Best Apps for Backpackers to Save You Time and Money

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For modern backpackers, it’s impossible to imagine travel before the internet. There is no doubt that it has made traveling accessible for the masses, so much so that travel and tourism accounted for 9% of the world’s GDP during 2023.

Thanks to the internet, many of us have become DIY travelers: booking our own flights, accommodation, and activities online. The days of having to book through travel agents (and pay their exorbitant commissions) are a distant memory.

From finding transportation, to hyper-detailed maps, on-demand language translations, discovering a place to stay or booking yourself on a tour, all this information is now readily available in our pockets at any time. To help save you both time and money on the road, we’ve curated this ultimate guide to the best apps for backpackers. Because if travel is a skill, you’ll need the right tools.

Transport – Save time

Being organized with your transport options will not only really save you time, but also improve your overall experience. To ensure you have the smoothest possible trip, you’ll want to make sure follow our tips and download these apps.

Rome2Rio

Especially useful when route planning, Rome2Rio allows you to see the full range of transportation options between two places including buses, trains, ferries, and planes. It gives you all the options, revealing the fastest, most convenient, and cheapest routes.

Rome2Rio often has links to the transport companies which allows you to book your tickets directly, and, as we all know, booking in advance often gets you a better deal.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is the premier app for comparing flight routes and finding the best deals. Booking flights can be a daunting task (should I wait? Am I getting the best flight? Can I get business class for cheaper?), but Skyscanner takes all the guesswork out of the equation for finding the fastest routes and cheapest tickets.

Search for specific flights, or if you don’t know where you want to visit, use the ‘everywhere’ button to find an interesting location.

Maps.me

Save mobile data and download on Wi-Fi Maps.me maps which are designed for offline use. The maps are great not only for recognized roads, but also for finding trails which don’t appear on other map applications. It’s easy to save locations and check stats like current elevation and altitude changes along a walking route.

Budgeting – Save money

A worthwhile and useful thing when backpacking is to keep an eye on your budget. After all, the more you can stretch your money, the longer and further you are able to travel. 

Online Banks – Revolut and Starling

You can avoid carrying around cash for your trip as ATMs which accept international cards are present in virtually every country. The problem was always the horrific fees that you’d be forced to pay to withdraw your money at a foreign ATM, usually an overt withdrawal fee coupled with a covert less favorable exchange rate.

Online banks such as Revolut and Starling have shaken up the market by allowing free withdrawals while overseas and offering incredibly competitive exchange rates.

Travel tip: Some ATMs will present you with an option for the ATM operator to convert your money into local currency. Always decline this as your bank will always give you a better rate.

With a U.S. Revolut account, a charge of 2% applies when withdrawing more than US$400 per month, and for Australian accounts 2% over AU$350. Revolut is also available in the UK, where cardholders pay a 2% fee over £200, and in Ireland where cardholders pay a 2% fee for withdrawals over €200.

A better option for British travelers is Starling which offers unlimited withdrawals abroad with no fees. As an online challenge bank, Starling makes setup on the app super easy: within 5-7 working days of applying, you will get your new debit card in the post, ready for use.

ATM Fee Saver

The best and often safest way to get local currency when traveling is by ATM, whether that be at the airport shortly after touching down in a new country or in a town center. ATM Fee Saver is an essential mobile app for backpackers as it identifies the nearest ATMs with no or low bank withdrawal fees.

Best of all, ATM Fee Saver currently offers information on ATMs in over 50 countries.

XE

Perfect for keeping up to date with the latest currency conversions, we love XE for allowing you to personalize your page with different currencies and check multiple conversions at once. It’s also possible to input exact numbers for an accurate conversion – and you can view online or offline (which can be a lifesaver in so many places).

Best apps for travel in Europe – Apps for Backpackers

Some of these apps will be useful all around the world, but their functionality certainly stands out when put to use across Europe. We know Europe is a solo backpacker favorite, so we want to make sure we have you covered.

Hostelworld

Hostelworld is an innovative hostel booking service that compares the best rated places and helps you find a hostel to match your vibe.

Hostelworld is particularly great for solo backpackers wanting to mingle and make friends, as the app has a chatroom for each hostel. You can message other travelers up to two weeks before you check in which is a great way to find other backpackers.

FlixBus

FlixBus is the largest bus company in Europe. It’s often the best way to hop between European cities on a budget. It’s perfect for backpackers as FlixBus offers some seats at super low prices, and they also offer a modern fleet of coaches with comfortable seats – and every bit of luxury counts when you’re backpacking.

Trainline

Train station queues in Europe can be painfully long, especially during the summer months. Skip those long lines by booking online and receiving an e-ticket.

Trainline is unquestionably our favorite train-booking app in Europe, with secure payment and reliable timetable updates within the app. There’s nothing more annoying than arriving at the station and finding out you have a delay – with Trainline, you’ll get a notification beforehand.

BlaBlaCar

This car sharing app is perfect for catching rides with travelers already heading in your direction. If we had to describe it, it’s almost like a modern version of hitchhiking. It’s especially handy when wanting to get off the beaten path – in fact, it’s perfect for getting away from the standard bus routes and heading to harder-to-reach places.

The driver of the trip will advertise the route A to B with a suggested contribution to cover fuel or simply make a few euros. If you know they will be passing you, you can message to request a pick up along the way.

Often a BlaBlaCar will be faster than a bus or train (especially in Eastern Europe), making this one of the must-have apps for backpackers.

Airalo

It’s time to embrace modernity with eSIMs. In our opinion, Airalo is the easiest eSIM provider for virtually every region on earth – and they make it particularly easy when crossing borders. It saves you precious time and energy by cutting out the need to hunt down new SIM cards upon arrival to a new country.

Surfshark

A VPN service is an essential travel app for backpackers. Not only does it protect your personal data when using public Wi-Fi networks, but it also facilitates access to websites and apps that may be blocked in the region.

For example, as of August 2024 Instagram is suspended in Türkiye. The only way to access Instagram in Türkiye is via a VPN such as Surfshark. Pick from a long list of nations to connect and voila, you’ll suddenly be connected to the internet through your virtual location.

Travel tip: It is helpful for using streaming services while traveling as not all countries have access to the same television programmes.

GetYourGuide

The GetYourGuide is the go-to app for finding the best-rated tours in destinations across the world. From simple city tours, to safaris, and adrenaline-fueled activities, browse GetYourGuide and you will find the best of what’s on offer. We love how GetYourGuide is so straightforward and easy to use – and tours booked through GetYourGuide usually including free cancelation up to 24 hours before your tour.

Electric Scooter Rental – Lime, Beam and Voi

Rentable electric scooters and bicycles have appeared on street corners across many European cities over the past few years. In our humble opinion, they are the best way to explore a new city. In fact, we think they’re second only to walking for facilitating a self-guided tour.

At the very least, electric scooters and bicycles allow you to go anywhere quickly – or even going to places that aren’t well-serviced by public transport.

Ridesharing – FREENOW and Bolt

Take advantage of the convenience of finding private rides with FREENOW, a ridesharing app available in 150 cities across Europe including London and Berlin. It’s particularly good for booking taxis in advance and checking the fare so you’re not caught blindsided. FREENOW offers a good alternative to Uber and is often cheaper. Bolt is also a great ride-hailing app for backpackers in Europe.

Delivery – Just Eat and Deliveroo

Backpacking can be pretty draining at times; for those moments when you are feeling ill or just a little lethargic, get some food delivered via Just East or Deliveroo. These apps almost always offer impossibly great discounts, so they’re often one of the best ways to get a good, cheap feed.

Languages – Impress the locals

When backpacking, you are likely to find yourself in rural areas where locals are less likely to speak a major global language like English. It’s in those situations where it will be critically important to have a great translation app.

Google Translate

From translating menus, to interacting with locals, Google Translate is an ideal app for backpackers. If you’re planning on being offline, you can pre-download entire languages for offline use.

Italki

For the well prepared, Italki is the optimal choice for learning a new language. It’s the best way to find 1-on-1 or group lessons with native speakers over the internet – and the best part is the teachers will customize classes to fit your level, schedule and budget. Whatever the language you want to learn, you’ll almost certainly be able to find a teacher with Italki as they offer support for over 150 languages.

Memories – Remember your trip

There’s nothing better than returning home and reliving your vacation. Here are some of our favorite apps for backpackers to record your travels.

Polarsteps

A perfect app for keeping track of your movements, Polarsteps allows you to visualize your route (which is updated in real time) to a map of the world. You can even send a link to your friends and family to keep them in the loop with your whereabouts. But the best part is you can upload pictures taken on the road and they’ll be perfectly categorized for future use.

Snapseed

One of the best photo-editing applications, Snapseed is ideal for touching up your holiday snaps. It’s good for basic and extensive photo editing with a huge array of editing options. 

Been

Keep track of where you’ve been with Been, a simple app categorized by continents. Select which countries or regions you have visited and the app will display the percentage completed of each category and a map to visualize the information.

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