We all carry one in our pockets, but are you really getting the most out of your phone or is it just serving as a distraction? The opening screen of a person’s phone says a lot about their habits, and if they are positive or not. 

Open your phone now, we dare you! Look at the selection of apps you have chosen for your first screen. Are you seeing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tinder? Probably. No judgement from us though, it’s understandable. But what if you relegated all those apps to the second screen and replaced them with apps that add to and support your remote working life, rather than simply distracting you from it? 

Here is a selection of apps that could prove invaluable to you during your travels:

(We are not affiliated with any of these companies. This is just our genuine opinion.) 

Work:

Workfrom – Obviously finding a reliable coworking space with comfortable seating and great technical infrastructure is preferable, but what happens if you are in a city without these facilities? WorkFrom is now venturing into the virtual meetup world, but should you need a place to work from you can choose from the 16,495 community-vetted cafes, and other locations that are suitable to work from. You can select specific requirements such as available power outlets, quiet environment, or faster wifi to make sure you find a place that fits your needs. 

Every Time Zone – When working with a global team, and also changing location frequently yourself, keeping on top of time zones can be a bit of a headache. The Every Time Zone app and it’s accompanying website makes it easy to see all the zones relevant to you in a row, so you’ll never lose track.

Toggl – Toggl is the perfect solution to see how you are using your time, especially if you need to submit your hours to your employer. You can create multiple workspaces, and then multiple projects within each workspace. 

Their Reports and Insights will give you a visual overview as to which tasks are taking up the most of your workday. 

Not only can you quickly control everything from your phone, but there is also a chrome extension so you can see the time counter directly in your browser tab. One bonus feature of the mobile app is the Pomodoro Timer. 

ExpressVPN – You might think we are preaching to the converted here, but you would be surprised how many remote workers still don’t use a VPN. Not only is it important for security when connecting to networks you are not familiar with, but it will also give you access to content that may not be available in your current location. There are countless companies providing this service, but we have found ExpressVPN to be one of the most reliable and with the fastest speeds. There are 94 countries you can choose servers in, and it is one of the few VPNs that still work with platforms like Netflix.

Sorted3 – Time-management is so important for productivity, especially when you are constantly changing location or are surrounded by so many distractions. Sorted³ not only combines your Calendar, notes and tasks in one place, but also has a unique feature called Hyper-scheduling:

• Quickly input all your tasks for the day and decide how long to spend on each.
• Choose a start time for your workday.
• Hyper-scheduling will then organise your entire day at the push of a button, with start/end times for each task. 
• If you are delayed in one task, you can quickly move everything else forward in one go, saving you time. 

Another great thing about this app is that unlike most services, they do not use a subscription model. Purchase it once and it is your forever. 

Finance:

As the old adage goes “look after your money, and your money will look after you”. Here are some apps that will help you do just that:

XE Currency – We have all fallen victim to the market seller who senses our ‘tourist confusion’ and manages to dwindle twice the retail price out of us. In the moment we cannot figure out what their quote would be in USD, GBP, or whatever currency we are most familiar with. It seems cheap, so we buy it, and then kick ourselves later. 

In the XE app you can create a dashboard in the app with all the currencies you will require for your travels, and once you change the value of one amount, all others will convert. It is quick and easy and will guarantee no one will fool you again. 

Revolut – There are companies with similar products like N25 and Monzo, but Revolut as a bank is one of the most flexible products for remote working. You can have multiple cards for the same account in case one gets lost or stolen, as well as virtual cards for online payments. Each card can be set up to do/prevent specific actions, such as ATM withdrawals, online payments, swipe payments, contactless payments, and location-based security. All can quickly be adapted on the mobile app should something go wrong. 

But one of the best features is the multiple currency wallets in your account. Revolut always gives you the best exchange rate between your currencies. You also have the ability to trade, and buy/sell crypto currencies. Finally, if you are on their Metal plan you will have travel insurance included. 

Customer support agents within the app are also very fast and responsive should you have any questions or concerns. 

Xero – Whether you are a Freelancer or you have your own Business, Xero will help you control everything like paying bills, invoicing clients, manage your taxes, claim expenses, and any other task involving your finances. Keeping on top of all these things is normally very time consuming, but having everything neatly in one place makes it efficient and stress-free. 

They have Starter, Standard, and Premium packages.

Friends:

Couchsurfing – Many people will have heard of this app, and will know of it as a free accommodation finding platform. But one of the most underused features is why we have included it on this list. “Hangouts’ almost functions separately to the main product and is a great way to find people to meet up with regardless of your location. 

Users can browse who is nearby, create a suggestion like “Jack would like to go have dinner”. Everyone else will see this and

GAFFL – While couchsurfing is fantastic for finding people to hang out with today, they are usually tourists who will be moving on fairly quickly. If, however, you are hoping to find people to travel with on a more long term basis GAFFL could be the perfect fit. GAFFL (Get A Friend For Life) is a platform and app that lets you search by location, find out who else is planning to go there, and then connect to make arrangements with them. Users will have selected particular dates for their travels, but a lot will mark these dates as ‘Flexible’ so they can create a definite plan with their new travel buddy. Users can also be verified on multiple social media channels, so you can do a bit of research before you commit to making arrangements. This is a great solution for those who hate to travel alone. 

Fitness & Focus:

Freeletics – Sometimes you will have access to a gym while travelling, but in the instances where you don’t you wouldn’t want your fitness to suffer. 

There are many workout apps, but very few are as customisable as Freeletics. You can let the app know how much time you have available, what equipment you have to use (if any), and if you need to workout in a small space or quietly. Then, based on your workout goals (lose-weight / build muscle / increase fitness) your ‘coach’ will swiftly deliver the perfect workout. You also have access to dietary advice, and motivational tracks to improve your mind as well as your body. 

Brain.fm – Finding focus in chaotic environments can be tricky. With Brain.fm you can choose from a huge selection of sounds that will alter your brainwaves to the desired goal