translator. Dictionaries can also be downloaded offline, so that you can find out what the menu offers in a restaurant offline.
Skype I used not only to stay in touch with home for free. With additional Skype credit topped up, I also made very cheap calls via Wifi/3G to local landline/mobile numbers abroad! This was often cheaper than calling via the local prepaid sim card. This fact is often not highlighted when Skype is presented in such articles
Here you can download road maps sorted by country for offline use. The maps cannot quite keep up with commercial offers, but they are completely sufficient for everyday travel, hiking and road trips. For some travel countries, the map material from Openstreetmaps is still the only alternative (for example, in Bolivia/Peru). Maps.me also offers a rudimentary routing, often the then route is quite adventurous, because the shortest and not the fastest way is offered. I found the app very helpful to enter the tips of others as a waypoint, be it sightseeing hotspots or the nearest laundry in the city - this saves some misunderstandings, if the addressed person can set a corresponding waypoint himself. 

As always, I and all other readers are interested in further tips and suggestions. Which apps accompany you on your travels, which apps are especially helpful? You can contribute a comment right below, if you want also completely anonymous. You may like to join the discussion at the HUBB Community 

The best travel apps in 2021 for Android / iOS

Comments