Apps, apps, more apps and then even more apps. There are apps for just about everything except performing bodily functions although, I do sometimes wonder if in some people their smartphone has replaced their brain! If you are someone that travels a lot for business or for recreation, or just globe-trotting in general, you will most certainly be lost without some sort of information portal to help you along the way. Personally, as someone who has a cellphone that is 7 years old, I’d be happy with a paper map but, for those that live in the modern world, the modern Smartphone is the closest you can get to having the ultimate in travel gadgetry, and with Smartphones, comes Travel Apps. There are some pretty cool free Travel Apps available;:
Here is a quick look at 7 Best and Interestingly Amusing Free Travel Apps.
So you have arrived at your destination and you are hungry but don’t have a clue where to start. No problem. This travel app allows you to locate and review any particular dish or restaurant in the area. Food spotting will be able to find you Chinese food in Italy or Italian food in Bali, or whatever you feel like eating! You can view the photos taken by other patrons, read their review, find the location and the time it will take to travel there, all from the comfort of your cab.
Your friendly tour guide, for everything, anything and everywhere, this app will be able to tell you how, where, who, what and how much. Whether it is a shop, an event, a bar, a restaurant, a plumber, a doctor, a tailor, a deli, a theater, not only do they have it, they have it all; price, directions, pictures, menus, opening times, even reviews. There is even an augmented reality for some establishments. You literally point your phone at the building or the business and up pops all the information about that business. How cool is that?
Another nifty little travel app is WeatherBug, it automatically pinpoints your current location, correlates all related weather data from the closest weather station and immediately posts the information on your screen. Want to know if you should phone home and ask for the washing to be taken in, in case it rains?
Just search for the exact location, store it in the program and you can scroll between home and away, just to keep an eye on things, also handy if you should grab a sweater before you get on the plane, or put on your shorts instead. In-depth stuff like temperature highs and lows for the day, and the next 7, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall predictions, wind chill, dew point, air pressure and humidity. So you should have no excuse to not be dressed appropriately.
Unless you have a vault under the house with currency for over 90 different countries all over the world, you will need to change some money over to foreign currency to pay for things, like a rain jacket because you didn’t download WeatherBug and you left home in shorts and a t-shirt. This free travel app is a handy tool that will convert your current currency into currencies for over 90 different countries. It will help you know how much cash you should expect to be getting in a currency exchange, obviously excluding the exchange fees. This app uses the internet for immediate, real time updates, so that fluctuations and changes will be applied constantly during calculations.
A bit like your personal concierge, Alfred will, based on what you have taught him, or indicated to him what kind of things you like, scan the immediate area you are in, and suggest places, with pictures, for you to go, that he thinks you will like. The response for Alfred has been astounding, and users swear by this fabulous little travel app and he has quickly gained a reputation for being spot on with the suggestions. So if you love pizza, Alfred will make sure you get the best pizza, with that extra cheese, just how you like it, where ever you may go.
If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done, and this cannot be more true when traveling. How about a travel app, that hooks you up with snazzy accommodation and a luxury rental car all for next to nothing, because the special deals are once off and only available at the last minute? Priceline is a the ‘’last minuters’’ dream, the superior booking machine, that gets you huge discounts in over 150 000 hotels, sometimes up to 75% and up to 40% on car rentals booked as little as half an hour before pick up.
The first ever online taxi booking service, which bypasses the red tape and gets you directly dispatched into booking systems, so no need to phone. Wherever you are, you can find a taxi and track the taxi as it travels to you, through a map view and dispatch updates. Once you have found your taxi and the booking has gone through, you pay for it online using your credit card and print out an e-receipt and off you go. Calling a cab has never been easier.
Who knows what people ever did before Travel Apps. Traveling has never been so easy; information has never been so accessible and readily available. Who would have thought 25 years ago you could book into a restaurant, book a flight, find a hiking trail and pictures of it, and view photographs of hotels closest to the airport all from the comfort of your handheld device. Some of the Best and Interestingly Amusing Travel Apps are always looking for interesting ideas and feedback from users. With that in mind, if you could have any app, what would it do for you?
Top Photo Credit: pinterest.com