These days, traveling is much easier but aside from your money, your travel documents and your suitcase, the trip won’t be complete without a smartphone. Whether you own the latest iPhone 5s from Carphone Warehouse, the hippest Android phone, the chic Blackberry or a gadget that runs on Windows, you would appreciate these travel apps that can spare you from hassles during your trips. Before you catch a flight, be sure to download these apps and do some advanced planning.
1. Kayak. This is the app where you can search, compare then book car rentals, flights and hotels. Plus, it links to TripAdvisor allowing you to see ratings and reviews about a place. If you get to choose only one travel, this should definitely be it. Plus, it is compatible with almost all smartphone operating systems including iOS, Android and Windows.
2. XE Currency. One of the biggest issues that people have about traveling is counting the costs in the local currency. There’s just an automatic response that pushes people to convert all their expenses to the local currency and anybody who has experienced traveling outside their country can tell you the difficulties associated with currency conversions. Before heading off to the airport check out the latest exchange rates so you will have a firm idea of how much to bring and you can cross check whether the money changer gave you the right amount. This is available on various operating systems.
3. GateGuru. Let’s face it, being in a foreign airport can be as tricky as being in a foreign city and a bit of help would be highly appreciated. Good thing this app is built for just that, helping travelers to navigate around an airport, and it is quite similar to a city map or a GPS. You can browse through 120 airports worldwide. Although some airport maps are sorely lacking, this can be a lifesaver especially if you are running late for a flight. Plus, it is available for both iOS and Android phones.
4. Postagram. Post cards may seem to be a thing of the past but everyone loves them. Available on Android, iOS and an online version, you can snap pictures, add a personalized message and have the postcard delivered to anyone in the world. Fees and charges apply and delivery time will vary depending on the delivery address but this is definitely a great app for people on the go.
5. EveryTrail. Anyone who has a deep love for the great outdoors would surely adore this app. Aside from providing a trail and tracking you through GPS, you can browse through shared trails by other users in case you find yourself in no man’s land. Available in Android and iOS, this is a must have for those who just can’t get enough with walking trails.
6. Google Goggles. Whether you are traveling or not, this app by Google is definitely a must have in your smart phone. All you have to do is take a picture and with it, you can search Google. You can snap a picture of a landmark and see what it is and its exact location. While on a trip, you can also take a picture of a sign/ text written in the foreign language and it is automatically converted to text by the OCR function allowing you to run the foreign text in Google Translate. This innovative app is available for Android and iOS. But, the app is still in its early stages and there’s much to improve.
7. Tipping Bird/ Globe Tipping. Tipping is tricky business and with a lot of differences in tipping practices across the globe no one can blame you for getting it all wrong. You’ll get deadly glares should you commit the mistake of not leaving a tip and giving a tip where it is not necessary can be expensive. Fortunately, these app are your best buds when it comes to figuring out whether to tip or not and you can use it! Tipping Bird can be downloaded from the Android Market while Globe Tipping is the iOS counterpart.
Technology and traveling are definitely evolving together and with these apps, you can definitely have a better travel experience.