The best apps to use when travelling with friends in 2023 📱

Going on a trip with friends soon? Let us recommend some mobile apps that you MUST download before you leave. These apps are simply essential when travelling with mates to direct you, manage your expenses and keep in touch.

Must-have apps

  • Easy Currency: to make currency conversions easily since Jean-Boris forgot to change his euros before leaving and doesn't understand the local currency.

  • Instagram: to send messages and also post stories, photos/videos and easily tag your friends to all share the same content 10 times 🙃

  • Splitwise or Tricount: to split expenses, manage everyone's budget and let the app calculate who owes how much to whom without Karen going crazy because she's 19 cents short, damn it.

  • Spotify: to listen to high-quality playlists that have already been designed so that we can avoid 4 hours of French rap by Kevin and a constant loop of Taylor Swift karaoke by Chloe. (here's one of the best playlist ever created)

  • Coddy: to (re)discover the city in a different way, by playing, by solving nice riddles in the city centre so that you don't have to listen to Michel and his historical explanations taken from a boring old guidebook.

  • Uber, Heetch, Bolt, Lyft, Dott, ... : to book a taxi, rent a scooter or a bike because Maxime promised he would take you home but is too drunk to drive again

  • Netflix: to watch a series or a film when all your mates have bored you and you want to isolate yourself

  • Happy Cow: because Prune can't eat like everyone else, and you have to find a salad bar. By the way, if you know an app for gluten-free people, I'd like that too.

Discover Coddy

Useful apps

  • Google Translate: to help you translate because Emma was desperate to go to a lovely little village in the East where no one speaks English and doesn't understand anything you say

  • Google Trips: to plan your trip and find activities to do together before someone suggests a 20km hike that will make your feet tingle

  • Google Drive: to all share your best shots in a folder before Julie loses her $1200 mother's camera

  • Roadtrippers: if you're planning a roadtrip, this can help you plan the routes, because you can't rely on your mates to be good co-drivers. The app also helps you find fun stops to make and places to visit.

The perfect apps for getting around

  • Uber, Heetch, Bolt, Lyft, Dott, ... : book a taxi, rent a bike or scooter

  • Blablacar (🇫🇷) : Share a road trip with someone

  • Thalys, OUIGO, SNCB/NMBS,... : train applications

  • Skycanner, Kayak : search and book a flight

  • Your airline's app : Ryanair, TUI fly, Air Asia,...

  • Waze : follow the GPS and avoid traffic jams with this app

  • Google Maps : find your way and download the map for offline viewing

  • Park4night : find places to stop in a camper or van

Apps for communication

  • WhatsApp: the easiest application to communicate with someone, send photos, videos, voice messages

  • Messenger: the same thing but via Facebook

  • Telegram: free communication app

  • Viber: same as WhatsApp and can also be used for video calls

  • Skype: do we still use it? Skype or FaceTime is for video calls

  • Gmail, Outlook, ...: to keep sending emails during your trip

The perfect apps for accommodation

  • Airbnb : for accommodation in private homes

  • Booking : for hotels, youth hostels, etc.

  • Couchsurfing : based on free exchange

  • Warmshowers : for bikers