Best apps for frequent travellers

Sometimes life takes you away from the people you love. Whether you're travelling for work, studying abroad or globe-trotting, keeping in touch with friends and family has never been easier thanks to modern technology. The travel experts at Comfort Inn hotels have picked their top free apps to help you keep in touch while travelling:

Rebtel: Gone are the days of calling cards. Rebtel converts international calls to local calls to get you the most affordable rates available. The app and first call are free but you'll need to purchase credit for all other calls.

WhatsApp: This popular app uses the internet to help you talk, text, send photos and videos, as well as leave audio and video messages. Plus the group feature lets you stay in touch with multiple people at once.

Skype or Viber: These two apps have similar features including video calling and instant messaging, as well as affordable long distance calling options. While Viber is easier to use and consumes less data, Skype is more popular, making it easier to reach out to other users.

Snapchat: Text, video chat and send photos and videos to other users without taking up any of your phone's memory. Snaps sent will disappear in 10 seconds, but the “story” feature allows you to share a series of snaps with all your friends for 24 hours.

Swarm: When Foursquare decided to focus on location-based dining and entertainment recommendations and reviews, it moved its “Check-In” and “Mayorship” features over to a new app called Swarm. Swarm is a fun way to share your location with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter to let them know what you are enjoying on your trip.

Facebook: With nearly 1.5 billion users, Facebook remains the most reliable way to stay in touch with loved ones near and far. The Facebook Messenger app also has phone and video calling capabilities. Most importantly, Facebook's new location-activated “Safety Check” prompts you to “check-in” to let friends know you are okay during natural disasters and other crises.

Whether you're looking for something instant, new, or just a fun way to connect, there is an app for every traveller looking to stay in touch. Your friends and family will thank you.