Travelling may be one of the most fulfilling things you can do, but it also comes with its fair share of stress. With flights, hotels, trains and car hire to worry about — and endless booking confirmations for each — many people who vacation abroad will have nightmares about looking after all of their important information. That is not to mention the anxiety of currency exchanges and finding your way around an unknown location.
Thankfully, smartphones and their applications have managed to make the prospect of traveling far easier than ever before. No longer do you have carrying an over-stuffed folder of printouts; nor do you have to make an epic journey in search of a local map when you arrive. You can manage everything you might need when traveling from the palm of your hand.
But what are the essential apps you will for travelling? Here are five of the very best:
1. TripIt Free
One of the most stressful aspects of traveling is keeping all of your important reservations organised. With the TripIt app from Concur, you can store it all in one handy location — your smartphone. You securely forward any important documents to [email protected] or import the emails from your inbox. Then, the app will automatically organize it all on your phone in a concise, easily manageable way by sorting the information into an itinerary that you can access offline. (Free and available for iOS, Android and Windows)
2. AroundMe
Whether you’re looking for a restaurant, a gas or an ATM, Around Me is able to provide a helping hand. It allows you to select what type of service you are looking for (there are 17 to choose from that range from hospitals to movie theatres) and it will provide you with a local map of the nearest places to you. The only problem with Around Me is that you do need to be connected to the internet in order to make the most of its service, so be prepared to use some of your data roaming charges. (Free and available for iOS, Android and Windows)
3. XE Currency
If you are traveling to a location with a different currency, it is often difficult to know how much you are really spending. XE Currency’s app is one of the many mobile applications that allow you to calculate how much a foreign currency will impact your national bank account. However, what makes this particular app stand out is how simple it is. The XE Currency app not only refreshes every minute to keep up with the market; it also allows you to add any currency you want to the app’s home screen with a click of a button. (Free and available for iOS, Android and Windows)
4. Free Wi-Fi Finder
Some travellers will spend more time worrying about something going wrong than simply enjoying their vacation. Will a flight be delayed causing a missing transfer? Will a train journey be cancelled meaning you need to find an alternative route? If this happened in the past, you would potentially have to spend a long time on the phone, calling your airline or dialling the National Express contact number for alternative arrangements — and sometimes at the extortionate cost of international call rates. Free Wi-Fi finder, however, provides you with a comprehensive list of all the free wi-fi zones in your vicinity so this never has to be the case again. You can simply find a free hotspot and make your new plans online at no cost. (Free and available for Android and iOS)
5. City Maps 2Go
Map services for your smartphone or tablet are fantastic things, but there is one crucial problem — you need to be online to view them. This is precisely the reason why City Maps 2Go should be the app of choice for anyone planning to travel. It provides you with a lengthy list of city maps from cities around the world that you can download as PDF files prior to your trip. Once you are away, you can view them offline and avoid any unnecessary data roaming charges. The downloaded maps allow you to do many of the things you could do online as well such as find popular points of interest and search street names. You can bookmark places you would like to visit on the map too. (Free for the first 5 maps and available on iOS)
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