While many articles and scientific experts are extoling the virtues of finding ways to unplug during your time away from work, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to avoid technology all of the time. For adventurous travelers who consider their smartphone or tablet to be one of the most useful resources they have during international, or worldwide trips, technology can be the perfect solution for everything from finding a great restaurant for lunch, to checking that your flight’s going to take off on time.
Today, there’s an app for almost every travel situation that you can think of, and if you haven’t already started installing your own favorite vacation tech, then it might be time to get downloading. After all, proper planning can make all the difference between a stressful vacation, and a restful trip. From itinerary generators, to trip planners, online marketplaces, and methods of expense-free communication, we’ve put together a list of the best travel apps you can install on your phone today – whether you’re Android, or Apple.
1. Travel List
Let’s face it, it’s not unusual to need a little extra help when it comes to packing properly and ensuring you don’t forget something essential on route to your chosen destination – such as your favorite moisturizer, or a universal charger adapter. If you need a little help, then Travel List will help you to organize each of the items you place in your suitcase, and you can even add additional reminders for those things that you might need to pack at the last minute – such as toothbrushes and toothpaste.
This app can be a great way to help travelers plan and organize each step of their trip, so that they don’t miss out on the important things.
2. Trip Advisor
Used by literally millions of people across the glove today, TripAdvisor is a great way to rank bars, restaurants, and hotels on a five-star system, and learn more about the places you plan to visit. TripAdvisor can be a convenient method of tracking down the must-see attractions of your chosen destination – making it an excellent travel guide for those who are planning on visiting unfamiliar locations.
There’s even a standalone Offline City Guide app available that covers information on more than eighty destinations – which you can download to your phone and access whenever you like – regardless of whether or not you have a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection.
3. Google Maps
Any list of the best travel apps or vacation tech available today would be amiss without a mention of Google Maps. So long as you have a universal charger adapter to keep your device full of power, Google Maps will allow you to explore new places in incredible detail, providing everything from public transit information, to traffic updates, and turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
If you’re trying to track down one of those restaurants that you found on TripAdvisor, all you need to do is type in an address, and you’re on your way.
4. TripIt
Keeping track of all the many things you might need for your vacation can be complicated at the best of times, which is why one of the best travel apps has to be one that can help you organize all of those pesky documents that end up in your email inbox. Confirmation of flights, rental cars, hotels, and more can be converted into a single, easy-to-use travel itinerary with TripIt.
This app works by scanning your email address for emails that regard reservation times, and automatically adds events to your calendar, while sorting them into chronological order, and even giving you access to maps in case you need assistance in navigation.
5. FlightTrack Pro
With access to around 1,400 airlines, and more than 3,000 airports, FlightTrack Pro is hard to beat when it comes to finding out as much information as possible about your flights and travel information. You can choose to manage your international flights using real-time updates and zoom-able maps, or access updates on cancellations and flight delays within seconds.
There’s also included push flight alerts available, as well as terminal maps, and weather delay information that can be accessed on an instant basis.
6. Google Translate
Just like Google Maps, Google Translate is an essential addition to any list of the best travel apps available today. The Google team recently launched a new feature for Translate travelers, known as “Conversation mode”. All you need to do to use it is to open the app, and hold it between two people speaking different languages. As you do, you’ll find that the app automatically translates the conversation in real time.
While you might struggle to adjust the lag time at first, and notice a fair amount of mistranslations, the chances are that using this app will certainly beat attempting to get your message across by yelling and engaging in frantic hand signals.
7. XE Currency
Need to check how much something costs in your own currency? XE is the go-to source for accurate conversations available today. With more than 20 million downloads since its launch, this app is incredible popular, and for good reason! XE Currency can convert every world currency, and it can also function offline too, because it saves the latest updated rates to its database.
8. NOAA Radar Pro
A weather app that comes with more special features than you could possible imagine, and probably more than you actually need, NOAA Radar Pro is the most accurate app for weather on the market today. Not only is it is easy to use, but you can customize the order in which you see information for forecasts in things like wind, precipitation, visibility and more.
It’s even possible to bookmark multiple places when you’re hoping to check the weather on a frequent basis – so you can stay up to date with what it looks like at home!
Enjoy your Vacation Tech
The apps we’ve covered are just some of our favorite solutions to some of the most common travel issues that adventurers face today. The chances are that you’ll have your own preferred vacation tech in mind too, so please feel free to share the best travel apps in your opinion with us! We’d love to hear your thoughts.
