seriouslywheresjulia

1. XE currency converter – great for checking up to date exchange rates when haggling, purchasing anything, or deciding how much money to take out of an ATM in a new country.
2. Maps.me – an amazing offline map application. I download this for every country before I travel there and pin down my hostel and some important places I want to see. It’s very useful when you get off at a bus station in a new place and the touts tell you your hostel is “very far, too far to walk.” I’ve lead large groups of backpackers out of bus stations toward downtown using this app, much to the chagrin of local taxi drivers.
3. Whatsapp – great apps to keep in touch with new friends on the road and friends back home. Note: make sure to activate these apps when your SIM card is active, i.e. before you leave for another country where you won’t be using a cellular service.
4. Notes – not an app, but still a smartphone travel staple. I keep track of my spending in a Moleskine notebook, but when I’m on the run I use Notes to keep track of what I’ve spent. It’s also useful when traveling with friends – it’s much easier to figure out who owes whom at the end when you’ve been tracking costs along the way.

Adventure like an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer.