In this 21st Century, life has become easier in all spheres. The hassles related to traveling abroad has been reduced manifold due to the technological advancement. The smartphone is one such discovery that has immensely helped travelers since the time of its inception and with each passing day, more and more apps are coming up to guide people while they are away from their homeland.
Before you set sail for your volunteering journey abroad, make sure to download these free travel apps to make your journey smoother. These apps are meant for the digital savvy traveler and they would serve your purpose in the best possible way.
Finding your way in an unknown land is the most difficult task – but, not really that difficult if you have Google Maps! This app will help you find your way whenever you get stuck. In countries like India where auto wallas and cab drivers might try to take you through a long route just to extract some more money, Google Maps will help you to figure out the short cuts and negotiate with them. Public transit, traffic updates, city tours with 360-degree street views, plus a voice-guided, turn-by-turn GPS navigation are merely some of the features this mobile app offers, so you can navigate like a pro.
This is another amazing app by Google, that’ll help you communicate in a foreign country where the people might not speak English properly. For example, while volunteering in China, it would be a tad bit difficult as many people don’t speak English. In those situations, Google Translate will be your savior. You can either type whatever you want to translate into a word box or use the speaking option to translate a phrase. You can translate about 58 languages in text and hear 23 languages worth of converted phrases.
The best app for transportation, Uber will help you to book your cab and reach your destination without getting into a negotiation process with local folks offering rides in a foreign land. Uber services are available in nearly 600 cities all over the world. One of the best features of Uber is that you can pay by credit card and enter your destination in advance, which is wonderful as you don’t have to explain where you want to go.
An app to keep the checks and balances of your finances is a must. Mint will help you to record your expenses under different categories so that they are always sorted. The app is absolutely safe as it doesn’t allow any transactions, but just keeps a track of the money that you spend. You can also set your budget and know how much you have to spend so that you don’t end up overspending while you are traveling abroad. It is a very good habit of keeping a track of the expenses, and Mint will surely help you learn the art.
One issue that you’ll face in every foreign country you visit is that of converting the currency. It is not always possible to do manual calculations and that’s when Easy Currency Converter will come handy! It has over 180 currencies with live exchange rates and offline mode. All you have to do is set up a profile with your personal currency list and you can track all the exchange rates.
No trip can be complete without trying the local cuisine of the land, and while traveling abroad, it is essential to savor the flavors that the country has to offer you. You must be having Chinese or Thai food in your country, but surely that isn’t as good as those dishes served in China or Thailand respectively. One of the best apps to track the most popular restaurants serving amazingly delicious food, Zomato should be there on your smartphone. With ratings and reviews, Zomato makes it easy for the user to decide where to go and binge!
It is more like a travel search engine app which makes you aware of the cheapest and best deals that you can avail. It searches hundreds of travel sites to help you track and book the flight and/or hotel that suits you best. It also helps you to track your booking and manage your itineraries, as well as access airline numbers and airport info. The app is available in 20 different languages.
Who doesn’t want to show off travel photos to friends and family? Instagram is the best photo sharing app, with several filters that can give a completely amazing look to your shots. Click and instantly upload your photos to let the world know about your adventures in the foreign land. And when in a volunteering vacation, you’ll have more snaps of the local folks, the unknown lanes, the bustling markets, the delicious dishes and other things to upload – so don’t miss downloading Instagram before setting out.
Having a communication app on your phone is essential while you are traveling abroad. It’ll help you to stay connected with your friends and family back home at cheaper costs than international calls, and it’ll also help you to stay in touch with your local coordinator and fellow volunteers at the placement destination. These apps have calling, video chat as well as messaging options – thus, you can always stay connected with your well wishers in some way or the other. Don’t forget to download any of these communication apps before you travel to volunteer abroad.
While on a volunteering trip, you will have a pre-set schedule for your weekdays when you’ll have to contribute at least 5 – 6 hours daily at your placement site. But you’ll be free during the evenings and the weekends, when you can explore the place. Time Out app will help you to know about the best events, festivals, live concerts, and shows etc., that you can attend.This app is a great directory of ideas related to the things to do in most of the cities around the world. You can also reserve tables at a restaurant and book concert tickets through the app and create a customized travel guide for your trip.
There are thousands of other apps that you can download, but you don’t really need to clutter your phone memory with too many unnecessary apps! If you have these, you will be safe and secure, no matter where you are. These apps are available for free in Android, iOS, and Windows.
Now that you know what all to download, go ahead and plan your volunteering holiday abroad.
Happy Journey, Friends!
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