Tech advancements are making travelling easier every day. Gone are the times of rocking up in a new destination only to spend hours trailing around to find the best place to stay. Or, getting so lost that you end up sat on your backpack at the side of the road. Yes, of course, it’s character building, but we’d far rather be chillin' at the hostel bar with a beer in hand.

Here are 7 apps you simply must download before you set off on your next travel adventure:

1. Maps Me

When it comes to navigating your way around the world, Maps Me wins hands down. Yes even compared to Google Maps. The simple reason is that it has full offline functionality for everywhere. Just download the area map beforehand and you can be quite literally in the middle of nowhere and still be able to pinpoint the nearest hotel or bus station. It’s the best.

2. Uber

On the same topic of getting around, Uber is a must. First off you can order a taxi at the click of a button from the exact point you are standing without having to know the address. Second of all, you don’t need to pay. Well, you do, but not in cash because the app hooks up to your Paypal or debit card. And bam, no ‘I haven’t got change’ tricks from the driver for you.

3. Hostel World

Probably the best accommodation booking app out there for backpackers. It has millions of hostels on there that you can search for and filter by pretty much any preference combination you have. You can quickly check reviews of other travellers to be sure there are no bed bugs lying in wait for you. You can also book it at the click of a button while you’re on route.

4. Trail Wallet

The default method of budgeting for all too many backpackers is to not look at their bank balance and hope for the best. Only to reach crisis point when they do check and have to contact the bank of mum or dad. But the Trail Wallet app makes it super easy to budget your hard saved cash. Just pop in your daily spend limit, set up your categories and away you go.

5. A VPN

Whether it’s to immediately upload your latest epic travel snap to Insta or to urgently make sure that direct debit has gone out... there’ll be numerous times during your trip that you will use an unsecured wifi connection. At best you could have to reset a password, at worst someone could empty your account. Get a VPN, scramble your data and protect your identity.

6. WhatsApp

If you haven’t already got this app we’re not sure which planet you’ve actually been living on. But it is the best tool for keeping in touch with your pals back home and to let your mum know now and again that you’ve not been kidnapped. Plus, if you’re having a homesick day, a friendly face is only a touch of a button and a semi-decent wifi signal away.

7. Google Drive

You probably have this set up on your laptop for your studies, but if you don’t already have it on your phone get it and create a folder called ‘travel stuff’. Now in there, you’re going to want to save copies of all your important travel docs. Passport, insurance, vaccine records, you name it, scan and save it in there so it’s easy to access should an emergency occur.