10 free apps travel junkies won't be able to live without

We hate to admit it - mainly because we still picture ourselves as old-fashioned tourists, reliant on maps and signposts - but apps are now one of our biggest travel essentials when we take off anywhere around the world.

Not only are they far less complicated than a map, guide book or information pamphlet, but they're all in one place, can consolidate your travel plans, give you step-by-step directions, capture all your memories, find you the best hotel and even translate your words into different languages.

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Below we list our top 10 free travel apps that we're pretty sure will get your through your holiday with minimal forward planning and fuss.

XE Currency Converter

XE Currency Converter is the only app you will need if you find yourself abroad trying to work out how much everything in the shop actually costs. You can also check to make sure you're paying the right rate for a product and make sure you're not being ripped off.

Hotel Tonight

For some of us, being spontaneous with our travel plans is all in the experience. If that's you, then Hotel Tonight is perfect for bagging budget accommodation at last minute prices. When hotels have unsold rooms they load them on the app so users can quickly grab them up.

Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor is one of the most trusted hotel, restaurant and activity review sites out there. Check out the best restaurants in the area, the most popular tours and get real traveler reviews on all there is to do in the town. The app also now features an offline button, which lets you access all this information even when you're out of internet connection.

Google Translate

With over 90 languages in its database, Google Translate can come in seriously handy when you find yourself with a major language barrier while traveling abroad. Just speak the word into the microphone on your phone and the app will try its best to find the English translation for you. The best feature on the app is that it allows you to take a picture of a menu item or sign and the app will bring up the direct translation.

Airbnb

If you like your home comforts while your away, Airbnb lets you either pay for a room in a house or rent out the whole apartment or house for yourself and your family in 34,000 cities in 191 countries around the world. The Airbnb app now matches neighborhoods in cities that will suit the person's personality and preferences and will give them access to digital guidebooks of the area. There's also an in-app messaging service so you can keep in contact with your host on your arrival time etc.

Skyscanner

For those of us who are big fans of cheap and last minute flights, Skyscanner lets you scan through multiple different airlines to find the best deals. It makes it simple (with a chart) to see what days are cheaper to fly on and you can even create an alert to message you when the price of a certain flight drops.

Snapchat

Traveling isn't all about planning flights, hotels and activities, it's also a chance to show off your amazing pictures to your friends. But why wait until you get home? Do it in real time with Snapchat, which lets you post 10 second videos and pictures to a 'story' board, which can be updated throughout the day. You can also see who's viewed your story, who's taken screenshots of your photos and follow your own friends' stories.

Expensify

If you travel for business regularly, Expensify is your dream app. It lets you take pictures of your receipts, which are then logged in the app, creating expense reports for you so you don't have to. If you lose your receipt, that's not a worry as you can actually manually input the information into the app youself. When your trip is over you can simply pull up the report and it will breakdown what you spent on each day and categorize it for you, sending an email once your finished.

GasBuddy

GasBuddy is mainly used in the US and Canada as a way of finding cheap petrol in the area, using crowdsourced data. People post how much they paid for gas at gas pumps in the area and it's then put into a list so you can see which pumps are the cheapest in your area. The app uses a $100 weekly gas voucher as an incentive to get people to upload their gas prices every day.

Hipmunk

Hipmunk pulls up thousands of hotels and flights in a search engine and then has an in-app booking system so you can book whatever you see there and then. If it's a hotel you're after, Hipmunk allows you to browse Tripadvisor reviews, show last minute deals and lets you know how close the hotel is to shopping centres and landmarks. When it come to flights, the app shows fights with the shortest durations and the cheapest flights.

Tripit

If you're on a world tour or you know you're going to be taking a lot of flights and staying in numerous hotels during your trip, then Tripit is the app for you. It pulls together your whole itinerary, including flights, hotels, car rentals so you don't have to scour through your emails to find out where you're staying or what time your flight is at. All you have to do is forward your emails to the app and it will consolidate your plans in a single itinerary.