Backpacking has to be one of the most authentic forms of travel that you can experience. Mostly because it allows you to draw on your own resourcefulness and resilience to get to where you want to go at rock bottom costs. Yes, luxury travel is wonderful and something that we should all indulge in every now again. However, the opportunity to travel and explore the world around you shouldn’t be pegged on the size of your bank account.

Backpacking allows you to explore and experience the world around you even when your current liquidity situation says otherwise. Still, that doesn’t mean that you should take on backpacking unprepared. Every traveller knows that the even though some of the best experiences occur through happenstance, the general truth is that the more prepared you are for your journey, the more efficient, safe and complete it will be.

Why You Need Travel Apps

There was a time when all you needed was a map, a hardy 4X4 vehicle and the will to go out there and get lost in the wild. Today, you need a little more than that mostly because we do have a little more at our disposal. Travel apps are a wonderful way to get around. Not only do they help you plan your trips a bit more efficiently but they can even help you learn new languages more easily so you can better communicate with the locals.

If you haven’t yet downloaded any travel apps on your smartphone, here are some reasons why you might want to rethink that course of action:

• Some have replaced old fashioned maps (Google Maps).
• Some make flight bookings and online check-ins seamless (Flapp).
• Others help you find ideal accommodation options (Airbnb).

Others still will help you keep up to date with what is going on around you, help with foreign exchange problems and language barrier issues. The truth is, you can probably find an app for almost everything you would want to do on your backpacking trip. You only need to download and put it to great use as you gallivant about getting to see new places and meet new people.

Some of the best travel apps for backpacking in Kenya

Whether you are big on travelling alone or prefer to travel in a group there is no doubt that having a helpful resource at your disposal would make your travels that much more efficient and ultimately enjoyable. The following travel apps would be a wonderful addition to your backpacker’s arsenal as you enjoy this beautiful East African nation:

1. Safeture

Safeture is a personal safety app that provides you with a host of information about where you are at that particular moment. The app provides you with:

• Local news in English.
• Real-time warnings and alerts.
• A list of local SOS numbers.
• Timely information about regional and countrywide safety and advice.

You can even activate a feature called “walk me home” that allows you to alert your friends and family where you are at that very moment as well as giving them a real-time trail of your activities. It is an absolutely invaluable app to have if you intend to go off into the unbeaten path but aren’t too sure about what to expect.

2. Africa: Live

Have you ever gone on a safari hoping to see a lion or a leopard but never gotten the chance to spot one? Yes, those big cats can be elusive. However, with the Africa: Live you increase your chances of seeing one. Africa: Live is an app that allows its users to share wildlife sightings with other users on the platform.

Furthermore, it allows you to use an integrated offline map that comes in great handy when you find yourself in those far-flung places with patchy network. The best thing about this app is not that you get notifications about where all the wildlife action is (although that is pretty cool) but that all the data collected is shared with conservation bodies which in turn helps those bodies with their wildlife conservation efforts.

3. Star Walk

Have you ever wanted to navigate the planet like the sailors of old? Not that you would have to now. What with GPS navigation, Google Maps and good old tour guides but it couldn’t hurt to learn how to read the stars, could it? With the Star Walk app, you will learn everything you need to about the night sky. This app comes particularly in handy when you visit beautiful destinations such as the Chalbi Desert where you can pitch your tent under the night sky and see nothing but an infinity of stars above you. Star Walk will help you locate and identify well over 200,000 star, constellations and planets.

4. Magical Kenya

The Magical Kenya app is a wonderful way to discover and explore little safari gems within the nation’s borders. This is a highly detailed app that will give your ideas on where to go and what to do once you get there. It is like your own personal knowledgeable tour guide. The app can help you with:

• Planning your trip: Gives your ideas on where to go and what to see or do.
• Connects you with local facilities: This app works in conjunction with the location features on your phone to connect you to the local hotels, restaurants and other useful businesses.
• Sharing: You can even create a souvenir video to share with your friends and family on your social media pages.

5. Flapp

If you want to fly anywhere (you fancy backpacker, you!) then you will need an app that helps you compare cheap flights and allows you to book as well as check-in online to save you both time and money. Flapp is the perfect app for this and much more. This easy to use app uses the Travelstart platform to bring you thousands of available flight prices from around the world. Now you can fly to remote destinations within Kenya or even go backpacking internationally. The world is your oyster. Enjoy.

Backpacking can be a great deal of fun if you prepare well for the experience and arm yourself with the right tools to make it all more efficient, safe and memorable. These apps help you do that and more.

Do you have a favourite travel app that you just can’t do without? Share it with us in the comment section below.