Wednesday, March 29, 2017

APPS SPECIAL...... 10 ESSENTIAL APPS FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP ABROAD

10 ESSENTIAL APPS FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP ABROAD


From getting directions to finding free Wi-fi, these apps will go a long way towards making your travels hassle-free

Imagine travelling abroad today without your smartphone ­ no WhatsApp calls to tell the family you've arrived safely, no GPS when you're lost, etc. Although there are joys in completely going off the grid and enjoying life without any digital as sistance, there's no denying the convenience that apps offer when you arrive in a foreign land. Here are some useful apps that you'll want to keep installed on your smartphone for your next trip abroad.

Getting Around
Google Trips scans bookings in Gmail and keeps things like flight and hotel reservations in one place for easy access. You can find what to do and create your plan for the day, and the app will show travel times between each location. Best part: you can download the guide for your trip to work offline, so you're covered even if there's no internet on your phone.
Google Maps is a no-brainer, but before getting on the plane, remember to open the app, search for the city you're going to, and hit the `Download' button. This way, you can use navigation without internet access. In select cities, you can get a feel for the place before you step out using the Street View and Indoor Images features.

Things to do
Before you can use some of B these apps, you'll want to know about some good Wi-fi hotspots nearby. iPhone users could check out Café Wifi, while WiFiMapper is available for Android as well. These apps maintain a user-moderated list of open Wi-fi networks. We also recommend services like Google Photos, that perform free backups of all your precious moments when on Wi-fi.
TripAdvisor is a well-known directory that offers reviews of hotels, restaurants as well as guides for things to do when you're in a city. You can sort restaurants by food type, pricing, and rating. Businesses are generally active on this platform, so if you have a specific question, you could get a reply from the horse's mouth.
CityMapper is a fleshed-out app for the public transit user. It's welldesigned, shows the cost of each mode of public transport after you put the start and end points, and even has live timings in supported areas.
When going to a country whose native language you don't understand, Google Translate can come in handy.Simply speak into the app using your native language and it converts to the local tongue. You can even translate sign boards, restaurant menus, or other printed text by simply pointing the camera at them.

Financial Planning
Instead of jotting down expenses in a note-taking app and then doing all the calculations manually, you can rely on apps to take care of this less exciting part of your travels. Check out Travel Money on Android and Travelbug on the iPhone; both are money manager apps designed to be used when travelling.You can set daily spending goals, or split a bill in different currencies using these apps.

Bonus
Instead of wondering, “What I time will it be in New York when it's 12 pm in India,“ use apps like Miranda on the iPhone or Time Machine World Clock on Android to do it for you. Alternatively, simply Googling the phrase above will get you the answer too.
Last but not the least, we would recommend taking pictures of your passport, visa and other important documents on your smartphone, and uploading them to a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive, so they can be accessed in any situation. And with that, we wish you bon voyage!
Rohan Naravane

MM20MAR17 

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