The only thing we love as much as cycling is travelling. And with years of personal and professional travel experience, we’ve learned the right phone apps can make a great trip even better.
Here are our 10 favourite travel apps that we use ourselves and love to recommend to fellow travel enthusiasts.
Our 10 Favourite Travel Apps
1. Ubigi
Ubigi is an app that provides a virtual SIM (data only) for compatible smartphones and
tablets, as well as laptops & connected vehicles.
They offer reasonably priced data bundle packages that include Europe, the UK, and Switzerland, meaning we can cross borders and remain connected. This has made life on the road so much easier and affordable for us.
Key Features
- High-end global cellular connectivity
- eSIM services in over 200+ destinations
- Large range of prepaid data plans for tablets, laptops, smartphones, and connected cars
- Use the app to easily manage data
- Seamless, innovative connectivity all over the world
Compatible Devices
Compatible with all eSIM-enabled mobile devices, including iPad, iOS iPhone, Windows 10, Windows 11, and Android
Cost
You can set up a Ubigi eSIM profile for free. Once you activate your eSIM, you can select a prepaid data plan to keep you connected, even when you’re on the go.
Why We Love It
We love the reliability Ubigi offers and the ability to stay connected regardless of where our adventures take us. We’ve found the seamless communication they offer has been essential for fun, safe, stress-free trips.
We are such huge fans of Ubigi that we emailed them expressing how much we love their app. In return, they gave us a promo code to share with you that will get you 10% off Ubigi on your first purchase: RIDEINTERNATIONAL10.
2. Wise
We use Wise for international transactions. They offer the best currency exchange rates for over 40+ currencies.
We also use their physical Visa debit card that loads onto our digital wallet, giving us a virtual card. This app makes it easy to load up currencies so we save hundreds, if not thousands, on transfer fees when we travel.
Key Features
- Allows you to send money internationally
- Receive money internationally
- Send money to 50+ currencies
- Hold money in a multi-currency account
- Offers a physical Visa debit card that also loads onto a digital wallet to serve as a virtual card
Compatible Devices
Wise, formerly known as TransferWise can be found in the Apple Store or Google Play store.
Cost
Registering for an account with Wise is free. There are no subscriptions or monthly fees. You pay based on the transaction. We’ve found that transaction fees are minimal.
For a detailed guide, check out the Wise fees and pricing page.
Why We Love It
Hands down, WISE has the best currency exchange rates we’ve found. It’s also incredibly straightforward in terms of fees, easy to use, and reliable.
3. Uber
Uber isn’t available in all countries we travel to. But when they’re available, we use them.
Key Features
- Ability to share your journey with friends and family (good peace of mind for anyone travelling solo)
- Easily book transport
Compatible Devices
Available from the Apple or Google Play stores.
Cost
The app is free. The cost of the Uber ride depends on your destination! There is also an Uber One membership for $9.99/month that gives members access to savings, exclusive perks, and other discounts for Uber and Uber Eats.
Why We Love It
We like the Uber app since it enables us to prepay for the service beforehand and avoid dealing with price hikes from taxi drivers who know we are tourists. We also like that we can share our journey with family.
4. Trainline
Trainline allows travellers to easily purchase train tickets in the UK and Europe using their app.
We also use it to find routes with the least connections and the fastest time. When you purchase a ticket, it shows right on your app so you can easily show it to the inspector.
Key Features
- See live times and disruption info
- Get price alerts to find the cheapest tickets
- Their app and website are connected directly to rail and coach carriers’ ticketing platforms, making it easy to purchase valid tickets at the best prices
Compatible Devices
Compatible with most devices – find it on the Google Play or Apple store
Cost
Free
Why We Love It
We get price alerts from Trainline to help us save money on tickets. This is our go-to app anytime we travel by train in Europe.
5. Get Transfer
This is a hugely helpful app since we often travel in larger groups — with our bulky bike bags!
With Get Transfer, we can enter our flight details ahead of time and get quotes on drivers. This gives us the chance to browse quotes ahead of time, check reviews, and find the best options for our group’s needs.
Key Features
- An international pre-paid service for booking transfers with a personal driver
- Get quotes ahead of time on driver services
- Browse reviews and details ahead of time
Compatible Devices
Available for both iOS and Android users
Cost
Free
Why We Love It
Along with the ability to browse reviews and book a service in advance, what we like most about this app is that we can establish a good rapport with our driver ahead of time. We also like making contingency plans in case of a flight delay or other unexpected issues.
Tip: We only use verified drivers with positive reviews who speak the languages we
speak.
6. Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor is our favourite app when we’re in a new town. For us, we’ve found it’s the easiest way to find the best place to eat or grab a coffee when we’re travelling.
Rather than wasting a bunch of time trying to find a good eatery, we can quickly find what we’re looking for, whether it’s fine dining, casual, or a great seafood place.
Key Features
- Browse reviews and opinions on millions of businesses
- Find deals on restaurants or experiences
- Find the best coffee shops and eateries in a new place
Compatible Devices
Trip Advisor is a free app for iPhone and Android users.
Cost
Free
Why We Love It
TripAdvisor has saved us so much time in our travels — and has helped us find some of our favourite new eating places! This app is especially helpful when we arrive at a location late and we need to find something ASAP before the eateries close.
7. Travel Spend
We like the Travel Spend app for easily tracking our expenses during our trips. It makes it super clear to visualize our spending and keep our budget organised.
Key Features
- Easily keep track of your travel budget
- Track travel expenses and help prevent overspending
- Create expense reports
- Easily split bills with a partner or friend group
- Sync data across multiple devices
- Link locations and expenses
Compatible Devices
Travel Spend is available from the Apple store or Google Play store.
Cost
Free
Why We Love It
We find Travel Spend super easy and intuitive to use. It helps keep us organised and automatically converts foreign currencies to our home currency, which is so helpful when travelling.
8. Skype
Because we use Ubigi, a data-only SIM, we use Skype to make calls to landlines by
purchasing credit. We then set it to have an auto top-up once it reaches a minimum credit amount.
Key Features
- Easy, convenient communication
- Ideal option for calling embassies, hospitals, and doctor’s rooms that only have landlines
- Audio and HD video calling
- Smart messaging
- Screen sharing
- Call recording and Live subtitles
Compatible Devices
Available via the Apple Store for iOS 14.0 or later or on Google Play.
Cost
Skype is free for users who make Skype to Skype calls. Charges are incurred for premium features such as calls to a landline or other phone outside of Skype. The cost depends on the credits you purchase and the country you are calling. They also have a subscription-based model.
Why We Love It
Skype is reliable, convenient, and a travel must-have for us, especially when we need to call landlines.
9. Airbnb
It’s hard to beat the service and convenience of hotel rooms, but we’ve come to enjoy renting an entire home on Airbnb for longer stays.
It makes it feel more like a ‘home away from home’, even when we’re thousands of miles away from where we actually live!
Key Features
- Easily book an entire home while travelling
- Can offer more comfort and function than a hotel room, especially for longer stays
- Browse short-term vacation rentals anywhere in the world!
- Search based on how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want and amenities you want (we always opt for places with a washer and dryer)
Compatible Devices
You can find the AirBnb app on the Apple Store or Google Play. It is compatible with iPadOS 15.2 or later.
Cost
Browsing Airbnb listings is free. The actual price depends on the home you book and how long you plan to stay.
Sometimes we find places that are actually less expensive than booking a hotel — but more specious and with more amenities. Other times, paying more is worth the extra space and amenities you get. We also find this method can cut down on the cost of eating out at restaurants if you cook some of your meals at your Airbnb.
Why We Love It
Something is exciting about immersing yourself in an area and living like locals. We love browsing local markets and grocery stores and then cooking up the fresh produce back at our rental home.
Renting an entire home is ideal for unwinding after an exhilarating day of cycling and provides a place to truly kick back and relax.
10. WhatsApp
It may be last on our list of the best travel apps, but WhatsApp is our most used app. Its shared location function is our greatest asset when travelling.
With end-to-end encryption, we can securely share important information, such as locations, while on tour.
Key Features
- Secure way to share photos and information
- Securely share your location with other guides and guests
- Easily communicate with other travellers
- Great for use by groups
Compatible Devices
Androids running OS 5.0 and newer and iPhones running iOS 12 and newer are compatible with WhatsApp.
Cost
WhatsApp is free to use. All you need is a Wi-Fi signal.
Why We Love It
This powerful communicator is a huge asset for us when we’re on tours. We find it is especially beneficial when communicating details about where the bus and/or van is parked.
It’s also useful for travel in general, particularly when you want to meet up with people in your travel group. You can easily share a location — a park, bar, or restaurant — with your fellow travellers and plan a meet-up.
Come Ride With Us!
If you need more travel recommendations or have a trip you are dreaming about, we’d love to hear from you!
Send us a message, email us at directors@rideinternational.com, or call us at 1300 140 311E. We can talk through your ideas and questions or set up a video chat to start dreaming up the cycling vacation of a lifetime!
