The Very Best Travel Apps You Can Use Without The Internet

You’re a tech-savvy traveller of the 21st century. You’ve got an algorithm-based search engine scouting out the best deals on flights, booked a lush room in a stranger’s house with a sharing economy app and are ready to chow down with local hipsters at ‘off the beaten path’ bars and cafes. You probably even hooked up with a local for a homemade meal and cultural exchange.

That’s right – you’re a traveller, not a tourist. Everything is sweet and your Insta feed is about to make all your friends jealous. But then you touch down, realise how much your roaming plan sucks and are standing outside the airport with no Wi-Fi, no phone service and no clue how you’re going to find your place, call your host and get inside. No worries. Because you’ve read this selection of the best travel apps you can use without the internet – perfect for flights, train journeys and those long dry spells between Wi-Fi zones. Phew.

Rebtel

Yay, you made it! But in the rush of excitement you forgot to call your mum from the Airbnb and tell her that you arrived in once piece. Now you’re sitting in a dodgy ramen bar with no Wi-Fi. Good thing you downloaded Rebtel before you left.
The app lets you use your phone to make free app-to-app calls, even if you don’t have access to Wi-Fi or cellular data. For calls to a foreign number that aren’t app-to-app (mum’s not keen on iPhones), Rebtel ‘hijacks’ local phone lines, creating a local number to connect your international call. You still won’t need internet, and you can even save the local number and reach the same person later on. You’ll need to purchase credit to make non app-to-app calls, but the service ‘consistently analyzes traffic to give you the lowest price possible’. Best of all, Rebtel is free to download and currently available in 56 countries on iOS and Android.

Maps.Me

Triposo

Triposo is a ‘smart travel guide’ that uses algorithms to search through millions of websites and reviews to find the best attractions, food, drink and practical local tips – like the location of nearby cash machines or cool, historically important spots. You’ll need to download individual country or city guides first, but everything is accessible without internet access.

TripScout

TripScout lays out city information in a guide-like manner, without becoming like a bible—the downfall of many guidebooks. With in-app audio guides (recorded by real-life guides employed by TripScout), it also eliminates the need for following around a tour group. This means you can explore at their own pace (no restrictive tour group itineraries) while still having a hand to hold. All audio guides and maps are available offline, which means you won’t need to use data or international roaming.

Byline

For even more internet-less entertainment on the go, Byline lets you keep up with the latest news, even when you don’t have Wi-Fi. Using Feedly subscribe to your favourite blogs, magazines and news sources and Byline will automatically use Background App Refresh to sync and bring you new content, giving you thousands of RSS feeds to read offline.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.