One of the best things about getting older is having the time, money, and security to finally get to work on that bucket list. And if one of your biggest retirement priorities is seeing the world, there's plenty of apps designed to make your trip easier, cheaper, or safer.
We've rounded up some of our favourite apps for globe-trotting seniors below, with more to come in the future. We've also included handy information on how to add apps to your phone, plus the difference between free apps, paid apps, and in-app purchases.
Want more information on taking your phone overseas? Find out if your phone is roaming-capable here, and get all the details on international roaming in general in this guide.
Apps for travel safety
Smart Traveller
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Whether you're a seasoned jet-setter or a travel novice, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller app is your best source of up-to-date advice, help, and news for when you're out of the country. The free app is searchable by destination, and provides detailed travel advice on subjects such as safety and security, visas, health, local laws, and much more.
Smartraveller also gives you valuable information on planning your trip, travel insurance, and how to register your travel plans with the Australian government in case of emergencies. You can also use the app to find contact information for Australian Embassies and Consulates worldwide, and info on where else to get help if things go wrong when you're overseas.
Apps for booking flights and accommodation
Kayak
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Kayak is like having a travel agent in your pocket: the app is part trip planner, part booking service, allowing users to search for the cheapest flights, rental cars, and hotels across multiple leading travel sites.
The app is great for helping users pick the cheapest times to fly, and you can book securely from within the app itself. You can search by destination or budget, and - once your trip is locked in - receive real-time airport updates on flights, gate changes, wait times and more. It's an easy, free way to build a step-by-step travel itinerary, and have your flight and accommodation details all in the one place.
Hotel Tonight
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Need a last-minute place or stay, or just looking for a great deal on your hotel room? Hotel Tonight is the perfect app for finding great rates on accommodation, offering discounted prices and the option of booking up to 100 days in advance.
Hotels are searchable by city, attractions, map locations, and budget, and all listed accommodation is rated and reviewed by other Hotel Tonight users. The app also offers 24/7 customer support for bookings, and features a variety of accommodation types: luxury hotels, resorts, inns, B&Bs and more are covered, so there's options for every travel preference and price range. Hotel Tonight is free to use and download, and makes booking hotels as easy as a few taps and a swipe.
Apps for packing
PackPoint
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Getting ready for a trip can be torture, but PackPoint is designed to take the pain out of packing. Simply enter where you're going and for how long, then answer some additional questions about the type of travel you're doing, the activities you have planned, and if you'll have access to a laundry.
Once you've entered your details, PackPoint will generate an easy packing and luggage checklist based on your answers. All packing lists are saved to the app, and you can change, add or remove items at any time. PackPoint Lite is free to download and use, but serious travellers may want to upgrade to PackPoint Premium for $4.
Apps for when you arrive
Citymapper
Available on: Google Play, App Store
If you're planning to rely on public transport for the duration of your trip, CityMapper is a travel essential. This free app covers dozens of popular major cities in five continents, combining real-time information on transit systems with maps, traffic routes, and more.
Simply input your start point and final destination, and let CityMapper's GPS do all the planning. The app will combine train, bus, ferry, taxi or on-foot routes to find the quickest, easiest and most convenient way to get where you're going; you'll also receive live alerts for service changes, transport arrivals, and when it's time to depart. You can also order ride-sharing services such as Uber directly from the app, plus save your favourite locations and trips for easy access.
FourSquare City Guide
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Live like a local - or at least avoid the more tourist-heavy attractions - with FourSquare's free City Guide. This app is perfect for finding restaurants, bars, coffee shops and nightlife near you, whatever city you're in.
Built on tips and reviews from the FourSquare community, users can search by variables such as location or cuisine, so it's a great way to find a bite to eat in an unfamiliar city. You can log places you've visited, keep a list of to-visit locations, rate cafes and restaurants you've tried, and get personalised recommendations on where to go next. You can also follow other users in the FourSquare community, and get extra tips on WiFi hotspots, secret menus, and much more.
GoogleTranslate
Available on: Google Play, App Store
A language barrier shouldn't stop you exploring the world; fortunately, Google Translate now makes communication in foreign countries easier than ever, without the need for prior language skills. This free app offers text translation between 103 languages (53 of which can be translated offline), plus instant camera translation of text found in images.
You can also use Translate to assist with live cross-cultural conversation in 32 languages: no need to flip through a phrasebook, simply switch on Translate, point your phone and start chatting. While some words and sentence meanings are occasionally lost in translation, it's a quick and easy way to simplify communication in stores, restaurants, hotels and on the street.
Currency by ANZ
Available on: Google Play, App Store
You don't need to be an ANZ customer to take advantage of the company's excellent, 100% free foreign exchange and currency conversion app. In addition to offering easy conversions of manually input currency amounts, you can also use Currency's scanner to access instant on-screen conversions of foreign currency through your phone's camera.
Point the scanner at a price tag or any listed price info, and you'll receive a live conversion into Aussie dollars. It's an awesome feature for travellers, and although all rates are mid-market, it's still a great way to keep on-budget and avoid overspending when you're overseas.
Flush
Available on: Google Play, App Store
In many ways, Flush is perhaps the most invaluable app here. 100% free to use, Flush is your pocket public toilet finder, listing more than 190,000 restrooms in cities around the world.
The Flush app uses your phone's GPS to pinpoint your location, then directs you to the nearest public loo. You can check beforehand which toilets have disabled access, require a key or code, or are for 'customers only', and the app's restroom database is regularly updated by thousands of users. Flush can also be used without an internet connection, provided your location has been pre-loaded to the app - a real lifesaver in your hour of need.
Avast WiFi Finder
Available on: Google Play, App Store
One of the potential pitfalls of taking your phone overseas is the high cost of data roaming. We've talked about ways to avoid this here, but one of the easiest tricks to save on data when travelling is to use local WiFi hotspots whenever possible.
Avast's free WiFi Finder seeks out the best, most reliable, and most secure free and public WiFi networks near you. The app provides map directions to nearby hotspots, plus info on speed statistics and security status - alerting users if the network they're attempting to use is a security or privacy risk. All listed hotspots are verified and rated by other users and locals, so it's an ideal tool for saving on mobile data costs.
Other travel essentials
Here's some more apps to have handy before you depart:
- Official apps from your travel and insurance agents
- Official apps from airlines you're flying with
- Apps for museums and attractions you're planning to visit
How to find apps
You'll need to find and download an app to your phone before you can use it, but where you'll need to go to do this depends on the brand of your phone. You'll also need to be connected to the internet, either through WiFi or your mobile network.
iPhone
If you're a new iPhone user, apps are available from the App Store. Tap the blue App Store icon on your phone, and it will take you to the Store where you can browse apps by category and popularity, or search for specific apps by name. Once you find an app you like, tap it for more info, reviews, and screenshots, or hit the GET icon to download.
You'll need an Apple ID to download and buy apps on your iPhone. This was probably set up when you first got your phone, but for more help, you can read up on Apple IDs and iCloud here.
Google Android
If you're not using an iPhone, you're probably the proud owner of an Android device - it's the go-to operating system for brands such as Samsung, Huawei, Google, Nokia, Sony, LG, Motorola and more. In this case, you can find apps by opening the Google Play Store on your device.
Once you've found and opened Google Play, you'll need to be signed in with your Google account in order to download apps. If you don't already have this set up, you can create one by opening the Settings app on your phone, then scrolling to Accounts and selecting Add Account. Tap Google, then follow the prompts to enter your personal info.
Like Apple's App Store, the Google Play Store allows you to browse and search for apps by name and subject. Found an app you want to try? Tap the three dots to the side of the app name and select Install, or tap the app name for more information.
What about paid apps and in-app purchases?
While all the apps we've listed in this article are free, you will find some applications require you to pay an upfront charge to download and use them. If you do tap on a paid app, you'll receive a pop-up asking you to sign in or verify your account before making the purchase, so you're unlikely to buy an app by accident.
Other apps are free to download, but feature in-app purchases - the ability to buy added features or extras from within the app. This mostly applies to games, but again, if you are using an app with this feature, you'll be prompted to confirm your purchase via your Apple ID or Google account before buying.
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