Smartphones are steadily making other devices - and even physical media - obsolete. Your phone is now your camera, newspaper, library, map, entertainment hub, shopping portal and more. This versatility becomes even more important when you travel.
Forget bulky travel guides and single-purpose gadgets, your phone can streamline your packing. Sure, it can't replace your wardrobe (yet), but it can replace many other items you'd lug around the world one day. And it's a boon to your planning, too.
At least it is as you have the right apps. Here are our top picks to get you started.
Go directly to the best apps for:
Planning your trip
Skyscanner
Todoist
Booking.com
DB Navigator
Atlas Obscura
Back to indexBefore your flight
Flight aware
Readable
White noise+
If you find flying stressful and overwhelming, this app lets you filter out the noise with customizable ambient soundscapes that you arrange on a grid-based mini mixer. On Android? White Noise (99p) does a similar job, though it's nowhere near as fancy.
Free or £11.99; iOS
Money and supplies
NordVPN
VPNs overdo their hand on security, but they're worth using to encrypt data on public Wi-Fi. They can also spoof your location to access geo-blocked services or go shopping. NordVPN is my favorite - it's reliable, fast, and packed with features. If you sign up, do so via the website, which offers far better details than anything you'll get in the app. Free; Android, iOS
Find out how to save money on holidays by using a VPN in our guide.
Back to indexCurrency
Expense tracker
There are more advanced budgeting apps out there, but who wants a hassle on vacation? This app is designed to help you define a budget, quickly log expenses, and make sure the final sum doesn't seem like it's at much bigger than the previous one, and continue your vacation.
Free or £2.99; Android, iOS
Monzo
Find out how to find the best debit and credit cards for travel in our guide here.
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