So I’m 8 months into the race. It’s been hard, challenging and just felt like a really long time. I get by with a little help from my friends…and from my phone.
Just thought I’d share some apps that I’ve found to be super helpful on this 11 month journey:
- Uber: You will not use this in every country (especially not in rural villages in Botswana haha). I did, however, use it a lot in Hyderabad, India (like every single day). I’ve also used it in the DR, South Africa and Romania. It’s worth having because sometimes finding a taxi is difficult and/or the taxi drivers will rip you off big time.
- Currency XE: You’re going to be dealing with roughly 11 different types of currency throughout your race, all with different exchange rates in comparison to USD. You’ll want this app when you’re at the grocery store trying to figure out how much that jar of Nutella will actually cost you. Real time exchange rate updates are beneficial in all situations.
- Spotify: You want your music, right? Right. With Premium, you can download songs and have them saved to your phone for the countless days you’ll be on airplane mode. And on those special days when you find wifi, just download more songs.
- Netflix: Movies? TV shows? You can download them on the app as well to watch even when you’re in the bush of Africa.
- Venmo: We take for granted how willing restaurants in America are to ‘split the bill.’ Don’t have enough cash and want to pay your teammate back for pizza? Venmo. Want to offer an easier method for supporters back home to donate to you? Venmo. Need to pay your friend back home for those concert tickets she bought for you when you get home? Venmo. It’s a life-saver, trust me.
- Google Photos: My phone ain’t got enough storage for ALL the photos I’ve taken these past 8 months. Just download them to the app and delete em in your Photos. Works like a charm. Plus, you can always access them on the app.
- Rain Rain: OK, this one is a bit silly. You will most likely be sharing a room during the race with a minimum of like 6 people. These people may snore or talk in their sleep or laugh (!!) in their sleep. Or maybe your hosts like to stay up late and talk into the wee hours of the night. Or about 100 pigeons are constantly flapping their wings right outside your window. You get the point. This app has all the best rain/outdoor/calming noises to listen to. Just plop in your headphones and set the timer. You’ll sleep like a baby. Also recommend for quiet times in not-so-quiet environments!
- maps.me: This app allows you to download maps so you can use them without wifi/network. You can save locations as well as get directions. Super helpful! A warning though-the maps take up a decent amount of space on your phone, and you have to remember to download them before you get to your next country.
- SheReadsTruth: A full Bible available in different (English) translations as well as bible studies you can download. It also has fun phone backgrounds you can download as well!
**WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are great tools for communication with people back home along with new friends met on the field. Personally, I deleted WhatsApp a couple months in for more storage/I hardly used it. I mostly use Messenger or iMessage to talk to family and friends back home. A lot of my teammates utilize WhatsApp pretty often, though. Your preference!
A few other apps I’ve downloaded but don’t think are super vital: Duolingo, VSCO, Google.
Also, a lot of my teammates love the Google Translate app! I’ll admit, it’s incredibly helpful at times! Just again for me…storage *sighs*.
If you know of any others that you find particularly helpful, I’d love to hear em! Still got 3 months left out here, ya know?
Happy technology trails 🙂
K
