The smartphone and travel apps are essential to the travel style of every modern-day explorer.

Though there are many who like to pour scorn on the ubiquity of smartphones in hostels, back in the day, people used to ask where is the best place to eat first, now it’s the wifi password. The truth is our phone has become our number one go-to to book and pay for flights, pay for food, plan our itineraries, navigate our way in a new place, stay safe, communicate and document our adventures. It’s second nature now.

Even though smartphones can certainly become too much of a physical and digital safety blanket in a new foreign place, they can become a catalyst for curiosity and community on the road; and in times of complete travel restrictions especially for us folks here in Malaysia, a smartphone can at times spike optimism and a sense of preparedness for when we can travel freely again.

To help you, I’m sharing my personal picks of some of the best apps for travellers in 2023 and beyond. It doesn’t include apps that you might already have on your phones (like Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, etc), choosing instead to focus on apps that are specifically helpful when travelling.

I’ve used and tested 15 of these apps (mostly) free phone apps on my travels – and if I haven’t found an app useful or is an absolute waste of space in my phone, then it didn’t make the list.

The Best Travel Apps For Travellers To Use in 2023 And Beyond

Headout | For Live Updates On Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

We’ve all been in a situation where you know exactly where the next adventure will be this year or the next. The one question that we don’t always ask ourselves often is “Can we enter that country?”

Before the pandemic, every time this question comes up the answer is always ‘yes’ because it’s only a matter of visa and not because of a virus.

That’s where Headout comes in handy!

Although It is not exactly an app but rather a web-based Global Travel Reopening Tracker, it provides live updates; country by country with information such as travel restrictions, quarantine restrictions, who can enter, quarantine rule details and Covid apps to download upon arrival and official government links.

If you are departing from Malaysia, the tracker can generate all the countries that are under “No Restrictions” for you. It also tells you whether land borders are open for entry or not. What I appreciate most is that, with every country that you can enter, all necessary forms are also included for you to download and fill up before arrival. It will save you time from searching the web.

My Tip | The Global Travel Reopening Tracker is best used when you have data. Given that the tracker is a web page with LIVE overview updates, it doesn’t specifically tell you which country you can enter from an actual departing country. A different Headout link will tell you that.

Where Can I Travel Right Now? – This is where you key in your departing country and your destination country in order for the tracker to generate exactly what countries you can travel to.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Next Read | The Fourth Major Catastrophe In Travel Is Corona Virus

XE | For Currency Exchange Rates

Although its user interface and experience gives out more of a corporate look and feel, this app is my trusted and reliable currency tool to quickly convert costs and prices into my home currency or act as a prompter to help me spot a money exchange guy who is ripping me off.

My Tip | You can save up to a dozen currencies or so and use it offline in the app. This means you can get reliable conversions anytime even without data (it simply uses the last currency update). It also allows you to set alerts for when currencies go above or below exchange rates – helping you decide whether it’s a good time to convert your cash or if a place is about to become more expensive for you to travel to.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Proton VPN | For Safe Browsing And Internet Access

Not every traveller requires a VPN (Virtual Private Network) on their smartphone, but for some it is absolutely necessary. Me included.

So much of our private information is stored on our phones, tablets and laptops, and it’s a guarantee that we will be using and logging into a myriad of public networks across cafes, restaurants, hotels, off a friend’s hotspot, and in train stations.

Paying for and using a VPN app on devices ensures your communications, privacy and data is protected from bad scouring actors who try to monitor you or steal your personal data (i.e. passwords, bank card details etc).

From a practical point of view, a VPN proves to be essential to have when you travel to countries like China or the UAE, where certain websites and apps are completely blocked off or censored unless you have a VPN. It’s perfect when you want to access your Netflix’s home country.

My Tip | I personally use Proton VPN which is currently available for both laptop and phone. Many VPN companies offer a decent monthly fee if you sign up for one or two years, but that would mean you’ll have to make a huge amount of payment upfront. You can then shut the door on that until the next billing date the following year.

Proton VPN on the other hand has the same subscription offer, plus a subscription where you can opt to be billed by month. I personally prefer the latter, should I decide to reduce my expenses for a particular month. It also allows me to monitor my yearly spending. (This isn’t sponsored by the way). I’m just happy to recommend them.

Cost | $10/month. There is a huge array of VPN company options out there that offer cheap deals.

Download | Google Play or iOS

Snapseed | For Photo And Video Editing

I’ve been using this app for quite a while now. Mostly for quick photo edits, and my on-the-go workflow whether I use my smartphone or Olympus camera to take a photo is to use Snapseed and edit it the way I would using Lightroom.

Aside from it being a super handy editing app to have, the editing power on Snapseed is just as good as Lightroom only so much more user-friendly especially for novice photographers who need to upload quick but quality images on Instagram. Just like Lightroom, you can just as easily adjust the gradient, the hues, tones, sharpness etc.

My Tip | I use Snapseed to create several presets for my images. The only drawback about Snapseed (and I wish the developers would look into it) is that they don’t have a desktop version like Lightroom. So if you prefer to be able to edit on a smartphone and then later edit on your laptop without the hassle of transferring your images from one device to the other, then Lightroom would be the better choice due to its cloud function.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Castbox | For Podcasts And Deserving Plug Time

I thought this is one to include because well, I’m addicted to podcasts.

Absolutely perfect for those long bus rides, when flights or train rides are delayed, during those long driving travel days. It’s the perfect aural escapism or to learn something when you are constantly moving. Simply find something you like and download them when you have wifi and listen to it when you have no data or connection.

Did I mention they’re also brilliant for when you need to fall asleep in noisy hostels, night bus rides or long ferry rides?

My Tip | So recently the Government of Malta launched a Nomad Residence Permit. I’m seriously considering heading there in the near future, and to know a little bit about Malta before I do, I found a travel podcast called ‘Try Somewhere New’ – Malta & Gozo by Ryanair.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Google Maps | For Never Losing Your Way

This app have saved me from getting lost so many times. It has become integral to my travel style.

On city breaks. On road trips, On hikes. On multi-country backpacking trips. At home.

Google maps don’t just help with research on destinations, it also saves places and attractions you want to visit next, quick business information and reviews, and transportation options from point A to point B. It has been a reliable navigation tool for many of my travels around the world.

For road trips, in particular, its ability to be a highly functional GPS navigation tool that is user-friendly has proved to be revolutionary. Although many people swear by other navigation tools such as Maps.me (which I sometimes use, not often), I still find myself opening this app more.

My Tip | Google Map takes up a lot of your battery energy. I would always charge my phone and my external battery enough before any trip. Also, it helps if you drive a vehicle that has USB port chargers. So consider this when you’re choosing a car for hire.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Next Read | How To Actually Roadtrip Without A Hitch In Australia

Speedtest By Ookla | For Quick And Easy Internet Connection Test

This one is super essential for me. It helps me decide if I can only perform work that doesn’t require a heavy internet load or if I should search for another cafe, restaurant or hotel with a stronger connection.

Even if you’re not searching for a wifi connection and have pocket wifi, (I’m a frequent Roaming Man user) this app is excellent at testing connection speed and quality of your pocket wifi, public wifi, and VPN (Speedtest VPN is also another VPN service alternative).

My Tip | Since moving around and catching up on work at the same time can be overwhelming and exhausting, I typically choose to work at the place I’m staying for about two hours and then go out and explore. It just save you time and energy.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Upwork | For Client Replies & Prospect Pitches

Besides running this blog, I provide content marketing services to individuals and businesses from around the world. Upwork is the perfect marketplace for me to connect with individuals or businesses looking to grow their email marketing and blogs while I’m travelling.

If you’re a web designer, a social media manager, an accountant, project manager, videographer, a translator or an email marketing expert who wants to keep travelling while earning a decent income to sustain the travelling lifestyle, Upwork is great for you to do just that.

Upwork also allows you to create hourly direct contracts with your clients outside of the platform for payment protection purposes. The app, works as a timer to record the number of hours you’ve worked for a client.

I personally use Upwork to find short-term projects lasting up to 3 months and so far Upwork has helped me connect to businesses and brands who offer that sort of opportunities.

If you’re an avid traveller running a remote business and need resources to help you sustain and run your business, you can do so with Upwork too.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Google Translate | For Quick Translation

Life would be so much easier if our brains are able to translate other languages on the fly.

Unfortunately, we weren’t created that way but fortunately were created with a brain that has the abilities to invent great things to make the travel life easier such as Google Translate.

I must admit, I never really felt the need to download the app in all my years of travel and the only reason why is because I tend to connect with locals who can speak the native language and English more often than not.

Despite all of the above, it does a good job at making it easy for you to key in a word for translation, plays the pronunciation out loud so you say it right and translate photos for you.

Super handy when you need to know signs that says ‘Please come in’, ‘Private – No Entry’ or ‘No Photographs’ when there isn’t a symbol or an icon in sight.

My Tip | Although Google Translate has helped me in some of my email marketing work for clients from Europe, it doesn’t necessarily provide the correct translation but it does give you an idea of the meaning of a word or phrase. Also, this is one app that I ‘Off Load’ on my smartphone with the consideration to reinstall it when I need it in my travels.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Weather | For Weather Forecasts

As a novice photographer, knowing what time the sun sets and when the sun is coming out is absolutely crucial to capture the best photos. As hikers and travellers, we just want to know if it will be windy, rainy or bloody cold.

Without a doubt, there is an abundance of weather apps out there, but after several trial and error, I have come to a conclusion that Weather is the best for me. It may not be as detailed as the paid version, but 100% of the time, Weather has been reliable on so many occasion and has saved me from plenty of heartaches.

Though the free version has ads, which honestly, isn’t too annoying. The user interface is pleasing and the layout is easy to navigate. I particularly love that it is still able to provide a decent level of weather detail such as humidity, wind speed, UV index etc. Gives me a good sense of what needs to be packed and what needs to stay behind for the day.

My Tip | I use to have this bad habit of checking the weather one week in advance. I’ve learned that using the app that way doesn’t serve any purpose because weather predictions and patterns change all the time. Best to check forecasts one or two days before so you’ll have a more accurate reading on how it will be tomorrow or in two days.

Cost | Free. The paid version remove ads.

Download | Google Play or iOS

Omio | For European Train, Bus And Ferry Booking

When travelling in Europe, finding reliable information in the language you understand (in this case English) about public transportation fee, schedules and ticket booking can be difficult.

Omio solves just that.

I’ve used this app during my trip to the Czech Republic, primarily for information on train transportation (which can also be used in countries like the US and Canada).

The app is a simplified platform to search for trains, busses and ferries in a specific country by allowing you to select the cheapest and quickest routes all in the language you understand.

You can also book and pay within the app with tickets available for download or print.

Recently the developers of this app added a ‘Station Locator’ so you can find the exact location of your stop. The new map function pinpoints the position of your train or bus stop so you won’t have to scramble to look for your departure point.

Additionally, you can also use Omio to check for any Covid-19 travel restrictions using their ‘Open Travel Index’.

Less stress and easy.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Next Read | The Best Attractions To Visit In Prague, Czech Republic

First Aid By The British Red Cross | For Travel Emergencies

As I’ve been fortunate with no major life-threatening emergencies nor have I found myself in a situation with the need to save a life while travelling, I’d like to NOT push my luck by not being prepared and not knowing what to do.

This First Aid app supports locations or regions under the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies. Malaysia is one of them. Although emergency numbers are only limited to the UK numbers, the 19 first aid skills in the app could be the difference between life and death for you and someone else. It includes clear and simple advice and instructions that are readily available on the app itself, which means you’ll always be able to access it on-the-go without cellular or wifi connection.

If you’re travelling with a baby or a child, they also have an app for Baby & Child First Aid skills.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Netflix | For Offline Entertainment

This one may be an obvious one for just about anyone in the world or perhaps ‘not exactly a travel related’ one.

However, with plenty of streaming platforms vying for your money and attention in 2021 (Disney+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV etc) it’s wise to evaluate where you spend your money, especially when you are travelling for more than several weeks. Plus, it’s guaranteed that you’ll have afternoons and evenings where all you want to do is hide in your sheets, veg out and watch something.

It’s a matter of how huge is my pool of options and I’ve found that Netflix has more options than other streaming platforms compared to Apple TV or Amazon Prime.

My Tip | The important thing for Travellers and Netflix is to download or save a bunch of movies and shows PRIOR to hitting the road. Wifi connections can sometimes be a disappointment, finicky and unreliable in hostels, Airbnbs, or while on long-distance bus journeys and overnight train rides.

It helps curb that ‘cabin fever’ a little better when you have a stash ready to binge.

Cost | RM 17 to RM 55 a month.

Download | Google Play or iOS

Google News | For Keeping Up With Global News

The ‘travel bubble’ is real!

The world changes constantly and it is easy to pretend that everything is unicorn and rainbows when you’re on the road for long periods of time. When you’re out of the loop for a few weeks on end, it’s not hard to miss big events.

Imagine if you were in Viktor Narvoski’s shoes (the character Tom Hanks played in The Terminal). Not knowing that your country was in a state of emergency and war. You are suddenly stateless and a person without a country.

An AI like the Google News app would have saved him a lot of trouble trying to figure out what the immigration officer was trying to explain to him. Not to mention trying to figure out the news on tv in a language he couldn’t understand.

Google News has the capability to translate and pair news in 41 languages. The app has several tabs, each offering a slightly different overview of what’s going on in the world. The ‘Briefing’ is the default layout of the app showing you news based on your location and interests.

Dive deeper by selecting the ‘Full Coverage’ tab for multiple viewpoints of the same story; and for a broader view of all the latest news, choose ‘Headlines’ You can also teach Google what you’d like to see more when in ‘Favourites’ and go to a specific news platform (free and with subscription) with ‘Newstand’.

Solid app by Google.

Cost | Free

Download | Google Play or iOS

Spotify | For Groovy Beats

You either have this app or YouTube Music.

If you are a song person and a podcast addict like myself, Spotify is definitely the go-to app for an array of song genres and a growing library of podcast channels of big names like Joe Rogan, Michelle Obama, Rapheal Rowe and Freakanomics Radio to listen to.

Although the company is making a huge push to dominate podcasts, there are still a few podcast channels that I wasn’t able to find but was available in Castbox instead. The thing that makes Spotify less annoying than Youtube Music is that with YouTube Music, you won’t be able to listen to songs without leaving the app. This also means the app will eat up your phone battery life a lot faster than Spotify.

Also, I’m a serial song collector of soundtracks and music from movies and tv series. Every movie and tv series I watch, there will be at least one song that will make my most used playlist ‘Beats To Social Distance To’ to date it has 8 hours worth of songs I listen to and I don’t think the list will stop growing.

Cost | Free. To listen to songs offline, subscribe to Premium.

Download | Google Play or iOS

Next Read | Spotify Beats To Social Distance To

And those are, for me at least, the best travel app on the market right now.
So, do you think I missed out on any app that is absolutely essential? Let me know your favourite app for travellers in the comment box.