With smartphones being a part of everyday life, having the right apps is essential to make your life easier during travel. While travel is often meant for relaxation, rejuvenation, or celebration; sometimes it is important that we are accessible and have access to important information. Lucky for us, the technology wizards of the world have developed some great mobile apps! Everyone knows about Facebook and that is certainly one tool to use, but there are others that are great as well! I’m going to give you my list of must-haves to keep in touch when you are gone. The best part? They are free to download and if used on Wi-Fi are free to use! (You may have to pay for the Wi-Fi service wherever you are, but the use will be free once connected!)
If you have an iPhone, you can use FaceTime over Wi-Fi and no additional app is required. FaceTime isn’t always quite as stable as some of the apps, so I never recommend relying on it alone.
If you absolutely must make calls, I highly recommend not using your cell service! Use a Wi-Fi app!
SKYPE – Skype is not just for mobile devices, but has long been used on desktops and laptops as well. Call your world from Skype – Talk to your heart’s content with free voice and video calls to all your friends and family on Skype. Chat with anyone, anywhere – Skype’s available on smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, and even TVs; whatever device your friends or family use, Skype just works.
* Operator data charges may apply. We recommend using an unlimited data plan or Wi-Fi connection.
If you want to use the free version of Skype, whoever you call will need to have Skype on their device as well. They do have a low cost paid plan so you can call anyone. They also have Video Messaging, MMS, and SMS options as well. I do not use those, I post pictures I want to share to Facebook, and as for texting, I have other apps I prefer for that.
If you have the need to text, there are apps for that too! My three current favorite texting apps are Facebook Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp. Both Viber and WhatsApp require that whoever you are going to text, they must have the app as well so these do take some advanced planning. I use both of them, but I really love WhatsApp right now for just texting and pictures! Facebook Messenger works best if both parties have the app, but it isn’t actually required, as long as the person you are messaging has a Facebook account.
Facebook Messenger and Viber are both double duty apps; they can be used for calling and texting.
Facebook Messenger –
The Messenger App isn’t just for sending private messages; did you know that you can make calls with it as well? Making phone calls via Messenger is easy and free as long as you have the app and are on wifi! The app supports text, images, and location sharing, and even Wi-Fi voice calls.
Viber –
Viber is a great app for free phone calls and texts; you can also send pictures and video. Another great feature is that not only can you use it on Wi-Fi (certainly best international option), you can use it over 3G as well for free. There is also a paid service, Viber Out, for calls to non-viber land lines, and mobile numbers. The app syncs with your phone contact list and will automatically let you know which of your friends already has Viber. You can also use Viber with groups of up to 100; could be great for your group of family or friends traveling together!
WhatsApp –
WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. One of the really cool things about WhatsApp is the ability to do group messages and send pictures to a group. Any pictures you receive via WhatsApp (group or individual) are automatically saved to your phone’s camera roll.
There are many more apps out there that allow you to keep in touch while traveling; these are just my current favorites. What do you use? If you have a different app you use and recommend, I’d love to hear about it! I’m always open to new suggestions.