THE 10 BEST BACKPACKER APPS

Rome2Rio

What this app does: This app allows you to plan your travel route when you are travelling by plane, train, bus ferry or car.

Why you need this app: One of my favourite apps for backpackers that I’d never embark on a trip without is Rome2Rio. Rome2Rio is a convenient app that lets you find the best transportation between two places. 

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Wikiloc

What this app does: This is one of the best apps for backpackers who enjoy hiking. It lets you track your hiking, cycling or walking route via GPS with access to over 18 million trails worldwide.

Why you need this app: Wikiloc is one of my favorite apps when it comes to exploring remote places as it is an app with millions of user-generated GPS-trails. The trails on the app can serve as inspiration for your own adventure, or you follow a certain track exactly. 

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Maps.Me

What this app does: Search & discover routes & maps all over the world – offline!

Why you need this app: Maps.Me is one of the most popular travel apps for backpackers. The free app and its features are an excellent backpacker resource for cheaper, better travels. 

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Komoot

What this app does: Search and plan routes for hiking or mountain biking.

Why you need this app: One app I can’t survive without is Komoot, an insightful route planning app that provides all the optimal options in a given region, with offline maps, turn-by-turn instructions, and more! It saves me a lot of time (and money), and helps me make the most of the area I am traveling in. From the most basic of dirt tracks to the most celebrated hiking trail, Komoot lets you search for all the best options around you… with height maps, times, photos, guides, advice, and more. It’s like having information from a local, right there in your pocket — and has so many places I would never have found without it. It has saved me so much stress, and having to take experience tours to discover local nature trails.

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Polarsteps

What this app does: This app allows you to plan, track and relive your travel experiences.

Why you need this app: Polarsteps is one of our favourite travel apps during our trips. The main goal of the app is to track your trip: it creates a map of your destination with your exact itinerary. You can do this by either switching on the automatic tracking or creating pinpoints on the map during the trip. We actually do both, as you can also add photos and a text about that specific destination on these pinpoints.

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Waze

What this app does: Like Google Maps, but much more fun

Why you need this app: Waze is a navigation app which is the funkier, younger cousin of Google Maps. Why is Waze better? Waze allows you to report road incidents in your area and this will then become visible to other Waze users. It is one of the most accurate navigational apps that we have ever used and couldn’t travel without it.

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Google Maps

What this app does: Create itineraries and bucketlists, navigation and more.

Why you need this app: But wait… didn’t you say Waze was better? We believe that Google Maps deserves a mention on here, as it has some amazing features which aren’t just helping you get from A to B. One of the best apps for backpackers as it is the best travel itinerary planner we have ever used and the ideal way to have your bucket list in one place.

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Money Manager

What this app does: Keep track of your expenses.

Why you need this app: Ironically, money manager is the only app which we have paid for during our travels, but is one of the best apps for backpackers on a budget! The hardest part about travel, with so much amazing places to stay, eat and explore is how to afford it all. This app, allows you to keep track of your expenses by storing your receipts and create graphs automatically to show where your biggest expenses are (looking at you cheese & wine.)

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Tripcoin

What this app does: This app allows you to keep track of your travel budget on your iPhone.

Why you need this app: This app is a long-term traveller’s best friend. Hands down, the biggest budget blowing mistake travellers make is forgetting to track their expenses. You simply cannot stick to a budget if you don’t know where your money is going. I first used TripCoin on my 7-month round the world trip & was able to keep track of every dollar I spent, what country I spent it in, & see my total daily average, as well as my daily average by country or by category (accommodation, food, activities, etc.).

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TravelSpend

What this app does: This app allows your to track your spending during your travels.

Why you need this app: One of the most important things for a traveller to do is manage their budget. If you don’t keep a close eye on how you spend your money, you won’t be traveling very long. Our favourite app to keep us on a budget is TravelSpend. The free version has everything you need to keep you from overspending and track your expenses. 

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