Setting out on my cross-country trip via Greyhound bus I knew the only way I could continue my part-time social media associate position, in addition to writing for Go Girl and other freelance projects, was to have a device that allowed me to stay connected wirelessly no matter where I was or where I went. After tirelessly searching the many options (which actually aren’t so many after all), I finally stopped at an Apple store in Atlanta, bought an iPad, and sold my netbook to a friend. Now, this was a huge, unexpected purchase and I really worried about whether or not I made the right decision. But very quickly I saw the rewards, which have been incredible! (And I swear this isn’t even an iPad advertisement – it’s just my honest opinion.)

I’m sure there are other young female travelers out there who need a device to help them stay connected, and who find themselves in the same dilemma I found myself in last fall. Coming from someone who tried the computer thing and also has a smartphone, tablets are definitely the way to roll and well worth the unexpected splurge from your savings account.

The best thing about tablets? The apps! You wouldn’t believe the plethora of apps seemingly created with the go girl adventurer in mind. Sharing is caring, so I’m going to recommend some awesome apps that made living on the road 10 times easier:

1. Writing Apps

As a writer I was on the quest for the perfect writing app. There are tons out there! After trying out a couple free ones, such as Google Drive, and then later investigating some .99 cent apps like Notability, I finally settled on CloudOn as my favorite. This app brings Microsoft Office to your Tablet, making it easy to share and open documents of all sorts. Of course there are a few interface designs that are different, but overall it looks just like your office document on a computer. Perfect if you need to keep track of word count or have issues spelling, like myself!

2. Spirituality Apps

You may be asking, “Wait, they have apps for that, too?” And my answer is, “YES!” They’re some of my absolute favorite apps. I use a couple meditation, spiritual quote, and spiritual magazine apps. But my “I couldn’t live without it!” app award goes to Naturespace. This app has realistic and inspiring holographic audio of nature sounds, including rain, waves, rivers, science-fiction, thunderstorms, morning birds and more. Six tracks come for free, as seen in the photo on the right. Additionally there’s a catalog of nearly 200 sounds you can download, which Naturespace technicians have recorded through rain storms, giant waves, and overnight camping trips. The Naturespace App was the perfect companion for my many overnight bus rides. Sleep wouldn’t have been possible without my background ocean waves!

3. Music Apps

It’s hard to live in a world without music. Luckily tablets also provide you all your music needs. I finally settled on Spotify as my go-to music app. I purchased the $10 a month premium plan so I could have access to their entire music library without ads. This also included playing offline capabilities, an important component for when I was in the middle of nowhere Texas, or in the Oregon mountains, and didn’t have much of a streaming signal.

4. Finance Apps

A very important component to living life on the road is to keep track of your finances. My bank has an online banking app that is awesome and easy to use. If you’re taking your work on the road, check out your bank’s online banking and see if they have an app. If they don’t, consider shopping around for a bank that does have a well-built app that works for your money transferring and cashing check needs. Additionally, if you want to take your business on the road but don’t know how, a payroll app can make business from your cell phone or tablet very do-able!

5. Photography Apps

I’m a photograph-phene, which means I need the perfect apps for taking photos! While traveling my favorite photo app was Instagram. It allowed me to quickly upload photos to both Facebook and Twitter, in addition to allowing people interested in travel to follow me. It ended up as a great networking tool as well!

In the comment section recommend your favorite apps! I would love to hear what you enjoy using. Additionally, if you have any questions about additional apps that I use, ask away…