Navigating a new city and continent is rough. It can be overwhelming and stressful and honestly, a bit scary. Without the right technology, it’s easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond. Add onto that the extreme warnings given about pick pocketing and how looking like a tourist only makes you more vulnerable and you begin the spiral. Here are some apps you MUST download to help ease your nerves about navigation, travel, and to get you oriented to a city.
City mapper is truly an incredible app. They adjust to any city you are in making it the perfect travel app as well. It adds the time it takes to walk and switch trains when using public transportation to give you the total travel time, not just from one train to the next. They spell out the exact station you will get on, list the stops in between, and tell you exactly where to get off. This makes it super easy for language barriers as well as you have the ability to count the stops in addition to looking for names.
They also provide bus, train, walking, car, and even bike directions so you can travel anyway you wish. The layout makes it so easy to memorize the route before you leave and just quickly check to make sure you are on the right track so you look a bit more like you know what you are doing. They even pop up as a widget on your home screen telling you where to go next, even when your phone is off! City mapper is by far one of the best navigation apps there is.
Hostel life itself is a lot to digest. Sharing a room with strangers? Yeah uh NO. It sounds scary until you do it. Using Hostel World to book your rooms makes everything so much easier. Listing all the hostels, their distance to the city center, and an overall ranking makes it so much easier to make your decision. Does the hostel have a social aspect? Is it close to public transportation? Does it have lockers? A privacy curtain? All of these things are aspects you’d never know you needed until you “hostel” it. Hostel world answers these all and lays it out on a silver platter for you. Making booking and travel THAT much easier.
Omio is the lord's gift to travelers. By putting in your desired travel destination and where you are leaving from, they list the cheapest options for booking possible. This works by train or plane. Put in the place, the date, and boom! Looking to travel on a budget? You must use Omio. Trainline is basically the same exact app, but it is just for train travel! It works the exact same way.
Cabify is the uber of Spain. It can be used in the same way you would use any other ride share app. Put in the location you want to go and get picked up! It is super easy and safe and allows you the same privileges that Uber, Lift, or a regular taxi-cab would!
Navigating a new city and continent can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be! Download these apps to help guide you with your travel and your experience. And don’t forget to have fun and enjoy it along the way!
Written by: Jillian Kotin
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