The Must-Have Travel Apps for Backpackers in 2017

Backpacking heads many bucket lists, after all, you can set yourself free, immerse yourself in foreign cultures and see the beauty of the world.

Nowadays, you’ve probably got your smartphone with you to keep in touch with friends and family back home, to keep your social media updates and to snap some photographs so the memories of your travels last forever.

There are also a host of useful travel apps that backpackers should download to make their life on the road easier.

Owners Direct

Owners Direct App is a fantastic app for anyone on the road; it allows you to search for holiday rentals around the world by simply tapping in your location.

It informs you of the facilities of each rental, how many rooms it holds and gives you ratings and reviews from previous guests there. You can also contact the owner for additional information or if you wish to plan your stay down to every last detail.

The HomeAway & Owners Directapp provides you with all the tools you need to plan, book and manage your stay without taking forever and a day and using up that precious time that could be spent exploring, and what’s more, it’s completely hassle free.

You can even save you searches so if you can’t make up your mind up just yet, you can delegate with your fellow backpackers and then book whenever you wish.

FlightBoard

For just £2.99 FlightBoard will immediately turn your iPhone or tablet into an arrivals or departures board for any airport around the globe.

The app covers 4,000 airports and 1,400 airlines worldwide, and it is updated every five minutes so you can regularly check the departures and arrivals from any said destination and you can also quickly change between any boards in different airports in different countries.

You can share your flight information with others via Twitter, Facebook, and email too, so if anyone’s waiting for you on the otherwise they will know where to meet you and be updated on any delays.

Packing Pro

Undoubtedly, one of the most stressful things about traveling is packing. The Packing Pro app will give you suggestions on what to pack, based on whatever trip you’re taking. If you’re not yet convinced, the app has won awards for its usefulness, and it syncs with your PC, so you are able to edit your lists with Excel, Numbers or GoogleDocs.

There’s a large catalog that features more than 800 items for children big and small, sports, food preparation and even religion.

The list will provide you with items you need to take based on the number of adults and children traveling, the period you’re going for as well as the current temperature, and destination.

XE Currency

Obviously, if you’re traveling, it’s highly likely you’ll be traveling to countries that use different currencies than your last and your next.

XE Currency keeps you up to date with current exchange rates and can be used to calculate prices in shops or restaurants. It also ensures that you can get the best deals available and that a currency exchange is displaying the correct rates and double check you’re not being fleeced.

Foodspotting

Everybody knows how frustrating trying to find somewhere to eat can be when you’re hungry and if you aren’t familiar with the area, this can often take some time. The Foodspotting app is made especially for problems such as this and uses GPS to find restaurants in your location.

It will provide you with a slide show of nearby restaurants, accompanied by some mouth-watering pictures and customer reviews so you can check you want to eat there.

It also has a map mode so you can find your chosen eatery with ease.

Wi-Fi Finder is an app with a similar concept and extremely useful if you’d like to use any of the ones above without them eating up your data.

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This story was brought to you in partnership with Owners Direct.