Comments on: 23 of the Best Offline Travel Apps for Your Next Trip

By: James

James

Thanks – it’s so helpful to have a list of offline travel apps, especially since I’m planning a trip and don’t want to rely on Wi-Fi all the time. I can’t wait to try out some of the recommendations!

By: Mike Lee

Mike Lee

This is brilliant, because often I have had issues of not being able to use Apps as most are online. I have been using Xe Currency for a few years now but Pocket Cast seems like really cool as does CityMaps2Go. I use Pocket to store articles that I can read later on when offline.

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Julia. There are quite a few apps like that -- they can't work offline, though, which is what this post is about.

By: Julia

Julia

try tripcase! it notifies you of delays and gate changes at the airport for free

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Simone. Thanks Simone! I updated the translation info, and took the opportunity to update the rest of the post as well. :)

By: Simone

Simone

Hey Dave,

Great read! Thanks for all the info.

I was looking into translators for my iPhone and discovered that Google partnered with Word Lens and now has an iPhone version of “Google Translate.” The site link to Word Lens also redirects to Quest Visual by Google. The app is pretty slick. Thought I’d let you know!

Thanks again!
Simone

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Kenneth Schoeneberg. I make all my calls with friends and family with Skype from my phone or a laptop, which is free. As long as your Internet speed is reasonable, the call quality is typically as good as a cell, plus you can make video calls etc. So, I just buy a local SIM in Mexico -- which I wrote about here -- and make Skype calls etc as needed from there. You'll need to talk to Cricket, though, about how you can keep your existing US number, even if you're not using it. There may be some cheap prepaid plan they can put you on that essentially puts your number 'on hold' until you return to the US. If they can't or won't help you, you'll need to move to a different US cell carrier to keep your number alive. You have other options. You could try to move to (eg) T-Mobile, which also has an affordable plan that includes roaming in Mexico. They also have limits on how much you can use it outside the country, but it might be long enough to last until your return home. You could also move your US phone number to Google Voice and make/receive calls that way. Both of those approaches are more complicated to do, especially from Mexico, though, and if you're not especially tech savvy, it may not be worth the hassle for you.

By: Kenneth Schoeneberg

Kenneth Schoeneberg

Dave, my wife and I are retired and definitely not tech savvy. We will be living in Mexico for about a year and thought we thought we had secured phone service for the duration of our trip. We went to Cricket which had a Mexican plan. We told the agent how long we were going to be gone and they recommended their plan for an extra $20 per month which would allow us to use our current phone in Mexico and our family in the US would be able to call just by using our current U.S. number. We would be able to call our family just by adding the country code for no extra charge. All of this worked fine for a while until we started getting notices from Cricket stating we were using the plan more than 50% in Mexico and if we did not correct this they would cancel our service. Hello we told them we would be living in Mexico for a year. When I called for clarification they said I apparently did not read the contract correctly since the 50/50 requirement was published. So much for listening to Cricket sales people and them listening to our needs. That said, we need a phone service that will keep our current U.S. number yet allow us simple Mexico to U.S. calls and receive U.S. to Mexico from our family without breaking the bank (we are in Mexico to save money on dental service). We have a Samsung 6 and use it for internet etc. Can you recommend a path for us to take? Thank you, Ken

By: Alex

Alex

Great post, Dave! I would also recommend to check out Polarsteps (https://www.polarsteps.com). It’s an automated travel tracker app that tracks your journey offline and as soon as you are online again, it automatically updates itself. Plus, it is easier to upload pictures on the go and share them with family and friends!

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Diane. The only fitness apps I've personally used on the road are Runkeeper, 7 Minute Workout and 100 Pushups. None of them need internet access for their main functions, but they may not be the kind of workout you had in mind.