8 Great travels apps on my phone
/Most of them should be available on different operating system such as iOS, Android or windows phones. I even keep on using a few of them in the city where I live, Dublin, and I must say that I keep on learning something new every day! So here is below a list of my most used Android applications or apps at the moment.
Field trip
This app once installed will run in the background and according to your location will show you the nearest hidden or unique things around you.
You can setup your list of interests, such as museums, landmarks, restaurants, etc... and once you will get close to something interesting you will receive a notification with a card popping up on your phone screen with details about the location.
If you have a headset connected to your phone, it can even read out loud the information to you. This is your customized private tour guide!
Trip advisor
Trip advisor is my travel app number one. It is a travel website company that provides reviews of travel related content from people like you and me. It is a big travel community where you can get ideas and advice for your next travel destination.
I use it mostly a few weeks before travelling to organize my trip. Thanks to people's reviews, I know what museums, landmarks or attractions are worth visiting and what hotels or travel agencies are worth the money and time.
Trip it
Tripit was created at the time when online travel booking was something new for everybody. Their mission is to organize people's trip by just forwarding all your trip related documents to them to that address plans@tripit.com but if you use Gmail or any other Google apps, the synchronization is done automatically.
Once they receive them, they organize an itinerary that you can access from any device online. It is pretty handy as it gathers all the important travel documents in one place and you can also access them offline.
Pinterest is a fascinating invention. Basically the idea behind it is to gather every bit and pieces you encounter and find interesting on daily basis by topics online, and keep them in one place or what they call a board. It is a modern online scrapbook if you prefer. And let me tell you something, once you start, you cannot stop! It is so addictive. But why is it part of my travel app list.
Well, Pinterest developed a new feature that launched at the end of 2013 called "Place board" that allows you to create a custom map of places you wish to visit.
It is like creating your own travel guide magazine. You can also share your map with other people and collaborate if you are planning a trip with some friends or family. This way everything is gathered in one place.
As it integrates Foursquare, you can get all the information and reviews about the places you wish to visit within the app.
Google maps
Google map is a great travel tool when it comes to transportation. I use it all the time to get from point A to point B using the fastest route either by bike, by foot, by car or by using public transports as it takes into consideration the traffic at the time of your request.
I also use it to find out what's around me when I travel like restaurants, cafes, bars or attractions and read the reviews from other users.
And for travelling abroad in a country where you do not have internet access, you can save an offline map of the areas of your interest. Thank you Google!
Stay.com
I discovered this app recently and I must say it is great. It is a nice way to discover a city before travelling as it gathers places to visit and some guides made by local experts to give you some tips and ideas by topics according to your interests.
Once you see something that you like, you can just add it to your custom guide that you create. And the day of your visit in the city or country, you can access your guide offline with a map of the places you selected.
xe
This application is a simple currency converter I use when I travel outside of Europe.
It is always handy, especially in countries where you don't really know the money value and you have to bargain with a local to get a product you are interested in.
Yahoo weather
Finally the weather. It is important to know how the weather will be and plan your trip accordingly. Usually, I tend to do more indoor activities when there is a poor weather and obviously more outdoor activities when it is sunny.
So far I have used Yahoo! weather and have not been disappointed. It might not be very accurate as other local weather apps, but good enough to give you an idea of what your day will look like and how to dress up accordingly. Plus, I love the design of this app.
So here is the list of apps I use the most at the moment. Some are pretty similar but you need to try them out to have an idea of which one suit to your needs right?
It does not take much space on your phone memory and it is free. Unless you wish to use the pro version on some of them. Personally, I only use the free version and I am very happy with what I find and do with them.
What about you? Do you have any other apps you use when you travel that you would like to share? Do not hesitate to share if you do in the comment section below.
