OUR TOP TRAVEL APPS FOR 2019
Planning and going on any trip can be overwhelming, whether you are travelling solo or with the family.
Between the kids, flights, pick-ups and book-ins, and packing, even pro travelers can struggle to remember everything (hands up if you’ve forgotten to pack your toothbrush, we’ve all been there).
Luckily, we live in the modern world where technology is continuously being developed to make our lives quicker and easier. The travel industry is no different. There are thousands of travel apps out there to make the whole process easier from booking flights to packing your suitcases to discovering the best local restaurants and communicating with travel companies.
The best apps for travelling will help get you excited for your trip, remove the stress before and during travel and help you make the most of your travel destination.
We chose these as our top travel apps for 2019 because they encompass all aspects of travelling – they help you plan, research and save all your travel ideas, assist with to-do lists, directions and other travel-related necessities, explore your holiday destinations, all with the touch of a finger.
Here are our top travel apps for 2019:
1. Vamoos
Availability: iOS & Android
Cost: Free
Booking with a tour operator already takes the stress out of planning your trip, but this travel planning app takes ‘hassle-free’ to the next level. Before your trip even begins, Vamoos builds your excitement with a countdown timer and beautiful personalised imagery. This is our top recommended travel app and we use it for every client.
Before your trip, your consultant will load your entire itinerary trip onto the app. No detail goes forgotten – you’ll receive a daily breakdown of your trip, a 5-day weather forecast and maps of the areas you are visiting. The consultants are also able to leave personalised notes (“Today you’re visiting Robben Island, pack a warm jacket as the ferry ride can get chilly”) – this is why we love it – it helps us leave that personalised Pembury touch!
Vamoos provides instant access to everything you may need or want to know about your trip. It is also available offline, which saves you expensive mobile roaming charges during flights. It also allows you to upload photographs, leave feedback on your trip, share straight to social media and share content with other Vamoos users.
Why we love it:
- Centralises all trip info to one place.
- Creates a storyboard of your trip.
- Acts as a travel journal – allows you to post content and share to social media.
Download it here:
2. Duolingo
Availability: iOS & Android
Cost: Free
Language differences are often one of the biggest barriers when it comes to travel. This is why Duolingo is one of our top travel apps. The name speaks for itself, but Duolingo is essentially an app that simplifies the process of learning a new language. Through a number of fun challenges and games, using both audio and visual techniques, it teaches you how to read, write and speak a new language.
English is widely spoken throughout Africa, so there is no need to panic about learning a new language (although, learning the slang will help). However, if you want to truly connect with the locals, learning a little of the local language will go along way. In terms of languages spoken in Africa, Duolingo teaches French, Portuguese and Swahili, which will help you chat to the locals in:
- Madagascar, Rwanda and the Seychelles in French.
- Mozambique in Portuguese or Swahili
- Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in Swahili.
Why we love it:
- Free, fun and universally accessible learning.
- “Popcorn” learning – so you can learn whenever you have a gap in the day.
- Extremely user-friendly.
- A forum where you can discuss and converse about various topics with other users.
3. PackPoint
Availability: iOS & Android
Cost: Free to download, although customisations are only available in premium.
The PackPoint app is a travel packing list organiser and packing planner for all travelers. It made the cut as one of our top travel apps because it does all the work (except the actual packing of course, technology isn’t quite there yet).
Here’s how it works:
- Enter your travel destinations, length of travel, activities planned.
- PackPoint checks the weather of the destination at the time of travel.
- PackPoint generates a packing list based on the above info.
- Edit your packing list where necessary.
- Check off items as you pack them.
- Share the list with your fellow travellers.
Why we love it:
- It is completely customised to your trip.
- It packs smarter for you, avoiding airline luggage overage fees.
4. Weather Underground App
Even though Vamoos will keep you updated on the weather during your trip, it’s worth downloading the Weather Underground app. This is one of our top travel planning apps because it provides you with the most accurate hyper-local weather forecasts in the world. Weather Underground receives reports from 270 000+ weather stations, with interactive radar maps and severe weather options available. We recommend it if you are travelling to an area with temperamental weather and want to plan your day without any surprises from sudden rain showers!
Why we love it:
- Accurate and instant weather forecast in any location in the world.
- It gives you a 10-day forecast to be prepared for all weather conditions
- The option of setting ideal weather conditions for outdoor activities