Makes sure you have the best apps for your next trip
So, it seems like the world is becoming much more reliable on mobile devices for travel and communications and leaving the “bulky” computers behind.
Well, the great thing about the iPad and iPhone from my experience is just the ease of planning travel, booking flights, and having quick access to really anything. Below I will list Apps I have used and plan on using in my adventures, just click the icon to download!
iPhone/iPad Apps for travel
1) FLIGHTS
–Kayak (free): The only place I book flights now is from this app. Easy to use and booking flights have never been faster!
FlightTrack Pro ($9.99): Provides the status of any flight, gives estimated departure and arrival times based on both the weather and airline info, provides gate information and details of all airports including average delays and weather forecasts.
2) HOTELS, HOSTELS, AND COUCH SURFING
-Couchbug (free): For all of you Couch Surfers out there, here is an app for you. As long as you already have a CS membership, you can access CouchSurfing network and locate hosts around the world. This could be a crucial tool for last-minute trips, and with built-in GPS it should be easy to find a place to crash!
-Hostel Hero (free): Access to over 19,000 hostels all over the world and no booking fees, HH can help you find a hostel on the go and discover which one might be right for you. View photos, read reviews and book a hostel in multiple currencies.
–TripAdvisor Hotels (free): The absolute best app I have come across for booking hotels around the world. Read millions of hotel reviews, view photos, book flights, and so many more features makes this the highest rated hotel app in the app store. My favorite things about the app are the ease of use, street view previews and virtual attractions locator.
3) CAMPING/BACKPACKING/HIKING
-CampWhere ($4.99): Love the great outdoors? This app will let you locate camp grounds all over the U.S. and Canada. Chock full of useful info like amenities, camp seasonal open and close times, and reservation information for most sites.
–Army Survival Guide ($1.99): With over 1,400 pages of references and information on the outdoors and survival, this app will come in handy if you will be trekking casts forests or hiking mountains around the world. It has information on field and survival techniques, edible and poisonous plants, dangerous animals and photo guides as well.
4) ITINERARY AND PACKING
–Tripit (free): An amazing app for organizing travel especially if there are certain details for hotels to remember. Input your confirmation numbers and it brings up all the details right there. The app can even scan your email inbox for confirmations and add them automatically!
–Packing Pro ($2.99): I am using this app to help me organize and prepare for my trip to New Zealand. It has an extensive category list of over 800 items to choose from, sample packing lists, organization and notes features, and an export/share feature. A must have!
5) SOCIAL NETWORKING
–Twitter (free): Self explanatory…tweet your travels!
–WordPress (free): The best App and best blog tool out there for creating a travel blog and posting your adventures! Even though it’s a mobile app it’s packed with key features and super easy to use.
–Food Spotting (free): I freaking love this App! This helped me find my new favorite nickel diner in California with the best home-made donuts ever (one called the Irish Car bomb). Users post pictures of food they have spotted ad reviews and can “Nom” their favorites.
6) COMMUNICATION
-Evernote Hello (free): The very best app for keeping track of who you meet while traveling, where you meet them, and important contact information. Read the full review HERE.
–Skype (free): Just released for the iPad, Skype is a given especially if you want to keep in touch. Excellent for video chatting and curing some home-sickness!
–Whistle (free): Something I just came upon, Whistle is an app that will allow you to call anybody in the world using your own Whistle number. The app is free, and calls are free as long as you don’t mind hearing an ad (paid phone calls for no ads)
–OnSay (free): OnSay is a pretty cool way to keep in touch if you want an alternative to Google Voice and other apps like it. OnSay lets you make calls for free via a Twitter account. All you need to do is set up a free account unless you already have one, find all of your birdie friends and you are set to call. Twitter is exploding so it shouldn’t be that hard!
7) ECHANGE/CURRENCY/TRANSLATION
–Currency (free): Out of all other currency apps, this is free, the highest rated and easiest to use. Create a list of countries and currencies so you can keep track of the real-time exchange rate as you travel.
–iTranslate (free): Features voice recognition, text translator and conversation mode, with this app you should have no problem working around language barriers.
-HiConverter (free): This is a packed converter app with 3,000 units conversions from tip calculation, currency, fuel consumption, temperature, weight, clothing and much more. A good all around tool.
8 ) WEATHER/TOOLS/MISCELLANEOUS
-Surf Report (free): Ready to hit the waves? Check the surf conditions first up to two days before. Features surf conditions, news, events, best beaches and even videos.
–LED-Flashlight (free): This is just an app everyone should have. It uses the iPhone 4’s built in flash as a bright flashlight. I have used this countless times to find dropped items or search in the dark. If you have an iOS device without the LED flash, it makes your screen turn a bright white to help light up the area.
-Wi-Fi Finder (free): We are all going to want access to the web at some point for Skype calls, emails, blogging, etc. The best Wi-Fi finder app I have tried to date.
-Swackett (free): A gnarly weather app that is completely different from anything else out there! It will display the current weather, as well as the next day by showing you what type of clothing to where. It is ad supported, and you can only have two locations at a time unless you pay a small premium.
Yes, I was the first in line for an iPad...
Let me know of some Apps you may be using in your travels. Hope this helps a tad bit. Below are some other related articles you my find useful.
Related Articles:
Aussie On The Road: 10 Essential iPad Apps For Travel Bloggers
BootsnAll: Favorite iPhone apps for travel
Telegraph: How Smartphones can help you travel
Main Apple Logo photo by The D34n
