For as much time as we spend locked into our devices to make our location-independent business possible, we always seem to be behind the latest trends. For example, as much as we’ve tried (and wanted) to get on Snapchat, we just can’t seem to find the time to learn about yet another social media app.
The same is true for travel apps. With new apps coming out all the time, it can be overwhelming to try to utilize them all. However, that said, there are a few apps that have caught our attention either for their uniqueness, practicality, or for the fact that they are just plain fun! If you’re looking for some new travel apps to download on your smartphone, here are five to know about:
5 Unique Travel Apps Every Traveler Should Have
1. Grabr
Every traveler knows about that age-old rule of bringing back exotic souvenirs for their friends and family. Grabr is an innovative peer to peer delivery service/app built around that exact concept. The goal: to connect people who want to buy unique goods from around the world with travelers who can easily get their hands on them. Now people can buy literally anything in the world and have it delivered to them from a peer while travelers get to make a little money on the side.
We love how creative and professionally structured this app is. Travelers and buyers are connected through the app’s secure messaging system, and negotiate rates and logistics for delivery. Grabr always recommends meeting in a public location for delivery, and the app’s safety is enhanced through a method of rates and stars, so you can choose a traveler that’s known to be reliable.
Additionally, Grabr holds buyer’s money in escrow until the traveler delivers the item in good condition. If you’re interested in shopping, check out what other people are looking for and place a request for anything in the world! If you’re a traveler, signing up is easy and quick. You can set the locations you’re traveling to, and the areas you’d be able to deliver to, in order to help make convenient connections with buyers. Browse through the lists of coveted goods, and when you see something you’d be able to bring back, start connecting with your buyer!
For travelers like ourselves living overseas, this is an especially great way to stock up on those special goods (like Trader Joe’s power-berries) that are impossible to find outside of our home country. We just find someone traveling to Costa Rica from the United States, give them our shopping-list and then offer a monetary reward for the traveler’s time and effort. We also hope to connect with travelers in Tuscany who can bring me a very special bottle of Chianti I fell in love with when we were in the region but cannot find anywhere to order online.
If you have a love-obsession with something you can’t find where you’re living, place an order on Grabr and see who wants to help!
2. Trover
We’ve been using Trover for quite some time now, and as we detailed in our favorite things about Trover, it has easily risen to the top of our favorite travel apps and websites. In short, Trover is the insider’s guide to travel tips and inspiration. Browse through beautiful photos under categories based on popularity, people you follow, or destinations/topics you’re interested in. Everything you find is posted by people just like you who want to share their experiences, favorite restaurants, or local finds. What we love so much about Trover is that you’ll discover travel tips and must-sees that you’d never find in a travel guide. You can create lists to save your discoveries so you can look back on them when you’re making travel plans. Don’t forget to post your great finds as you travel, as well. Trover is connecting us with nearby travelers, or even people in our own backyard, to help us all discover hidden treasures we’d never know about.
3. Project Expedition
This is one website that we can really vouch for after meeting the founders who were traveling through Costa Rica for research earlier this year. Project Expedition’s goal is to provide a highly organized website for travelers to plan their trips using the best resources all at their fingertips. This means no more getting lost for hours in Google searches and end up wondering, “Where in the world do I begin?”
Project Expedition has everything you could possibly need to know to plan your trip all through one website that’s highly organized and easy to navigate. We saw the hard work they were personally investing to locate and review incredible small businesses in the area. That’s what we love best about this web site. It’s not reliant on user’s input, and it’s not reliant on travel companies paying to be featured. All of the information on the website is from researcher’s personal experiences, or from trustworthy travel experts, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews of tours and businesses. This website is brand new, and we’re excited to see it grow and advance. Right now, its information is for Central America, but there are big plans in the works!
4. GateGuru
GateGuru is designed to make your travel day as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. They sort and process the information you’ll need as you travel, and then tailor it to your unique trip.
Some of the most convenient aspects include informing you on flight delays, changes, and security wait times, and allowing you to a rent a car at a discounted rate directly from their app. You can also track how many miles you’ve flown, and how many airports you’ve been through, and compare them to other Guru flyers for a little competition to make your trip more entertaining.
But the best part about this app is the detailed information pertaining to the airports you travel through. There’s nothing like taking a connecting flight to an airport you’ve never been to and arriving at 4 am with no idea where the closest place to get coffee is. GateGuru shows you a detailed map of the airport, where your next gate is located, and a list of nearby restaurants and amenities with a full review. It’s all designed for your specific travel itinerary so you can actually enjoy your flights.
5. XE Currency
XE Currency is all you need to ensure you’re never taken advantage of when you make a purchase. XE is highly detailed, organized, and informative—which may not surprise you considering it’s been downloaded over 5 million times. It’s completely free and can convert between almost every currency in the world. Plus, it’s updated live so it’s 100% accurate all of the time. You can even transfer money abroad safely, or investigate the trends of changing currency rates through comprehensive charts. This app is packed with information so that you can distinguish the best rate everywhere you go.
It can be a bit overwhelming with all of the travel apps now available at our fingertips. While we try to simplify and avoid getting sucked down the travel app rabbit hole, these are a few unique and interesting travel apps we’re currently using. But what about you?
Know any travel apps worth recommending? Share your tips in the comments below!
This post is made possible by Grabr.io All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Casey and Dan, thank you for sharing this information. You’re right, there are way too many apps out there and every single one of them seems to be “the most important one to have” if you want to survive in this world of technology addiction. I appreciate that you recommended just 5 and that each targets a different aspect that everybody might need when travelling. Now, if you want I could go to Tuscani to get you that wine but I would certainly recommend you to try the jewels that we have in Spain!
Totally agree that it can get overwhelming really quickly. Glad you’ve found this useful! :-)
Hey, if you’re offering to go to Tuscani, we won’t deny that bottle of wine. ;-)
Thanks for the tips on the jewels in Spain–that sounds amazing! :-)
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
Will have to check out this project expedition. I love discovering new sites and apps
rebecca recently posted…Everything ends, that is what gives it meaning
Yes, discovering awesome new apps is the best! Hope you enjoy Project Expedition. :-)
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
We hadn’t heard of GateGuru till now – looks like a handy app. It’s unbelievable how many apps related to travel are released almost every day ;-)
Vid recently posted…The Ultimate Itinerary for Peru: Perfect Planning Guide for the land of Incas
Totally agree- it can be super confusing! I love GateGuru because it’s super unique, and navigating new airports is the worst. Hope you enjoy it! :-)
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
I’ve always found the UI on XE Currency a little clunky, but I still use it because it is really handy.
GateGuru looks definitely worth checking out. Thanks!
Fernando recently posted…How to Choose the Best Compact Travel Camera for Your Needs
I agree, XE Currency can be a little confusing, but it’s accuracy makes it worth it. Hope you enjoy GateGuru! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :-)
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
Thanks for the tips. The savior for me, especially while traveling in places with poor internet is Maps.me They have detailed offline maps of every country. It is great when you are trying to find out where you are.
Paul recently posted…Photos From Sichuan Tibet
Wow–that sounds like just what I need! I might just have to download that. ;-) Thanks for sharing!
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
Gotta love technology for making our lives easier. The only one on your list that I use is XE. Which I find to be very useful when moving through multiple countries and you soon get muddled up with conversions. Going to check out the other recommendations now, thanks for the suggestions.
Aaron Jade recently posted…The Magnificent Las Fallas Festival in Valencia
Glad you’ve found XE to be useful! I know that I have definitely been guilty of spending too much money thanks to confusion with currency conversion. Hope you like the other apps! :-)
A Cruising Couple recently posted…Sunrise At Mount Haleakala, Maui: What You Need To Know
Thanks for the new apps to try. I look forward to trying these out.
John J Gentry recently posted…Aftershock At Silverwood Theme Park
It is very helpful information to me, I think I have to use all apps in my travel. I researched all apps it is very useful. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi, April!
I’m so glad to hear you found this article useful!! I love good travel apps, as well. :-)
Awesome article! But I wonder if the simple shipping using post or parcl will be as handy as that?