Our growing list of app recommendations we've found to be the most useful, practical and convenient whilst we're backpacking.

1. Google Translate

When travelling to a country whose main language differs from your own, it's always much more beneficial, and respectful, to learn the very basics. South East Asia is very popular with travellers from all over the world, and people in most places have adapted to speak English, as well as having information displayed in English also. However, if you are travelling to more rural places, being able to communicate through Google Translate (or another translation app) is a blessing. With Google Translate, you are able to download languages, which we recommend doing in advance so you’re ready and prepared as soon as you arrive to start screaming ‘hello’ to everyone at airport arrivals.

2. 12go.asia

Although we actually wouldn’t recommend the mobile app as it doesn’t work very well, 12go.asia is the website to use for booking transport across the majority of South East Asia. The website is very intuitive and with it being digital is also a slightly more reliable and eco-friendly. We also find it a much easier process to select the transport provider and time of departure online, rather than dealing with actual people (because we're anti-social). We have conducted a few spot checks and haven't found there is any difference in price if you were to go to a vendor in person.

3. Currency Converter

Understanding the exchange rate between your local currency and the currency of the country you're travelling in is key! We often have to quickly do calculations on the spot, when we are being sold something on the street, or when we are scanning menus, etc. I use an app which is simply called Currency, which also has exchange rate trends for the last five years - this isn't so advantageous when travelling to be honest, I just like that feature because I'm a geek. Jess has an app called Currency Converter which includes a convenient calculator feature.

4. MobiMatter

This is the app we use to purchase all our eSims. You can simply search for a destination and then select the package that suits you. We typically go for a 30 day 5gb or 10gb package. Within the app you can see how much data you have remaining in your plan, as well as top up existing eSims. MobiMatter runs a reward scheme where you can get a 3% instant discount, or claim 10% cashback on each of your purchases which can be redeemed when your rewards balance hits $16. The latter is a good option if you are travelling for a long time and will purchase multiple eSims. Use the referral code SAXON26234 to get 50% cashback (up to $5) with your first purchase.

5. Grab/Other Local Taxi App

A taxi booking app will always come in handy, just check beforehand which one you should download. Although using an app is incredibly convenient and often much cheaper than jumping in a taxi or tuk tuk on the street, we have preferred to support the local people (even though they never know where they're bloody going) instead of funding the big corporations. We have found a beneficial process is to see how much the trip would cost through Grab, and use that as a benchmark when being quoted.

Grab is available in Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.

6. Google Maps

I suspect almost everyone has Google Maps downloaded on their devices anyway, but we would definitely recommend also downloading any relevant offline maps for incidents when signal is poor, or you simply want to preserve some mobile data.

7. Get Your Guide/Klook/Other Activity Package Apps

Although we rarely book anything through these activity apps, they are great for collecting inspiration and for exploring what experiences are available in the area. Similar to the taxi app process, we cross-reference the prices for specific excursions and use that as a benchmark when booking trips through local operators.

8. SkyScanner

This is an obvious one, but the ease of using this SkyScanner makes it our go-to when we need to book a flight. We might use other sources to understand the price trends of flights, but to get basic information to just structure our itinerary, SkyScanner is the one.

9. Booking.com

Again, another obvious one. Due to the interface, and probably just how familiar booking.com is, we use it for finding the accommodation we want, and then use other sources to find the provider who has the best deal.

10. AllTrails

Although we appreciate not everyone hikes or cycles, but AllTrails has been invaluable to find footpaths that Google Maps doesn't. Particularly if there is an attraction off the beaten path, there will likely be an AllTrails route which describes the terrain and difficulty of the route, while Google Maps will likely guide you down the most direct route likely on the road.

As we continue to travel and test out other apps for additional convenience, we will add them to this list! If there are any must haves that aren’t included on this list, let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to trust your judgement and download them for ourselves.