The must-have apps when moving to a new town

Moving to a new town is an adventure, but not the one you’re always prepared for. You’re venturing into the unknown, and it can be a bit hectic trying to navigate your life in a new area. Since most people are somewhat addicted to their mobile phones these days, having a few useful apps when moving to a new town is a must. There are some that will simply help you navigate and find your way around. Others will help you meet new friends and neighbors more easily. Moreover, there are apps that you can use to find the restaurants and shops you need without roaming around your neighborhood. 

What are some must-have apps when moving to a new town?

First of all, let’s talk about some apps that will help you find your way around NYC. Even though your Upper East Side movers will know every corner of the neighborhood, and where to deliver your belongings, you may feel lost. And that’s perfectly normal! Even if you’ve visited the area as a tourist, you probably didn’t pay enough attention to street names and where’s what.

Apps you can use to safely navigate your new neighborhood and NYC 

• Google Maps, which you most likely already have in your phone. Not only is it very precise with finding exact addresses, but it can also calculate the distance and the time it’ll take you to get to your destination. Google Maps also has the option to select whether you’ll be walking, taking the subway, or driving, and will calculate your ETA accordingly.
• Citymapper. This app doesn’t work for all cities, but it is perfect in big ones such as NYC. Apart from regular maps, it also has subway and bus maps, if you aren’t sure where your line will take you. Moreover, it will let you know how much your method of transportation will cost you! 
• Moovit. This navigation app is a kind of a mix between the previous two. It is more focused on transportation, even though it shows a general map of the area (although, less precise one than Google Maps). What’s great about Moovit is that it is very precise in finding a few public transportation routes you need to take to get from point A to point B. Once you get on the subway or the bus, it will tell you exactly how many stops you need to go and at what time you’ll arrive at your destination.  The best feature is that you can insert the time you need to be at point B and it will calculate and tell you the fastest routes that will take you there on time!

Meeting new people in town is a piece of cake with these apps

We all understand how difficult it can be to move to a new city where you don’t know anyone. Well, apart from your NYC movers and packers of course! People in New York sometimes tend to keep to themselves, and you might not strike up a conversation that easily in a grocery store. Using a few cool apps, you can meet new people and not only from your area but from the entire city as well. 

• Meetup. Bored on a Saturday night with no clue where to go and what to do? Install Meetup, and you’ll get a few ideas right away. This app will show you events and meet-ups happening all over the city. Not all of them are sports games and events – some are local meet-ups that you probably haven’t heard of. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors!
• Bumble. Even though this is technically a dating app, you can turn on a Bumble BFF mode and simply make new friends if you wish. The good thing is that there is a chat within the app, so you don’t have to give away your phone number right away if you don’t feel comfortable.
• NextDoor. This app is more focused on finding people who live close to you, so you can meet your neighbors easily. If you need someone to show you around or recommend a good local coffee shop, you should download NextDoor!
• Roomi & Roomster. These two apps are very useful if you need to find a roommate. It works both ways, so if you’re looking for a place to rent, you can apply the filters you need and easily find a place for you.

Other useful apps when moving to a new town you can use

Now that we’ve covered the two main obstacles you can encounter when moving to a new town, let’s talk about other apps. The following will be very useful as well when you don’t know enough about NYC just yet. They might give you a few ideas on what to do in NYC!

• Yelp. This is an app everyone talks about, but no one realizes how useful it is. If you find a restaurant that looks cool, check out the reviews people left for it before going there for a meal!
• ClassPass. Haven’t found a gym in the area you like yet? This app will give you a free trial and tell you which classes are going on at the moment. You might find some cool ones you haven’t thought of before!
• BandsInTown. Want to go to a concert soon? Download this app and see which artists will perform near you in the future! A great feature of the app is that you can also use it to purchase tickets.
• LinkedIn. Networking in a new town is important, and if you’re out of a job, this is the app for you. It’s the easiest way to apply for positions that you are interested in!