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If you’re like me you probably never leave the house without your phone. Am I right? Having a world of resources in the palm of our hands has been a game-changer for travel. From booking trips, taking photos & navigating a new city, my iPhone is something I will never travel without. And, with my phone comes the most helpful apps to use when travelling in Australia! I want to share with you 20 of my most useful apps for travelling Australia and the world.
There’s a massive amount of apps out there, a lot of them are useless but so many good ones that make travelling easier & sometimes cheaper. The worldwide vaccination rate is going up fast (even in Australia, believe it or not, 😆) and I’m very excited to soon be travelling a lot more. So it’s time to start thinking about where you want your first trip to be, even if it’s in your own country. And, get your smartphone ready with the most useful apps for travelling in Australia and the world.
Apps for Travelling Australia
Beachsafe:
When you’re travelling in Australia chances are you’re going to spend a lot of time at the beach. And even for experienced swimmers, the beach can be a dangerous place at times. The Beachsafe app is definitely one you need for travelling Australia. The app uses a map view to quickly find a beach near you. It’ll show if the beach is patrolled by lifeguards, the current swell, if there are currently any hazards, and the weather. You can also save your favorite beaches in the app.
Fuel Map Australia:
I’m the biggest tight ass when it comes to petrol prices, I’ll drive out of my way if I know it’s heaps cheaper elsewhere. In the Fuel map app, you can zoom in on the map to show petrol stations around you and it also shows the price. This is one of the must-have apps for travelling around Australia because chances are you’re going to be doing a lot of driving and these overpriced petrol pumps will all add up!
Scoopon:
Scoopon is one of the most popular apps for Australians, even when we’re not travelling. It’s great for getting daily deals on travel, dining, activities & shopping. The app has an easy search option to find specific types of deals in your area. It’s worth noting though that unless you sign up for an account, the app is pretty basic but the account is free.
Worldwide Travel Apps
Hopper:
If only we had a crystal ball to tell us when the cheapest time to book flights will be! Luckily there’s an app called Hopper and it’s so helpful for getting the best deal on flights. Hopper has a price prediction feature, and it’ll figure out the best time for you to fly and make the booking to ensure you get the best deals. Hopper can also send you notifications when prices drop to destinations you have previously searched for.
Skyscanner:
I’m not sure I have ever actually used Skyscanner to book my flights. But I love the app to see which airline operates a certain sector, how many stopovers there could be and the times of the flights. Also, it’s helpful to get a rough idea of how much these flights will cost.
Tripadvisor:
I’m sure everyone has used the web version of TripAdvisor at some point in time, but I find the app is so handy to travel with. The app allows you to search for destinations from all over the world in a matter of seconds. And, it’s great at keeping all the places you want to visit well organized. You can create a customized “trip” and save the places you’d love to see & keep track of links. You will need to have a (free) TripAdvisor account signed in on the app to create these trips.
Travelmath:
This app is a handy tool if you quickly want to know your flight time. Type in your from/to cities and it’ll calculate approximately how many hours the flight is, the distances, which airline operates direct flight (I’m not always sure this feature is accurate though), and the time difference between the two cities.
OANDA Currency Converter:
I’m not quick with math so I always use this app. It’s really good, especially if you’re travelling to a new country and need to get your head around the exchange rate and what your money is actually worth. To give me a quick reference I will sometimes screenshot common amounts like $1 = / $10 = / $100 =. Then I can easily see them in my camera roll & get a quick estimate of my currency converted.
Rome2Rio:
This app has so many features including booking hotels & tickets. But I only ever use it to search for the best way to get from A to B. This is a good enough reason to get the app because this feature is awesome and works perfectly every time.
At the top of the search screen, you type in your location, address, airport or station. Then your destination, like your hotel. The results will show a bunch of different transport options including price and also which one they recommend. Say you choose the Bus option, click on it and it’ll give details of the journey, like the bus fare, bus number & distance. And, then from the bus stop that you’ll be getting off at, the app will show walking directions to your final destination.
Agoda:
Agoda is one of my favorite sites to book accommodation on but I wanted to specifically mention the app. The app gives customers even more of a discount on hotel bookings. Then once you’ve made your booking all your reservations are stored in the booking tab, sorted by upcoming, complete & canceled. This is helpful if you make multiple bookings & cancel some of them at a later date. You can keep track of it all. Also, you can add your bookings to your apple wallet for quick access.
Airbnb:
Airbnb is probably the best place to find unique accommodation options from all over the world and can often be cheaper than a standard hotel. Similar to the Agoda app, the Airbnb app has an easy search option, keeps your current bookings well organized, and has an inbox for you to easily contact your host.
Hotel Tonight:
This app is for making last-minute hotel bookings. And, with all the current covid restrictions, it’s great to have the option to book your hotel last minute if you’re concerned about a trip getting canceled. Also, with this app and booking these hotels last minute, the hotels are often charging a discounted rate. One thing that annoys me about this app though, is when I search for a city or town the search results often display properties that are actually ages away. Like sometimes over an hour’s drive from the location I’m searching for. So if you’re looking for an area you’re unfamiliar with, just double-check the address before you book.
Maps.Me:
This is a great app for maps especially when you will need to access them offline. The only problem I ever have with this app is remembering to download the map before I leave my hotel! Ha obviously my issue, not the apps. When you do have an internet connection you’ll need to download the map of your current location. Then when you’re out and about, exploring an amazing new city, you have a map right on your phone. You can even pin specific locations of interest when you’re offline.
Happy Cow:
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian this app is a hunger saver! I use it all the time, even when I’m not travelling. Happy Cow is a search app for restaurants that cater to vegans and vegetarians. You can filter your search in heaps of ways such as, only show specifically Vegan restaurants or places that have vegan and vegetarian options, the distance the restaurant is from you, ones that are currently open now & even by cuisine type. On iPhone, the app only has a paid version but it’s worth every cent, it costs $4. The app can be used worldwide and the amount of restaurants that appear does vary between locations. When I first became Vegan I was a little nervous about travelling, I was worried I’d never find anything to eat but Happy Cow always has me covered.
Google Translate:
Have you ever felt nervous about travelling to a country where you don’t speak the language! I definitely have but you have nothing to worry about if you’ve downloaded the Google Translate app. This app was a lifesaver when I was in Seoul last year. Arriving in South Korea I quickly realized that a large amount of the older population spoke very little to no English. Sometimes I found this difficult when ordering food because I needed to ensure it had no meat. Google translate came in so handy, if I was having trouble I could just should them my phone & they’d be able to read my question translated into Korean.
Also, I didn’t know about this feature until I was in Seoul, but you can actually take a photo of writing and it’ll all show all the text written in English (or whatever language you’ve selected). When I was buying beauty products majority of the labels were all written in Korean so this feature was very useful.
All Trails:
Who else loves hiking and exploring the outdoors? All Trails is such a useful app for travelling in Australia and all over the world as it finds the best hiking trails. If you’re in a new place, especially if you’re travelling solo, it’s not a great idea to just go wandering off into the wilderness. So the All Trails app is so easier to search for tails in that area. Once you have selected a trail you can see its length, elevation gain, route type & a map. And, also the weather forecast and reviews from other travelers.
When you download the app you’ll need to create a free account first. There is a paid version (AllTrails Pro for $29.99) and the main feature with the pro is you’ll be able to download maps for use offline. I’m only using the free version, I just take screenshots if I’m going offline.
Toilet Finder:
Not the most exciting app to have on your phone but when you gotta go, you gotta go and unfortunately public toilets are sometimes the only option! Toilet Finder is a free app and has 150,000 public toilets listed. If you type in your location it’ll display a map with all the public toilets in the area. This is one of the most helpful apps if you’re travelling Australia and will be spending a lot of time in remote areas.
Netflix:
Most of you probably have a Netflix account but before you head off on your next trip make sure you have downloaded the app. All the shows & movies that are available on Netflix will be available to download to your phone so you can watch them when you’re offline. This is awesome if you’re flying with a budget airline that doesn’t have screens in the back of the seat. Also depending on what country you’re in the shows available on Netflix can vary. I loved this when I was in the United States because they have so many more shows in Australia does.
Instagram:
I know Instagram is an obvious one but I wanted to mention it not as a way to share your photos but to find new places to visit. Whenever I’m in a new city I always check out the explorer page on Instagram. I type in my location and browse through other users posts for inspiration on where I should visit. Often I’ll find beautiful areas I hadn’t come across while searching elsewhere.
CapCut:
So once you’ve been to all the beautiful places it’s time to share them with all your followers. When I’m travelling I don’t like to spend hours on my laptop putting together content. So I love having the CapCut app on my phone. The app is an easy to use editing tool & can create Instagram reels in just a few minutes.
All of the apps I have mentioned above are free, except for Happy Cow. Although, some of them have in-app purchases and some of the free versions may include ads.
I hope you’ve found this list of 20 useful apps for travelling Australia and the world, well useful!
Do you have any other awesome apps on your phone that you can’t travel without? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
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Searching For The Best Flights
Without a doubt the best site for comparing and booking flights is Skyscanner. Just click here to compare flights and get the best prices with Skyscanner.
Booking Accommodation
Click here to save on accommodation, from hostels to luxury hotels!
Get Cashback on Bookings
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Don’t know what Rakuten is? Read my guide here!
Never Skip Travel Insurance
Unfortunately, everything doesn’t always go to plan but travel insurance will protect you when it comes to illness, injury, theft & cancellation. I never travel overseas without travel insurance, it’s just not worth the risk!
Cover-More is a trusted company, who have a good reputation for making customer claims a hassle-free process.
Where to Next?
If you’re unsure of where to visit next, why not check out my Destination Page filled with exciting ideas from all over the world?
Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
Wow! Extensive and useful list. I thought I was app knowledgeable but there are many listed here that I have not heard of. I am looking forward to testing them out.
Oh that’s great, thanks so much, Joanna. I hope you find them helpful
These apps sound so helpful! I never really think about any apps that I might need to prep before my travels…I’m definitely going to do this next time! Thanks for the great guide!
Yeah with some of them I like to test them out before I leave, so I don’t have to learn a new app when I’m traveling lol. Thanks, Hannah
I have heard of most of these, but not toilet finder- that is a genius idea for a travel app! 🙂
I really love maps me and alltrails for getting around and finding fab hikes.
Awesome recommendations! I have some of these, but some I still need to download. Hopper sounds so helpful, definitely checking that one out!
These are great ideas. I haven’t heard of Hopper before and will be sure it check it out. Thanks for sharing these useful travel apps!
Beachsafe is a good idea. I should probably download that and have a look before jumping into the sea out here!! I also love All Trails, it’s an essential app for me. There’s also WikiCamps and often find free camp sites around Aus for my van. Some good ideas here 🙂
Oh awesome, the camping ones would be very helpful
This is a fab list of apps, great recommendations! Never heard of CapCut so definitely going to give that one a go 🙂
Awesome apps! This was very helpful thanks!
Love this list! We like to download shows on Netflix too! Even when we go camping – haha! Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful apps.
Bookmarking this for when I finally make it to Australia!
Awesome, hopefully you find them helpful
Your list of apps is great! I am making note of a few to add to my phone before my next trip. Thanks for sharing!
Great to hear 🙂