Top 10 apps for Digital Nomads to travel, work, and study remotely
If you travel from country to country getting a SIM card for each can take a big chunk out of your budget. Using global roaming is not very smart budgeting either. I was travelling around Europe for a total of 6 months and spent 2 months in Japan without a SIM card: all I had was my laptop and iPad mini and never had any troubles whilst travelling or working.
Let me introduce you to some cool free apps that help you travel without connecting to the internet around the clock.
1. MAPS.ME (MapsWithMe)
maps.me is an offline map application. With this app, you will never get lost because you will know exactly where you are and which way to go without using the internet. Some smartphones and tablets, like the iPad mini 2 and most iPhones’, have built in GPS chips that work without the internet.
You will no longer need a huge map 🙂
Bookmark the places you are staying and/or want to go, for example, a local pharmacy or even the embassy of the country that you are staying in, just in case.
2. Google Photos
Google Photos is a cloud storage service by Google. You can use unlimited cloud storage for free! 🙂
It has a machine learning algorithm to categorize photos by people, place and objects. You can also create custom albums and edit/share your photos.
3. Walkmeter
Walkmeter is a fitness app. You can create your travel map like this:
Pretty cool, isn’t it?
Like maps.me, you don’t need to turn on wifi to activate tracking. It’s a battery friendly app 🙂
4. Pocket
Being a Digital Nomad isn’t all about traveling, you need to work and study. No matter what you do, you need to follow the latest trends of your business and learn new skills.
I am an online marketer and need to use the internet to do research on a regular basis but, you know how it is with the internet, you may want to research something and somehow end up watching funny cat videos on Youtube!
Pocket is an offline ‘read it later’ app. You click the pocket button on your Google Chrome Plugin and you can read the article later on your smartphone or tablet offline.
With Pocket you can study when you have spare time, like when you are waiting for train.
5. Foursquare
Foursquare is like Tripadvisor and Yelp but it’s more local. Foursquare will help you to find a nice cafe, restaurant, bar, museum, park…pretty much anything with reviews.
6. Couchsurfing
“Couchsurfing is a service that connects members to a global community of travellers. Use Couchsurfing to find a place to stay or share your home and hometown with travellers.”
Staying in the home of a complete stranger?… No Way!… I might get robbed, raped or killed!!!
That was before I used Couchsurfing. It has a review system and as long as you stay with a hosts that have many reviews, the chances of getting into trouble is minimal.
The best thing about couchsurfing is not the free accommodation – it’s about experience. Sometimes you get to meet really cool people 🙂 You can also hangout with other couchsurfers without staying at their place.
7. Airbnb
Airbnb is an online marketplace and homestay that matches hosts and guests. You can book a couch, room or an entire apartment.
Airbnb does have risks and if you don’t use it wisely you could get into trouble. You must book a place that already has good reviews, talk to the host and meet them in a public place like cafe.
8. Google Drive
Google drive is an easy-to-use cloud service. Your computer might get broken and the data might get lost. The risk of that happening is especially high when you travel.
You can also save documents in a PDF format and save it locally in your tablet or smartphone. You will no longer need to print flight or bus tickets.
Google Drive also has alternatives of MS word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
9. Todoist and Google Calendar
It’s not easy to manage Digital Nomad life – you need to be very efficient to work less. Todoist and Google Calendar help you to manage your schedule enabling you to be more productive and efficient.
Being a Digital Nomad isn’t really about talent, it’s about many small tricks and ideas to let you work independently from any location.
Try those apps and see if it helps your Digital Nomad lifestyle.