What are the best travel apps?

5 Apps to Have on Your Phone When Traveling

Today we are going to talk about our selection of the 5 coolest apps when you're traveling. And so, I will simply mention a few applications that have caught our attention at Vialala, and that we think might interest you, both travelers and travel organizers.

Maps.me

So, we'll start with Maps.me, which is a mapping and GPS application, but does not require an internet connection. It allows you to download maps by region of all the destinations you want. These maps list points of interest such as museums, viewpoints, or hiking trails, and even some accommodations and restaurants. You can create and save your own routes or take up routes created by other users. In the same way, you can create your own markers to save places.

You can use it as a travel journal, especially for trips with stages, circuits, road trips, backpacking. The advantage over other mapping apps is that it can be used even without internet access and it contains a lot of information in one place. The only downside is that you need to download the maps, which therefore takes up a certain amount of space on your phone.

Rome2rio

Here is an application that has already existed for quite some time and is very useful. It's Rome2Rio. It's an app specialized in transportation that allows you to calculate routes using various means of transport all over the world and then book them if you wish. You have the option to select the plane, train, bus, ferry, and car.

There are many airplane comparison websites, but there are very few sites that take into account all modes of transport, and that's what makes it unique. No matter your route, you can compare all the possibilities and get an estimate of the price as well as the travel time for each option, whether you are traveling within a large country or for simpler journeys between European cities, for example. For travel planners, this allows you to inform the traveler based on their preferences without spending too much time searching and at the same time it enables them to inquire on the spot for journeys that were not planned in advance.

Geovelo

This application is dedicated to cyclists: it is called Geovelo. This application lists tourist bike routes but it also serves primarily as a bike GPS. You can choose the type of bicycle you use (electric or traditional) and the app offers several routes to get you where you want to go, indicating the percentage of bike-only lanes you will take. This is very useful if you want to build an itinerary that prioritizes user safety. It also shows you the elevation of the route you will take, the travel time, and the estimated difficulty.

The tourist routes listed are mainly located in Europe but you can use the GPS function anywhere in the world. The application also offers several additional features such as suggestions for walks, recording your journeys (time taken, speed, etc.), and you can even join cycling groups in the area.

PlantNet

Next, we have an app that is quite nice for people who enjoy nature and who walk in the forest or in the mountains, etc., and who want to learn to recognize, for example, certain plants because they see them often and don't know what they are or because they come across them and find them pretty. And so, here we have a very nice app called PlantNet, as there have been several created like this recently.

This allows, from a photo of a leaf or a flower to recognize the plant and thus to be able to create your own little digital herbarium. Recognition is not guaranteed every time and it is based on photos from the community so you will have a selection of plants that may correspond, from the most likely to the least likely. You also have access to information about the recognized plant.

When traveling, depending on the places we go, we may recognize either trees or some unusual plants, or simply educate ourselves and learn more about the ecosystems and environments in which we walk or travel.

Geocaching

We have yet another cool app to suggest to you called Geocaching. Geocaching is an app that allows you to embark on a treasure hunt by searching for caches using GPS coordinates. Once you find the cache, if you find it, you can usually leave your name and surname as well as the date of your find and put the cache back in its place for the next player.

There are caches everywhere in the world, placed by numerous players and with varying difficulty. Some caches even require climbing! Moreover, some players will give you clues about the exact location of the cache and historical information about the place where it is located. It allows you to visit the city or region in a somewhat original and playful way. And families, for example, often do this.

There you have it, we have covered the main applications, there are also many new sports applications coming out, where you can find sports activities nearby. We will discuss this in an upcoming article.