The 3 best travel apps for navigating a new city
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Getting lost in a new city may sound romantic but it doesn’t feel that way when you’re on a tight schedule trying to get a specific destination.
In that case, getting lost can feel overwhelming, stressful, and not fun at all. In the instances where you’re trying to get from point A to point B, these are the best travel apps to help you navigate a new city on foot or public transportation.
Uber
…but not for the reason you think. Uber is a great resource for finding on-demand local bike companies. So if you’re in a city with good bike lanes and you’d like to explore by bike check out Uber. You can either book your bikes through Uber or find out which company is local, download their app, and then book through them.
Citymapper
One of the best travel apps for public transportation mapper! You can filter for walking, taking the bus, underground, ferries, and other modes of transportation. The app also updates you on travel times and lets you know if your ride is running behind. This is a must-have when navigating a new-to-you city. Our team member, Kathryn, found it more detailed and reliable than Google Maps when navigating London and New York.
Moovit
Another great public transportation app to try out. Our team member, Christiana, used it in Lima and found it very useful. It gives very detailed instructions like how to walk to the bus stop, which bus line to go to, which bus to get on, which stop to get off at, and walking directions to the final destination.
The best travel apps we mentioned above are a great choice if you’re trying to get somewhere specific and avoid getting lost in the process. But we want to be clear that getting lost isn’t something that should be completely avoided while traveling. We agree that having an itinerary with a variety of scheduled experiences is an important part of making the most of your time. But rigidity in your itinerary doesn’t leave room to stumble upon something unexpected. Getting lost in a new city is a romantic notion for a reason.
A well-rounded itinerary allows for wiggle room to wander. In the article, The Art of Being a Flâneur, Stephanie Rosenbloom writes, “To walk a city led by your senses rather than a destination is to awaken to the city and, possibly, to yourself. It’s an opportunity to expand your capacity for wonder, to discover and delight in things you might have missed had you been aiming to get somewhere.”
Those moments of being led by your senses rather than a destination can result in some of the most special moments because you never know what you might discover. When you’re focused on getting to a destination, your mind and eyes are zeroed in and might miss the little cafe or the small shop. When you’re not distracted by a destination, your mind is open to noticing everything around you.
If you need guidance on how to incorporate both of these styles of travel into your upcoming trip, check out our travel coaching and we can help you build an itinerary that provides you with thoughtful experiences and makes sure you get lost only when you want to.
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If you’re traveling abroad and don’t know where to start or want to tap into our travel expertise to make the most of your trip, check out our Travel Coaching and Private Trips with booking service.
