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The Best Apps for Travel in Asia 7 min read

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The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

These are the best apps for travel in Asia. Even better news, almost all of these apps are FREE.

These days there’s an app for just about everything! However, the apps you’re familiar with in your home country might not be the same as the ones you’ll need when you’re traveling in Asia.

In this article, we’ve included the most useful and popular apps that will help you navigate traveling around Asia, along with details about each app and how it can help you.

Most of these apps are available for both iOS/Android.

If you want more information about traveling within different countries around Asia, head to Asia Destinations .

Table of Contents

TRANSPORTATION APPS IN ASIA

  • GRAB (ride-hailing)
  • 12GO ASIA (buses, trains, ferries, etc.)
  • Skyscanner (flights)

MAPS & DIRECTIONS APPS IN ASIA

  • Google Maps (online and offline maps)
  • Waze GPS (directions)

COMMUNICATION APPS IN ASIA

  • WhatsApp (voice, call, text messaging)
  • Line (voice, call, text messaging)

ACCOMMODATION APPS IN ASIA

  • Agoda (hotel booking)
  • Airbnb (apartments)
  • HostelWorld (hostels)
  • Trusted Housesitters (pet sitting and house sitting)- Get 25% OFF any Trusted Housesitters Membership plan

LANGUAGE APPS IN ASIA

  • Google Translate (translate words and images)
  • DuoLingo (language learning)

FOOD APPS IN ASIA

  • Eatigo (discount restaurant bookings)
  • HappyCow (find vegan and vegetarian restaurants)
  • Food Panda (food delivery)
  • Grab Food (food delivery)

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The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

Check out the latest visa-related info for traveling in Asia .

More About Each App…

Grab is the most popular app in Asia for ride-sharing. It’s similar to Uber but with more options. Depending on which country you are in, you can call for a car, a tuk-tuk, or even a motorbike to pick you up. In addition to transportation , the company also offers food delivery as well as digital payment services, all via the app. Learn More.

12Go Asia is an online travel agency based in Singapore with its main office in Bangkok, Thailand. 12Go Asia allows users to search and book various modes of transportation on various routes throughout Asia and beyond.

12Go Asia makes it easy to book buses, trains, ferries, and more. Learn More.

Skyscanner lets people r esearch and book travel options for their trips, including flights , hotels , and car hire . It is available in over 30 languages and is used by 100 million people per month.

If your itinerary is flexible, try out Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ option when searching for flights. When you put in ‘Everywhere’ as your destination, it will show you the lowest cost flights out of the airport of your choosing to anywhere in the world. Learn More.

MAPS & DIRECTIONS

Google maps.

Google Maps offers satellite imagery , street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets , r eal-time traffic conditions , and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bike, air, and public transportation.

You can also download maps to use offline in case you don’t have access to the internet while you’re out exploring. Learn More.

Waze is a free navigation app . It offers community-based traffic info, which means other Waze users share about traffic, roadblocks, and more things on the road. That helps you to take the best route to your destination. If you plan on renting a motorbike or a car in Asia, Waze will be especially useful for you. Learn More.

WhatsApp is a messenger app widely used around Asia. WhatsApp is an internationally available American freeware with cross-platform centralized instant messaging and voice-over-IP service owned by Meta Platforms.

That means you can text or send voice messages that are all encrypted. You can also make video calls on WhatsApp.

Many people and businesses in Asia also use WhatsApp as their primary phone number, so it’s useful to have to make phone calls as well. Learn More.

Line is a popular communication app used in Asia. It allows you to make voice and video calls, and send messages. You can register on the app using either your phone number or Facebook log-in.

The app is especially popular in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. Interestingly, Line first started as a disaster response app during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Learn More.

Agoda is a Singaporean online travel agency and metasearch engine for hotels , vacation rentals , flights , and airport transfers . Their app is a convenient way to book accommodation while you’re on the go. Learn More.

Airbnb is an American company that operates an online marketplace for lodging, primarily homestays for vacation rentals , and tourism activities .

The app is useful for making bookings and it allows you to stay in communication with your host in case anything goes wrong.

If you are a long-term traveler, try booking stays of 29 nights or more for a big discount! Learn More.

Check out our YouTube video about booking long-term Airbnbs .

Hostelworld

HostelWorld is a great app for finding hostels all around Asia . And don’t be fooled into thinking all hostels are grubby, cheap places to stay. In our experience, there are some very comfortable, beautiful hostels in Asia at various price points. There are even private rooms at most hostels, so you can get all the benefits of enjoying the common spaces and meeting fellow travelers while having your own space to go back to. Learn More.

Trusted Housesitters

Trusted Housesitters is a global marketplace that connects a community of home and pet owners with sitters . The company solves a common two-sided problem – pet care and cost-effective travel.

Pet owners have peace of mind leaving their pets and home in good hands while they travel. Pet sitters enjoy caring for pets in exchange for free accommodation.

We’ve used Trusted Housesitters to find pet sits all over the world, including in Asia! Learn More.

Watch our YouTube video about using Trusted Housesitters .

Google Translate

You can translate text , handwriting , photos , and speech in over 100 languages with the Google Translate app!

One of the most useful features of the app has got to be the camera feature. Click the camera icon in the app and hold it up to text. It will translate the text for you in real-time!

This is very useful for reading menus at restaurants, reading labels in grocery stores, or anytime you need to read something in the local language. The translations aren’t always perfect, which is also great for a laugh. Learn More.

Duolingo is a pretty fun language-learning app, and research shows that it works ! The app has quick, bite-sized lessons so you can practice on the go. There are many different Asian languages offered on Duolingo.

When you complete lessons, you can earn points and unlock new levels which incentivize you to keep learning.

You’ll also be gaining real-world communication skills that you can use as you travel. Learn More.

Eatigo is a restaurant reservation app in Asia that offers time-based discounts of up to 50% off , every day, at over 4500 restaurants.

The way it works is restaurants will offer discounts to diners who come at different times of the day, usually with bigger discounts for dining at off-peak times. The app is a fun way to discover new restaurants while saving money.

It’s easy to use: search, reserve, eat, save! Learn More.

Food Panda is a food delivery app where you can order from over 115,000 restaurants in over 400 cities around Asia. It’s very easy to use! Learn More.

Within the same Grab app that you use for transportation (listed above), you can also order food delivery ! It’s simple to use and works all over Asia. Learn More.

HappyCow is a great way to discover healthy food options when you travel in Asia, including restaurants catering to vegetarian and vegan diets. Learn More.

Do you need Travel Insurance for your trip? Get quotes from SafetyWing , Genki , and World Nomads .

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The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

What apps in Asia did we miss? Anything else you would add to this list? Comment below!

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Top 15 Travel Apps You Can’t Miss for Backpacking Through Southeast Asia

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April 9, 2023

Top 15 Travel Apps You Can't Miss for Backpacking Through Southeast Asia

Backpacking through Southeast Asia is an adventure of a lifetime. The region offers a diverse range of experiences, from stunning landscapes and bustling cities to rich cultures and delicious cuisines. However, navigating this part of the world can be challenging, especially for first-time backpackers. That’s where technology comes in. With the right travel apps, you can turn your smartphone into an indispensable travel companion.

In this article, we will explore the top 15 travel apps you can’t miss for backpacking through Southeast Asia. These apps cover various aspects of your trip, including planning, navigation, communication, and more.

When exploring unfamiliar cities or rural areas, having a reliable offline map is crucial. Maps.me is a popular choice for travelers, as it offers detailed offline maps for the entire world, including Southeast Asia. You can download maps for specific countries or regions, search for attractions, and even get directions without an internet connection.

Google Translate

Language barriers can be a challenge when traveling in Southeast Asia. Google Translate is an essential app for breaking down these barriers, allowing you to communicate with locals and understand signs and menus. The app supports over 100 languages, including those spoken in Southeast Asia, such as Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian. The camera feature is particularly useful, as it translates text in real-time when you point your phone at it.

Grab is the leading ride-hailing app in Southeast Asia, operating in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. With Grab, you can book taxis, motorbike taxis, and even food delivery. The app is user-friendly, and you can pay for your rides with cash or a credit card. Grab is a must-have app for getting around cities and towns in the region quickly and affordably.

Agoda is a popular accommodation booking platform in Southeast Asia, offering a wide range of options, from budget hostels to luxury hotels. The app allows you to filter results based on your preferences, read reviews, and book accommodation directly. Agoda often has exclusive discounts and deals, making it an excellent choice for finding affordable places to stay during your backpacking adventure.

When backpacking through Southeast Asia, you may need to book flights between countries or even within a country. Skyscanner is a powerful flight search engine that compares prices from hundreds of airlines and travel agents. The app helps you find the best deals, and you can set up price alerts to track flight prices. Skyscanner also includes options for booking hotels and car rentals, making it a versatile travel app.

XE Currency

Navigating different currencies can be confusing when backpacking through Southeast Asia. XE Currency is a popular currency converter app that provides up-to-date exchange rates for over 180 currencies. You can track multiple currencies at once, and the app even works offline, storing the last updated rates.

Hostelworld

Hostelworld is a must-have app for backpackers looking for budget-friendly accommodation. The app offers a vast selection of hostels across Southeast Asia, with detailed information, photos, and reviews from fellow travelers. You can filter search results based on your preferences, such as price, location, and amenities, and book your stay directly through the app.

goddess 173182 1280

12Go Asia is a comprehensive transport booking platform for Southeast Asia, covering buses, trains, ferries, and flights. The app allows you to compare prices, schedules, and routes for various modes of transport, and book tickets directly. 12Go Asia operates in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, making it an essential app for seamless travel throughout the region. With 12Go Asia, you can plan and book your transportation with ease, ensuring a hassle-free backpacking experience.

Trail Wallet

Managing your finances while backpacking is crucial to avoid overspending. Trail Wallet is a travel budget app designed specifically for travelers, helping you track your expenses and stick to your budget. You can input your daily budget, log your expenses, and categorize them. The app also supports multiple currencies, making it perfect for tracking spending during your Southeast Asia adventure.

Food is a significant part of the backpacking experience in Southeast Asia, and Eatigo is an app that helps you find great deals on dining. The app offers time-based discounts at restaurants in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. With Eatigo, you can explore local cuisine and enjoy discounts of up to 50% at various eateries.

Packing for a backpacking trip can be stressful, especially when trying to fit everything into a limited space. PackPoint is a packing list app that takes the guesswork out of packing, generating a customized packing list based on your destination, travel duration, and planned activities. The app also considers weather forecasts, ensuring you pack appropriate clothing for your trip.

Staying connected while backpacking can be a challenge, especially when trying to find reliable WiFi. WiFi Map is an app that helps you locate free and paid WiFi hotspots around the world, with over 100 million hotspots in its database. The app provides information on the hotspot’s location, speed, and password if required. WiFi Map is particularly useful when you need to find a place to work, make calls, or update friends and family on your travels.

thailand 5509717 1280

Organizing all your travel plans and itineraries can be overwhelming. TripIt is a travel organizer app that consolidates all your bookings and reservations in one place, creating a master itinerary for your trip. The app automatically imports travel information from your email or allows you to manually input details. TripIt also offers real-time flight alerts, ensuring you stay informed about any changes or delays.

Culture Trip

One of the joys of backpacking through Southeast Asia is immersing yourself in the region’s rich culture and history. Culture Trip is an app that provides travel inspiration and local insights, offering articles, recommendations, and guides curated by experts. The app covers destinations across Southeast Asia, helping you discover hidden gems, unique experiences, and authentic local spots.

Travel insurance is essential when backpacking, and SafetyWing is an app that offers affordable and flexible insurance plans for travelers. The app allows you to purchase coverage and manage your policy, and it even includes access to a 24/7 emergency assistance hotline. With SafetyWing, you can have peace of mind knowing you’re protected during your Southeast Asia adventure.

With these 15 travel apps, you’ll be well-prepared for your backpacking journey through Southeast Asia. From planning and booking transportation and accommodation to exploring local cultures and cuisines, these apps will help ensure a smooth, enjoyable, and memorable trip. So, download these apps, pack your bags, and embark on the adventure of a lifetime in Southeast Asia.

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8 Must-Have Apps for Travel in Southeast Asia

Technology has changed the way we travel.

For many of us, a mobile phone is now the most vital piece of equipment we carry. It can book a taxi or hotel, convert currency, give us directions and even translate the menu in front of us in real-time!

Here are some of the best apps we used whilst on a three month sabbatical in Southeast Asia.

asia travel app

Grab is the Asian equivalent of Uber and is a really handy way to get around. The taxis in Southeast Asia can be notoriously difficult to negotiate with, so Grab takes the stress and guesswork out of your journeys.

We found Grab to be efficient in the big cities, and (unless you’re a top negotiator) almost half the price of a standard taxi fare. All our drivers were friendly, passionate about their city and driving environmentally friendly cars.

At the time of writing Grab is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia , though you can see an up to date list of countries and cities Grab operates in on the link below.

Download for:  iOS  or  Android

2) GlobeConvert

asia travel app

With different currencies in use across Southeast Asia it can be really confusing to keep track of exactly how much you’re spending.

GlobeConvert makes working out the price really easy.

The interface is simple, and it loads incredibly quickly. All you have to do each time is delete the previous figure, and type in the new amount you want to convert. Easy as that!

When you are connected to WiFi, it will update the conversion to the latest rates, so you always have an accurate figure.

TO DOWNLOAD GLOBECONVERT CLICK HERE

BEST THAILAND TOURS:

asia travel app

There are no two ways about it, Maps.Me is an essential app for travellers.

It allows you to download entire regions to you phone, meaning you can use the maps offline, which saves hefty roaming bills when you get home.

The maps are open source, meaning users have added everything from great restaurants to local landmarks. You can also save points of interest to build your own itinerary.

We used this multiple times a day on our sabbatical, even using it to navigate us on a 300km road trip around Northern Thailand . It didn’t let us down once.

TO DOWNLOAD MAPS.ME CLICK HERE

4) Google Translate

asia travel app

Google Translate is incredibly useful to have on your phone for travel in Asia.

Whilst we learnt a few key phrases in each language, and English is spoken widely, there are times (especially in rural areas) where you will need some help. This is where Google Translate is a lifesaver.

You can even download languages to use offline, which makes it even more helpful whilst on the road.

This app got us out of trouble when we were at a guesthouse in the middle of the mountains and there was no water. It also allowed me to have an entire football-related conversation with a cab driver who spoke very little English, which made both his and my day!

When you do have WiFi you can also use the camera feature, holding over text which will convert it back into English in front of your eyes. Incredible!

TO DOWNLOAD GOOGLE TRANSLATE CLICK HERE

BEST CAMBODIA TOURS:

5) TunnelBear

Tunnelbear advert, a VPN

I debated whether or not this app was a ‘must-have’, but I have found myself using it surprisingly often whilst on our trip.

TunnelBear is a ‘VPN’ or ‘Virtual Private Network’, that allows you to divert your internet connection to another place in the world.

Why is this useful?

Two main reasons:

Firstly, it hides all your key information and IP address. This makes your data much more secure when using public WiFi, which is something you will be doing a lot whilst travelling. If you don’t realise the risk of public WiFi, read this article .

Secondly, it is useful to divert your connection back to your home country to use services that can only be used there. For example, I am a big rugby fan and did not want to miss my team playing in the Premiership semi-finals, so I changed my location to the UK, which allowed me to use my BT Sport subscription (though they lost in the end, so maybe I shouldn’t have bothered!).

This is also useful if you are in a country that restricts the internet connection.

TO DOWNLOAD TUNNELBEAR CLICK HERE

6) Hostelworld

asia travel app

Hostels are generally cheaper than hotels and we found thema. great way to keep costs down while travelling.

Hostelworld is the biggest booking agent in the world, and we found their app quick and simple to use, finding safe, clean and cheap hostels right across Southeast Asia.

It is really handy that you can cancel bookings when needed as plans can change quickly when you are travelling long term.

Download:  iOS  or  Android

BEST VIETNAM TOURS:

7) Tripline

asia travel app

We used Tripline every day when we were travelling to create a live mini-blog that our friends and family could follow ( see it here ).

It is a simple website, based around a map on which you plot your route. Every day we logged on and added a few photos and typed out a few paragraphs of what we’d been up to. It was fun to see the map evolve into a record of where we’d been.

The app makes it really easy to update on the move without having to be on a laptop.

Download:  iOS

8) Rome2Rio

asia travel app

This is  the  best travel app for route planning. It uses buses, trains and planes to find the easiest way to get to your destination. We were amazed out how well it worked even in remote locations in Southeast Asia. We didn’t always book through Rome2Rio but it helped us visualise the easiest way to get form A to B.

BEST MALAYSIA TOURS:

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AUTHOR – BEN REEVE

Reeves Roam , is a first-hand travel blog. The Reeves have lived in the UK, South Africa and Australia and have travelled extensively in Europe and Southeast Asia.

Booking your trip via the links on this page earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

You can also buy us a coffee . 

Thanks – Ben, Becca and Gracie

I wish we had known about Maps.me when traveling in Southeast Asia! This would have helped us out so much when trying to navigate around different countries. We also used a currency converter app because I could never keep it straight between baht and dong and rupiah in my head. I had to constantly check out what the conversion was to US dollars. I’ll look into Globe Convert next time! These are all great apps to have, for sure.

Glad you like it Amanda. Maps.me was a real lifesaver, not as much detail as Google Maps, but amazing when you consider it uses no data

I LOVE Maps.Me – what a lifesaver! Never heard of GRAB or TunnelBear!

We’d not heard of Grab either, we kept trying to use Uber but it wouldn’t let us. Much safer and easier to negotiate with than taxis! Tunnelbear is just one of a number of VPNs, really useful for travelling abroad (my wife is currently sitting and watching the new season of Love Island using the ITV app via Tunnelbear back to the UK!). VPNs are really easy to set up on the phone, they do it all for you, just activate it when you want private browsing.

very informative

Mapping Megan

It used to be intimidating to travel through Asia because of the language barriers. It was hard to find the right attractions, restaurants, and hotels because travelers didn’t know where they were going. 

In recent years, all of that has changed. Thanks to innovation and new technologies, travelers can feel right at home no matter where they are in the world.

No matter what kind of information you need when traveling through the Asian continent, there’s now a mobile app available to guide you. From being able to order food to getting directions to a destination, it’s all available through your mobile device.

If you’re getting ready to travel to Asia, you can make your travels a whole lot easier if you take the time to download the following mobile apps before you go.

Top Apps to Use When Traveling in Asia

Xe currency.

While merchants and service providers in a lot of Asian countries will transact business with U.S. dollars, this is usually confined to the larger cities, and won’t be the case when you’re traveling rurally.

If you’re planning to head into smaller areas, you’ll need to convert your dollars to the local currency. The XE Currency app will help you stay abreast of the latest conversion rates in each Asian country.

Unlike in Europe, where 19 EU countries use the Euro,  every country in Asia makes use of its own money (though widely spread currencies in Asia include the are Indian Rupee and the Chinese Yuan).

Especially if you’re visiting multiple countries and the conversion is constantly changing, an app is the best way to stay on top of what you’re spending.

While you may want to walk around and taste the local cuisine while traveling to different Asian counties, sometimes it’s nice to just order in and relax.

Foodpanda is one of the largest meal delivery apps in Asia. The service works by partnering with local restaurants to take orders through their app or website, picking up the food and delivering it to your address.

If you’re traveling to Asia on a budget, you might need help tracking your personal finances. Spendee is an app that will allow you to record your expenditures and monitor any income you might be earning while away from home.

Uber and Grab

Uber and Grab are the two dominant online taxi services in Asia . Given the traffic and crowded public transportation options, using one of these two services will allow you to save yourself some time and aggravation.

It might be a little most costly than public transportation, but it’s usually cheaper than city cabs.

Travel Buddy

If you are traveling in Asia and want to connect will other travelers for vacation advice or to travel together, Travel Buddy is available in over 170 countries throughout the world. 

With Locals

If you prefer avoiding the tourist traps in favor of really taking in the local culture, the With Locals app can offer you recommendations of out-the-beaten path hotels and restaurants.

It can even give you access to ways of hooking up with locals for activities and to see what life is really like for residents.

Google Translate

Throughout Asia, there are dozens of different languages and many languages have multiple dialects. It can make communicating with locals very difficult.

With the Google Translate app , you can convert written words and text from 58 languages and also get voice delivery of important conversational phrases in 23 languages.

Google Maps

If you would prefer to not be tethered to local transportation, you might prefer renting a car and handling your own driving.

To do that, you are going to need Google Maps to get you safely from one destination to another. This app is very user-friendly and very effective when traveling in most parts of Southeast Asia. 

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The Best Apps for Travellers Heading to Europe

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asia travel app

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind  Waking Up Wild ; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 100+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.

asia travel app

Google Maps is awesome for getting around in Asia Meg. Pretty darn dependable and really solid with its pins, especially in areas where I thought it would come up short. Free too. Not a bad deal overall. Rocking list all together. We are blessed to live in a time of some pretty robust apps that make life easier.

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We’ve often found too that the blue dot on Google Maps sometimes works offline if you’ve loaded the map beforehand when you have access to data – I don’t know if that’s a guarentee every single time, but definitely an amazing app for being free!

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11 Essential Travel Apps (for Asia and the rest of the world)

Back in the day, before the age of internet or even mobile phones, travelling to foreing countries was a very different experience than it is now. Information was harder to come by. What is the best way to get from the airport to the centre of the city; where to sleep; where to eat; how to navigate to that faraway but astonishingly beautiful beach; what to do and where to go on a night out; and so on.

Obtaining information usually involved consulting travel guides (and by that I mean actual books ), spending time at the tourist office (if there was one) or at the reception of your hotel and a whole lot of talking to the locals, asking them a million stupid questions then being boggled when you received six completely opposite answers. That is, if you were lucky enough to find a language you could both communicate in. If not, then what inevitably ensued was a session of enthusiastic waving and gesticulation, while you silently prayed you are going to end up where you wanted to. In a way, it was a lot of fun and rewarding once you managed to actually get the information you needed.

Fast forward one or two decades and it is a whole new ballgame. In the age of smartphones, the internet is at our fingertips. Practically any information we need is just a couple clicks away. The online jungle is brimming with information: travel guides, e-books, forums, travel blogs (kind of like this one, yay!), tourist info sites, and more. Mobile internet and wi-fi are becoming a common feature even in remote areas of the world, which makes the whole process even easier.

Needless to say, there is a myriad of travel apps and websites available to ease the process of obtaining info. From finding flights or best routes to your destination, to finding a place to stay, restaurants, remote beaches and trekking paths, unique experiences and meeting locals, getting involved in the community or helping with local projects,...you name it, the internet knows it, and there is (probably) an app for it. Travel apps make planning and logistics less stressful and save you time and money. If you want to travel smart, there is simply no way around them.

The following 10 apps/websites are the ones I found most useful, handy and easy-to-use while travelling. No. 3 and 9 are applicable only to Asia (since this is where I travelled most recently), whereas others have worldwide application.

1. Skyscanner

My go-to website/app for finding and booking flights. It is secure, intuitive and very easy to use. It searches millions of flights from over 1200 sources and provides you with the most suitable options, ranging them in "fastest" and "cheapest" categories. It also provides a month-by-month chart view so you can easily see the prices of tickets for individual days. It also has a "anywhere" search feature for those who are not firmly set on a destination but just want to see where they could go for how much money.

Website: www.skyscanner.com

App available for IOS and Android here

asia travel app

2. Rome2rio

You want to get from A to B but you're not sure exactly how? Rome2rio has got you covered. This handy app enables you to put in the origin and destination (city, station, airport, address) and < voila !> provides you with different possibilities of transport together with the time and cost estimation for each modality. It points out the fastest and the cheapest option, and also provides a step-by-step itinerary for any chosen option (i.e. where to switch modes of transport, distance which you have to cross on foot, etc.) Altogether a super useful and easy-to-use app, which saves a lot of time which you could otherwise spend combing through different options individually and comparing them. In addition, it also has a built-in hotel search engine.

Website: www.rome2rio.com

asia travel app

3. 12Go Asia

A travel arrangements & booking website specifically for Asia. It provides information on buses, trains, ferries, flights and transfers between desired destinations, and also includes customer reviews so you can see which transport company to pick and which to avoid. It also enables you to book and purchase tickets for the chosen mode of transport directly on this website. Simple, easy-to-use and reputable, I've used 12Go Asia quite often during my travels through Southeast Asia and was always satisfied with the service provided.

Website: https://12go.asia/en

asia travel app

4. Google maps

Ok yeah, I know this is a pretty obvious one. Nonetheless, if you are doing a lot of self-driving and exploring with e.g. a motorbike, car, bycicle or on foot, it is very handy to know how much time you will need to get from A to B, along with a satellite image of the terrain which might give you some ideas on which areas would be interesting to visit, such as a nearby secret beach or a small village, monument, place of interest, etc. Having a bird's eye view of where you are and where you are going is always useful, especially for getting off the well-trodden path and exploring on your own.

App available for IOS and Android .

asia travel app

My favourite offline map app, for when you are in blissfully remote areas without connection, or when you do not want to consume too much of your mobile data plan. Maps.me lets you download maps of anywhere in the world and use them offline. It also has a very accurate and useful navigation function. I found out that maps.me often showed small trekking paths and local sights that were not visible in google maps or any other map. Very useful for venturing off the beaten path and getting lost in the jungle. I often used maps.me in combination with google maps (for example when exploring northern Vietnam on a motorbike) so as to make sure I did not miss anything and also because connectivity up there was quite poor or even nonexistant at times.

asia travel app

6. Booking.com / Agoda / Priceline

I've put these three together because they serve the same purpose: to find a place to stay. Booking.com has a more worldwide presence, whereas Agoda and Priceline (both owned by Booking Holdings) are more Asia - oriented. All of them offer a wide choice of hotels, hostels, guesthouses, apartments, houses, villas, B&Bs, etc. Most of the time I use Booking, but frankly it might be just because I am used to it. I find it slightly more transparent and user-friendly than the other two, and I like the option to pay for your stay at the door, rather than in advance via credit card (which Agoda demanded in most cases). Nonetheless, if you are looking for a place to stay, it makes sense to check all three of them, since Agoda and Priceline sometimes find places which are not on Booking and/or have lower prices.

Websites: www.booking.com ; www.agoda.com ; www.priceline.com

Booking app available for IOS and Android

Agoda app available for IOS and Android

Priceline app available for IOS and Android

asia travel app

I won't talk too much about this one since you probably already know it. If you like a more personal touch and prefer private stays (rooms, apartments or entire houses) instead of hotels, guesthouses, etc., then Airbnb is the app to use. Simple, clean and user friendly, it is a great alternative to the three above-mentioned apps. In addition to lodging, you can also book experiences and tours at your destination. A review system gives you a very precise picture of what the place is like. All that's left is for you to get there and - enjoy!

Website: www.airbnb.com

asia travel app

8. Hostelworld

If you are looking for a place to stay on a budget, with a great social setting and where you can meet lots of other easy-going and relaxed travellers, look no further than Hostelworld. It sports the largest hostel database in the world, it is easy-to use, transparent, secure and comes with a review scoring system so you know exactly what other travellers thought of a place before you get there. If you are looking specifically at hostels, than this is definitely the app/website to use.

Website: www.hostelworld.com

App available for IOS and Android

asia travel app

You all know Uber, right? Well, Grab is the Uber of Southeast Asia. Currently it operates in eight SE Asian countries: Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. It offers a great alternative to hailing taxis and tuk tuks on the street and endless bargaining (unless you enjoy this). You will need to use mobile data, since you will have to use it on-the-go, but prepaid cards with mobile data plans are cheap throughout SE Asia, so it is a worthwhile purchase even if you are only visiting for a week. Apart from booking a ride (with a motorbike, tuk tuk or car), you can also order food delivery (GrabFood) or groceries, and they offer some other services as well.

Note : Grab does not operate in Laos, but they have their own ride-hailing service and app called LOCA . It functions in much the same way as Grab, although it is limited to transport services.

Website: www.grab.com/sg/

asia travel app

10. Splitwise

If you are travelling with one or more people, it is sometimes difficult and annoying to constantly keep track of who paid for what and how much. Enter Splitwise: am awesome app for keeping track of travel costs and splitting them among the group members. It allows for different methods of splitting costs: either equally or non-equally, by percentage or exact amount, and keeps track of who owns how much to whom. Never argue over who paid how much again - with a few clicks, each member of the group simply records any amount he pays in the app. At the end of the trip, the "settle-up" button makes the final calculation and offset, thus showing any amounts still outstanding. Amazingly simple and effortless.

asia travel app

11. SkyView Lite

Alright yeah, this one is not really "essential", but if you enjoy staring at the night sky - especially in places far away from cities where you are suddenly astounded by the number of stars you can actually see with the naked eye - and wonder what exactly are you looking at, then SkyView Lite is for you. Simply point your camera at the sky and the app tells you what you see: every star, planet, constellation and even the ISS and Hubble telescope. Accompanied with nice ambiental music, SkyView Lite takes romantic nights on another level.

asia travel app

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Top 10 amazing Travel Apps For Backpacking Southeast Asia

Posted by Stacey Umeh | May 18, 2019 | Travel Tips

Top 10 amazing Travel Apps For Backpacking Southeast Asia

Travelling to Southeast Asia could be super exciting and fun; it can also be a daring experience if you didn't prepare well for the trip. There is a huge joy that comes with travelling. That is why some tourists will boldly say that travelling to new places is actually part of education. Travelling helps you to be better informed, the memories are always amazing. Already you have spent quality time and money in processing your visas, learning new language tools, booking for your flight and hotel reservations.  So, when you travel, you need to enjoy every bit of the experience to the optimum.

Mobile apps are today serving as guidebooks for travellers. If you want to get to a new place, but have no idea how to get there, mobile apps can serve as a dependable guide. Travellers love it because they are easily accessible, handy, easy to use, highly convenient and offer short descriptions of anything you are looking for. Travelling to Southeast Asia is surely one of the best things that can happen to you. It is an experience you will never forget in a hurry. You will never regret this beautiful experience if you will carefully adhere strictly to the instructions in this article.

Mobile apps will make your travels highly memorable and easier. If you are travelling to Southeast Asia, then you need to download these 10 amazing travel apps right now before your next trip:

1. Evisa Asia

This app will enable you to apply for your visas online; you don't have to visit the embassy for anything. You will apply for the visa and submit all the required documents from the comfort of your home; if you need to submit some supporting documents to the embassy, this app will simply help you in this regard and delivers them back to you without any stress. There are so many awesome reviews left about this app online from users' overtime.

travel apps - evisa asia

Evisa Asia has ‘Discover the regions feature' which will help to show you exciting regions you can visit during your stay, and also things you will see in those regions. If you need guides on how to get to those regions, Evisa Asia will be there to assist you

In 2015, Klook was considered one of the most innovative and effective travel apps in the world. It is a great platform you can leverage to get powerful suggestions based on your seasons, festivals, interests and discover attractions, activities and tours for your Asian destinations.

Users who refer their friends to use this app will get a credit worth $3.20. One of the strongest reasons why every traveller to Southeast Asia should use Klook is that they will enjoy up to 60% discounts on their tours to key attractions.

travel apps - klook app

3. Traveloka

Traveloka is an exciting booking platform where travellers to Southeast Asia will get awesome deals for their flights and accommodation. Traveloka is a reliable option for you if you want to get the best bargains on your next trip. Simply download this app to your android or Smartphone and start using it immediately. You will need internet access to enjoy this app.

travel apps - Traveloka app

This is a Go-to app that will help travellers to get a shared shuttle bus, private car, motorbike, and taxi in Southeast Asia.  Grab is functional in Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines , Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia , Thailand , Vietnam , etc.

travel apps - Grab app

The managers of this app ensure that their team of drivers receive quality safety training periodically. This is why they deliver exceptional results.

Drivers that work with Grab are contractors, not employees. They will pick and drop you at your desired locations with professional finesse. Prices or fares are displayed on the app at the end of the journey. This is truly an awesome app any day anytime.

5. Google Translate

You may already have this app installed if you are using an android phone, either way; make sure you add this app to your Smartphone. Besides translating text by typing them manually into your screen, Google translate has the capacity to translate any conversation to a language you will understand or to any language you want. Google translate is extremely helpful to travellers especially when they are in unfamiliar places both in Southeast Asia and anywhere in the world.

Google translate app

Having a Google translate is good for your travels. It can translate difficult languages for you. For example, it can translate Japanese to English for you without issues.

As a traveller, you are advised to download the dictionaries and encyclopaedias written in foreign languages to a language you will understand in your next trip. You need Google translate both for online and offline use. It can proficiently with an internet connection.

Do you want to make cheaper international calls while on transit? Then Skype is a reliable option. Skype Video calls remain a reliable, credible and fantastic way to connect with your friends and family back home. Travellers to Southeast Asia love using Skype because it is one of the easiest ways of making cheap international calls.

To take advantage of this app, all you need to do is to credit your Skype account with a little sum, and you will make calls to your countries at local tariffs. Skype cannot work without an internet connection.

Skype

7. Whatsapp

This is a great app to chat with friends and family when you are far away from home. It is also a great way to connect and stay in touch with foreign and local nationals you meet. Take advantage of WhatsApp if you are backpacking Southeast Asia. To enjoy Whatsapp, your phone needs to be connected to the internet during your stay. It can't operate without the internet.

whatsapp

8. XE Currency

XE Currency app is something you should be using happily at all times. When you have XE Currency at your beck and call, it will be difficult for you to be overcharged abroad, because with it, you will know the latest exchange rate at all times. Another beautiful thing about this app is that it can work both when it is connected to the internet and offline as well. Travellers will be happy using it all time.

XE Currency App

9. Citymaps2Go

This powerful app works both online and offline. With Citymaps2go, you will download the map of the place you intend to visit, and it will bookmark all the key attractions in the place and display it on the map.

For most tourists, citymaps2go is an easy-to-use and helpful travel global companion. It enables you to find directions with key attractions and insider tips (shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, beaches, in-depth travel contents, data quality and detailed offline maps. To use this app, simply download it for free in your Smartphone and you will be happy you did.

citymaps2go

According to iTunes ratings, this is one of the amazing photo editing apps for android and iPhone users. Its sleek and minimal design makes it easy for users to edit their photos. It is easy to use, and highly convenient. Once you edit your favourite photos with it, you can share it with your visual supply company photographers, artists and other social media channels.

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About The Author

Stacey Umeh

Stacey Umeh

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10 Best Travel Apps in Thailand

  • Grab Cab and Food Delivery App
  • Google Maps
  • Bangkok Post Epaper App
  • Google Translate
  • LINE Messaging and Delivery App
  • XE Currency

Online and mobile applications have changed the way we travel today. Not too many years ago, we would travel to foreign countries with paper maps, books, and a folder full of photocopied information. Even then, we would still get lost or confused. Fast forward to 2020, and modern technology is showing us the way.

Thanks to Thailand's excellent communications infrastructure, you will have access to high-speed internet WiFi routers and mobile 3G / 4G / 5G services for your laptop, tablet, and smartphones. This means that you will be able to utilize one of the many applications available in Thailand to make your journey smoother and more comfortable.

In this guide, we have listed the 10 best travel apps available in Thailand that are in the English language. With the help of these apps, you can book taxis and accommodation, navigate through public transport systems, use local food delivery services, stay up to date with local and world news, and much more.

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1. Grab Cab and Food Delivery App

The Grab application is certainly worth downloading during your visit to Thailand, as it allows you to book a taxi with a preset price or price guidance from almost anywhere in the country. Even though Grab is in its infancy, it has been designed so well that even Uber could not compete, and eventually exited the Thai market.

In addition to the taxi service, you can order food from local restaurants and fast-food chains, coffee from outlets such as Starbucks, and send or receive parcels.

During your vacation, you will likely use the Grab taxi service more often than the other services that Grab offers. You can book luxury cars, metered taxis, long-distance journeys, a large taxi for the family, and taxis in advance. All you need to do is tell the app your location, and it will search for a taxi.

Once a taxi request is accepted, the driver's name pops up, along with their license plate number, type of vehicle and color, and how long it will take the driver to arrive.

There is a real-time map that shows exactly where the driver is, so you can see when the taxi will arrive. Furthermore, the messaging app within the application will translate your message (you can also use any of the preset messages in English) and send it to the driver in Thai.

You will need a mobile phone and a Thai SIM card with internet access to download the app. Once you have it installed and activated, the world is your oyster.

2. Google Maps

Google Maps is the obvious application to download and install before you travel, as you probably use it in your home country, too. You can use the app to avoid traffic; this is incredibly useful in places like Bangkok and Phuket.

Google Maps in Thailand is just as useful as it would be at home. It has the entirety of Thailand mapped out with street view and satellite images.

Some of Bangkok's streets can be quite confusing, but if you use Google Maps for directions and street views, you can follow the exact route and spot landmarks or recognizable places that will guide you to your destination.

Google Maps is not only great for guiding you to restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops, but also hotels, children's playgrounds, and so on. Moreover, many of the places you visit will have reviews and star ratings from other tourists as well as locals.

Additionally, Google Maps includes all public transport options. Over the years, the app has been developed to include local bus routes; for short distance journeys, however, you are better off getting a taxi.

Navigating the bus system can often be quite confusing even with the help of Google Maps. The usual MRT and BTS routes, bus times to other regions in Thailand, and train times are also available on Google Maps.

3. Bangkok Post Epaper App

The Bangkok Post Epaper is a free application released by an English-speaking news provider in Thailand. With events such as the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which has caused chaos within the travel industry, the Bangkok Post Epaper app was one of the main sources of information for foreigners who were either living or traveling in Thailand at the time.

Bangkok Post Epaper's news team has direct contact with government officials. When anything newsworthy is reported in Thailand, the Bangkok Post Epaper publishes it in English. Via this app, you will have direct access to all the information provided to the newspaper by the government.

4. Google Translate

Although there are many translation apps, the most highly favored one continues to be Google Translate. Not every sentence translated from English to Thai or vice versa is accurate, but it is still incredibly useful.

It is easy to download and use; however, if you do not want to download the app, you can use the web-based version and save it as a shortcut on your phone's home screen for quick access.

5. VyperVPN

VPNs are handy for accessing servers back at home. While using Netflix in Thailand, you will get the Thai catalog of movies. You will still be able to watch English movies and Thai movies that are not available on your local version of Netflix.

However, if you want to watch series available in your country, which may not be available in Thailand, you will need a VPN.There are many VPN applications available today, but VyperVPN seems to work best in Thailand.

If you already have a VPN, it will almost certainly work in Thailand, but if you do not have one, try VyperVPN. With Vyper, you will be able to access servers that are often geo-locked in your own country, such as your local TV news stations, which could include the online versions of CNN, BBC, BBC iPlayer, HBO, and online cable or satellite TV network.

6. LINE Messaging and Delivery App

LINE app is a messaging service much like WhatsApp or Facebook messenger. Thais often do not use WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, and other similar apps popular in the US and Europe.

Instead, they predominantly use LINE for private encrypted personal messaging, voice calls, and video calls. The app comes with huge collection of emojis and gifs that are free to use, and if you want, you can pay for extra emojis.

If you meet Thais that you want to stay in contact with, then LINE is the best way to do so. It is also useful for speaking with tour operators, travel companies, and even some hotels, which will have the business version of LINE.

Much like Facebook, these businesses will have a home page on the LINE app with advertisements for services and goods offered.

Another use for LINE is for sending and receiving parcels. Additionally, as with the Grab app, there is also a food delivery service available for local restaurants. You can even ask the LINE man to go shopping for you. Supermarkets, 7-11, or local stores are all available on the app.

If you fancy a bit of adventure, try using Thailand's bus system. The ViaBus app works in places like Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, and far-off regions such as Nakhon Si Thammarat.

It is worth installing and checking at every destination on your travels through Thailand. This application is not just limited to buses; you can use it for ferry services, MRT, BRT, and airport bus services.

Although there are easier ways to get around, traveling by bus is cheap and an experience in itself. The app gives you live map updates, so you know exactly when the bus will arrive, and which bus to take to reach your destination.

ViaBus is popular among Thais and is available in English, which means that foreign visitors can take advantage of it too.

8. XE Currency

The XE Currency app is perfect for keeping an eye on exchange rates so you can compare them with those of local banks and currency exchange booths.

The app is widely regarded as the most accurate global currency exchange rate tracker. It lists all major and minor currencies, so regardless of the country you are traveling from, you will be able to convert your currency to and from Thai Baht.

9. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is an excellent application if you are traveling to Thailand and planning to just go with the flow. It is the best application for finding last-minute domestic and international flights.

It searches multiple carriers and lists every flight for your specified dates. You can sort flights from cheapest to most expensive and find out which airlines offer flights to the destination you plan to visit.

10. Netflix

Even if you do not have a VPN, you can still use Netflix in Thailand — you just won't get your local version. However, you will still be able to watch movies in English and get English subtitles on the Netflix mobile app, which is available for Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

If you want to watch your local version of Netflix, the VyperVPN service recommended above also has a mobile app download.

Since 3G / 4G / 5G network coverage spans the entirety of Thailand (except high up in the mountains of Chiang Mai), Netflix runs smoothly even when you are on the move.

There are few blackspots, and as Netflix buffers well, you probably won't even notice when you do hit a blackspot.

The Netflix mobile app allows you to download some series and movies directly to your mobile device, which is perfect for when you are on a plane with no WiFi.

Armed with a full suite of movies and series, long journeys across Thailand become much less daunting. Just make sure you carry a power bank so that you can keep your device charged.

Most 7-11 stores and shopping centers, as well as airports in Thailand, sell power banks just in case you forget to pack yours.

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Demystify Asia

Asian business information, best travel apps in asia.

asia travel app

Posted By: Shona June 28, 2016

Asia is an attractive destination for both business and leisure travellers alike, with over 260 million international tourist arrivals in 2015 alone. Here are some travel websites and mobile applications that could help you in your travel plans for your next trip to Asia.

Trivago Trivago is one of the largest hotel search and hotel price comparison websites in the world. Users are able to compare hotel prices from over 1 million hotels available on more than 250 hotel booking sites worldwide, including Expedia and Hotel.com. By aggregating the hotel prices on a single website, users are thus able to find their ideal hotel for the best price quickly and effortlessly.

Local versions of the website are available in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

TripZilla If you are intending to plan out an itinerary for your upcoming trip to Asia, then TripZilla may be able to help you in choosing some of the best tour packages that are available within the country of visit. TripZilla is a tour package search and price comparison website that aggregates tour packages from hundreds of travel agencies that operates within a country, allowing users to conveniently choose the best tour deals available.

TripZilla also runs an online magazine publication that provide readers with insider tips, travel stories and insightful information on dining, shopping and places of interests in Asia. TripZilla is currently available in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Traveloka What distinguishes Traveloka from other hotel and flight booking platforms that are available in the market is its strong niche on Southeast Asian destinations. It currently provides price comparison of thousands of hotels and more than 18,000 flight routes within the region.

Additional features are also available on Its mobile app such as the ability to book, pay, and receive an e-ticket in less than a minute (TravelokaQuick) and the ability to save up to 40% on flights (Traveloka Smart Combo). Traveloka is currently one of the most popular hotel and flight booking website in Indonesia, with a significant presence in other Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

HotelQuickly Intending to take a spontaneous trip to Asia but having trouble in finding last-minute accommodation? HotelQuickly may be able to help you. It is a simple last-minute hotel booking app that provides heavily discounted hotel room prices for users who are searching for a last-minute hotel deal. The list of hotels is curated according to the percentage of discount provided and the user’s location. A best price guarantee ensures that the prices on the app would be significantly lower than those available online.

The app allows booking of last-minute hotels in 16 Asia Pacific countries including Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Klook Klook is a Hong Kong-based online and mobile travel platform that allows users to discover and book curated travel experiences available within a country. By working directly with attraction operators and eliminating the middlemen (eg. travel agencies) who may not be transparent about the costs, Klook is able to provide insider deals and best prices for users.

It is currently available in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Mauritius, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, offering more than 1200 activities across the Asia Pacific region.

Maps.me If you worry about data or roaming charges while accessing your map application on your mobile phone, then Maps.me could probably save your wallet. Maps.me is a mobile map application that does not require any Internet connection. The app allows users to access detailed offline maps for any city or country in the world.

With more than 40 million users and over 20 different languages, the app can be downloaded on the Android, Blackberry and iOS mobile platforms.

Airbnb One of the largest online vacation rental marketplace platform in the world, Airbnb connects users who are looking for accommodation with individuals who are intending to rent out their homes. Through its online or mobile app, users could easily list their properties, discover or book unique vacation homes and accommodation from all over the world.

Airbnb appeals to budget-conscious travellers and those who would like to have a different and memorable experience in their country of visit. It is currently available in more than 34,000 cities across 191 countries worldwide and a significant presence in major cities across Asia.

TripAdvisor TripAdvisor is a user-generated travel review website and is touted to be the most visited travel website in the world with more than 170 million user-generated reviews and opinions on travel-related services including hotels, restaurants and attractions. By providing a platform for users to share their travel experiences, other travellers are able to make a more informed decision on their travel-related choices based on personal reviews.

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A Backpacker's World

17 Must-Have Thailand Travel Apps In 2024

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Visiting a new country can be a challenge, especially when you don’t speak the local language. I’ve been in your situation so I’ve put together a list of the best Thailand travel apps which I recommend.

The days of holding a paper map trying to figure out which street is which are over. Or holding a Lonely Planet guidebook to decide where you want to go next, it’s a changed world.

When I visited Thailand for the first time, I made sure I was well prepared with all of the most important apps downloaded . And I want to make sure you’re in the same boat I was.

So without further ado, let’s get into what you need downloaded on your phone for your Thailand trip.

Thailand Travel Apps

From transport to activities, translation to navigation, and everything in between, there is an app for anything you can imagine in Thailand.

Some of them are the same as home, some of them you can use in any country, but some are specific to Asia, and some are specific to Thailand.

I recommend downloading all of these and putting them into a folder. I named mine “Thailand travel apps” so it was easy to find.

asia travel app

The number one app you need when travelling in Thailand is Grab .

There is no Uber in Thailand and Grab is the best alternative. In my opinion, it’s much easier to use too.

Grab is an “all in one” sort of app as you can get transport, food deliveries and grocery deliveries all from the same place.

As well as booking experiences and hotels – but Grab is best known for its transport.

asia travel app

Taxis in Thailand are very expensive, usually overpriced to rip off tourists, but Grab is a much more affordable option .

If you want to save even more money, you can take Grab bikes. This is what I did when I backpacked Bangkok – it’s not only transport, but it’s fun to be amongst the organised chaos that is the roads in Thailand!

It is available to download on the App Store and Google Play Store .

Screenshot of the Grab app showing different transportation options and prices for a trip in Thailand. Grab is one of the most important Thailand travel apps.

When you’re in Europe or the US, you probably use Viator or GetYourGuide for activities, and while it’s possible to use these platforms to book things to do in Thailand, I don’t actually recommend it.

Instead, I recommend downloading Klook and using it. It’s what the locals use when they travel, which means within Thailand, it has the most options for things to do, and also the best prices.

When I was comparing the platforms to see if it was worth downloading and using Klook, I found the same tour on all 3 platforms but on Klook it was like 30% cheaper. It’s a no brainer!

Though to be honest, Thailand makes it very easy to be spontaneous. You can easily book things in person for last-minute tours and get the best prices – one of my favourite backpacking hacks is to book tours in person in Thailand.

asia travel app

In my opinion, the best eSIM for Thailand is Airalo .

If you aren’t familiar, an eSIM means you can connect to mobile data in Thailand without the need for a physical SIM card.

It’s super convenient and the coverage across Thailand is incredible. I even had 5G while jungle trekking in Chiang Mai.

Most of the apps on this list won’t work without a connection to the internet, so Airalo is a must-have in order to make the most of the rest of these apps for Thailand.

asia travel app

If you’re backpacking Thailand or visiting the country for an extended period of time, you’re going to need a way to get between destinations.

Whether it’s from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, or Phuket to Koh Tao, there’s a way to get between anywhere and everywhere in Thailand using 12Go .

12Go works throughout all of Southeast Asia and allows you to book buses, trains, vans, ferries and any other modes of transport required to get you from A to B.

I use it all the time and it’s so easy and convenient. The only downside is that usually, the journeys take longer than it says they will – but that’s just Southeast Asia for you.

asia travel app

5. BTS Skytrain

Getting around Bangkok is really easy – and cheap too.

Obviously, you have Grab as the main option for getting between exact places, but if you want to save money, or experience Bangkok in a different way, then you could use public transport.

The bus system is a bit of a mess and the trains are average, but the underground and BTS Skytrain in Bangkok are really good.

You can download the app to save money on fares and have your tickets easily accessible on your phone.

I would recommend everyone take a journey on the Skytrain at least once while in Bangkok. If nothing else, it offers some nice views over the city.

asia travel app

In the West, most people use Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp as their main messaging service app.

In Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, they use LINE to send messages to each other.

To be honest, it’s very similar to WhatsApp in terms of design, but there are some differences. One thing I’ve noticed is that Thai people love to send stickers.

As a tourist, you probably don’t exactly need this app, but if you want to communicate with locals by messages, it’s best to do it with LINE.

asia travel app

Planning a trip to Thailand can be difficult. On top of using my blog posts about Thailand as guides to help you, I also recommend downloading and using Stippl .

Stippl is the best planning app for travelling , and is an app that I took a long time to find but I’m so glad I did. Before I found it, I must have used 10+ different planning apps and I didn’t like a single one of them.

The layout is super clean and simple, and it’s so easy to use. It makes planning straightforward and it shows your itinerary in a really clear way.

You can also invite other people you’re travelling with to create a shared plan across your two phones. It plans everything from transport to things to do, and even your accommodation.

asia travel app

Here’s an example of my itinerary from my latest Southeast Asia backpacking trip. Yes, I really stayed in Chiang Mai that long. It’s one of my favourite places in Thailand – the Gate Market plays a big part. It has some of the best street food in the world IMO!

To help you plan your trip on Stippl, try out Teenee. It’s one of the most underrated apps for travelling Thailand.

Teenee is essentially an interactive map of Thailand with all of the best recommendations and suggestions of things to do, places to eat and where to stay.

It’s been put together by locals and expats living in Thailand, so it goes a lot further than the typical touristy things to do.

If you ask me, it’s one of my favourite apps and one that not many people know about – yet it’s so useful and helps to fill those days where you’re like “What should we do today?”

asia travel app

While Grab is my personal go-to as an equivalent to Uber in Thailand, in some parts of the country, Bolt (another alternative) is cheaper.

This is the case in the south from my experience in the likes of Krabi and Phuket.

I’ve no idea why it’s cheaper sometimes, but it’s just one of those things I guess.

It’s worth having both Bolt and Grab downloaded and going with whichever one is cheaper for each specific ride.

asia travel app

10. Google Translate

While Google Translate is a good app to have when visiting anywhere in the world, it’s also a good app to have when visiting Thailand.

In the big cities and the most popular destinations, most Thai locals will speak English pretty well , but if you go further afield or somewhere a bit more remote, the levels of English will likely drop.

That’s why I always have Google Translate on my phone. It helps in situations where there is no common language between the two of you, and it allows you to communicate with anybody in the world.

One of my top tips is to download the language , in this case, Thai, as it means you can translate between English (or your mother tongue) into Thai and vice versa without a mobile signal.

I recommend using it even if the local speaks English in important scenarios, such as if you have an allergy when ordering in a restaurant.

asia travel app

11. Google Maps

Another Thailand travel app that is useful to have anywhere in the world is Google Maps.

To be honest, I have no idea how people travelled before using Google Maps . I have so much respect for anyone who backpacked in the days before technology – I can’t imagine how I could do it without my phone.

Whether it’s for walking between attractions, choosing a local restaurant or figuring out whether it’s worth taking a Grab or not, you never know when you’ll need Google Maps.

Another tip I have is to download the map of the destination you’re in (I don’t recommend downloading the whole of Thailand as it will take up a lot of storage) so you can use it offline.

asia travel app

12. Revolut

One of my favourite tips for travelling on a budget is to use Revolut, but I also recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you’re on a budget.

Revolut allows you to pay in foreign currencies without charging you a fee for exchanging between currencies.

It’s so much better than normal bank cards, and for every £100 I spend in Thailand (in baht), I save £3, which is roughly what my exchange fee is with my normal bank.

Revolut in Thailand does work, but it does not waive ATM fees, which are set at 220 baht across the country. Still though, who wouldn’t want to save money?

asia travel app

13. WhatsApp

Even though I said that Thai people use LINE to communicate with each other, many tour companies use WhatsApp to accommodate tourists and will use it for important communication such as hotel pick-up times, or for simply sending you photos afterwards.

I would guess that most people will already have WhatsApp downloaded, but if not, I would recommend getting it downloaded before heading to Thailand as you’ll probably be asked for it at some point.

One thing I do like about WhatsApp is that it allows you to continue using your phone number from home even if you have a different SIM card in. It means you can stay in touch with family at home too – which is another reason to have it downloaded.

asia travel app

Shopee is Thailand’s equivalent of Amazon.

You can buy literally anything and have it delivered to your door. It’s just as easy to use as Amazon and in most cases, it’s cheaper too.

This one only really applies to anyone staying in Thailand for a longer period of time , or anyone who is considering moving to Thailand, as otherwise, you probably won’t be in one place long enough to have anything delivered.

Though that being said, you can also use it for food and grocery delivery, which would only take a matter of minutes or hours.

15. Currency Converter

In Thailand, the currency is the Thai baht, and it can get pretty hard to work out the conversion rates.

For example, $1 USD is 35.67 Thai baht. You can do some quick mental maths to get a rough idea, but for difficult numbers or if you want complete certainty, I recommend downloading a currency-converting app.

There are a lot of options and I don’t have one in particular which I recommend but they all pretty much do the same thing. You simply type in the number in Baht and it will convert it to the selected currency of your choice. You can use them offline too usually.

There are a lot of options available to download on the App Store and Google Play Store.

16. Foodpanda

While Grab and Shopee both offer food delivery services, if you want an app completely dedicated to food delivery , then I suggest checking out Foodpanda .

But in all honesty, I don’t overly recommend using them, or recommend ordering food in Thailand at all. There are restaurants and street food stalls everywhere in the country, and it’s so easy to find good places to eat.

The food is delicious and the cuisine has a really big variety of dishes – you don’t ever need to order food. But if you really want to, then Foodpanda is a good option.

asia travel app

Last but by no means least of these apps to have for visiting Thailand is Flush.

It’s one of the most niche and unique apps I have ever seen, and when someone asks the question “What is the most random app you have on your phone?”, it’s always this. And yes, that’s a common question – it’s a good icebreaker when staying in hostels .

What Flush does is it shows you all of the available public toilets near you on a map. It works in pretty much every country in the world, and it’s really helpful to find somewhere to go if you’re desperate.

It even includes instructions to find the toilet if it’s in a building, if it costs to use, and some other bits of information about bathrooms which you would probably have never thought you needed to know – but proves useful once you know it.

asia travel app

Below are some commonly asked questions relating to the best travel apps for Thailand along with my answers to each question.

The most used travel app in Thailand is Grab. It’s the equivalent of Uber in Thailand and it’s really convenient for getting between two places. It is also very affordable and there are always lots of cars and bikes available.

You can use the BTS Skytrain app to get around Bangkok, and the 12Go app allows you to find buses, trains, vans and ferries between locations in Thailand for affordable prices. Both apps are must have when it comes to public transport in Thailand.

Thai people use LINE to communicate with each other. It is a messenger app similar to the likes of Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. It is popular in Asia including Thailand, and it is how locals speak to each other online.

Thailand uses Grab, as there is no Uber or Lyft in Thailand. It is a similar concept but much more affordable. There are always lots of drivers available. Another ride app is Bolt, but it is usually more expensive than Grab.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, a complete list of all of my favourite apps for Thailand.

Each one of them provides something a bit different, and they all come together to help you have the best trip possible in a country which is so incredible to visit.

If you only download 3 apps from this list I would recommend it to be Grab for transportation, Klook for activities and Stippl for planning your trip.

Now that you know what you need on your phone before visiting Thailand, it’s time to start finding things to do. I suggest starting with a Bangkok temple tour .

Read more about Thailand:

  • Are There Sharks In Thailand? Know Before You Go
  • Drinking Age In Thailand & Other Important Laws
  • Thailand UK Time Difference (With Current Times)
  • Is Thailand Expensive To Visit?
  • Phuket Pronunciation: How to pronounce Phuket, Thailand
  • Does it snow in Thailand? Thailand in Winter 
  • Can You Drink The Water In Thailand?

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Josh Band is the founder of A Backpacker's World. He is a full-time traveller currently on a mission to visit every country in the world. As a full-time traveller, Josh knows exactly how to make the most of any trip and shares these tips with his readers. Josh mostly travels as a backpacker on a budget, so he is also an expert when it comes to getting the most of your money while travelling.

30 essential travel apps every traveler needs before their next trip

Lori Zaino

When it comes to planning and taking a vacation, travelers rely on their phones now more than ever.

Travel apps are a source of inspiration and are extremely useful for booking and managing logistics — even making restaurant reservations or finding a great fitness class wherever in the world you're flying next.

From apps that help with everything from day-of hotel bookings and last-minute flight changes to those that serve as guidebooks and foreign-language dictionaries, travel is infinitely easier thanks to technology.

Apps can help you navigate a new city, make currency conversions, pack a perfect suitcase and even provide on-the-ground local expertise. Whatever you need when you hit the road, there's an app for that.

We've rounded up the most-loved apps here at TPG. Some may be obvious, and others more obscure, but either way, get ready to download.

Best apps for researching and booking trips

In addition to the apps for the airlines you fly most frequently and your favorite hotel brands, these apps can help you save money on flights and accommodations.

asia travel app

Hopper has changed in recent years from just offering a price prediction tool for flights to being a true online travel agency. The app helps travelers find the cheapest flights, hotels and rental cars.

Of course, Hopper also still offers its signature price prediction technology to help you plan out when to book, as well as travel protection options and a price freeze to help you lock in the lowest possible price on hotels and flights.

asia travel app

Kiwi is used mainly to book flights, but it also helps you book hotels (using its partnership with Booking.com) and car rentals (using its partnership with RentalCars.com).

Some of the app's most interesting features include the "Deals" section, which pulls in discounted flights, and the "Travel hacks" section, which includes options for hidden city ticketing, throwaway ticketing (making one-way flights more affordable) and free price alerts.

Hotel Tonight

asia travel app

A dream for last-minute travelers, Hotel Tonight ( now owned by Airbnb ) lets you book stays for the same evening up to a few months in advance in thousands of cities worldwide. Available hotel rooms are categorized into sections like basic, luxe, hip, charming and solid, so you can select what works for your vibe. Take advantage of the daily drop feature, where you swipe to find a personalized deal with a special price only valid for 15 minutes after unlocked.

At TPG, we love a good loyalty program, and HT Perks, the app's nine-level reward program, is extensive. Not unlike a video game, you "level up" by reaching specific spending thresholds on the app, and you'll gain access to perks like discounts, VIP customer support and credits. Also, your levels never expire, so you can only continue to move up.

asia travel app

To book home rentals instead of hotels, use the Airbnb app. After entering your destination and dates, you can filter results based on the home type, price, requisite amenities and more. If you find something you like, you can book directly through the app.

The app is ideal for managing your trips while on the road — you can access all your bookings under the "Trips" tab, where you can view your reservation (and the address or directions), contact the host or change your reservation. Once you have a booking, you can also explore and book local experiences in your destination, such as wine tastings, kayak tours, hikes, shows and concerts.

asia travel app

We can't talk about travel apps without mentioning the TPG App. Use it to track your credit card, airline and hotel points balances; earn points and miles efficiently through using the right credit card ; and research how many points or miles you'll need to book your dream getaway. You can even curate your own news feed so you see the news and advice that matters most to you first.

The TPG App is available for download on iOS . Android users can join the waitlist here .

Related: The TPG App has arrived — here's why you should download it now

Best apps for organizing a trip

From keeping all your documents in order to perfectly packing your suitcase without forgetting a thing, these are the best apps for organizing travel plans.

asia travel app

TripIt declutters your itineraries and documents by keeping them organized in one place. You can set your reservations to automatically send to TripIt, which lets you view travel confirmations, flight itineraries, tickets, hotel and Airbnb booking information, rental car reservations, ferry tickets and driving directions without ever leaving the app.

TripIt also makes it simple to share your trip plans with whoever picks you up from the airport or train station or anyone else who may need to coordinate with you. TripIt Pro subscriptions cost $49 per year and include extras like real-time flight alerts, security wait times, baggage claim information and updates on your loyalty reward programs.

Roadtrippers

asia travel app

Perfect for organizing that epic road trip you've always wanted to take, Roadtrippers plans out your driving route and lets you book hotels and activities along the way. The app is especially useful for finding interesting and off-the-beaten-path roadside attractions, cool restaurants and can't-miss landmarks you can bookmark.

A Roadtrippers Premium membership includes offline maps, live traffic information, overnight RV parking and more for $59.99 per year. For those looking to only venture on a few road trips per year, the app also offers a Pro ($49.99 per year) and Basic ($35.99 per year) membership.

asia travel app

PackPoint takes all the stress out of packing . The app shows you what to bring based on the length of your trip, the weather in your destination and any activities you're planning along the way. If you have access to laundry facilities at your destination, PackPoint even allows you to account for washing your clothes and wearing them multiple times.

Just download and install the app, type in the city you're visiting and plug in your travel details. So, stop waiting until the day before your trip — or the hours before you have to leave for the airport — and start packing now.

Best apps for navigating the airport and flights

Track flights, navigate airports and find airport lounges with these apps.

LoungeBuddy

asia travel app

LoungeBuddy offers access to premium airport lounges around the world, regardless of the airline or class you're flying. When you create a trip in the app and type in the credit cards you currently hold, it will tell you which lounges you have access to based on the airports you'll be transiting through and how to purchase access if you don't already have it.

You can purchase access on the day you're traveling or up to two months in advance if you're the plan-ahead type. If you prefer to search by lounge or lounge program, the app will tell you exactly what is needed to use them.

Priority Pass

asia travel app

Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,300 lounges worldwide and provides meal vouchers at select airport restaurants across the world for an annual fee starting at $99.

Several cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express , the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve , offer Priority Pass memberships for all cardholders (enrollment required). Otherwise, you'll have to pay an annual fee to be a member and, depending on your membership tier, a fee to enter each lounge on top of the annual fee.

To use the Priority Pass app, enter the name or code of the airport you're in, and Priority Pass will pull up the lounges or restaurants that you have access to, including photos, hours, amenities and specific location information. For more information on the Priority Pass Program and how to gain lounge access, click here . Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Related: The best credit cards for Priority Pass lounge access

FlightAware

asia travel app

The FlightAware app allows you to track flights online, see a live map of a flight and check on delays, cancellations and gate changes. This app is especially helpful if you have a tight connection or want to track your flight.

It's also useful when picking up friends and family at the airport, as you can track their flight and see updated landing times or delays. AvGeeks will enjoy digging into flight statistics, flight maps and community aviation discussions on the app.

Best apps to use during your flight

Timeshifter.

asia travel app

What better way to cure jet lag than with an app? Timeshifter actually helps you avoid jet lag long before your flight takes off and also offers inflight and post-flight suggestions. The app relies on neuroscience research about sleep and circadian rhythms to provide personalized recommendations, taking into consideration your age, gender and normal sleep patterns — as well as specifics about your trip and travel plans. Timeshifter maps out when you should avoid or seek light, take a nap or try to stay awake. It even tells you if you should consider supplementing with melatonin or caffeine.

Your first jet lag plan is free, then $9.99 per plan, or you can enjoy unlimited plans for a year for $24.99.

asia travel app

Flying can cause anxiety — or provide a welcome relief from constant contact with our digital devices. Either way, use travel as an opportunity to relax, meditate or listen to soothing sounds that will lull you to sleep or a deep, relaxed state. Or, perhaps, you'll simply find it helps pass the time during a long flight.

Calm offers meditations on topics such as self-awareness, calming anxiety, breathing, lowering stress levels and happiness, among others. The app also has music options for focusing, relaxing and sleeping, as well as stories for adults and content for kids.

A limited selection of meditations and music is available for free (which you can download to use when you're offline or in flight). The premium version of the app costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

asia travel app

OK, so Netflix isn't really a travel app, but it can be a lifesaver during a long flight on an aircraft without seatback inflight entertainment or at the airport during an unexpected flight delay or boring layover. If you have a Netflix account, the app allows you to download your favorite shows onto your device to watch offline.

Just make sure to download your shows while connected to Wi-Fi before flying and check them again preflight to make sure they haven't expired (you can usually renew any expired downloads, but you must be connected to Wi-Fi or data to do so). Monthly prices vary depending on the plan.

Another app that's not really a travel app, Spotify can still be incredibly useful during tedious travel moments — just pop in those noise-canceling headphones and listen to your favorite music, meditations, podcasts and more.

The app's Premium plans (prices vary) allow you to download all your content offline on your phone, so you'll have it during long flights or when you don't have data or Wi-Fi access. Whether you want to take a morning jog in Bali to your favorite tunes or pass the time with a podcast on the metro in Barcelona, Spotify has it all.

Best apps to use in your destination

From exchanging money and sightseeing to communicating and knowing all the local tips and tricks, you don't want to land in a foreign city for the first time without these key apps.

XE Currency Converter

asia travel app

The XE Currency Converter app quickly provides live, up-to-the-minute currency rates, then allows you to store and view them even when you're offline. You'll never need to wonder if you're really getting a good deal in another country if you have this app.

Google Translate

asia travel app

Google Translate is a translation app that allows you to do it all — translate into more than 100 languages by typing, access 59 languages offline, translate via photo, translate bilingual conversations and even use the handwriting tool to translate.

The app is simple to use, too, with icons at the top you can click on to draw, take a photo, speak or type.

asia travel app

Not quite sure how much to tip when traveling internationally? GlobeTips will advise you on how to tip appropriately in more than 200 countries. It also offers a tip calculator for easy math. Globe also has apps for currency conversion, unit conversion and more that may be useful for travelers.

Related: The ultimate guide to tipping while traveling

asia travel app

For travelers globe-trotting with friends and family members or simply splitting the cost between groups, Tricount calculates shared costs and splits bills so you don't have to think twice about who owes what. Just enter your trip and currency and invite your travel mates to join your trip.

Each time someone pays for something, you enter the amount in Tricount, and the app splits everything up. You can also snap and store photos of receipts in the app. At the end of your trip, it will show the balances of who owes who what, making it easy to settle up.

Metric Conversions

asia travel app

Never be baffled by Celsius temperatures or suitcase weight in kilograms again with the Metric Conversions app . Whether you're measuring flour to cook at your Airbnb, figuring out distances for your Europe road trip or deciding whether to take a sweatshirt with you during your walking tour of the Great Wall of China, this app has you covered with easy conversions in volume, weight, temperature, area and more.

Google Maps

asia travel app

Google Maps is essential when visiting a new city (or even for getting around your hometown). You can map locations, get directions (walking, driving, public transportation, ride-hailing services and beyond) and see how crowded your subway will be in select cities .

You can make restaurant reservations, save your favorite spots and read and write reviews of attractions, eateries, shops and more. Make sure to download specific city or area maps ahead of time for offline access if you know you'll be without internet at your destination. For obvious reasons, the app works best when your GPS is turned on.

asia travel app

WhatsApp is a handy messaging service for travelers abroad as it uses an internet connection to avoid SMS fees.

It works like most other messaging apps: You start by creating an account, then add your friends and family members to contact and voila! You're able to call, video chat and send messages, images, voice memos, gifs and files just as you would in, say, iMessage (but with Android users too). You can also download WhatsApp on your Windows or Mac computer.

Best apps for planning activities

Traveling is about more than just getting from point A to point B. If you're looking for activities to add to your itinerary, check out these apps.

asia travel app

Meetup is an app designed for interacting with locals and other travelers who have mutual interests or shared hobbies. Whether you're traveling or at home, take what you love and do more of it with Meetup.

The app shows you groups that are formed around particular interests in your city, including yoga, photography, cooking, wine tasting, hiking, cinema and other activities. You can join groups to get updates on particular events you may want to participate in. The app can even help with networking, as there are many groups dedicated to business and technology. You might even be able to join a coworking group. Travelers with kids can participate in family-friendly meetups, and it's a great way for solo travelers to make friends and connect with others.

asia travel app

TheFork is one of the most useful resources for making restaurant reservations in Europe. Similar to OpenTable or Resy, the app lets you browse different restaurants by category and make reservations. TheFork features more than 60,000 restaurants in cities like London, Madrid and Geneva, as well as spots outside of Europe like Sydney, Australia.

The biggest perk is that many restaurant reservations come with discounts — in some cases, you can get up to 50% off your meal just by reserving a table through TheFork. Since we here at TPG are always down for earning rewards, make sure to monitor your YUMS — TheFork's reward system. You'll earn YUMS with each reservation, and when you hit 1,000, you receive a discount on your bill. Foodie travelers should also consider downloading these apps , too.

asia travel app

Happy Cow helps vegan and vegetarian eaters locate more than 180,000 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, farmers markets and grocery stores in over 180 countries around the world. The app allows you to filter by not only vegan and vegetarian but also gluten-free and cuisine types. You can also read reviews and get recipes on the app as well.

The app does cost $3.99, but it's a one-time expense.

TripAdvisor

Besides reading reviews of restaurants, hotels and attractions, you can book almost anything on TripAdvisor, from vacation rentals and restaurant reservations to tours and tickets.

The app has grown to include almost all things travel, allowing you to search by destination or interest (like the outdoors, food and drink, family or by the water, for example), which can give you inspiration for a trip or help you get your activities, meals and accommodations organized before traveling or on the fly.

With over 400,000 curated trails, AllTrails can help you find the hike or walk perfect for you and your group. It's not just mountain trails — AllTrails offers city walks, too, like easy meanders through the Marais district in Paris or peaceful strolls through Bangkok's Lumpini Park in Thailand.

See photos, updated weather predictions and key information about each route and connect with other travelers through reviews and forums. Access to AllTrails+ is $35.99 per year, which offers perks like offline maps and wrong turn alerts.

Best apps for staying safe

Use these apps to stay safe when traveling.

Smart Traveler

asia travel app

Smart Traveler is a free service that offers tips and information specifically for U.S. travelers. You can see what visas and vaccines you'll need before traveling and where to find help if you need it during your trip.

Register your trip on the app, which gives your information to local embassies and consulates in your destination. If there's any kind of disaster or tragedy, the local embassy can contact you to see if you need help.

TripWhistle

asia travel app

Another app dedicated to keeping you safe, TripWhistle maps your location and allows you to easily text or send your GPS coordinates or location. It also provides emergency numbers for firefighters, medical personnel and police in nearly 200 countries. After all, 911 is only for U.S.-based emergencies: Each country has its own specific emergency number.

Yes, Uber (or any local ride-hailing service app) is convenient, but it may also keep you safe. Using this app when traveling means you'll never get stuck wandering around in an unfamiliar area late at night or have to deal with unscrupulous taxi drivers trying to scam you. Uber also has in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button which will allow you to call local emergency services right in the app.

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Ni Hao, Sawasdee, Xin Chào: Language Apps to Take You Through Asia

While you may not master every language ahead of a multistop tour through Asia, these apps and digital tools can help you get by (and maybe make you some friends).

An illustration of a confused traveler with a backpack and suitcase looking at signs written in Korean, Thai, Chinese, Hindi and Japanese.

By Naaman Zhou

For an English-speaking visitor to Asia — which spans close to 50 countries — navigating a new language can be daunting at first. A walk down a busy road in Malaysia, for example, may bring you into contact with Malay; written Simplified Chinese; spoken Mandarin, Cantonese or Hokkien; Tamil and perhaps even Hindi.

But while language can be a hurdle, it can also be a joy. We’ve collected some of the best language apps and technology for travelers to Asia — from full-fledged machine-learning translators to a simple tweak to your phone’s keyboard. With a small amount of help, you can translate dozens of languages and scripts, illuminate pictographs and characters, and learn something new.

Let your camera do the work

When I first used a translation app in Asia, at the relative dawn of the industry (circa 2014), the only real option for non-Roman characters was Waygo . I could point my phone camera at a menu or a sign, it would take Chinese characters, Japanese kanji and kana, and Korean hangul, and instantly translate it to English on the screen. A feat, almost of magic.

Since then, the world of photo translation apps has boomed. The behemoth of translation, Google Translate , offers photo translation for Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Hmong, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Malay, Mongolian, Nepali, Tamil, Thai, Uyghur and Vietnamese. Microsoft Translat‌or offers it for Chinese, Japanese and Korean‌. The Korean-made app Papago excels at Korean especially, and also provides Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese.

asia travel app

Across the board, photo apps are quick, functional, and generally offer decent translations — especially of printed material. ‌Google’s translator easily dealt with a customs import form written in Thai, or a simple newspaper story written in the Hindi script Devanagari.

Travelers should also keep in mind that Google is blocked or otherwise hard to access in mainland China, meaning that you may have to use one (or multiple) of the alternatives.

‌Try ‘handwriting’ what you want translated

Some smartphone apps let you use your finger to sketch any character you see — whether Chinese characters or Korean hangul — to get a quick translation.

Character drawing is useful for translating unusual fonts or reflective surfaces, which can confound photo translation apps. Calligraphy, say, on a banner outside a restaurant, can be more common in parts of Asia than a typeset sign. When I tested it recently in Manhattan’s Chinatown, a shop window’s heavily laminated sign would not register on Google’s photo app.

Google Translate and Papago offer character drawing, but Google had an annoying habit of inputting a character before you’ve finished fully drawing — which puts you into a somewhat frantic race against time, and can radically change meanings. (An initial translation for the Korean for “How much is it?” came out as “Is it frozen?”)‌

Regardless, to commit to character drawing is to sign up for some time spent scribbling on your palm. The process works more smoothly for simpler scripts like Japanese hiragana and katakana, and is more involved for Chinese and some Korean hangul. (Those traveling to Taiwan should remember that Traditional Chinese characters are the standard, which are even more complex.)

The kinetic process of handwriting in these apps can be good for an intermediate or advanced language learner, who might want to learn characters in a more active way while traveling. Those learners can try Pleco (for Chinese) and Kanji Recogni‌zer (for Japanese, Android only), which are essentially dictionary apps and provide more detailed translations and shades of meaning.

‌A useful tip: Some smartphones actually have handwriting as an installable option in their keyboard settings . So while Microsoft Translator, for example, does not have handwriting functionality, you can just use your keyboard to draw characters into its standard text translate field, and it will work just the same.

For those who prefer to talk, speech-to-text (and text-to-speech) is offered on many of these translation apps, including Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, Papago and Pleco.

The app SayHi — which has Cantonese, Hindi or Thai, among other languages — specializes in voice and audio, and can ‌play ‌your translation in a man or woman’s voice and vary the speed. It also keeps a history of all your translations, so you can replay a phrase you use often, like “I’m allergic to seafood!” It even has a conversation mode: You select two languages, set the phone down between two people, and take turns speaking back and forth.

Overall, Google and Microsoft worked fine, but would often halt after five or six seconds while Say Hi routinely managed 20 to 30 seconds at a time. This extra listening time is often crucial to catch the half-sentences, or general confusion of a live voice translation.

The real issue with voice-to-text is its practical value. In a busy cash-only rice roll restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown, I used SayHi to ask if the cashier had change for a hundred. The noise of banging sheet pans and steamers drowned my phone’s microphone out; she ended up reading the translation off my screen instead.

Learn the language

Any travel can be improved by memorizing even a little bit of the local language, and there is an abundance of learning apps to help. A few lessons in Korean and Japanese, for example, will teach you the characters of hangul and hiragana, which will at least let you read things out phonetically.

Duolingo is the giant green owl in the room, but its Asian language courses are generally less robust than its European ones. Beginners might have more luck trying Lingodeer (for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese) or Memrise (for Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Both use videos of native speakers, which Duolingo lacks; Lingodeer also provides lengthy grammar lessons and explainers.

I personally had the greatest success with Memrise, and learned about five different characters of hangul in 30 minutes during a particularly long taxi before a flight took off. However, be aware that Memrise and Lingodeer’s free offerings are limited.

All three apps can also be combined with the alternative keyboards mentioned previously‌. So instead of just tapping on buttons, you can answer your Japanese Duolingo prompts by drawing kana on your phone screen, which speeds up the learning process.

For other languages, the learning app Drops has a wider array that includes Cantonese, Hindi, Indonesian and Thai.

Find online communities

Asia is a tremendously diverse place for languages, and there is no one-stop shop to navigate all its regional variations and dialects. Even a language like Cantonese, which has millions of speakers across multiple countries, can be hard to find apps for.

Broadening your toolbox can be key. One of the best ways to learn Cantonese, for example, is a podcast. Search for CantoneseClass101 in your podcast player to find free episodes, stretching back to 2014, that teach you basics in 10 or so minutes, along with cultural background — such as the ubiquity of “ m goi ,” (唔該) which can mean “thank you,” “sorry” or “excuse me,” depending on context. The similar podcast VietnamesePod101 has a section on “survival phrases,” with which, in about eight minutes, I learned not just “thank you,” but how to say “auntie” and “uncle” — probably the most important words you can utter.

Another great Cantonese resource is the subreddit r/Cantonese , which is full of people who are passionate about learning and preserving the language and culture‌.

You can also tap into the resources that other learners have already created for you. Anki (on iPhone as AnkiMobile, on Android as AnkiDroid) is a general learning app that lets you create custom flashcards — with custom recorded audio — and has a rich library of community-created language sets that you can download. You can choose a beginner’s set for Shanghainese with 1,500 cards, a set of Thai tones and characters (complete with helpful mnemonics), a set of 33 Vietnamese foods — or make your own.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

How to Make Your Smartphone Better

The process of backing up your smartphone has become so simplified that it takes just a few screen taps  to keep copies of your photos, videos, and other files stashed securely in case of an emergency.

These days, smartphones include tools to help you more easily connect with the people you want to contact — and avoid those you don’t. Here are some tips .

Trying to spend less time on your phone? The “Do Not Disturb” mode can help you set boundaries and signal that it may take you a while to respond .

To comply with recent European regulations, Apple will make a switch to USB-C charging for its iPhones. Here is how to navigate the change .

Photo apps have been using A.I. for years to give you control over the look of your images. Here’s how to take advantage of that .

Alex and Leah on Tour

Must-Have Apps for Visiting Bali 

Are you dreaming of Bali’s stunning beaches, lush jungles, and vibrant culture? After extensively exploring Bali for two months , we’ve compiled a list of must-have travel apps that will turn your Bali adventure into a seamless and unforgettable experience.

From cruising through the bustling streets of Seminyak to catching the sunrise at Mount Batur, Bali offers a world of bucket list activities . But to make the most of your stay, you’ll need the right tools at your fingertips. That’s where these travel apps come in handy.

 Finding the perfect accommodation, booking epic tours, discovering hidden-gem restaurants, and managing your travel finances are all part of the Bali adventure package. We’ve done the legwork to uncover the apps that will make every aspect of your journey a breeze.

Handy apps for getting around Bali 

Grab and gojek .

Bali travel app - grab

When it comes to getting around Bali , Grab and Gojek apps are going to be your best friends! Our personal opinion is that they’re the best taxi app in Bali. If you haven’t heard of them, just think Uber in Bali. They are basically just ride-hailing apps that you can order taxis to your location. As Bali is a pretty small island you can order a Grab/Gojek to take you literally from one side of the island to the other! Also, if you are traveling on your own, you can book a Grab Bike and catch a ride on the back of a bike for even lower prices!

One thing to be aware of though is that in certain busy areas like Cangguu and Seminyak, you will find what the locals seem to call the ‘taxi mafia’ where the area is sort of ran by local taxi services and they do not allow Grab, Uber or Gojek. If you do find yourself in one of these areas, we tend to use the apps to guide what the price should be and use that to negotiate with the other taxi services. Alternatively, you can usually just walk a couple of streets over and have your Grab pick you up from there instead. 

Similarly, both Grab (GrabFood) and Gojek (GoFood) can be used as a source of food delivery which is perfect if you’re out in the sticks, too far from any restaurants or if you’re simply after a chilled evening!

How to get around Bali in 2023

Google maps .

We used Google Maps religiously throughout our travels and recommend them to everyone! Before going to a new area we always do a bit of research on hotels, restaurants and activities we might want to do during our stay and pin them onto our Google Maps. Then you can download your map so you are able to use it when offline. This is especially ideal for when you are in more remote areas where signal and wifi are not as common. 

While Google Maps tends to be our go-to, Waze is also a really handy app to Bali map download. Some of the roads in the city and side streets in Bali don’t actually show up on Google Maps which can make navigation a bit tricky. Waze is an Indonesian travel app we found a lot of our taxi drivers use in Bali as it seems to know the area of Bali a bit better than other map apps. 

12go Asia 

12go asia in bali

One app that is essential for getting around Bali is 12go Asia , especially if you are planning on visiting other islands like Ceningan , Nusa Penida or Gili T. 

12go Asia will find all of your boat tickets and buses you might need, allowing you to compare prices and book online. 

Accommodation Apps for Bali 

Agoda and booking.com.

asia travel app

If you are looking for hotels and luxury resorts in Bali, Agoda and Booking.com are the best places to start your search. We tend to opt for Booking.com where we can as, being genius members we get some awesome deals, but Agoda seems to have the larger range when looking in southeast Asia. 

Hostelworld

hostel world app

Being the budget travelers we are, Hostelworld tends to be our most used app on our travels. Bali has some awesome hostels whether you are a solo-backpackers looking for dorms or just sociable couples after a private room. 

The app allows you to connect with other travelers and read up to date reviews of hostels across Indonesia. 

Airbnb 

For all your insta-worthy treehouse rooms, luxury villas and cute guest houses, Airbnb is where you are going to want to look. We don’t have a lot of experience with Airbnb in Bali but we know it’s a very popular way of booking accommodations in Bali . 

Apps for booking tours and experiences in Bali

When it comes to booking tours in Bali, Klook is your most budget-friendly option! The app itself is easy to use and has a wide range of tours available for really affordable prices. We haven’t tried all of them (obviously) so don’t take our word for it, but any tour we did book through Klook was great! 

Viator 

Viator is another great app for booking tours, one that you might be a bit more familiar with as it’s used all over the world. While they might be a little more on the pricier side, the tours are a bit more fleshed out and have some extra security and cancellation policies if anything goes wrong. 

Trip Advisor 

trip advisor app bali

Whether you love it or hate it, Trip Advisor is a very handy app to always have installed on your phone during your trip to Bali. Not only is it great for checking out restaurant and hotel reviews but they also have some great activities and tours that you can see nearby. So whether you are looking for the best breakfast spots in Seminyak or the best tours in Ubud, Trip Advisor is one to check!

Other useful apps for visiting Bali 

Currency converter.

A currency converter is vital for any visit to Bali. In Indonesia, they use the Indonesian Rupiah which can be a bit difficult to work out in your head depending on your currency. We roughly always said that 10,000 IDR worked out as about £5 but having an app on your phone to do the maths for you is always handy. 

PeduliLindungi Mobile App

Available on pretty much all phones, including Android and iPhone, this Bali health app has previously been mandatory for tourists entering the country, app for Bali arrival, in order to stop the spread of Covid-19. Whilst it may not be strictly enforced, the Bali health app is one you may consider downloading and keeping up to date in case you’re ever asked.

We were actually really surprised just how much we had to use Whatsapp during our travels and would highly recommend everyone to download the Whatsapp app before arriving in Bali. Pretty much every taxi driver, hotel and tour guide would use WhatsApp to arrange things and to be honest you will struggle to get by without it.

Also as an extra tip, if you pre-message your hotel or accommodation on WhatsApp, before booking, they will likely give you an extra deal for booking direct! 

Traveloka is a really popular app in Asia which you can use to find deals on flights, transfers, hotels, car rentals and more. We don’t have a lot of experience with it as we didn’t find out about Traveloka until towards the end of our trip but it looks like a great platform. 

If you are like me and couldn’t possibly miss a day of Love Island even when on your travels, a VPN app is essential for any trip to Bali! We often used a free one that would make you sit through a few ads in order to get an hour VPN but if you aren’t on a backpacker budget, it is probably worth forking out for the real thing. Love Island aside, if you are a digital nomad and do a lot of work in cafes and hotels, having a VPN adds that extra bit of security for public wifi. 

The Bali Bible

As you can tell by the name, The Bali Bible app really is the no.1 site for any visit to Bali. They have great itineraries, hotels, beach clubs, restaurants and bar recommendations as well as heaps of tips and tricks to get the most out of your trip. 

Revolut and Monzo 

travel banking app

Having any sort of travel bank card or credit card is vital for any trip to Bali or you will be hit with a range of conversion fees. We personally love both Revolut and Monzo as they have the best exchange rates and their handy app allows you to see exactly how much you’ve spent instantly. 

Google Translate

Coming from other countries in south east asia, we were actually surprised by just how much English a lot of the locals spoke, especially those in the tourism industry. However, we always always try to learn a few words and phrases in the local language when we visit a new spot. So download Google Translate Bali and learn a few words like “hello”, “please” and “thank you”, It goes a long way and the locals love it! 

There you have it, all the must-have apps for visiting Bali. Whether you’re booking accommodation on Hostelworld or browsing the latest tours on 12go Asia, these are all useful Bali apps you should download in order to make your life that much easier and save you loads of time! We were fortunate to meet people along the way who gave us tips about what apps Bali to use so if you find any of these useful, make sure to help out a fellow traveler whilst you’re there!

Bali travel apps - pin

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Life Of Doing

12 Essential Travel Apps to Use in Indonesia 

Two boats in the blue waters and next to the pink sandy beach in Komodo National Park, Indonesia

What are recommended apps to use on your Indonesia travels? 

After visiting Indonesia many times, we’re here to share the 12 best travel apps that you need on your next trip to Indonesia. 

From language translation to food recommendations and where to stay, these apps have been tried and used personally by us. All of the apps that we mentioned are free too. 

We recommend that you download these apps on your phone or tablet ahead of time so you don’t need to stress to download them when you land in Indonesia. With each app mentioned below, we share a link to download the app on iOS or Android devices. 

To help with your Indonesia travel planning, check out our posts below: 

  • Best Indonesian Islands to Visit
  • Top Indonesia Hikes
  • Indonesia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites
  • Amazing Adventures in Indonesia to Do

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you. Appreciate the support.

Important: Get Data When You Arrive in Indonesia

Sim or esim options.

Accessing data on your phone or tablet is important for your Indonesian travels. 

When you land at an international airport in Indonesia, we recommend that you buy a SIM card with 3G or 4G immediately. 

Check out these options below: 

  • Buy a SIM card and pick up at Bali Airport here. 
  • Buy a SIM Card and pick up at Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport here. 

You’ll need to provide your passport as identification to purchase the SIM card. 

Another option is to set up an eSIM ahead of time. Check out this eSIM option here. 

International Phone Plan 

If you have an international phone plan, feel free to use it when you’re in Indonesia. 

For U.S. travelers looking for a new international phone plan, consider getting Google Fi, formerly Google Project Fi. 

This phone plan has data access in over 200 countries and there is no additional charge. You can also get free calls and text over wifi. 

We’ve used this phone plan since 2016, and have successfully used it in Indonesia many times. 

Even though we live in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the past 5+ years, we still keep the U.S. phone number and phone plan. 

Click here to learn more and try it for free.

Recommended Indonesia Travel Apps for General Travel

Google translate.

Indonesia’s official language is Indonesian, a slight variation of Malay. Due to the influences of Dutch colonization, Indonesia’s written language is Romanized. Therefore, you’ll recognize letters when reading signs and menus. 

If there are Indonesian words that are unrecognizable, it’s recommended to use Google Translate . 

The app is easy to use to translate Indonesian words into your native language. 

The best function is to use the “live translation.” You can take either a photo or hold your camera against printed text with Indonesian words and the app will translate words immediately. Unfortunately, the app will not pick up handwritten words. 

Sometimes the camera angle is wonky and the app translates the text into something weird. So, you’ll need to try a few times.  

We use this function often if we eat at a local warung and the ordering system is done on a piece of paper. 

Download Google Translate App: iOS / Android  

Google Maps

Need to know where to go? Google Maps is the best app to use in Indonesia for directions.

If you need to find the nearest attraction, landmark, coffee shop, restaurant, etc. to your location, you can use Google Maps and search “X (ie: “coffee) near me.” You’ll need to have your location turned on your phone so Google Maps can find your exact location. 

Besides maps, Google Maps has functionalities such as saving restaurants, attractions, and places that you want to visit. You can also take those pinned places to create private lists and organize them by themes. 

While the internet connection is decent in Indonesia, there may be times when the connection is poor. Therefore, it’s recommended to save an “offline version” of the map. 

Download Google Maps App: iOS / Android  

Best Indonesia Apps for Transportation

Gojek is Indonesia’s ride-hailing app. The company name is based on the Indonesian word, ojek, which is a motorbike taxi. 

The app is the same as Uber, U.S. ride-hailing app. Unfortunately, Uber is not available in Southeast Asia. 

In the Gojek app, you request either a motorbike or car, input your starting and ending location, and the cost of the fare is listed in the app. Payment is done through the app via credit card or in person by cash with exact change. 

It’s very convenient to take Gojek since you don’t need to worry about haggling and can follow the app to see where the driver is going. 

Besides Indonesia, Gojek has expanded to other Southeast countries – Vietnam, Singapore , Thailand, Philippines. We live in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and have seen Gojek motorbike drivers around the city. 

Download Gojek App: iOS / Android 

Grab is another ride-hailing app to use. The company is based in Singapore, yet the Grab app is used in the majority of Southeast Asia countries. 

The app works exactly like Gojek and Uber. Everything is done within the app from requesting where to go and payment via credit card. You can pay in cash but you’ll need exact change. Motorbikes and cars are available for hire. 

In Indonesia, we used a Grab car for shorter distances in major areas such as going from our hotel in Yogyakarta to local attractions and restaurants, and around Bali’s Seminyak area . 

Download Grab App: iOS / Android

Other Tips for Gojek and Grab

Gojek and Grab have a similar green color for the company logo. Before riding any vehicle, check the license plate with your app so you have the correct driver. 

If you’re hungry during your travels, you can use Gojek or Grab to order food delivery . The food will be delivered to your location of choice, such as hotel accommodation. All you need to do is pick it up from the driver when it arrives. It’s convenient if you don’t want to travel anywhere for food. 

If you’re traveling in Bali , there are certain areas that do not allow ride-hailing cars for pick-up and drop-off. There will be signs that restrict ride-hailing cars. 

Even though ride-hailing is allowed on the island, the local area prefers to support local taxi drivers and private drivers. 

If you plan to take trains or flights within Indonesia, you may have difficulties using your international credit cards to process payment for the train or airline platform (ie: Lion Air or Air Asia). 

Tiket.com is your answer to resolving these issues. You can book flights and train tickets on the platform and use your international credit cards. 

We used them to buy train tickets from Surayaba to Yogyakarta and a flight on Lion Air from Yogyakarta International Airport to Bali Denpasar Airport. The process was easy. We received confirmation of our purchases via email and WhatsApp. 

An Executive passenger car at the Surabaya Gubeng train station

Here is the train that we took to go to Yogyakarta from Surabaya

If there are any issues with buying tickets with your credit card, you can contact Customer Service on WhatsApp and someone will assist. The Tiket.com team may need to whitelist your credit card number before payment. 

Note: There is a small processing fee for using the site or app, but at least the process is hassle-free.   

Download Tiket.com App: iOS / Android

Helpful Indonesia Travel Apps for Accommodations

Booking.com.

Need to find a place to stay in Indonesia? Booking.com is an option to find your perfect accommodation. 

The app is convenient to use. You input your city, travel dates, and filter the type of accommodations, amenities, pricing per night, refundable or nonrefundable room, and more. 

Guests provide their rating for accommodations and share what went well and opportunities for improvement. 

The pricing in the app is the final cost of the accommodation . Depending on the terms of the accommodation, you’ll pay ahead of time via credit card or at the property in local currency. 

Your booking confirmation is saved in the app and can be accessed at any time. 

Tip: If you use Booking.com often, you’ll be added as a “Genius Member” and earn loyalty levels. Depending on the property, you can earn a Genius Member discount. So, you’ll save money! It’s a win-win situation. 

We use Booking.com to book accommodations for most of our trips. 

Download Booking.com App: iOS / Android

Agoda is another app to find accommodations. It’s owned by the same parent company as Booking.com. Many visitors from Asia tend to use Agoda to book places to stay. 

The app is the same as Booking.com. You can find accommodations based on date, location, and filter amenities based on your preferences. Reviews are also shared on the platform. 

We noticed Agoda has the FOMO (fear of missing out) and act now call of action. They want you to book a place NOW. 

The prices are not consistent. They change if you use a different browser (on the computer), or check on another day. 

Plus, the final price is shared once you go through the booking process . Sometimes, the pricing looks cheaper on Agoda compared to Booking.com. But there aren’t any taxes and fees included yet. (Booking.com pricing already has these fees included.) 

Download Agoda App: iOS / Android

Best Indonesia Travel Apps for Attractions and Tours

Klook is one of the best places to buy tickets to local attractions, arrange transportation, buy SIM cards, and go on tours. Klook is available in over 100 countries, and it’s very popular in Southeast Asia. 

We like to use Klook as it saves us time when buying tickets . Sometimes the lines to the attractions are long, so this saves time. 

The pricing on Klook is also reasonable . It’s usually the same price as the attraction or even cheaper. Saving money is always a positive! 

When you buy something through the app, you’ll receive a confirmation. You’ll need to check the terms on how to redeem your ticket. Most of the time, you show the QR code through the app or PDF in the email to the main ticket office, and then can proceed. 

If you write a review, you earn credits. These credits can be used for future purchases so you get a small discount. 

Download Klook App: iOS / Android

Get Your Guide

Similarly to Klook, Get Your Guide is another platform to buy tickets to local attractions, tours, SIM cards, etc for 150+ countries. 

The app is easy to use as you can find things to do based on location. Reading reviews from other guests is also helpful. 

Once you purchase something through the app, a confirmation is saved. You can access the information at any time. 

Download Get Your Guide App: iOS / Android

Tips for Klook and Get Your Guide

Sometimes the same tour operator is on both platforms for the same tour. You’ll need to compare both platforms on the pricing and what is offered. Klook tends to be slightly cheaper than Get Your Guide. 

Justin Huynh, Life Of Doing, has hands up and stands in front of one of the temples at Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple is one of the popular tours to take from Yogyakarta

TripAdvisor 

Looking for reviews on restaurants and attractions? TripAdvisor has tons of information to help with your Indonesia travel research. 

Many things listed on TripAdvisor are “touristy” as the platform relies on reviews from other visitors. Sometimes the reviews are not authentic and are “shill reviews” so you’ll need to read through them and make your own judgment.  

Besides reviews, they’ve expanded their offerings where you can book hotels, flights, and tours. (We still prefer to use Booking.com or Agoda for our hotel reservations.) 

TripAdvisor also has a forum in a message board format. You can ask questions based on the country or city of interest, and other Tripadvisor members can answer them. The response rate varies depending on who is on the forum and whether the question has been answered before. 

Download TripAdvisor Here: iOS / Android

Important Indonesia Travel Apps for Communication

Many Indonesians use WhatsApp as a form of communication to stay in touch with others. It’s a helpful app to use daily. 

To use the app, you can send messages, call, or do video calls to an individual or a group. The contact must have WhatsApp and a phone number. 

In Indonesia, we used WhatsApp to communicate with our tour guides and private drivers in Bali and Yogyakarta and tour guides. 

If you’re looking for private drivers for Bali or Yogyakarta, please contact us and ask. Happy to share the contact information of our drivers. 

Download WhatsApp App: iOS / Android

Messenger, created by Facebook, is another way to communicate with others. 

While Messenger is used to talk with friends, it can also be used to contact local businesses . If a restaurant, cafe, massage place, etc, use Facebook, then you can send a message through Messenger. 

The response time will vary depending on how active the business is on Facebook. If there isn’t an answer within a reasonable time, you can give the business a call.  

Download Messenger App: iOS / Android

Final Thoughts

Which of these essential travel apps will you download and use for your next Indonesian travels? We hope you feel more at ease with the important apps to use in Indonesia. 

If you have any questions about these apps, please ask us a question in the comment section below. 

Happy travels! 

Like this post? Save it to your Indonesia or Asia Travel Pinterest board.

Two boats in the blue waters and next to the pink sandy beach in Indonesia, and the text of 12 Best Travel Apps for Indonesia

Featured photo & pin #1 photo credit: Gatot Adri via Scopio Photos

asia travel app

I'm Jackie - world explorer, hiker, and wanderer. I love planning things whether it is a trip or an upcoming event, exploring nature, hiking up mountains, and seeing new places. I'm notorious for getting lost, so you may see me circling a place a few times.

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asia travel app

This is such a handy post, Jackie, thank you! 🙂 I haven’t been to Bali since 2008, so I know many things will have changed. I hadn’t heard of Tiket, so I’ll try using that next time. There are some helpful tips on the taxi apps too, thanks 🙂

You’re welcome Layla. Glad you found this post helpful!

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22 Best Travel Apps Every Traveler Should Know About

From tracking flight delays, finding last-minute accommodations, and even locating the nearest public restroom, these are the most helpful travel apps to download before you travel.

asia travel app

Using the right travel apps can help you save both time and money , while making the journey much less stressful . Many of these apps also provide local recommendations and hidden gems tourists don't often get to see — and some are completely free.

Whether you're looking for an app that will give you discounts for popular local events, offer a last-minute booking at a fraction of the price, or help you breeze through the airport , these are the 22 best travel apps to download before your next trip.

Citymapper helps travelers find the speediest route to their destination, providing step-by-step instructions on where to find the nearest bus and train stations. You'll be able to see when the next arrivals are, and real-time routing means you'll get updates every minute. The app also has a chat feature that allows you to update friends and family on your E.T.A. wherever you are.

Available on iOS and Android .

PackPoint takes the hassle out of packing by creating a customized list of what you'll need for your getaway. Enter your destination, travel dates, length of stay, and activities that might require special gear, like hiking or swimming, and the app will create a custom packing list you can save for future use. Besides checking weather conditions for you, the app also allows users to share their packing lists with fellow travelers.

The beauty of Rebtel is you don't need an internet connection to call friends and family back home. The app connects to local phone lines to provide you with cheap calls in 51 countries around the world without having to deal with the hassle of getting a local SIM card or racking up your phone bill.

If you're looking to get outdoors, this app will provide you with the area's best hiking, biking, and running trails. In addition to details on length, starting location, and trail quality, AllTrails includes reviews and photos from a community of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. You'll find useful information like what to pack, obstacles you'll find along the route, and the best scenic spots to check out.

If you find yourself in the middle of a long layover, Dayuse can get you into a hotel room for a few hours for up to 75 percent less than what the typical overnight rate would be. The app features 5,000 hotels in 23 countries, and allows you to make free cancellations at the last minute, in case you manage to catch an earlier flight.

Selections include everything from business hotels to wellness accommodations, with payments made directly when you arrive. You also get full use of the hotel's amenities for the duration of your stay.

The prices of flights can fluctuate, making it tricky to decide if you should book right away or hold off. That's where Hopper comes in, predicting the best time to find the cheapest fares, saving up to 40 percent. The app also has a price-monitoring feature so that you can select a particular flight and receive alerts if the price drops. Through Hopper, users can also compare the prices and amenities of more than 250 airlines and get alerts about airfare flash sales.

RV Parks & Campgrounds

This camping app helps you locate prime RV parks, campgrounds, rest areas, and gas stations across North America. With more than 40,000 facilities, the app sorts locations based on ratings and includes both privately-owned RV parks and public parks to choose from.

Nike Training Club

Hitting the gym while you're traveling can be tough, but with Nike Training Club , you'll feel like you have a personal trainer right in your pocket. That's because you can access hundreds of free workouts from Nike Master Trainers and celebrities like Kevin Hart, Serena Williams, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Audio and video clips help you make sure you're on top of your technique, while personalized training plans will keep you on track.

If you don't have much time to spare at the airport, Grab allows you to check out what food selections are near your gate, and gives you the option to pre-order your meal so you can pick it up on the way. The app currently operates at over 60 airports worldwide, giving you plenty of bites to choose from on your next trip.

GasBuddy is the app you'll want if you're taking a road trip. GasBuddy tracks down where to find the cheapest gas prices, allowing you to filter by price, location, brand, and amenities. It also provides you with deals at nearby convenience stores and price hike alerts so you can nail down the best prices every time.

Want to know what local events are taking place at your destination? Headout will show you the top attractions, shows, tours, and experiences in popular cities like New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando, Hawaii, Dubai, and more.

Activities range from catching a Broadway show, yoga in the hills, or taking a helicopter tour, with exclusive last-minute offers that can be up to 80 percent off.

If you need to access the internet during your travels, chances are you'll have to connect to public Wi-Fi, which can be sketchy. TunnelBear allows you to connect privately and securely by providing you a VPN (virtual private network) that will encrypt your browsing data to keep your information hidden from hackers and advertisers. The app comes with 500MB of free browsing data each month, or you can opt for unlimited data at a low monthly rate.

Hostelworld

Hostelworld is where you'll find more than 17,000 hostels, hotels, B&B's, and communal spaces in 178 countries. The app is great for solo travelers looking to meet fellow vacationers during their trip, including a Noticeboard that highlights events and meetups, and a translator that will help you communicate in up to 43 languages.

WeatherBug provides forecasts for millions of locations around the world, with current, hourly, and even 10-day options. The app also has specific weather maps to track everything from lightning and wind to pressure and humidity, and makes staying on top of changes to the weather easy with instant alerts.

Eatwith allows you to dine with locals, in their homes, all over the world. Menus are posted for you to see, while hosts will typically list what they cook, the languages they speak, and any alcohol pairings they'll be serving. Not only does the app give you a chance to meet locals and get superb dining recommendations, but it also allows you to enjoy a high-quality meal for less than what you'd typically pay at a restaurant.

Available on iOS and Android.

Trying to locate a public restroom can be tricky, especially in a new destination. That's where Flush comes in. The app has a database of more than 200,000 toilets, and quickly provides travelers with nearby bathrooms. You can search without an internet connection, and the app will also notify you if a restroom requires a fee.

While banks may charge you a fee for transferring money abroad, Wise allows you to make a transfer based on real-time currency exchanges, so you can send money at rates the company says are up to eight times cheaper than what you'd find at traditional banks.

TripIt makes it easy to put together a cohesive travel itinerary. Simply forward your confirmation emails, like your hotel and flight reservations, or your rental car reservation, and TripIt will build a full itinerary to help you stay organized with all of your plans.

With real-time alerts, you'll know if your flight is delayed or canceled, while the flight finder can help you book a new option should a cancellation occur.

Another good app for the road, Waze gives you community-based data about traffic jams, and information to locate points of interest like the cheapest gas stations and the fastest routes to your destination. Live maps include voice-guided navigation to easily guide you.

Xe provides live exchange rates and charts to keep you on top of money matters during your travels, easily allowing you to choose between different currencies you'd like to convert. It also has a rate alert so that you can monitor your favorite currencies — and it can be used offline.

Timeshifter

If you're sick of the jet lag battle that inevitably comes with travel, check out Timeshifter , an app that helps you to avoid jet lag long before your flight departs. Thanks to neuroscience research on circadian rhythms and sleep, the app provides personalized recommendations that take into account your age, gender, typical sleep patterns, and specifics about your trip. The app will tell you when you should avoid or seek daylight, and when you should stay awake or take a nap. The result? A gentle jet lag experience, which translates to more time exploring your destination.

FlightAware

If you have a tight connection or are picking up friends or family from the airport, look to FlightAware for help. The app tracks flights in real time, so you can see exactly where the aircraft is at any given moment. In addition to providing arrivals and delays, you can also see if weather will have any affect on certain locations.

Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel.

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AsiaYo: Travel | Stays | Tours 4+

Hotel ,cruise ,group travel, asiayo co., ltd.

  • 4.3 • 21 Ratings

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Description.

Download the AsiaYo app and enjoy member benefits! AsiaYo Member Perks - First-time member discounts - Member-exclusive prices ==What is AsiaYo?== - Travel accommodations with tags: Find your perfect stay with just a tap. - Group tours: Explore the world without the hassle of planning. - One-stop shop for overseas travel: Book your accommodations, activities, and transportation in one place. - Mobile payment and electronic payment support: Pay quickly with LINE Pay, Apple Pay, or JKOPAY. ==Why AsiaYo?== - Free of charge: No booking fee, credit card processing fee, or cleaning fee for select domestic accommodations. - The most comprehensive selection of unique accommodations: Over 60,000+ unique rooms, including family-friendly and hot spring options. - The most user-friendly app experience: Simple operation, straightforward interface, and personalized recommendations. - Multilingual customer service: Multilingual customer service that communicates accurately with homeowners in all cities so you can rest assured when you check-in. - Japan travel experts: The only platform in Taiwan that has obtained a registration license for residential accommodations brokerage in Japan. - Flexible cancellation policy: A clear and concise cancellation policy allows you to change your travel plans as needed. What are you waiting for? Download the AsiaYo app today and start planning your trip!

Version 2.104.0

Ratings and Reviews

Good. easy to use.

Easy to use
第一次使用,很方便。在YT有人力推,就試試看,的確不錯👍希望訂的旅館不會失望!?

Says “English “ but no

No English. Not a problem, but don’t list English as one of the languages.

Developer Response ,

I am sorry to let you have this feeling, and we are very grateful for your willingness to provide our valuable suggestions.To enhance your personal experience, please feel free to email [email protected] with your order number.Our customer service team will improve your problem and sincerely hope to give our team a chance to serve you again. Thank you again for your response. We value and value the experience of each user. We will continue to improve and let the team provide better services.

App Privacy

The developer, AsiaYo Co., Ltd , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

  • Search History
  • Browsing History
  • Identifiers
  • Diagnostics

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

  • Financial Info
  • Contact Info
  • User Content

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, Korean, Traditional Chinese

  • Developer Website
  • App Support
  • Privacy Policy

asia travel app

Get all of your passes, tickets, cards, and more in one place.

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易遊網 - 機票、訂房及旅遊專屬優惠

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3 travel apps you need before your next flight to keep you out of long TSA lines

asia travel app

Travel can be stressful, especially when airports are involved. 

Flights get delayed, or, worse still, canceled.  

Ever-growing security lines sometimes snake through the airport, putting you in jeopardy of missing your flight.

Last-minute changes can happen and derail months of planning, potentially starting off your trip on a bad note.

Programs like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry can help travelers, but there are also ways that tech can help you prepare for your journey and stay aware of the curveballs that might come your way.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Here are three apps to download before your next trip. 

Watch the video above to learn which three apps you need before your next trip. 

Airline app 

Download your airline’s app! 

It keeps all of your travel information in one, easy-to-access place. 

Turn on notifications to get immediate alerts when it's time to check in so you'll know if there are any delays or gate changes. 

Once you have a boarding pass, save even more time by adding it to the digital wallet on your smartphone.

The lines at airport security can be very unpredictable. Sometimes there is no wait, other times, the line extends into the check-in area. 

The Transportation Security Agency’s (TSA) app, MyTSA, tries to make the wait a little more predictable and helps you determine what to expect, especially if you’re traveling from one of the busiest airports in the US.  

The app provides a real-time look at your selected airport's wait time, any FAA delays, and which TSA PreCheck lanes are open. 

The app also uses historical data to help you plan ahead. So, even if your flight is three days away, the app can show you what you’re likely to encounter that day based on previous experiences. 

It’s also a useful resource if you’re unsure about what you can or can’t pack in your carry-on and checked luggage.

Mobile Passport Control

If you’re traveling abroad, the Mobile Passport Control app makes your return through U.S. customs much faster. 

The app is a digital version of the Customs and Border Patrol Declaration Form that anyone entering the U.S. is required to fill out.  

You can save up to 12 profiles in the app, and only one form is needed per family, per residence. 

The app doesn't work at every airport, so check  the CBP website to see where you can use it. 

Reviewed-approved iPhone accessories  

Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.   

Reviewed helps you find the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of tech experts test everything from Apple AirPods and screen protectors to iPhone tripods and car mounts so you can shop for the best of the best. 

  • The best rugged iPhone case: Spigen Slim Armor  
  • A top wireless charger: Yootech Wireless Charger  
  • Our favorite screen protector: Ailun Glass Screen Protector  
  • The best portable battery pack: Mophie Powerstation Plus  
  • Durable phone car holders: Beam Electronics Phone Holder  
  • An iPhone tripod we love: Aureday Phone Tripod  
  • The best lightning cable: Anker 6 ft Premium Double-Braided Nylon Lightning Cable  

More problems, solved

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  • Plan your trip: 3 tips to plan your next trip using social media
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  • Photograph your food: 4 tips to capture delicious photos of your food
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asia travel app

10 Apps That Will Make The Most Of Your Vacation In 2024

I f you've ever spent time at a networking event, made small talk at your kids' soccer games, or scrolled through a dating app, you'll know that "travel" is something almost everyone will tell you they enjoy. Couple that with an attachment to our smartphones that borders on co-dependent, and it's no surprise to learn that travel apps are a hot commodity. Some of the best innovations in travel come in the form of apps. Staying in touch with people at home, travel planning, staying organized on the road, or connecting with other travelers? Not only is there an app for that, there are many apps for that. 

To help you sort through the plethora of what's out there, here are some travel-ready apps to make your vacation a blast. We've sourced suggestions from people who travel for a living and those who leave their local area only rarely, so no matter how often you jet-set, there is an app for you.

Read more: 12 Smart Gadgets You Didn't Know Existed

If your cell plan doesn't include international roaming, you can get slammed with steep fees for using mobile data outside your own country.

There are a few ways to get around roaming charges, including buying a local SIM card for the country you are traveling in, using a Wi-Fi stick , or investing in a dual SIM phone, like those from Samsung, Apple, or Google. One of the easiest and cheapest options though, is an eSIM app like Airalo . Airalo was one of the first in the eSIM game and continues to be popular with travelers. Fans of the app point to how easy it is to download and get started quickly, and how much it saves in fees. On the other hand, some users have noticed a discrepancy in how well it works in different countries. One reviewer on TrustPilot states "We do NOT recommend this plan given the extremely poor performance in Vietnam" despite noting excellent service in Hong Kong. 

Airalo is a paid service, available on the App Store and on Google Play.

Google Maps is often the default app travelers reach for when navigating new territory. It's a trusted resource for a lot of reasons, including the ease of finding reviews and info for even very small businesses. But it's not the only map app out there, nor is it the best in every situation. The main advantage of Maps.me over Google Maps is that it is based on user-generated information. Particularly for folks who are getting around on foot, this "boots on the ground" approach is excellent and more direct than reporting problems to Google Maps . It also means that if you find a cool place on your travels and want to make sure other travelers can find it, you can add it to a map.

Like Google Maps and other useful way-finding apps, you can download maps and bookmark points of interest for offline use, although the background information on locations is not as robust as on Google Maps. Maps.me also allows you to access various modes of transportation while offline, which Google doesn't. 

Maps.me is free to download and available from the App Store and from Google Play.

Cash's position as king is increasingly precarious. On your travels, you'll find cashless options in places you might not expect. The mass availability of mobile payment platforms like Square means you may be able to whip out your phone or card at Swiss coffee carts or Mexican street vendors. Wise (formerly Transferwise) lets you move between currencies seamlessly. Wise lets you operate in 40 currencies, which is particularly handy if you are traveling to several different countries. They advertise charges that are less than the major banks. However, some users have complained about complications with money transfers, so be forewarned if you intend to use this app for sending money. 

Of note to travelers is the option to get an actual bank card that can function as an international debit card with a nominal conversion fee (not all bank cards can pay by debit in countries other than your home base.) Or, save a step and scan your phone to pay from your Wise account. 

Wise is available on the App Store and from Google Play. There is no charge to download the app, but fees are charged for some banking activities.

If you are going to be traveling from place to place on your vacation, you will want the Rome2Rio app on your phone. Enter your destination and departure location, and the app spits out the options and approximate costs for each leg of your journey. For instance, if you are in Edmonton, Canada, and want to get to the Thai island of Ko Yao Yai, the app will suggest six options, labeling the best, cheapest, and fastest combination of flight, minibus, and ferry. You can't purchase tickets through the app, although there are links to book accommodation that take you to Booking.com. Being able to purchase travel fares through the app would make things easier, especially if they were offered in a package, but the absence of that feature means you can investigate and compare prices from different booking operators , so we are putting it in the win column.

Rome2Rio is free to download and available from the App Store and from Google Play.

Rick Steves Audio Europe

Rick Steves is recognized as a top voice in travel guides. His down-to-earth approach to travel has endeared multitudes of followers to him, spawning an industry of books, television shows, and a sprawling web presence that features how-to guides, articles, and an active travelers' forum. On top of all that, he has a free app for self-guided walking tours through many of Europe's top sights called Rick Steves Audio Europe . Reviewers of the app give it a high rating (4.7 on Google Play and 4.3 on the App Store) using superlatives like "This app is GOLD," and comparing the quality of the tours to paid audio tours. On the downside, it is difficult to sync the app on multiple devices, so if you are in a group you may all be at slightly different parts of the tour, which can be mildly annoying. There are a bunch of tour sites, with more added periodically.

The audio tours and accompanying maps are downloadable, so you don't need to worry about burning through mobile data or needing to rely on Wi-Fi. Rick Steve Audio Europe is free to download and available from the App Store and from Google Play.

How many trips come vividly back to life in your mind just by thinking about that one excellent bowl of Cacio e Pepe pasta or sun-drenched sip of a Paloma? Exploring a place through its flavors and discovering new spots to eat is a beloved part of travel. In Europe, TheFork (the French version is called LaForchette) is the go-to app for crowd-sourced restaurant reviews. Previously, the app also covered Australia, but at the start of 2024, it was announced they will be pulling out of Oz.

You can find Michelin-starred restaurants with months-long wait lists or little hole-in-the-wall spots by searching the name of the eating establishment, the city or neighborhood you want to eat in, or the kind of cuisine you are craving.

The app is worthy of its space on your phone just for the restaurant listings and reviews, but if you want to explore more of the capabilities, there are ways to expand its usefulness. You can make reservations, register to collect points, access discounts and specials at select spots, and pay through the app. TheFork is free to download and available from the App Store and from Google Play.

Looking for a little love on the road? The Fairytrail app might be the ticket to romance (or ROAMance) you are looking for. Aimed at digital nomads and van life devotees, the app is a nice addition to the dating lives of travelers of all stripes. Members are evaluated and assigned a fairytale character similar to enneagram-slash-Myers-Briggs personality types, which is a new and novel approach compared with other iPhone dating apps or Android dating apps .

Because the app is focused on people with nomadic lifestyles, matches are location-independent. The idea is that users of the app will be willing to travel to each other to meet and date. There is a setting that allows an extra layer of matching: dream places to visit. If you so choose, before chatting with a match you need to have an overlapping "bucket-list" destination. Previously, this was an unavoidable step but became an optional setting after it was changed in response to frustration expressed by reviewers. The app is being redesigned in 2024 and soliciting feedback from users. Stay tuned, it seems more happy endings are in store! Fairytrails is free to download with in-app purchases and is available from the App Store and from Google Play.

Price Scanner And Converter

A very unpleasant aspect of vacationing in another country is coming home to a shocking credit card bill. Part of the problem is the tendency of holidaymakers to spend like money isn't real, but the other problem is how difficult it is to calculate prices into your own currency. Sure, you can come up with shortcuts to do quick math, but that gives you an estimate rather than an exact cost. To help, there are many different currency converter apps out there, with features like real-time rate calculation and offline capability. The somewhat clunky-named Price Scanner and Converter takes it one step further by using your phone's camera to scan prices and display them automatically in your preferred currency (out of 150 global currencies.) New iPhone cameras also have a similar capability, but it isn't as seamless a process as using this app.

This price scanning app isn't presently available on Google Play, although there are similar apps to be found. The reviews are pretty overwhelmingly mediocre, so if you are on team Android, your best bet may be to download a regular currency converter and enter in prices the old-fashioned way.

Downloading the Price Scanner and Converter is free from the App Store.

Searching through your emails for confirmations and itineraries isn't an efficient way to access your travel information. And good luck if you have used your work email for some of your planning and your personal email for others. What if you are offline when you need to find your tour details? Nightmare fuel. Tripit has created a simple user experience, allowing you to forward all those endless travel planning emails to be arranged into an easily accessible itinerary in a single spot, which you can access from any of your devices.

Other features of this include the ability to load PDFs, QR codes, and other travel documents to your Tripit travel folder. There are helpful navigation tools, like airport maps, neighborhood safety ratings, and nearby places. You can share your travel plans and sync them to your calendar. For $49 a year (or a free 30-day trial) you can upgrade to Tripit Pro for enhanced travel aid, including notifications to help keep you on track and on time. 

Tripit is free to download from the App Store and from Google Play, and you can upgrade to the premium Tripit Pro on the Tripit website or in the app.

Mobile Passport Control

The latest app from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol goes by the wildly creative name, " Mobile Passport Control ." It's a no-nonsense app with a no-nonsense name that allows users to streamline the customs experience. Rather than filling out declarations forms, users enter their information into the app and send it to border officials so they can access it as soon as they get to customs. You can do this immediately upon arrival, say as your plane is taxiing to the gate.

The app is for United States citizens and Canadians with a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa who are entering the USA at one of 33 American airports, 11 preclearance sites, and four seaports. It works in tandem with your passport, but it doesn't replace it.

As a bonus, some sites allow those with the Mobile Passport Control app to use their own (almost always shorter!) line or expedited Global Entry lines at passport control. You can enter family members on the same app and there is no approval process, just download and go.

A previous iteration of the app had a premium, paid version, but this is no longer the case. The app is free on the App Store and Google Play.

Read the original article on SlashGear .

person checks phone at airport

IMAGES

  1. The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

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  2. The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

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  3. Best free apps for travelling Southeast Asia

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  4. Looking for the best travel apps to take with you on your backpacking

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  5. airasia Super App partners with Trip.com to boost relationship with

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  6. AirAsia launches new Mobile App

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VIDEO

  1. Airasia Super App

  2. Thailand Mein Scorpio-N Ki Most Expensive Parking 😰 |India To Australia By Road| #EP-67

COMMENTS

  1. The Best Apps for Travel in Asia

    12GO ASIA. 12Go Asia is an online travel agency based in Singapore with its main office in Bangkok, Thailand. 12Go Asia allows users to search and book various modes of transportation on various routes throughout Asia and beyond. 12Go Asia makes it easy to book buses, trains, ferries, and more. Learn More.

  2. Top 15 Travel Apps You Can't Miss for Backpacking Through Southeast Asia

    The app allows you to compare prices, schedules, and routes for various modes of transport, and book tickets directly. 12Go Asia operates in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, making it an essential app for seamless travel throughout the region.

  3. 8 Must-Have Apps for Travel in Southeast Asia

    8) Rome2Rio. This is the best travel app for route planning. It uses buses, trains and planes to find the easiest way to get to your destination. We were amazed out how well it worked even in remote locations in Southeast Asia. We didn't always book through Rome2Rio but it helped us visualise the easiest way to get form A to B.

  4. The Best Apps for Travellers Heading to Asia

    If you are traveling in Asia and want to connect will other travelers for vacation advice or to travel together, Travel Buddy is available in over 170 countries throughout the world. With Locals If you prefer avoiding the tourist traps in favor of really taking in the local culture, the With Locals app can offer you recommendations of out-the ...

  5. The 10 Most Helpful Travel Apps for Southeast Asia for a Seamless

    Food Panda is your go-to travel app in Southeast Asia for food delivery. It's available in Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Burma along with a few other countries outside of Southeast Asia.

  6. 11 Essential Travel Apps (for Asia and the rest of the world)

    App available for IOS and Android here. 6. Booking.com / Agoda / Priceline. I've put these three together because they serve the same purpose: to find a place to stay. Booking.com has a more worldwide presence, whereas Agoda and Priceline (both owned by Booking Holdings) are more Asia - oriented.

  7. Top 10 amazing Travel Apps For Backpacking Southeast Asia

    You will need internet access to enjoy this app. 4. Grab. This is a Go-to app that will help travellers to get a shared shuttle bus, private car, motorbike, and taxi in Southeast Asia. Grab is functional in Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

  8. 10 Best Travel Apps in Thailand

    VyperVPN. LINE Messaging and Delivery App. ViaBus. XE Currency. Skyscanner. Netflix. Online and mobile applications have changed the way we travel today. Not too many years ago, we would travel to foreign countries with paper maps, books, and a folder full of photocopied information.

  9. Best Backpacking Apps for Traveling Southeast Asia

    Best Travel Apps for Vietnam Trip Wolf Vietnam Country Guide. After teaming up with Fodor's Travel, Trip Wolf is a handy app which serves as both a guide and an offline map. Allows you to plan your trip and download all the guides ahead of time, giving you access to all the highlights of the country.

  10. AirAsia MOVE: Flights & Hotels

    Introducing the AirAsia MOVE app - Your Ultimate Travel and Lifestyle Companion! Get ready to go all the way with the AirAsia MOVE app, previously known as the airasia Superapp. Whether you're searching for the best deals, cheap flights, or exploring new horizons in Asia or around the world, this all-in-one app has got you covered.

  11. Best Travel Apps in Asia

    Asia is an attractive destination for both business and leisure travellers alike, with over 260 million international tourist arrivals in 2015 alone. Here are some travel websites and mobile applications that could help you in your travel plans for your next trip to Asia. Trivago. Trivago is one of the largest hotel search and hotel price ...

  12. AirAsia MOVE: Flights & Hotels 4+

    Introducing the AirAsia MOVE app - Your Ultimate Travel and Lifestyle Companion! Get ready to go all the way with the AirAsia MOVE app, previously known as the airasia Superapp. Whether you're searching for the best deals, cheap flights, or exploring new horizons in Asia or around the world, this all-in-one app has got you covered.

  13. 17 Must-Have Thailand Travel Apps In 2024

    1. Grab. The number one app you need when travelling in Thailand is Grab. There is no Uber in Thailand and Grab is the best alternative. In my opinion, it's much easier to use too. Grab is an "all in one" sort of app as you can get transport, food deliveries and grocery deliveries all from the same place.

  14. The best travel apps every traveler should download

    ITUNES. Hopper has changed in recent years from just offering a price prediction tool for flights to being a true online travel agency. The app helps travelers find the cheapest flights, hotels and rental cars. Of course, Hopper also still offers its signature price prediction technology to help you plan out when to book, as well as travel protection options and a price freeze to help you lock ...

  15. Language Apps and Technology to Help You Navigate Asia

    When I first used a translation app in Asia, ... Any travel can be improved by memorizing even a little bit of the local language, and there is an abundance of learning apps to help. A few lessons ...

  16. Must-Have Apps for Visiting Bali

    Waze is an Indonesian travel app we found a lot of our taxi drivers use in Bali as it seems to know the area of Bali a bit better than other map apps. 12go Asia One app that is essential for getting around Bali is 12go Asia , especially if you are planning on visiting other islands like Ceningan , Nusa Penida or Gili T.

  17. Traveling in Asia: What Transport Apps Do You Need?

    Nomad has travel eSIM plans for over 20 countries in Asia-Pacific, each with varying data sizes and duration. And if you will be traveling across multiple countries, Nomad also has APAC regional plans that cover up to 21 countries with a single eSIM, as well as SEA-Oceania regional plans that have coverage over 8 countries.

  18. 12 Essential Travel Apps to Use in Indonesia

    Grab. Grab is another ride-hailing app to use. The company is based in Singapore, yet the Grab app is used in the majority of Southeast Asia countries. The app works exactly like Gojek and Uber. Everything is done within the app from requesting where to go and payment via credit card.

  19. 22 Best Travel Apps Every Traveler Should Know About

    Waze. Another good app for the road, Waze gives you community-based data about traffic jams, and information to locate points of interest like the cheapest gas stations and the fastest routes to ...

  20. Bali Asia Travel

    Welcome to the Bali Asia Travel Apps, Pioneer Agency with the most complete Online Reservation System in Indonesia, supported by the AUTO BOOKING, AUTO ISSUED and AUTO DEPOSIT systems, making it a Travel Agent with fully automated and complete feature support in Indonesia.

  21. airasia Superapp wins Asia's Best Travel Booking App at World Travel

    Mike Sawicki, Director, World Travel Tech Awards, says: "Congratulations to airasia Superapp for winning 'World's Best Low-Cost Airline App 2023' and 'Asia's Best Travel Booking App 2023'. This is a remarkable achievement, reflecting how the brand is setting the benchmark in online travel.

  22. Best Travel & Lifestyle app in Malaysia

    AirAsia MOVE is an all-in one travel app with a wide range of offerings, which include OTA services such as flight bookings from over 700 airlines, including the World's Best Low-Cost Carrier AirAsia and 900,000 hotels world-wide plus ride-hailing, dining experiences, travel insurance, more, underpinned by integrated financial services by BigPay and a strong loyalty programme, airasia rewards.

  23. I tested AirAsia's new super app. Here's my verdict

    A trip from Phuket to Bali reveals that the airline's new travel application is still a work in progress. Ian Lloyd Neubauer. Jan 6, 2023 - 7.15am. Imagine how much easier travel could be if ...

  24. ‎AsiaYo: Travel

    - Travel accommodations with tags: Find your perfect stay with just a tap. - Group tours: Explore the world without the hassle of planning. - One-stop shop for overseas travel: Book your accommodations, activities, and transportation in one place. - Mobile payment and electronic payment support: Pay quickly with LINE Pay, Apple Pay, or JKOPAY.

  25. Best travel apps to download for flights and trips

    Pre-travel checklist:4 things you need to do before your next trip Plan your trip: 3 tips to plan your next trip using social media Easily get around: 4 tech tips to easily explore a new city

  26. 10 Apps That Will Make The Most Of Your Vacation In 2024

    Reviewers of the app give it a high rating (4.7 on Google Play and 4.3 on the App Store) using superlatives like "This app is GOLD," and comparing the quality of the tours to paid audio tours.