11 Apps Every Solo Traveler Should Have

Life has become easier because apps are available for almost everything that we do in the world. Then why should travel remain a hassle?

You should have fun while traveling, not be stressed about the accommodation, finding the right food, transport, or attractions.

Let's discuss ten apps that can make it a little easier for you to travel, especially if you're traveling alone and are a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation.

1. Travello

This app helps you to connect with other travelers visiting the same place as you are. It's a bit like Facebook, and along with connecting you with others, it allows you to find great backpacking destinations.

You can use this app to book hotels, tours, and other activities. You can also leverage it to contact other people visiting the same holiday spot as you and share a cab with them to save money.

Download: Travello for Android | iOS (Free)

2. TravelSmart

This iPhone app is a great plus for people traveling solo to a different country. When you're in a foreign land, you should be able to locate your nearby embassy. This app helps you do that easily.

Plus, it has multiple safety features. For example, it finds your location and informs you about the dangerous spots of the area so you can avoid visiting them. You can also check the weather, convert currency, and store your necessary travel documents with the TravelSmart app.

It can assist you with some phrases and words and teach you a bit of cultural etiquette too.

You also get a tip calculator with it to get a better idea of the exchange rate. Plus, you receive national holidays' notifications, so you know which places will remain closed or crowded on a particular day. Avoiding a visit to those places can save you plenty of time.

Download: TravelSmart for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. HotelTonight

How often does it happen that we decide to surprise a loved one at the last moment, make some last-minute weekend gateway plans, or get notified about a business meeting in a different city at the eleventh hour?

Even though they all make great memories, finding a suitable accommodation usually becomes an issue.

The HotelTonight app is built for that purpose. It enables you to book a hotel or hostel at the last minute. From top luxury hotels to shared hostels, you can find them all here. Plus, there are reviews available to make your choice easier.

Download: HotelTonight for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Tripcoin

Many of us find it challenging to manage our budget while traveling. More than often, you can end up spending most of your trip savings along with the emergency funds by the end.

Tripcoin is an iOS app that helps you to manage and track expenses on your trips, no matter what currency you're spending in. It's an excellent app for digital nomads, or people going on frequent business trips or planning a more sustainable vacation.

To get started, just fill in all your details, which by the way, you can also access offline. Later on, you can download or export the reports to Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. The app allows you to take pictures of the receipts and provides cloud backup too.

Download: Tripcoin for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Waze

While traveling alone, safety is a major concern, especially as you don't have a second person to look out for you. The Waze app helps you find the safest route, informs you about the traffic, police, and hazards, gives you speed limit alerts, and tells you toll charges.

You can also find the cheapest gas station with this app and choose from multiple voices to give you route directions.

Download: Waze for Android | iOS (Free)

6. Eatwith

If you're a food lover and love to explore other countries' cultures through what they eat and how they cook, this app is for you. It helps you to get food tours, local food cooking classes, and meet fellow travelers who are into the same thing.

The app has hosts available in over 130 countries. To get started, just choose your destination or use your current location to get the right matches. You can browse through different hosts and select the one based on your preferences or reviews, and then contact the local host to discuss when you can meet.

Download: Eatwith for Android | iOS (Free)

7. Meetup

Whether traveling alone or getting bored at home, you can always find something interesting to do nearby with Meetup. This app helps you to find the events happening around you based on your interests.

For example, you can select from a wide range of options: dance, music, hiking, language, conferences, networking events, and more. The app will notify you if any such event is going to happen so you can save the date.

The app also allows you to connect with other people with the same interests, who are attending the same event as you. This way, you can chat with them in advance before you finally meet them.

Download: Meetup for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. HelloTalk

If you want to learn foreign languages for your international trips from native speakers, HelloTalk would be the right choice for you. It has over one million users who help each other learn languages through chat, audio messaging, and video calls.

You can ask questions about the culture and travel for the language you're learning, and share your audio to get feedback on your pronunciation from native speakers. The app can also help you connect with certified language tutors.

Download: HelloTalk for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Tourlina

This app is designed for female travelers. The founders of this app researched and found that female travelers prefer to travel with other women, as the other option usually ends up in dating.

So it allows you to find a companion based on your interests, travel destination, and time of your visit. You can select your travel buddy by swiping left or right. Once you've found the right one, you can plan your trip together with the chat option. Only verified users are allowed to use the messaging option of the app.

Download: Tourlina for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. Couchsurfing

The best way to find more about a country's culture is by living with locals. If you're into finding and hanging out with locals while visiting different countries, Couchsurfing is for you. It allows you to find native hosts of the country to stay with.

You can also find other travelers visiting the same destination as you are and make travel buddies. The app has hosts available in over 230,000 cities all over the world.

You can also become a host and organize a meet-up for travelers in your area using this app.

Download: Couchsurfing for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

11: The Outbound Collective

Screenshot of app The Outbound Collective

Usually, when you go to a new place, you visit the same old spots that travelers always visit and then come back home. But if you're friends with locals you get to know about some cool places, way better than the traditional holiday spots.

The Outbound Collective is based on this idea. It helps you find unique places in the city you're visiting. You can also read about other travelers' experiences, via the app's vast community.

Download: The Outbound Collective for Android | iOS (Free)