5 travel apps all intrepid adventurers need in their lives

Written by Gavin

17 Jul 2015 • 50 min read

5 travel apps all intrepid adventurers need in their lives

Picture credit: iStock

Back in the good old days, travel accessories used to consist of a sturdy backpack, a pair of decent hiking boots and a map. Today, that’s no longer the case. Yes, these things are still useful out on the open road, but so too are many travel apps that make up the modern traveller’s arsenal. We’ve selected five of the most useful applications available at the moment.

Pack the boots, but don’t forget your charger.

TripAdvisor

An obvious place to start, but has there ever been an app more useful for regular travellers? Find out the best places to eat in town, from the high-end gourmet treats to the little-known family run eateries. Fancy a drink off the beaten track? Consult the app for a cool place to spend the evening. With potentially just one day in any given place, you want to make the most of your time there and that means finding the best possible place to eat, drink and have fun.

On top of food and drink, there’s also a highlight of the best attractions in any given city, plus the reviews from people who have been. With an easy-to-understand five-star rating system, you can get a glimpse of the good stuff when you’re in a rush and check out the comments for a more in-depth view when you’ve time to spare.

If you haven’t ever used it, you really should give it a go before your next big trip.

Google Translate

Because no matter how many phrases you learn in Thai, there will be a point when the words for “please, no more buckets” escapes you.

On top of a regular translate mode, complete with phonetic guide, the newest version of this helpful app includes ‘Conversation Mode’; a really useful piece of kit. Simply hold up to two people having a conversation in another language and the app will tell you what they are saying. It’s excellent for those times when frantic gesturing and pointing just aren’t enough.

If you are planning a big end of year trip and you really want to learn a little language, try Duolingo as well.

TravelSafe Pro

One for the more cautious travellers, TravelSafe Pro contains the emergency numbers for almost every country on the planet – or at least the ones you’d want to visit on holiday.

As well as numbers for police, fire, ambulance and emergency medical assistance, the app also contains numbers for your embassy within a country, in case your passport is lost or stolen.

Available on Android, the app only costs 99p, which is nothing when you consider how important it could prove to be.

WiFi Finder

Even the most intrepid modern travellers still need a good internet connection every once in a while. WiFi Finder helps you avoid excessive roaming charges for those times when you need to transfer money to your travel card or when you absolutely must update your Facebook status in order to induce envy among your friends at home.

Download it for free on all major smartphones and use the offline mode to avoid further charges. Just fire up the app and follow the directions to that sweet, sweet internet.

Dropbox

Snap happy travellers might want to invest in this handy cloud storage app to keep the holiday pics safe and secure. There’s a free initial service of 2GB, or you can pay a monthly fee to ensure you have maximum capacity – it really depends on how many pictures you intend to take on your trip.

★★★★★

Was very impressed with Eshores booking my recent holiday , communication was great, no pushiness into booking and making decisions, was helpful in changing things around until the trip was just right , would certainly use again …

Lorraine Maureen

★★★★★

Excellent and knowledgeable service!

Philip

★★★★★

Andy provided a great itinerary for our planned trip to Thailand . Very accomomdating in ensuring our budgets and required destinations were met . We have used Andy 3 times now and have been very happy with the service and the holidays that we have enjoyed . Will use again /

Nicholas

★★★★★

This is the second holiday booked with you and Chris has an enormous amount of information and so helpful in selecting the right itinerary for our needs giving us confidence in our choice. Looking forward to our trip to Bangkok Loas and Hanoi

Susan

★★★★★

Once again 5* brilliance

Deborah

★★★★★

I spoke with Matt, who was amazing. I told him what I was looking for, and he sent me the quote which was exactly what I had in mind. The booking process was very straightforward and the service so far has been excellent.

Zoe

★★★★★

Kadie at eShores is really helpful and responds to enquiries really quickly. We used them for a trip to Turkey in 2025, all tranfers went smoothly and the chosen hotels were lovely and of good value. I defintely recomend them

Frances

★★★★★

Claire has been very helpful and knowledgeable dealing with our recent enquiry and booking ..she has returned my phone calls as promised and I know I am able to contact her if the need arises ..which it probably will between now and our holiday in Jan '27 😊

Angela Dawn

★★★★★

Nick was very patient and helpful in finding me the perfect properties for my trip. He was always contactable and kept me up to date with everything. Thank you.

Anonymous

★★★★★

Excellent customer service. I have found e-shores to be helpful and supportive

Hilary

★★★★★

Claire was super helpful and accommodating

Anthea

★★★★★

I’m very pleased with the customer service

Dawn Marie

★★★★★

Great professional service. Booked exactly what I needed for a good price.

Anonymous

★★★★★

We enquired about a trip to Thailand for November 2026 and we had a phone from Matthew….. wow, what can we say, he was so knowledgeable and gave us some of his experiences over there. Matthew was so friendly and extremely helpful. We cannot thank you enough for helping to book our trip with yourselves,…

Lisa Jane

★★★★★

Second time I've used them and both times absolutely brilliant (Laura first time and Anna this). Request dealt with very quickly and efficiently and itinerary tailored perfectly. Definitely recommended

Allan

★★★★★

Excellent very prompt service. Very helpful and experienced staff and concise paperwork etc.

Judy Georgina

★★★★★

Emailed my holiday ideas and after a couple of emails and a couple of phone conversations Michelle had our perfect package put together She sounds so friendly and knowledgeable and it was a pleasure booking.

Deborah Jane

★★★★★

Very friendly and efficient service from Leanne together with a wide range of tempting travel options.

Graham

★★★★★

This is my second booking with Emma at eShores, the service provided was excellent. Emma responds very quickly, is professional and developed a great itinerary for our holiday in June to Sicily and Greece. We will definitely use eShores for future holidays. Highly recommended.

Carol

★★★★★

Exceptional Service from eShores — Dave Went Above and Beyond We recently booked our holiday through eShores, and working with Dave made the entire experience outstanding. His knowledge of our chosen destination was second to none — every suggestion he made felt thoughtful, well‑researched, and perfectly suited to what we were looking for. What really…

Steven

5 travel apps all intrepid adventurers need in their lives

Table of contents