Common emergency numbers are often overlooked during a vacation, but can prove crucial in times of an emergency. This app from BoaLogik keeps the emergency numbers for your destination country, as well as the contact information for your embassy. All of this information is available without an Internet connect.
$1.49 on Android
WhatsApp is the popular, cross-platform app for messaging over WiFi, practically eliminating the need for a texting plan while overseas. The app offers features not seen on traditional messaging, like sharing your Google Maps location, attaching media, emoji and visual customizing. WhatsApp is also particularly good at group messaging, making it a great choice for a group of friends abroad.
$0.99/year on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Phone
Making calls back home can eat away at funds, but there are VoIP options available that can save you money. Viber is one app that lets you make calls to other Viber users from your phone through a WiFi network. The app was made for smartphones, integrating well with both iOS and Android devices, and it has also expanded to desktop applications, giving you even more options for communicating.
Free on Desktop, Windows 8, iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Phone, Bada
Word Lens is a translation app from Quest Visual that utilizes augmented reality. Using the phone’s camera, the app can analyze the text of a foreign language and replace it with the translated words. This is done without an Internet connection, with Word Lens interpreting the frames of video in real time to calculate a translation. With Google’s recent acquisition of Word Lens, the app and language features are free for a limited time.
Free on iOS, Android, Glass
Sincerely’s mobile app gives users the ability to create custom paper postcards using photos taken on their smartphone. People can snap a photo, write a message, and send a real physical greeting anywhere in the world. It costs 99 cents to ship in the United States, $1.99 to ship worldwide and Postagram is starting to offer free postcards paid for by advertisements.
Free on iOS, Android
Read This Next
Affordable Cities for Students
Study Abroad
Aug 26, 2014#TrazeeTravel
Insta FeedSurveys
Oct 28, 2026Study Finds Younger Travelers Skeptical of AI Travel Planning
A new study from Squaremouth, a travel insurance marketplace, finds younger travelers are skeptical of using AI for travel planning. However, AI usage for travel planning is increasing overall.
Sponsored Content
The Province That Surrounds Seoul — And Outshines It
Skip the Seoul Crowds. The Real Korea is in Gyeonggi.
Destinations / North America
Oct 28, 2026How Athens, Georgia, Became a Year-Round Hockey Destination
Athens, Georgia, may be best known in the sports world as a football destination for the successful Georgia Bulldogs (and they do, of course, deserve recognition), but did you know Athens is also one of the South’s newest and unexpected hockey towns?
Destinations / North America
Oct 27, 2026Kalahari Resorts Opens Massive Expansion, Industry First in Wisconsin
Earlier this month, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions opened a 75,000-square-foot, $85 million expansion in Wisconsin. The new Aquadome expansion is part of the brand’s Wisconsin Dells flagship resort.
Sponsored Content
A New Rhythm of Work in Seoul
SEOUL REDEFINES THE FUTURE OF WORKATION by seamlessly integrating business, leisure and culture across the city. From the established MICE hub of Magok to the creative energy and scenic lifestyle along the Han River, it offers a dynamic ecosystem where productivity and relaxation naturally coexist — positioning Seoul as a global destination for a new way of working and living.
Hotel
Oct 27, 2026Experience New York City in True V.I.P. Fashion at This Hotel
Travelers looking to experience the glitz and glamour of old-school Manhattan will want to look to Hotel Seville NoMad and its just launched Gilded Getaway package.
ShareThis