Being fully prepared for travelling used to mean packing maps, guidebooks, foreign dictionaries, different currencies, and having an itinerary full of phone numbers and addresses of the places you were staying and wanted to visit. It could be a real hassle putting everything together in advance, and potentially catastrophic if you mislaid something. Thanks goodness we can now confidently say, whatever your travel plans and needs, there’s an app for that.
Whether it’s knowing what to pack and what the weather will be like, or finding the best restaurants and places to visit, there are a ton of helpful travel apps which will have the information you need to plan a great vacation. And if you need to quickly change plans while you’re there, translate a menu, or catch some local transport, your phone can help you with that too.
Now, the only advanced planning you need to take care of, is making sure you’ve got all those helpful travel apps downloaded. Here’s our top pick of must-download apps to keep you amused, inspired, and safe on your travels.
Before You Book
Airbnb
When Airbnb burst onto the scene it was an instant gamechanger. Now travellers had a huge range of places to stay, from rooms to entire houses, privately let by owners looking to make a little extra money. Airbnbs are often in better locations than hotels because they occupy existing properties, and many owners have gone the extra mile to offer a wonderful experience because they rely on ratings from customers for repeat business. The app makes it simple to search through thousands of properties, filter them by settings which include hot tubs, sea views, and local transport links, so you can easily find your perfect holiday home.
Skyscanner
This app will help you find the best combination of flights tog et you where you want to go. Either search by your desired dates and then filter by price, duration, airline etc, or if you’re more flexible you can use their colour coded graphs to find the best prices for your destination. Did you know that flights on a Tuesday or Wednesday are often considerably cheaper than those on a weekend? Skyscanner’s price graphs can show you just how much you could save on flights by shifting the days you travel, freeing up more spending money for your holiday fun!
Getting Ready to Go
PackPoint
Travelling somewhere you’ve never been before? PackPoint can help you work out everything you need to take with you. Just answer a few questions about where you’re staying and what activities you have planned, and the app will create an editable list of every item it thinks you will need. It even takes into account the average weather for that time of year to make sure you don’t get caught out without your umbrella or sunscreen. You can tick off items as they’re packed or cross of the ones you know will be provided for you. Great for vacations and work trips alike.
Games for Long Journeys
80 Days
What better than a travel game to keep you entertained while travelling? This beautifully illustrated and written story game sees you attempt to travel around the world in 80 days. Along the way you will meet fellow travellers and find yourself in strange situations and the decisions you make will determine the outcome of each day. Because of this you can replay the game over and over again, there are so many different scenarios to explore.
Casino Apps
If you have mobile internet, then you could try an online casino. Not only might you be able to win some extra spending money, but you’ll be able to enjoy many games for the price of one. Casino apps offer poker, blackjack, slots, roulette, and more. You can even arrange to meet your friends and play together, perfect for keeping in touch with those you’ve left back home. Some providers like Virgin Games also have promotions on offer for their players, allowing travellers to save their money for other activities too!
Getting Around
TripLingo
Most popular tourist destination will cater for other languages, but if you want to step off the beaten track, you might need a little help. Before you travel you’ll need to download the pack for your country, but once that’s done you’ll have a fantastic tool in your pocket. Armed with a set of useful phrases you should be able to get through any situation, but if not, TripLingo has a voice translator as well, allowing you to speak in your language and the phone will translate for you! The app even comes with local information, such as how much to tip and which areas of town should be avoided after dark.
Google Maps
This map doesn’t just help us get around at home, it also has information for other countries, making it the number one choice for travellers who need to find their way around. It’s never been easier to navigate your way to famous landmarks, find delicious food, or make sure you get back to your hotel at the end of the day.
Conclusion
Having the right apps can make your vacation much more enjoyable. You won’t have to worry about getting lost, forgetting important items, or not knowing the language. Instead, you can just lie back and relax, knowing that everything is taken care of for you. You can even download games to help stave off boredom during long journeys, meaning even the wearisome parts of travelling can be fun.
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