Best Travel Apps to Connect with Locals

After you’ve seen all the local sites, tasted the local food, and explored all the local activities, what else is left for you to experience? The local people of course! Here are 5 ways to use travel apps to help you connect with locals.

Let Locals Guide You

A good local guide can really enrich your travel experience. They’ll be able to tell you what’s what in a place better than any guide book can.

If you’re naturally shy, perhaps you can reach out and have a local guide you around. Use Nomaders (Apple Appstore), Vayable (Apple Appstore), Touristlink, or Toursbylocals to find a guide that shares your interests.

Bridge any Language Gaps

You’ve got to be able to communicate with them. It’ll help immensely if you can learn some basic phrases but for more complex things, use an app. For translating, you can use Google Translate Offline (Google Play | Apple Appstore), or iTranslate (Google Play | Apple Appstore). Triplingo (Google Play | Apple Appstore) contains language phrases and you can even use it to pay for a real human to translate for you.

Connect using Local Interests

Figure out what locals like and connect with them through their passion. It’s easy enough to figure out what’s popular in a country. Find out what they are searching for by using Google Trends (for example, in Brazil or Norway). Or what the most popular youtube videos are being played in Germany.  You can also find out what the most popular apps are being downloaded in England at the moment by using App Annie. These tools will give you insights into what the local interests are in a country, and then perhaps you’ll have some things to talk about once you’re with a local.

Connect using Your Interests

You’re likely to find someone that shares your interests where ever you go. The world is your oyster if you’re into food- find a Kitchenparty at your destination. If obscure places fascinate you, find them on Atlas Obscura (Google Play | Apple Appstore). Or arrange a meet up with your fellow Robot Enthusiasts.

Find Popular Local Hangouts

What better place is there to meet with locals than at popular hangout spots or during local events. SpottedbyLocals  (Google Play | Apple Appstore) and LikeaLocal (Google Play | Apple Appstore) will help you to find spots recommended by locals. Look for current and future listing of events in your destination in websites such as these in New Zealand or Argentina.