Apps

One thing to keep in mind when traveling to a different country is the currency. It’s quite likely that a different currency will be used at your destination and you will have to use some grade school math to convert the prices. Since grade school was a few years ago, an excellent tool for this purpose is the XE app for Android/iPhone devices – it will come handy whenever you are wondering if paying 9,450 Burundian Francs for a lunch is expensive or trying to figure out if the cost of 30 Peruvian Soles for your taxi ride is a ripoff or not.

Since traveling light is a priority for most people, the iPhone has become the go-to camera for taking pictures while traveling. This option works just fine, but now there are plenty of different apps for taking better pictures. A good alternative is the Camera+ app – it has bunch of different filters, manual focus, exposure control, as well as other cool features.

When you have a complicated flight itinerary such as Chicago – San Francisco – Los Angeles – Hong Kong – Guangzhou – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Chicago and your stays are at several hotels in different cities, it can be a bit difficult to keep track of all your flights and hotel reservations. An excellent tool to keep everything organized and in one place is the TripIt app. Just forward your confirmation emails to TripIt and you will have everything neat and organized on your phone. If you are willing to pay for the upgraded version, they will even send you flight updates, gate changes, etc.

Nowadays Google Maps is the typical choice for directions or for getting around in a new city. The problem is that overseas the app might not always work or you can incur some roaming charges for using your phone. For off-line maps it’s worth trying the CityMaps2Go app – just download whatever maps (the maps also come with a travel guide)  you need before your trip (or at a destination while using WiFi) and you are good to go.

If you tend to get lost or intimidated at airports, the GateGuru app is a super cool option to have on your phone. Not only can you look up any major airport in the world and view real-time departure, arrival, and gate details for all flights, but also the terminal you are in, see what restaurants, shops, bars, and other amenities are near you.

Another nice app to use when traveling is called Pocket – you can email or copy/paste the URL of a specific article/info to your Pocket account and it will appear on your phone. The main advantage of this app is that you don’t need internet or wifi to access what’s in your Pocket. You can use this app as a travel guide – literally keep numerous pages of Wikitravel in your “pocket” wherever you travel.

In cases when you need to book a hotel last minute – Hotel Tonight can be very useful. While it can be stressful waiting until the same night to book your room and therefore not recommended to some people for health reasons, you can get an especially good rate if you book a room after 6pm for the same night.