Airbnb. I was recommended this app by a 70-year-old man in Echo Park in Los Angeles — he was an AirBnb host, and offered up his apartment to rent, then and there with a discount. If you don’t happen to run into an old man in a park, this app lets you rent out local homes or apartments in the city of your choice, which is great if you’re looking for a longer stay, or just want something different from cheesy hotel art or shared hostel bathrooms. While it isn’t always cheaper than hotels, and finding a good listing can take time, it’s well worth it. (Keep in mind the price is listed on the app is is not final — Airbnb can tack on cleaning fees, city taxes, and service fees.)

How Not To Get Lost

Google maps. The Maps app has worked perfectly for all the countries I have ever visited, and can be used for navigation, whether you’re walking, driving, or taking public transport. The only shortcoming that the app has is weak support of offline mode — you can download small maps, but turn-by-turn directions rely on an internet connection, so it can be a quick way to burn up data.

Osmand. If you’re not looking to spend a ton on roaming fees and extra data, I recommend a closer look at the Osmand Maps app. It’s free, and easily caches maps for offline use, making it easy to navigate any city, even when you’re not close to wifi. It also supports many open-source map vendors, like OpenStreetMap and others.

Restaurants

Unfortunately there is not an all-in-one application that I’ve found to search for the best place to grab grub in foreign cities. However, in my travel experiences I’ve found a few that will deliver the goods when your stomach starts grumbling.

Google Maps. That’s right, this app is the Swiss army knife of city navigation — it offers up a little bit of everything. You can use a simple search to find nearby places to eat, and then get directions to them. However, it is sometimes sparing on reviews.

Google maps nearby places. Built-in navigation, reviews and price range don’t let you die when hungry

Yelp. Yelp is especially great for American cities, and the app can filter your restaurant choices by style of cuisine, neighborhood, price range, and even tell you whether that pizzeria you’re eyeing is open late.

Foursquare. With a tagline like “the ultimate city guide in your pocket” it’s not surprising that I’ve found Foursquare to have the biggest database of the three. It will suggest local restaurants. It will give you tips and reviews, and even translate them to your chosen language. It’s so good, it will find you a cozy cafe, even on a little island in Mediterranean sea.

Taking in the Local Scene

I often look for local events in any given city I happen to be visiting for more than a few days. I think that visiting local events offers up a unique chance to explore the local community and culture, talk to new people, and better understand how they live — that’s something you won’t get from any tourist destination. Sites like meetup.com, eventbrite.com, and even Facebook events can be a good start. Make sure your current location is changed, otherwise you might see not relevant events.

Plansify. If you have any questions regarding the place you’re about to visit, go to Plansify, which is absolutely stacked with travel experts, ready to talk and answer all your questions about the local scene. It’s as easy as signing up and scheduling a Skype call to put you in touch with some of the most experienced travelers in the world.

Helpful Extras

Google maps timeline. When I said Maps was the Swiss Army knife of applications, I meant it. The timeline feature, when activated, records location data as you trot across the globe. You can always delete events or even dates ranges if you want, but I would recommending keeping them, since it’s always interesting to look back at where you’ve visited in the past.

Timeline remembers every attraction and restaurant you visit, or how many hours you were hiking and how difficult your trail was. It can even attach photos you’ve taken during the trip.