There is no point in having a smartphone full of gimmicky apps. Here is a selection of the best tools to keep the digital-savvy traveller connected and informed.

The first one of the list is the

Citymapper

. One you travelling, you need help to around in the city which might be unknown for you You need an online map that shows how to get around. Accessible, playful, all-inclusive, this app features more detailed information than Google maps, ranging from real-time departures and disruption alerts, to Uber integration and cycle routes. The app can be found around 30 cities worldwide, and it details all the city-break destinations.

The next application is

Duolingo

, a free and ingenious language learning app. Even though this app is no substitute for a proper language tuition, it is very useful to get the basics or practice for a trip abroad.

When you are travelling abroad, you need a way to check online your home country's currency up against the currency of the country you are visiting.

XE Currency

is the go-site for currency conversions on the web, and therefore its popularity has amassed over 20 million downloads since launch. It has many of business-oriented features, including rates for precious metals and historic currency charts. However, for the traveller it is not useful for the obvious fact that it's able to convert every world currency. The app also functions offline, as it saves the last updated rate; this singularity becomes very useful if you are in a place with limited connectivity or trying to save on data.

Tripit

works like a pocket travel agent by pulling together travel information from your confirmation emails for flights, hotels, rental cars, events bookings and converts it into a single itinerary. All you have to do is forward your emails to the app. The app also allows you to share your plans if you are travelling with a group, so it is highly useful when travelling with other people.

You may be able to find a number of apps to help you split bills, but

Splittr

was conceived for travelling, supplying an accessible platform to share costs between friends. You can enter costs as you go and the app will do the rest. The app even includes every currency and you can mix currencies without having to do the conversion yourself.

App in the Air

is a smart, simple, flight tracking app that has the best coverage of airlines and airports. Here you can find updated information about flight status, even offline. The app also helps you manage your time at the airport, breaking down each flight into four stages; check in, boarding, takeoff and landing time. It also integrates with Tripit allowing you to import all your flights.

If you are travelling across nations,

Google Translate

can become very useful for practical reasons. You can even hold your phone up to a text - it could be on a sign or a menu - and the app will translate it for you in real time.

LiveTrekker

is an interesting app that creates a digital journal of your travels so you can look back on your trips on an interactive map. The app traces your steps as you go, marking a red line along a map on the exact route you take. Another feature of the app is that it also monitors your speed and altitude, a very useful for adventure travellers, though it's just as fun to look back at your route around city. The fun part is that the app allows you to add pictures, video, audio and text as you go along, so it creates a multimedia travel diary you can share.

While some tourists who visit the British capital flee to Harrods to do their shopping for their holidays, it is in London's street markets where the magic happens. Surrounded by music, lights, decorations, dance performances and food from all over the world, you can have the time of your life when you shop in London street markets.

Knickknacks, clothes, vintage items, electronic devices, you name it, there is nothing you can't find in one of these thematic markets. Whether you are a hipster at heart or a music freak, there's a London market for you.

Brick Lane Market

As you walk down Brick Lane, you come across different food stalls offering dishes from all over the world, pastries, juices and even a piña colada. Once you have tried one of these delights, you can start shopping for vintage fashion, one of the most exclusive you can find in London.

Then head to the underground stalls where you'll come across a variety of handicrafts, clothing, high-tech items like hipster vintage cameras, rock memorabilia and a large variety of knickknacks.

All markets sell similar clothing as they all buy from wholesales in Whitechapel, but tourists enjoy buying them as the prices range from 10 to 18, although you can get some good promotions and discounts like 2 dresses for £15.

Keep an eye for last-minute offers, you might find original Converse for £25 or second-hand camera accessories for £5.

Ranging from soul to pop and folk, you might catch a glimpse of a few street performances.

Camden Market

London's most famous market, Camden Market is also the city's fourth-most popular visitor attraction with over 100,000 visitors each weekend.

From bric-a-brac, clothing and crafts, every punk at heart or music freak will find here what they are looking for. Take in the ambience of the market, buy some snazzy clothes, or visit the famous food market where you can have a meal sitting on a motorcycle.

Portobello Road

Every weekend Portobello Market brings Notting Hill to life. From hip stores, craftsmanship and art in general, Portobello Market is a great market to shop. This market is also the ideal place to buy exclusive antiques and bric-a-brac items with specialist dealers and countless gorgeous stalls along Notting Hill.

Borough Market

While every London market offers food stalls, when it comes to quality ingredients, variety of dishes and original flavor, Borough Market has no rival.

As you browse through the market, you'll find a medley of choices for lunch, including paella, wraps, burgers, falafel, hot dogs and even oysters. Then you can head to the other stalls for dessert, where you can find cookies, sweets, cakes and pastries.

If you are looking for specific ingredients, there are some stalls offering worldwide products like fresh cheese, meat and wine.

Old Spitafields Market

Steeped in History, the market was built in 1876 in the Victoria era but has operated on the site since the 1600s. Like the other markets, here you can find popular fashion, vintage clothing, arts and crafts, plus knickknacks. However, if you are looking for vintage objects like old cameras or record players, this is the place to visit. There are also acrylic and brushes for the artists who visit the market.

Sometimes the small details are the ones that make the difference. Consequently, there is a compilation of travel tips that should make your life easier while traveling and will allow you to make the most of your trip.

If you want to save some cash, wash your clothes in the sink/shower, use either soap or a traveler sized bottle of laundry detergent. This trick won't only save you those extra coins for the washing machine but also the hassle of finding a laundromat.

Carry face wipes with you. This will make you feel cleaner when there are no showers or when you are out exploring the whole day.

Always buy your food from grocery stores and have a picnic lunch every day. This will save you great amounts of money you would spend eating out.

Carry a thermos of coffee, that way you can save on expensive coffee out. Also, carry - or on you portable instant coffee. Get it from the hotel and carry it on your bag. It's cheaper to get hot water.

Take a pillow with you in case you have an overnight flight or bus or train trip-. if you have take an overnight trip, you might save on accommodation for a night.

Carry a sleeping bag and/or tent for improvised accommodation. Sleeping on a tent in a camping place might save you money and you might even be able to take a shower there.

Carry snacks - savory and sweet - on you so you don't have to eat out. Also carry a plastic bottle so you can refill water as you travel. Also, you can have sachets to make smoothies and juices on the go and that can substitute one meal.

Always keep a pair of plastic bags for dirty clothes and shoes. Don't even think of putting your smelly socks with the rest of your clothes unless you want them to stink.

Learn how to pack light. This might shock you but you can actually wear the same trousers a few days in a row and it's fine. The less you carry, the easier it will be to move around.

Carry a hard copy map of the city you are going to so you don't have to deplete for phone's battery.

Pack flip flops with you. Showers at the place you are staying might be gross and the flip flops will protect your feet from the bacteria on the floor.

Also pack ear plugs and eye patches so you can sleep anywhere. Get folders so you can keep your travel documents and itineraries organized when you search for them.

Pack some good walking shoes, so you can avoid blisters, and don't even think of walking around the city on walking shoes.

Ask locals for advice and tips to find the best restaurants, beaches, hot spots and things to do and see.

“To Travel is to live” -

Hans Christian Andersen

“What you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching that destination.” -

Zig Ziglar

“I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list” -

Susan Sontag

“Travel is rebellion in its purest form. We follow our heart. We free ourselves of labels. We lose control willingly. We trade a role for reality. We love the unfamiliar. We trust strangers. We own only what we can carry. We search for better questions, not answers. We truly graduate. We, sometimes, choose never to come back.” -

The triprebel manifesto

“Travel brings power and love back to your life.” -

Rumi

“The world is a book and those who do no travel read only one page.” -

St. Agustine

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” -

Anonymous

“Traveling. It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” -

Ibn Battuta

“Not all those who wander are lost” -

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times.”

Asian Proverb

“Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before.” -

Dalai Lama

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“I read; I travel; I become” -

Derek Walcott

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” -

Lao Tzu

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself” -

Cloud atlas

“If at some point you don't ask yourself, ‘what have I gotten myself into?' then you're not doing it right.” -

Roland Gau

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“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.” -

Agnes Repplier