The digital revolution does not spare old-school, grease on your fingers, hobbies like overlanding. And a couple of apps are actually really helpful on overland journeys. In the slideshow below, we recommend some overlanding apps that made our lives easier in the past months of traveling and that we use regularly.
maps.me
Good, free offline maps and navigation. We use it a lot, although we have a Garmin GPS for navigation. But this app is way faster and easier to use for route planning. It is also very handy while exploring cities or hiking without a mobile internet connection and, hence, cannot use Google maps.
maps.me now also supports routes with multiple stops. The ability to import large waypoint collections is quite handy, as well.
iOverlander
This is the only app in our collection that is specifically designed for overlanders. Basically, it is an POI database for overlanders. You can find camp spots, workshops or other interesting places on a map or easily create them for the whole community to use, yourself. Just, please, make your description informative. Something more than “camping by the river”.
When you are traveling through Asia, you will find some beautiful camp spots created by us. Send us your regards, when you are at one 🙂
Dropbox
When traveling on bumpy roads for a long period of time, it is very important to have a fast and reliable backups of your data. Losing all of our pictures is something we do not want to risk. Therefore, we are using Dropbox Plus. 1TB of disc space costs 100€ per year and it is a treat to use on multiple devices.
Use the link below to sign up for Dropbox and we will receive an additional gigabyte of storage. No drawbacks for you.
An offline Currency Converter
Exchange rates fluctuate and sometimes you may need to convert currencies of two neighboring countries. Most of the times, you do not have an internet connection, just after crossing into a new country. Therefore, it is very handy, to have recent exchange rates at hand offline. That is exactly what this app does.
We are using Simple Currency for Android and could not be pleased more with the ease of use and the fact that it is ad-free. But we are sure, you can find something similar for iOs. Anyway, how it works is straightforward. Just select the two currencies and type in an account at it shows you the corresponding amount in the second currency.
Transferwise
Letters of invitation, guides in China or Myanmar or spare parts. Sometimes you just have to make a payment to a foreign bank account. Your bank at home will probably ask for a ridiculous amount of fees. The fees at Transferwise are way lower and it uses the actual bank exchange rate (unlike WesternUnion, where the fees are even lower, but the exchange rate is worse).
It is easy to use, just sign up, enter the recipient’s bank details and select a payment method (credit or debit card, national wire transfers and more options are available). It is also quite fast. Usually, it takes less than a day for the money to arrive on the other bank account.
Use below link to sign up and receive one free transaction for up to £500!
Your stock Calculator App
Unlike words, numbers are almost universal. So trust us, you will be using your calculator app a lot when asking for prices, distances and anything the like.
Psiphon VPN
Some countries are still not too much convinced about the freedom of expression and freedom of press. Therefore, they block facebook and random foreign news websites. Luckily, it is quite easy to get around these restrictions by using a VPN. Just make sure to install it before entering such countries.
We like Psiphon Pro for Android, as it is free, does not require registration and is basically one-click. It is also the only VPN we found working reliably in both Iran and China. You can even select the location of your virtual IP address, which is quite handy if you want to access content that is, for example, only available in your home country like some TV livestreams.
Due to the lack of first hand experience, we cannot suggest an iOs app, unfortunately.
Just a fun way to share your stories, connect to other overlanders and get some inspiration!
Google Play Store
Apple iTunes
Don’t forget to follow us! 🙂
Google Translate
Mostly used as a restaurant menu decoder 🙂
Did we point you to an app that you did not know before or are we missing one? Your feedback is very well appreciated! Just leave a comment below.
Check out WikiCamps for your upcoming trip to Australia! 🙂
http://wikicamps.com.au
It’s the most essential app I can imagine for an overland trip in Australia (and New Zealand – what might be interesting one day…) 😉
(I can imagine you having checklist apps like Any.do or a grocery list app which always helped me getting things organised…)
Take car(e) and have fun! 🙂
Thanks a lot! We’ll put that on our list for Australia (usually, we just use Google keep for lists, but maybe we should try a real app to be better organized 🙂
Hi,
May I ask permission for using this cover image in my article?
I am an overlander from China. Your article inspired me to write such an article to my Chinese readers. I also recommended some Apps, some are same, others are different.
I was planning to shot an similar image from my phone for the cover image. However my phone screen cracked just before : (…so sad…So I can’t take such picture before it is repaired…
Hey Kan,
If you link back to this page, you may use it.
Happy travels!
Might you consider updating this article to include Gaia GPS? We’ve developed quite a strong following among overlanders: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/gaiagps/