Fewer industries have benefited more from technology than the travel industry. Today, we have control at our fingertips, making trips more fun, convenient, and straightforward.
There’s now a huge variety of travel apps. Some help you plan routes, rent cars or hail taxis, book accommodation, check the weather, or even track flights and delays.
Here’s a list of some of the most useful travel apps in South Africa to make your journeys smoother.”
Visiting South Africa? Book a car on Tarlen.
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Flight Tracking
Flightradar24
Flightradar24 lets you track flights live. It’s especially useful for checking delays or monitoring inbound flights. Often, it gives more accurate updates on delays than the gate agents themselves.
You might not use it every trip, but it’s a handy tool to have in your pocket.
Accommodation Apps
Booking.com
The Booking.com app is one of the easiest ways to book hotels. Its biggest strength is the range of options: from budget backpacker lodges to luxury hotels and villas. Whatever your style, there’s something for you.
Airbnb.com
“With over 8 million listings worldwide, Airbnb needs no introduction. In South Africa, it’s a great option for finding vacation homes in almost any city.
The app makes check-in simple, allows direct messaging with hosts, and lets you manage payments and refunds easily.”
Financial Management Apps For Your Travel
XE Currency converter
For quick currency checks, XE is one of the best converters around. It shows live exchange rates and also offers global money transfer services. A must-have if you’re moving between currencies often.
Expensify
If you travel for business, Expensify makes expense tracking painless especially if you need to document it for work trips. The app lets you manage flights, hotels, and car rentals, while also scanning receipts, categorizing costs, and tracking mileage. Perfect for submitting reimbursements later.
Your credit card and banking apps
Whatever bank or credit card you use, download their app before your trip. It makes checking balances, managing payments, and resolving issues much easier when you’re on the move.
Best transportation apps for your travel
Uber
A ride-hailing app is often the easiest way to get around a new city. If you’re visiting South Africa from overseas, Uber is a safe and reliable option for shorter trips around town.
Tarlen carshare - Car rental
Renting a car gives you more freedom and control than ride-hailing. With a carsharing app like Tarlen, you can pick from a wide range of makes and models, book seamlessly online, and even arrange delivery straight to the airport curbside or your Airbnb.
Completely cutting out long airport queues and pushy rental agents at the counter.
Navigation apps and activities planning
Google map
While there are a number of navigation tools in the market, Google Maps is still the best navigation tool out there.
With the “Save” feature, you can pin your hotel, restaurants, places you want to go and places you’ve been which saves you time and keeps you organized.
For extra peace of mind, download the offline maps before your trip. That way, you’ll still get directions even without an internet connection.
Wanderlog
Wanderlog is a great tool for building your itinerary. You can plan activities, track expenses, and manage flights and reservations all in one place.
If you like to stay organized and want a single guide through your trip, Wanderlog is worth checking out.
All trails
For outdoor lovers, AllTrails helps you discover hiking, biking, and running routes, as well as easy trails for casual nature walks.
Communication
Google translate
Google Translate makes it easy to interact with locals when you don’t speak the language. The camera function can translate menus and signs instantly, which is especially useful when dining out or exploring new areas.
Download the language pack before your trip so you can use it offline without needing WiFi.
WhatsApp is the simplest way to stay connected with friends, family, and your communities while traveling. You can send messages, photos, and videos for free over WiFi, so you don’t need to worry about roaming charges.
It works across all devices, whether you’re on Android or iPhone.
Weather apps
AccuWeather
When traveling, the weather can make or break your plans.
In South Africa, you’ll hear locals joke that you can experience all four seasons in a single day. Even suburbs just 10 km apart can have very different conditions.
AccuWeather gives you detailed, minute-by-minute forecasts, so you can plan your activities and stay prepared for sudden changes.
Windy
Windy takes weather tracking a step further with highly accurate, comprehensive forecasts shown on interactive maps. You can zoom into specific locations to check temperature, wind speed, and precipitation in detail, perfect if you’re heading outdoors.
Preparing Your Travel Apps Before Your Trip
Before you head out, make sure to:
- Download all the apps you’ll need.
- Update your phone software and the apps.
- Log in to your accounts ahead of time.
- Save offline tools like Google Maps and Google Translate.
A little preparation will go a long way in making sure your apps work well and your trip goes smoothly.
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