During our nomadic travels, we use a lot of different phone apps to handle a variety of functions. They are easily accessible and can really make our lives easier. Here are our favorite apps for international travel.

But before you can use these phone apps overseas, you need to make sure you have a good phone plan (or an eSIM) so your phone will have service. We have an excellent T-Mobile international plan but it is limited so it’s NOT a good long-term travel solution. Instead, we use Airalo​ – they have loads of country and region eSIMs to choose from for a low cost. ​Check out Airalo here​.


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Essential Apps for International Travel

Here are the apps we use the most when we’re overseas. Be sure to download them BEFORE your trip so they’ll be ready when you need them: 

  • OpenTable, Resy, TheFork – Dinner reservations: Lots of restaurants use OpenTable and Resy as their booking platform. However, if you’re going to Europe, be sure to also have TheFork. It’s Europe’s leading reservation booking platform.
  • Uber, Grab, Bolt, Lyft, FreeNow and InDrive – Ride-sharing: Uber is available in 10,000 cities – but not in Denmark, Thailand or the entire state of Alaska. Major cities without Uber include Buffalo, Barcelona, Vancouver, Buenos Aires and Frankfurt. Often one of these other alternatives is available instead so be ready.
  • Xe – Currency Conversion: Mark always tells me how to calculate a conversion in whatever country we’re in. I just nod and open Xe instead. You can transfer money in 65 currencies to over 170 countries. However, I just use it to do a fast conversion to USD to see if I can buy the thing.
  • Google Translate – Translation: Your own personal interpreter lets you translate between 108 languages by typing, pasting, or even by pointing your camera.
  • WhatsApp – Communication: WhatsApp is widely used overseas instead of text messaging. Plus, its messages are encrypted, which makes it more secure.
  • ChatGPT – Search: Sometimes it’s hard to get a straight answer from Google with all its (sometimes irrelevant) snippets and complicated algorithms, so now we just ask ChatGPT. Try it! (It’s also great for trip planning…)
  • Polarsteps – Trip Tracking: If you travel a lot, Polarsteps is essential. It tracks your location as you move around the planet. You can upload photos and notes and organize your trips like you want. Plus, there are fantastic travel guides for inspiration.
  • Surfshark – Virtual Private Network (VPN): Surfshark is the best way to protect your personal data while traveling, especially when using public Wi-Fi. It also helps secure your online transactions, avoid surveillance, and maintain access to essential services and subscriptions. Once you subscribe, you’ll be able to add their app to your phone so it’s also protected on public Wi-Fi.
  • FlightAware – Flight Tracking: I used FlightAware back when I was a private jet charter broker, tracking private planes. We still use it now to track our commercial flights (and increasingly often, to find out where the plane is).

I hope these suggestions are helpful! We’ll keep updating this list as we find new and awesome apps for the world traveler.

Our Favorite Apps for International Travel are Essential

These apps all reside at your fingertips and make your travel life so much easier! Download them before your trip so you don’t have to think about it when you’re traveling. Then they’ll be ready when you need them.

Monica Soberman has traveled to over ninety countries while working remotely. She is the owner and author of Digital Roamads Life, a blog for travelers and digital nomads that covers destinations, travel hacks and remote work. Motivated primarily by food, she has taken more than sixty food tours in thirty countries. She is currently full-time nomadic with her husband Mark while running her e-commerce business, The Better Backyard, a luxury backyard store.

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