APPS TO USE
DONT START YOUR TRAVELS WITHOUT THESE HELPFUL TRAVEL APPS!
All of the resources below are simply my suggestions based on what we used while traveling in the van or backpacking. I am not paid by any of these companies.
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There are also MANY other apps out there and I encourage you to try lots of them to find what works best for you!
Click Below to Learn More
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Vanlife:
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Communication:
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Translators:
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Picture Diaries:
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Getting Around:
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Hostels/Hotels/Homestays:
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Car Transportation:
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Money Matters:
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Entertainment:
Vanlife:
Facebook Groups
- Various groups that provide searchable, crowd sourced help on traveling and living the vanlife
- Search for the countries/continents you'll be visiting or simply vanlife or overlanding
- Ex: PanAmerican Travelers Association & Overlanding South and Central America
Cost: free
Quick responses and help from the online communities
Communication:
SIM Cards
-Not an app, but a great resource on SIM cards for every country
-T-mobile also has a pretty friendly international service option for only $30/month you get unlimited data in over 200 countries but only at 2G speeds. Good for googlemaps but not streaming!
Cost: variable (see link)
So many places have free wifi these days you may need nothing!
Translators:
Picture Diaries:
Polarsteps
- Cool app to track your entire journey by entering dates, location, and pictures and share them
- Warning: this app may take up LOTS of storage on your phone if photos do not upload to the Polarstep company servers (which happened to me and Customer Service could not help)
Cost: free but book costs $50-150 for hundreds of photos
Order a book of your route with pictures and dates afterward!
Getting Around:
Google Maps
- No explanation needed, right?
- Don't get "Googled"! Some routes in remote areas do not always exists or have good roads so check iOverlander for any warnings on less than ideal looking roads
Cost: free
Still works offline if you load directions while having service or wifi
Skiplagged
- My go to search engine for cheap flights- I book 100% of my flights via this site
- Not all routes include "skipped legs" but I've also never had problems with the ones that do
- Will route you to different sites to book, but have never had an issue with any of them
Cost: free
Share you personal link with others and receive $25 back for every flight booked
Hostels/Hotels/Homestays:
Kayak
- No explanation likely needed, but this is just my go to search engine site for hostels and hotels
- Has a better map view function than Booking.com and offers links to other sites to compare costs
- Often better deals for better quality places than Airbnb has in 2nd and 3rd world countries
Cost: free
Often cheaper/higher quality options than Airbnb especially in lower cost countries
Car Transportation:
Money Related Apps:
Personal Banking Apps
- You should always have your personal banking apps downloaded ahead of time
- Ideal to sign up for an account that offers no fee ATM withdraws worldwide if possible
- Also a good idea to bring a certain amount of cash from your home country just in case
Cost: free
A must have! (RBC image just an example)
