Here’s a look at some of the top nomad apps and best websites for digital nomads in Europe. There are loads more that we could have featured, but these are some of the best options that will help you get around the continent, find accommodation, meet people and have an all-round better experience.
Table of Contents
10 of the Best Nomad Apps & Digital Nomad Websites
Airbnb
While there are a few other contenders now for short to mid-term accommodation, Airbnb is still the go-to app for most digital nomads in Europe looking for somewhere to stay. While there are some cities and regions where efforts (with only limited success) have been made to outlaw short stays via the platform, Airbnb basically works everywhere in Europe and most cities and popular travel destinations have hundreds of options.
Booking in advance helps you find better deals, but if you’re only going somewhere for a short period, you can usually still find a few good options even a day or two before. Whether you’re looking for a budget room in a shared flat or your own studio apartment, Airbnb covers all the bases, serves people on all budgets and remains the best option for booking accommodation in Europe as a nomad.
Worldpackers
If you’re just starting out as a digital nomad and don’t yet have enough work to fully cover your costs or occupy your time across the full week, Worldpackers is definitely worth checking out. They are a work exchange platform featuring a work and travel app which will enable you to take advantage of free accommodation and in some cases meals, in exchange for helping out with some tasks.
Most placements are not full-time and some require as little as 10-15 hours per week so you will still have plenty of time to continue building your online business. Using Worldpackers can also help you to develop new skills, meet like-minded people and hopefully have positive experiences while you get accustomed to the digital nomad lifestyle.
Read our full Worldpackers review for more & remember to use the discount code “NOMADGUIDE” for a $10 discount if you decide to sign up!
Bahn.com
Getting around in Europe as a digital nomad is surely best done by train. Not only is it a more eco-friendly alternative to flying, but you can work much more easily on the go and can still invariably get where you need quite quickly with much of Europe boasting fast and efficient rail services.
While you can buy Europe-wide rail passes, there is no one train company or central body that covers the whole continent and even within individual countries, there are often many options which can make planning a hassle. German rail website Bahn.com is a brilliant resource as it allows you to find train times, not just in Germany, but across the whole of Europe featuring both domestic and international services. You may need to go to other sites to book your tickets, but Bahn is the most useful site for plotting your next rail journey in Europe and is available in multiple languages.
Google Maps
This one is easy to overlook but it’s arguably the most important of all the useful digital nomad apps featured here and the one that has had the biggest impact in changing the way we travel. Even so, many people still don’t realise the full potential of Google Maps or know how to use all of its features.
As well as helping you get from A to B, you can use Google Maps to research new destinations and find the best restaurants, bars, cafes and coworking spaces even before you visit. By saving anything that grabs your interest on Google Maps, you’ll have a fully personalised map and be ready to explore when you arrive at your next destination.
Flamingo Travel Days Tracker
For digital nomads navigating the complexities of residency and travel in Europe, Flamingo – Travel Days Tracker is a must-have companion. With its automatic trip recording feature, Flamingo effortlessly tracks your movements across borders, ensuring compliance with residency regulations like the UK’s Statutory Residence Test.
When travelling within the Schengen Area, Flamingo’s built-in calculator helps you manage your time within the 90 in 180 days rule with ease. Beyond trip tracking, Flamingo provides invaluable insights into visa requirements based on your passport, empowering you to plan your journeys confidently. Plus, with its robust commitment to privacy and security, Flamingo keeps your sensitive travel data safe and accessible only to you.
Duolingo
Europe isn’t a huge continent but it’s incredibly diverse when it comes to languages. The EU alone has 24 official languages and there are literally hundreds when you expand it to the continent as a whole and include all the smaller regional languages and different dialects.
While you can get by in English in a lot of countries, that’s not the case everywhere. In large parts of France, Spain and Italy for example, you can expect plenty of blank faces if you walk into somewhere and start speaking English. At the very least, it’s useful, not to mention respectful, to learn some basics and Duolingo remains the most popular app in Europe for learning languages as a total beginner.
Revolut
When it comes to money, Revolut is the go-to app of choice for many Europeans whose work or lifestyle involves a lot of travel. You can top up your account directly from your bank in your own currency and then exchange to a range of European currencies at market-leading rates.
This will enable you to hold a balance in everything from Euros and British Pounds, right through to the Bulgarian Lev, Swiss Franc, Czech Koruna, Danish Krone, Croatian Kuna, Hungarian Forint, Icelandic Krona, Norwegian Krone, Polish Zloty, Romanian Leu, Serbian Dinar, Swedish Krona and Turkish Lira. Essentially you will be able to pay for items in the local currency almost wherever you are in Europe which will help you cut down on those annoying fees.
Read our Revolut review to find out more!
Skyscanner
Europe remains the continent of budget air travel and while some budget operators have struggled to survive the pandemic, the big ones remain. Ryanair continues to dominate with the largest number of routes and generally the cheapest fares but the likes of easyJet and Wizz offer competition.
Before booking flights, be sure to use a flight comparison site. Skyscanner is perhaps the best option in Europe with all major airlines and routes covered. Their flexible “to everywhere” search options are great for digital nomads ready to move on but open-minded about where they are going next. Away from weekends and peak periods, you can usually find a range of options for under 20 Euros excluding baggage fees, often even for travel in the next few days.
Canva
This one may depend a bit on your line of work, but even if you’re not in a creative field, you can probably find a use for Canva. Essentially it is professional and slick looking graphic design that is free, simple and accessible to folks without a creative bone in their bodies. You can use Canva to create presentations, social media posts, videos and just about every kind of image you can think of from logo designs to book covers and infographics.
If none of that sounds useful to you, at the very least you should be able to use Canva to brighten up your social media accounts with correctly sized and clear images for your profile pics and headers.
Meetup
Finally we head to Meetup, one of the older ones here having just celebrated its 20th birthday, but it remains one of the best apps for digital nomads. Working solo and constantly moving to new places where you don’t know anyone can be a lonely existence at times but Meetup is a useful app which will help you meet fellow nomads and locals alike as you travel around the continent.
Many of the better Meetup events have understandably been on hold during the pandemic but 2022 is hopefully shaping up to be the year where things get back more towards pre-2020 norms and you should be able to use the app to locate loads of great meetups, language exchanges and digital nomad gatherings.
Danny Holm
Danny is a digital nomad who has travelled extensively in Europe whilst writing about his adventures and closely monitoring his costs. He's a regular writer for nomadguide.eu and has experience of short stays in many of the best and cheapest places to live in Europe whilst working online.
