[takeaways] • Download everything — translation packs, offline maps, and your SIMOVO eSIM — while still on home WiFi before you fly. You don't want to discover a gap in your setup when you're already at the airport.
• Citymapper and Moovit between them cover most public transport situations worldwide — Citymapper for major cities, Moovit for everywhere else.
• Revolut and Wise eliminate foreign transaction fees and ATM charges — two of the highest-impact practical upgrades for any regular international traveller.
• Google Translate's camera mode translates menus, signs, and documents in real time using your phone's camera — one of the more genuinely useful things a smartphone can do abroad.
• SIMOVO eSIM installs before you leave and activates on landing — meaning every other app on this list works from the moment you step off the plane. [/takeaways]
The right apps can turn a complicated trip into a smooth one. Here are twelve that are genuinely worth having installed before you fly — covering navigation, money, translation, food, and connectivity.
[numbered title="Citymapper" pill="Smart urban navigation — buses, trains, bikes, ferries"]Citymapper shows the fastest route between any two points using every available transport mode — buses, trains, ferries, shared bikes, and scooters. Ideal for major cities including London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Berlin. More detailed and real-time than Google Maps for urban transit.[/numbered] [numbered title="Moovit" pill="Local public transport in 100+ countries"]Moovit provides real-time public transport updates, route planning, and service alerts for cities and regions that Google Maps doesn't fully cover. The go-to for smaller transit networks and countries where local operators don't publish data to Google.[/numbered] [numbered title="Rome2Rio" pill="Between-city route planning with costs and booking links"]Rome2Rio compares all available travel options between any two points — flights, trains, buses, ferries, and driving — with time, cost, and booking links for each. Particularly useful for multi-country trip planning.[/numbered] [numbered title="TripAdvisor and TheFork" pill="Local restaurants, reviews, and table bookings"]TripAdvisor provides region-specific restaurant reviews, photos, and ratings. For bookings and discounts across Europe and Australia, TheFork offers reservation and discount features that TripAdvisor alone doesn't cover.[/numbered] [numbered title="XE Currency" pill="Real-time exchange rates and conversion alerts"]XE Currency gives accurate live exchange rates, historical charts, and alerts for when rates hit a target level. Works offline for last-used rates — useful when you need a quick conversion at a market or shop with no signal.[/numbered] [numbered title="Google Translate and DeepL" pill="Camera translation, downloadable languages, offline use"]Google Translate and DeepL both support camera-based translation — point your phone at a menu, sign, or document and see it translated in real time. Download language packs over WiFi before you travel so they work offline. DeepL tends to produce more natural translations for European languages; Google Translate has broader language coverage.[/numbered] [numbered title="Revolut and Wise" pill="Spend in any currency without bank fees or poor exchange rates"]Revolut and Wise both offer multi-currency accounts, interbank exchange rates, and ATM withdrawals with minimal fees. Either eliminates the two most common unnecessary costs in travel — foreign transaction fees on your regular debit card and poor exchange rates at airport currency desks.[/numbered] [numbered title="WhatsApp" pill="The default for international messaging and calls"]WhatsApp is the standard for international communication — messaging, voice calls, and video calls over data, with no per-message or per-minute charges. Works over any data connection including your SIMOVO eSIM. Stays linked to your regular phone number, so contacts can reach you the same way they always have.[/numbered] [numbered title="Flush, HappyCow, and Maps.me" pill="Three niche apps that earn their place"]Three smaller apps that solve specific problems well. Flush locates public toilets worldwide — more useful than it sounds in unfamiliar cities. HappyCow is the definitive app for finding vegetarian and vegan restaurants in any city. Maps.me provides fully offline maps with hiking trails, location pins, and points of interest — no data connection needed.[/numbered] [numbered title="SIMOVO" pill="Instant local connectivity — active the moment you land"]Install your SIMOVO eSIM at home before you fly. It activates automatically when your device connects to a local network on arrival — no queuing for a physical SIM, no airport kiosk, no roaming charges. Every other app on this list depends on a data connection. Getting this right first means everything else just works.[/numbered] [numbered title="Uber, Bolt, and Grab" pill="Ride-hailing by region — know which one to install before you arrive"]Download the right app for your destination before you get there. Uber operates across the US, UK, and Latin America. Bolt is widely used across Europe and Africa. Grab is the dominant ride-hailing app across Southeast Asia. Setting up an account — including payment — while still at home means you're not trying to register at 11pm in an unfamiliar city.[/numbered] [numbered title="Smart Traveller, Visit A City, and Culture Trip" pill="Local guides, itinerary planning, and cultural context"]Smart Traveller (Australian government travel advice) provides official safety and entry information by destination. Visit A City offers pre-built itineraries for hundreds of destinations — useful for structuring a short break. Culture Trip provides editorial destination guides with a cultural focus — better for inspiration and context than logistics.[/numbered] [tip title="Download everything over WiFi before you leave — not on arrival"]Install all apps, download offline language packs, save offline maps, and install your SIMOVO eSIM while still at home. Arriving with everything ready means no scrambling at the airport, no using expensive roaming data to download a 200MB map pack, and no discovering you forgot something when you're already in a taxi.[/tip] [esim flag="🌍" label="Worldwide" data="180+ countries" price="from £3" href="https://simovo.com" benefits="Instant QR setup · Active on landing · No roaming charges · Works with every app on this list"]The one thing every other travel app depends on[/esim] [faq] [q]What apps should I download before international travel?[/q] [a]At minimum: a navigation app (Citymapper or Moovit for transit, Google Maps for general), Google Translate with your destination's language pack downloaded offline, a currency converter (XE), a travel wallet (Revolut or Wise), WhatsApp for communications, and a ride-hailing app for your destination region. Install your SIMOVO eSIM before you fly so data is active from the moment you land.[/a] [q]Does WhatsApp work abroad with a SIMOVO eSIM?[/q] [a]Yes — WhatsApp runs over mobile data, so it works over any active data connection including your SIMOVO eSIM. It stays linked to your regular phone number, so contacts can reach you the same way as always. International calls and messages via WhatsApp are included in your data usage at no additional charge.[/a] [q]What is the best offline maps app for travel?[/q] [a]Maps.me is a strong choice for offline use — download the map for your destination over WiFi before you travel, and it works with no data connection at all, including hiking trails and points of interest. Google Maps also supports offline map downloads for specific areas. Both are worth having.[/a] [q]What is the best currency app for travel?[/q] [a]XE Currency is the most reliable for accurate live exchange rates and offline access to last-used rates. For actually spending abroad, Revolut and Wise are more impactful — they eliminate foreign transaction fees and offer interbank exchange rates, which saves meaningfully more money than just having an accurate converter.[/a] [q]Do I need data for travel apps to work abroad?[/q] [a]Most travel apps require a data connection for live features — real-time transit updates, live translation, current exchange rates. Download offline capabilities (maps, language packs) over WiFi before you travel so the core functionality works without data. A SIMOVO eSIM ensures you have a reliable data connection from arrival, so apps that need live data work as expected throughout your trip.[/a] [/faq]
