High-Tech Travel

This past year, I’ve been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel with friends all around the world. I’ve watched the sunset on the Champ de Mars in Paris, celebrated Independence Day at Dolores Park in San Francisco and played ping pong with Berliners at an underground club in Germany. All these experiences and more have not only opened my eyes to the world and put some wear on my passport but also awakened a yearn in me for a solo adventure. When a cheap round-trip fare to a city I’ve always dreamed of visiting appeared in my inbox, I found myself gently breaking the news to my parents that I wouldn’t be coming home for spring break. Instead, I told them I’d be traveling across the pond to London, alone. And of course, I wouldn’t be going completely alone. Below are my favorite tried and trusty apps that will be accompanying me.

Citymapper

I first tried this transit app when I was in Europe and have been hooked ever since. Citymapper gives the best real-time public transportation directions and provides information on alternatives like the price of an Uber, how many calories you’ll burn if you walk or an estimate for the time of a hypothetical jetpack ride. Its latest update even tells you information on the best section to sit on in the subway to be positioned for a quick station exit or line transfer. Citymapper is currently available in 29 major cities, including Los Angeles, with more constantly being added.

WhatsApp

More than 800 million people use WhatsApp around the world to send texts and calls over the Internet. The last time I was in Europe, instead of racking up expensive roaming charges, I simply connected to wifi and communicated with my friends and family for free over WhatsApp. Facebook acquired this messaging app for about $22 billion in 2014 and has helped it grow to become the second-most popular app on Earth.

Airbnb

London is a notoriously expensive city to visit, but cheap crowded hostels aren’t my scene. Instead of ponying up for a hotel room, I booked the more affordable guest room of a beautiful town house on Airbnb. I’ve rented both entire apartments and guest rooms through the company, and I actually prefer staying with locals. It’s a unique and appreciated experience to come home to friendly faces at the end of a long day of exploring. The mobile app has all the same functionality as the website and is convenient to use when you’d like to shoot potential hosts a quick message about their listing or communicate with hosts you’ve booked with.

CityMaps2Go

The moment I decide on a trip, CityMaps2Go becomes my best friend for planning my itinerary. After downloading a map, you can bookmark locations to it, add notes and see where all the places you’re interested in are in relation to each other. I like to customize my pins with the different color and shape options so I can easily differentiate restaurants, accommodations and attractions from above and, unlike most other map apps, CityMaps2Go uses GPS so no internet is required once you’ve initially downloaded the map.

Caitlin Tran is a sophomore majoring in arts, technology and the business of innovation. Her blog tech column, Captcha, runs every Tuesday.