Whether you are emigrating or just touring, it can be an adjustment to learn how to use public transport, to know where you can eat traditional food or to master the language. Beforehand, it is handy to inform yourself on the country’s cultural customs and to read up on the dos and don’ts. A good first step is to always check if there is an existing Facebook group for South Africans in that country, because then you can quickly make a couple of friends and even have your own tour guide who can speak Afrikaans! Technology has drastically changed travel over the past couple of years. You can translate everything you are saying in the blink of an eye; weigh different transport systems against each other without effort; and even share all your experiences with your family and friends – almost as if they are there with you.

With your smartphone in your pocket you can make life much easier. Familiarise yourself with a few apps (applications) and in this way make sure that you learn the ropes quickly. Here are 15 of the best travel apps we discovered:

Duolingo

Duolingo is surely the most popular app for learning a new language. Duolingo is free and allows you to learn to speak more than 30 languages in a fun manner. It helps you to understand important phrases by both listening and speaking. With more than 200 million people who use this app, you can’t go wrong!

XE Currency Converter

To keep one’s head with exchange rates and currencies – especially when you are visiting a few countries – can be a headache. With XE Currency Converter you can see the exchange rate of every currency on earth. You simply type in which currency you want to exchange and you can then select up to ten regular currencies to which the app must convert. This helps you to be aware of how much you are spending at all times and you also have the option to receive notifications when a certain market drastically changes. The app also has a built-in calculator which makes it easy to calculate how much your items cost.

TravelSafe Pro

This app gives you critical emergency information on the country or region you are visiting. It includes important emergency contact numbers (police, emergency or fire department services) in the vicinity, as well as the necessary information on your nearest embassy. The app also has a panic button that you can press to send an emergency SMS to three of your contacts. What makes this app even more unique is that you do not necessarily need internet access for most of the functions.

TravWell

TravWell is an app that was created by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You simply type in your destination and the app then lets you know exactly which injections you will need for this area or which medication you need to take along.

RunGo

If you like jogging, then RunGo is the perfect way to find jogging routes in your vicinity. There are more than 100 000 routes worldwide and about 200 routes are added daily by people from all over the world. This is the ideal way to explore your environment!

Google Maps / CityMapper

One of the first priorities in a new environment is to be able to find your bearings and be able to get yourself from point A to point B. Google Maps is handy and very accurate, of course. It also allows you to plan routes with trains, busses, on foot or by car. CityMapper is also a good alternative, as it indicates live times for both bus and train, while being integrated with Uber. CityMapper however only works in Canada, Asia, Australia, America and the largest part of Europe.

Detour

Wouldn’t it be great to take a free private tour through a city without having to move in a tour group? With Detour you can listen to interesting facts and history snippets while you stroll around in a city. The best of all is that the app can pick up exactly where you are with the help of GPS and then gives you information that is relevant to the street you are walking on. So far, Detour is available for 17 cities.

Wi-Fi Map

With this app you can make sure that you make the most of free Wi-Fi hotspots. Based on where you are this app shows you a map with all the Wi-Fi spots around you, as well as the password to gain access to each. You can also run speed tests on the various Wi-Fi networks to make sure you sign in with one that has a strong enough signal.

AirHelp

Has your flight ever been delayed or cancelled? You can possibly be compensated for it! With AirHelp you enter your flight number where your flight was delayed or couldn’t fly, and they apply for compensation on your behalf. The wonderful thing is that AirHelp only takes a fee should the application be successful. Now your frustration can be reduced when your next flight is delayed.

Culture Trip / TripAdvisor

Culture Trip looks at unique cultural experiences in certain areas and gives you access to these experiences. The app also offers unique content on places in the vicinity of where you are, as well as videos and thousands of suggestions by other travellers. TripAdvisor is just as handy to see how other travellers rated certain eateries, hotels or experiences. It is a frustrating experience to eat at an expensive restaurant with no ambience or to waste your spending money on an experience that was not worth it. With Culture Trip and TripAdvisor you have access to a multitude of recommendations and suggestions.

Uber

To walk out of an airport and be bombarded by scores of taxi drivers who each have their own price, can be overwhelming. Uber makes it easy to be transported from point A to point B in a reliable manner. You can also calculate beforehand how much a ride will cost you, with Uber Estimates, and you don’t have to use cash. Easy, simple and fast.

iTranslate Voice / Google Translate

If you have not yet mastered the language of the country you are visiting, the first while can especially be a nightmare. iTranslate and Google Translate allows you to quickly translate phrases or words. The paid option of iTranslate (iTranslate Voice) allows you to simply say the word and the app translates it to the language of your choice. It can even work to have conversations with locals: You tell the app what you want to say, and it rewords your phrase in the language you have selected. As such, the other person can then also be recorded when he answers and the app then talks to you again in your own language. There is no excuse anymore to not speak to locals in their own language!

Zoom

To travel is an experience, and it is something that you surely want to share with your friends and family. As with Skype, Zoom is also a video app with which you can chat to your friends live and carry them with you on your smartphone. Show them where you are and what you are doing, while you chat the hind leg off a donkey. The benefit is that it only requires an internet connection and does not have any international call tariffs. Apart from good stability and the high quality of the broadcast on Zoom, it also allows you to chat to more than one person at a time. This means that you can connect to the whole family in one call!

Your bags are most certainly packed and you are ready for your trip! The value in working, living or holidaying in another country, is to immerse yourself in the culture of others and their way of living. Use technology to make the most of your time and not only to learn from online communities, but also to share your experience!