Living abroad? Here are the 6 best apps for expats

From managing your money to learning the local language, these apps will make your move much easier.

Xe Consumer

September 30, 2020 — 4 min read

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed upon moving to a new country. From language to navigation and finances, your checklist might feel like it’s never getting any shorter. Fortunately, you don’t have to fend for yourself.

Don’t worry: we promise that you’ll be acclimated before you know it, and look back and laugh at how panicked you felt at first. But in the meantime, whether you’re already in your new home or you’re preparing for the big move, we’ve prepared a list of apps that will make your move feel that much easier.

To learn the language – Duolingo

Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones relocating to a country that has the same native language as your home country. Or maybe you’ve already put in the work and mastered the language before moving. But odds are, you’re feeling the pressure to quickly master the local language so you can make your way around, make friends, and have an easier time communicating with the people around you.

One of the most popular language apps, Duolingo is a free mobile app for Android and iOS that takes the work of learning a foreign language and breaks it into short, easy lessons and games as well as stories to improve your reading comprehension. The app will keep you engaged while improving your language skills over time, and lets you practice on the go.

To make new friends – Meetup

It’s possible you’ve used this app in your hometown to find interesting events or expand your social circle. Well, good news—it’s very likely that you’ll be able to use it the same way in your new home that you did in your old one. You can find meetups every day, at just about every time of day (including virtual meetups) for just about every activity that you’re interested in. If you aren’t comfortable venturing out solo, this app is the best way to reach out and find like-minded individuals. You’ll probably even be able to find groups of other expats.

To find your way around – CityMaps2Go

Unless you were blessed with an impeccable sense of direction, you’ll get lost once or twice (or even more) in your first few weeks settling into your new home. And it’s almost a rite of passage for expats and travelers to have issues with their phone and data plan when they end up in a new country.

CityMaps2Go provides maps of most major cities, and you can access them offline—so if you’re low on battery or conscious of your phone data, you can easily access a map to find your way around.

To keep in touch with your friends and family – Skype

Sometimes snail mail and email won’t cut it, but you don’t have room in your budget for long-distance phone calls. What to do? Try out Skype. You can call and video chat on the move, and it’s completely free (so long as all involved parties are using Skype). Stay in touch with anyone you want, without having to worry about whether you’re hurting your bank account.

To make travel a breeze – Skyscanner

Will you be traveling for work? Planning on making a few leisure trips? Want to make it back home to visit your loved ones for the holidays? Flights can get expensive. Skyscanner will help you to find the most affordable flights for your upcoming trips, and all you need to do is enter where you’re coming from, where you’re going, and the dates of your trip.

To manage your money – Xe

We promise, we’re not biased! We just want to help you to make the best decisions to power your international life. Whether you’re paying bills back home, sending money to loved ones, or transferring money to your old bank account back home, the Xe app can help you: