February 2, 2026 — 5:00am
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Where would we be without our apps when we travel? Probably grappling with paper maps, thumbing through guidebooks, wearing a t-shirt instead of a rain jacket in a downpour and ordering weird beige food. Our travels would be slower, messier and probably more chaotic. Here are 10 apps for the savvy traveller, available for Apple iOS and Google Android platforms.
Where would the modern traveller be without phone apps?iStock
Basic to any trip are the apps for airlines you’ll be flying, for your bank and any credit or debit cards you’ll be using during your travels, apps for car-hire operators, Uber, Google Drive to store vital documents, apps for Booking.com or Expedia if you’ve booked using them, for your SIM or eSIM and Kindle if you’re using e-guidebooks. Unless otherwise noted, all the apps below are free to install.
what3words
This is a brilliant app for locking in a location, and for finding your way back to your parked vehicle in a strange city, a shop or restaurant you want to revisit, or even your hotel. Click on the arrow and the app gives you three English words that tag your location, precise to within three square metres anywhere on the globe. Save it, add a label and when you need to return, the app steers you back to this exact spot. Also handy for finding lost partners. See what3words.com
Currency XE
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How much is that Moroccan carpet or the scrumptious almond pastry in Venice’s St Mark’s Square costing you in Australian currency? Simple and intuitive, Currency XE tells you in an instant. There are lots of currency conversion apps around. Some swear by Revolut, but Currency XE has been my go-to since forever and I’m sticking with what I know. See www.xe.com
Planets
When you’re in the desert or anywhere else with a clear, dark sky, the view overhead is one of the most amazing sights you’ll ever see, but is that Canis Minor or the rich galaxy cluster of Coma Berenices you’re looking at? With Planets installed, all you have to do is lift your phone and the stars, constellations and planets in that sector of the sky are identified and located. It also gives you the times when the planets will be visible at your location. Slightly nerdy, highly addictive. See qcontinuum.org/planets
Atlas Obscura
If you want to add something strange and different to your travels, this is the app for you. Billing itself “The Definitive Guide To The World’s Hidden Wonders”, Atlas Obscura tells you where to find the weird, the offbeat and the downright unmissable, from the world’s largest ball of string in Darwin, Minnesota to a “sweating” pillar in a Roman church, said to predict the death of the pope. See app.atlasobscura.com
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WhatsApp
The killer communication app. Provided you have a data feed, you can make calls and send messages for free. It’s a given that whoever you’re trying to reach needs to have WhatsApp installed, but it’s likely that your guide, your driver or whoever else relies on instant communication to run their business will. Also, it’s a fact that people respond to WhatsApp messages a whole lot quicker than they do to emails. No need to register, the app uses your standard phone number. See whatsapp.com
AwardWallet
Its primary focus is keeping track of all those stray reward points you might have earned and forgotten about. The free version gives you basic tracking, while the premium AwardWallet Plus at $US49.99 ($71) per year comes with bells and whistles, including notifications when your points are expiring, not just the three accounts available with the free version. AwardWallet also has another function, keeping track of flight bookings, car hires and hotel bookings. It sends push notifications and alerts when flights are delayed or cancelled or even when there’s a gate change. See awardwallet.com
The Photographer’s Ephemeris
Kinky name, but for landscape, wildlife and natural light photography, light is key, and sunlight, moonlight and the Milky Way are what the Photographers Ephemeris is all about. For any point on our planet, this app tells you where the sun and moon will rise and set and at what time, and that’s solid gold for photographers. Click on “3D” and the app flies you over any spot on earth, compressing time to show the changing effects of a moving sun or moon on the landscape below. If you want to know exactly where and when to stand to get a long lens shot of a blood moon rising over the Great Pyramid of Giza, this is the app for you. The app costs $14.99 per year, but the Android version lacks the full functionality of the iOS app. See photoephemeris.com
Waze
I love getting behind the wheel when it’s available and Waze is my go-to direction finding app. It’s got a bunch of funky voices – I’ve got Roger Federer as my direction dictating buddy right now – but the ’80s Aerobics Instructor is worth a go. Best of all, lest I stray from righteous paths, Waze warns me of road hazards, speed cameras and police radar traps. See waze.com
AccuWeatherRelated Article
From Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania, to Torrent, Spain, AccuWeather tells you whether it’s a sunblock or an umbrella day. Sourcing its data from a huge weather network, AccuWeather comes up trumps with an easy-to-read interface plus radar, long-range forecast, air quality and health outlook. See app.accuweather.com/app-download
Google Translate
Whether it’s directions to a taxi driver in Kyoto or ordering the local specialty in Ulaanbaatar, a little of the local lingo smoothes your travels. Key in the word or phrase in English and back comes a written response in any one of over 100 languages. Record someone in another language, or snap a photo of a sign or a menu in Polish or Portuguese, and you’ll get an English language translation. If you want to try your hand at conversation, voice prompts will help you get your tongue around “Ben Turkce bilmiyoyum” (I can’t speak Turkish). See translate.google.com/about
What are your favourite travel apps? Share them in the comments below.
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Michael Gebicki is a Sydney-based travel writer, best known for his Tripologist column published for more than 15 years in Traveller. With four decades of experience, his specialty is practical advice, destination insights and problem-solving for travellers. He also designs and leads slow, immersive tours to some of his favourite places. Connect via Instagram @michael_gebickiConnect via email.From our partners