Did you know that one of the most valuable travel tools is literally right at your fingertips? It is your smartphone, and arming it with helpful apps before you travel is essential. If you download these helpful apps before you travel, you can simplify your trip and make the most of your travels.
Itinerary Apps
Trying to keep all of your reservations, flights, and hotel data readily available is not easy if you must keep referring back to confirmation emails. It is much simpler to have all of your information in one place.
This is why you should download an itinerary app such as TripIt or TripCase. These apps are incredibly helpful, allowing you to forward all of your confirmation emails to the app. The emails are then organized into a single itinerary, available at the touch of a fingertip.
You can also input manual data for meetings and dinner reservations. With your entire trip itinerary at your fingertips, you will instantly know where you need to be at all times. Additionally, delayed or changed flight information is updated in real-time; keeping you informed of any travel changes.
Map Apps
Google maps are a great tool for getting from one destination to another. However, there are better map apps to use while traveling. Consider downloading apps like CityMaps2Go or Citymapper.
These apps not only help with road travel, but also public transportation and Uber. Another great app to install is Goby, which alerts you to all of the best restaurants, city hotspots, concerts, and plays within your destination city.
Language Apps
When traveling in a foreign country, the language barrier can seem at bit daunting. Do not worry though; there is an app for that. Google translate is a great app that allows you to use your camera to translate signs and menus instantly.
Bravolol is a simplified version of Rosetta Stone. You can use this app for basic phases, pronunciations, and spelling. Unlike Google translate, however, you do not need to use the internet to access this app once it has been downloaded.
If you want to learn some basic phrases before you depart for your trip (which is very much advised), Duolingo is an excellent language learning app. This app introduces you to the basics of your desired foreign language, and tracks your progress as your learning and grasp of the language increases.