I present to you a list of the most valuable resources I have been using over the years as a digital nomad. I use many apps and websites, and some are not on this list, but I focus here only on those that are most relevant for traveling as a digital nomad. Happy travels!

Orientation

Google Maps – We all know and use it, but it still deserves it’s place of honor. If I could only choose one app, this would be it. Google Maps is a lifesaver when you get to a new place, and while staying and exploring my current base, including reviews on each location. The app is especially useful when you have no internet connection since you can download the maps as well.

Waze – Traveling with a car? This app is probably the best way to navigate. It gives you both accurate maps and up-to-date traffic information (traffic jams, hazards, etc.).

Lonely Planet Guides – This is a recent discovery of mine. I used travel books like Footprint and Lonely Planet over 10 years ago when I started traveling, but basically stopped the minute online hotel booking became possible. However, in the last year I started to really enjoy reading and re-reading the Lonely Planet guides about the countries and cities I visit.

The information we are consuming should also should go deep into a place’s history, national psyche, and hidden attractions. Go back to reading those guides to get a better picture of the location you are staying in. You won’t regret it!

General Utility

World Clock App and Website – Great for time conversion between locations while traveling.

SpeedSmart – An app for checking your internet speed. I recommend checking it before committing to booking long-term accommodations or signing up for a coworking space.

Yahoo Weather App – Yahoo is still live and kicking. This app also sends you weather notifications every morning. I also use it to plan my weekend trips and making sure the location I have picked has good weather.

VisaHQ – Great initial info on the visas needed depending on your passport. Always double check with other sources to make sure the information there is updated.

Money

XE currency – Good app for currency conversion. If you are offline, it will still work using the rates from the last time you logged in (so do try to sync it from time to time). Using this app is super important when having to make a quick decision on money exchange. It basically shows you how much money you should have received, not including any commission, in order to help you calculate the commission you are being charged.

Revolut- This app has become my and millions of other way of payment while traveling. Its most attractive feature for nomads is zero conversion rate. It practically saved you 2% of all your spending compared to regular credit and debit cards while traveling abroad.

Work

Upwork – I sustained the first years of my nomadic lifestyle by freelancing on Elance and Odesk (Which is now rebranded as Upwork). Register, create an amazing profile, and start bidding for Jobs. I now also hire via Upwork, and it is also a great tool for building your business with other talented people around the world.

WordPress – If you are starting a business of any kind, including a blog, it will probably have a website. If you need a quick solution, Wix is a great option to build websites as well, but WordPress is still the best choice since it easy, free, and has a huge community that keeps on generating plugins you can use for your site.

OneNote – Traveling brings incredible amount of ideas, so using a notes app is critical, especially when you are offline. I recommend OneNote as the best taking notes solution out there.

Languages

Google Translate – The Google Translate app has become incredibly valuable with its real time translation feature, in which you can translate text by using your camera. It is also becoming more valuable for synchronous voice conversations.

Pimsleur – I have an online language school, but discovered that, personally, the best way for me to learn languages is by listening to audio. Pimsleur has an absolutely great product in many languages.

50 Languages – Great backup for Pimseleur and, on top of that, its free! They also have audio recordings. I find these less structured than Pimsleur, but they’re still good.

Duolingo – I am more into auditory learning, but the Duolingo App is very impressive. It helped me learn a bit of German while traveling.

Accomodation

Booking.com – The most valuable and comprehensive booking platform. The variety is so big, that you are bound to find amazing deals via this site (especially on single and double rooms). Loving it!

CouchSurfing – Great site and community. Couchsurfing allows you to stay for free with locals who like to host travelers! Since I work and travel at the same time, I don’t use it for accommodation anymore, but I do use it to participate in local events and meet people for coffee in unfamiliar places.

AirBnb.com – One of the best options there for solo travel since it has good rates for one person traveling, with special discounts for longer stays. If you choose the right location with the right housemates, it can also be a great way of meeting new people as you travel.

HostelWorld – I have booked hundreds of hostels on this site. It has the most comprehensive selection of global hostels by far, which is especially reliable for dorm-bed reservations.

Helpx.net and Workaway – Work away from home in return for accommodation and food. I love the idea, but have not yet had time to try it. If you have, please share in the comments!

WWOOFing – Never tried it, but this option basically allows you to work on organic farms in exchange for accommodation and food. Sounds interesting, but probably not a good option for digital nomads who need to work online most of the day.

House Sitting – I haven’t tried this one yet either, but I will soon. The idea here is simple and involves you staying in someone’s house while they are away in return for walking their pets, or maintaining the garden. It’s on my to-do list to try it out!

Flights and Transport

Before we move on to the apps themselves, if you are still considering which locations to go to, check out our elaborated list of Digital Nomad trending Cites and Hubs.

Uber (Global) / Grab (South East Asia) / Bolt (Random) / Careem (Middle East)– Taxi drivers and tourists don’t get along well usually, since you can easily get overcharged. Since you lack the information of where your destination is, those ride hailing apps are a perfect tool to avoid getting ripped off and having a safer documented trip to your destination.

Blablacar – An increasingly popular app for sharing rides with people going to your destination (It’s just like Uber between cities). I used it extensively in Spain and it allowed me to save tons of money while meeting great new people. Just make sure you are picking a driver with good reviews and driving skills. Hope they make it to more countries soon!

Google Flights- My go to place for an initial search of flights.

Skyscanner – Great flight search tool with the valuable option of searching a flight to “Everywhere” (just put “Everywhere” in the destination box)!

Kayak Explore – Just like Skyscanner, this great search tool allows you to see a map with possible destinations as well as the lowest fares available. Also lets you search with flexible dates so you can make sure to get the cheapest flight possible.

Low cost carriers – Booking directly from a low cost carrier is often the most economical option, and I recommend Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizzair. Here a complete list of low cost airlines you should check before traveling.

Rome to Rio – This site shows you distances and transport options between locations.

Meeting people while traveling

Couchsurfing- Other than its accommodation functionality, it also has hangouts feature that allows to to meet people instantaneously.

Meetup – A massively successful platform creating gatherings around common topics of interest (everything from language exchange, to startups, music, and trekking).

Internations – This one is a bit more for the expat crowd. This platform is a good place to start when you are re-locating to a new country.

Eatwith – This one has always been on my list although I haven’t tried it yet. The idea is booking a meal with a local family where you stay so you don’t only get to have amazing food, but also know the people who cook for you.

ShowAround – Interesting website allowing you to book your local tour guide to show you around the city.

WeWork- Yes, those locations are still around. I do recommend that you opt first for local coworking spaces, but you can never go wrong with coworking at WeWork.

Travel Forums and Location Knowledge resources

Thorntree – This forum by Lonely Planet has been here for quite some time and covers a wide array of topics, as well as locations.

Trip Advisor forums – This forum seems to be, currently, the most popular and updated travel forum in the world.

Nomadforum – Nice and fun interactive forum designed specifically for digital nomads.

Expatistan – A great platform for finding out the cost of living in all cities around the world.

Nomadlist – Does the same as Expatistan, but focuses on aspects relevant to digital nomads.

Just Landed – Providing important information about living abroad on most countries.

Teleoprt – A platform which helps you find the best places to live and work from.

Nomad Communities and discussions

Reddit – A popular subreddit on the topic of Digital Nomads.

Dynamite Circle – A closed-member community of digital nomads around the world. I have been a member for over a year and just love every minute of it!

#Nomads Slack Channel – More than 10,000 digital nomads in slack chat channels.

Shared work, Backup tools and Insurance

Dropbox – Setting up servers with ease and for free is no longer a problem thanks to services like Dropbox.

Google Drive – Even better than Dropbox for everything related to documents (excel, word, etc.), since you can edit them simultaneously with other users and the results are saved automatically to your Drive.

Google Photos – Syncs photos from all your devices to the cloud so you will never lose your photos. This has saved my photos more than once!

VPN access providers – Securing your internet connection while traveling is important if you are making payments online or deal with important data. Its also crucial if you are staying in countries where access is blocked to popular sites, such as Facebook.

Schedule Once – Traveling and setting up meetings is never easy due to time zone differences and days where you are offline. This amazing app has made my life much easier setting up meetings by sending people my schedule which adjusts automatically to their time zone.

Health

Travel Insurance – Getting yourself insured while traveling is critical. Here are a few travel insurance options from Frommer’s Guidebook.

Health Hazards and Vaccines CDC list – A great resource with a list of all countries and their relevant health hazards and necessary vaccines.

The Ultimate Guide to Travel Vaccines – Well designed resource on the topic of Vaccines which covers the process from booking a vaccine to an interactive global vaccination map.

Reading

Pocket – Nomads are often offline, and Pocket allows you to save articles for offline reading.

As far as books are concerned, here is a list of recommended Digital nomad Books you should consider reading. If you prefer listening to reading, check out the following list of Digital Nomad Podcasts.

Hardware and devices

Project FI – Google came up with a much needed project—an international sim card with data packages and the ability to make phone calls from virtually everywhere on the planet. People who use it rave about the quality and I plan to get one soon as backup to local sims.

Kindle Paperwhite E-reader – Black, 6″ High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi – Includes Special Offers – Unlike other tablets the Kindle is specifically designed to enhance your reading experience. Carrying books on the road doesn’t make much sense anymore, put them on your device and you are ready to go.

Apple MacBook Air 13.3-Inch Laptop (Intel Core i5 1.6GHz, 128GB Flash, 8GB RAM, OS X El Capitan)

Macbook Air—I am actually a Windows fan, but ever since I got a MacBook Air, my bag got lighter and smaller. It works really fast, and is reliable and durable. That’s probably the reason 90% of digital nomads use it.

Before we conclude, I recommend checking few other massive resources pages:

Powerful list of digital nomad resources by James from NomadicNotes.

NoDesk: An extensive list of resources for digital nomads organized by category.

A great write up and worldwide travel resource list by Jodi from Legal Nomads. You can view it here.

A resource list for startups and entrepreneurs by StartupBlink.

Are there any additional apps and/or resources you are using as a digital nomad that are not on the list? We would love to hear about them in the comments!