Travelling abroad, volunteering, and immersing yourself in local communities are unforgettable experiences. Many long-term travellers and voluntourists love to keep track of their movements and share their adventures with friends and family back home.
But how can you do this easily, without getting lost in the chaos of social media or scattered photos?
Two popular apps, PolarSteps and FindPenguins, offer a simple and intuitive way to create a digital travel diary. Both allow you to record your journey step by step, adding photos, personal notes, and location markers along the way.
But what are the differences between these two apps?
Which one is the right choice for your next volunteering and travelling adventure?
What is PolarSteps?
PolarSteps is an app designed for travellers who want to record their trips effortlessly.
Once installed, it automatically tracks your route using GPS, even when you’re offline. You can add photos, notes, and moments along the way, and at the end of your journey, you can even print everything into a beautiful travel book.
Its simplicity makes it ideal for voluntourists, cyclists, hitchhikers or pilgrims who may be on the move, changing projects or locations frequently, and who want to capture their experiences without spending too much time on the technical side.
What is FindPenguins?
FindPenguins offers a similar service but with a slightly different spirit.
It’s also a travel diary app that allows you to record locations, stories, and photos, but it focuses more on community and social interaction. You can follow other travellers, get inspired by their journeys, and share your own experiences with a global audience.
For voluntourists who enjoy connecting with others and sharing their impact stories, FindPenguins provides a richer social layer. The app also offers more advanced privacy settings and detailed travel statistics.
PolarSteps vs FindPenguins: the direct comparison
Both apps are valuable tools for those travelling long-term, volunteering, and exploring new places.
PolarSteps stands out for its simplicity, offline functionality, and easy creation of physical travel books. It’s perfect for travellers who want to document their journey for themselves or for close friends and family without needing a public audience.
FindPenguins, on the other hand, appeals to those who like to interact, exchange ideas, and inspire others with their journey. The app is also ideal for those who want more control over who sees their posts and when. However, some features are locked behind a premium subscription.
Both apps work offline, use minimal battery, and offer printed memory books, an option that could be especially meaningful for those who spend months or years volunteering abroad.
Quick comparison: PolarSteps vs FindPenguins
- Ease of use: PolarSteps is celebrated for its simple, user-friendly interface and very low battery consumption, ideal for quick journaling while travelling.
- Tracking quality: Many users report smoother and more precise route tracking with FindPenguins compared to PolarSteps.
- Social and sharing: FindPenguins offers a richer social experience, allowing you to follow other travellers, comment on journeys, and share maps, features especially appreciated by long-distance walkers and community travellers.
- Privacy settings: FindPenguins stands out for its advanced privacy options, including delayed posting and selective sharing, while PolarSteps keeps things simpler with basic privacy settings.
- Travel books: Both apps allow you to create printed travel books. PolarSteps is praised for its clean design, while FindPenguins offers more data and stats in its premium version.
- Offline & battery: Both apps work offline and consume little battery, making them reliable companions for long-term, off-grid travellers.
Who are these apps for?
These apps are perfect for slow travellers.
The kind of people who take their time to explore, meet locals, and engage with different cultures. Whether you’re walking the Camino de Santiago, cycling through remote villages, hitchhiking across borders, or even undertaking epic horseback journeys, these tools help you document every meaningful step.
For voluntourists, in particular, having an easy-to-use digital diary means you can keep track of your movements, log your projects, take snapshots of the communities you support, and write down personal reflections. These moments can be shared instantly with loved ones or preserved for your future self.
Curious to try these apps?
Discover PolarSteps and FindPenguins to start tracking and sharing your journey today!
Note from the Voluntouring.org Team
While apps like PolarSteps and FindPenguins offer a fast and interactive way to share your travel and volunteering experiences, it’s important to remember that posts on social media or digital apps can easily get lost in the flow of endless content. Stories that are not preserved tend to fade away, becoming just temporary snapshots among millions of others.
If you want your journey to leave a lasting mark, something you, your friends, and future travellers can come back to, you might consider starting a personal blog or, alternatively, sharing your story on slow travel websites like Voluntouring.org. Here, your story can find a permanent home, accessible to readers from around the world interested in responsible travel and cultural exchange.
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