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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