We all know someone who is so addicted to their cell phone that you’d think their life depended on it. However, sometimes when you’re traveling, your life literally can be saved by your cell phone – if it’s loaded with the right apps. From something as essential as first aid to tasks as simple as finding your way around town, the following apps offer ways to make life easier when traveling and planning a trip. Most of the apps are available for free or a nominal fee at app stores such as GooglePlay and Amazon and those specifically offered by iPhone and Android manufacturers. Many of the apps are designed for offline use, saving you roaming charges if you keep your phone in airplane mode.
Safety & Emergency Situations
Back in the B.C. (before cell-phones) days, when travelling, it was difficult to be reached in an emergency. Now that’s no problem, but if you want to avoid roaming charges and be available in case of an emergency, “UrgentCall” supplies you with a private emergency number to use that ensures that you’re only receiving an emergency call. In addition, your phone will not stop ringing until you answer the call, even if there is no service or you have a dead battery.
“TravelSafe” compiles emergency numbers and embassy contact information for countries worldwide. You can even pin certain services to your home screen as widgets for one-touch access to emergency services.
Anyone who’s traveled with a pet knows how helpless you feel if there’s an accident. “Pet First Aid” deals with everything from cuts and impalement, to choking and CPR. The app offers detailed video instructions and illustrations. It can also store your pet’s vital medical information.
There’s no chance of getting a sun burn with “Sunscreen,” which can detect the UV rating of any location. Input your skin type and the SPF of your lotion, and it alerts you when it’s time to reapply.
Navigation
“Waze” users connect with other drivers in the area and share real-time traffic information, which is particularly helpful for road trips. It can even find the cheapest gas prices in proximity.
“FlightTrack” details thousands of domestic and international flights. Delays and cancellations are updated instantly and, once you get to the airport, terminal maps help you negotiate with ease.
“HopStop” offers maps and directions for subways and buses as well as walking directions for most European, Canadian and U.S. cities. If you’d rather cab it, check out “Hailo.” The free app uses GPS to send cabs to you in 16 cities, including New York, London, Barcelona, Toronto and Tokyo.
Documents
“TripIt” organizes all of your trip details into an itinerary stored in one place. Forward your confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and TripIt will automatically build an itinerary for your trip. Although not the certified copies that are usually required, it never hurts to have back-up copies of essential travel docs such as birth certificates, visas and passports. Upload your docs to web-based servers such as “Dropbox,” “Webjimbo,” “Dataviz” or “Evernote” or store on your phone using “Scanner Pro” “Genius Scan” or “Mobile Doc.”
Making Life Easier
“XE Currency” is a free currency app that converts prices using live currency rates. Enter where you’re going and how long you’re staying into “Packing Pro” and it’ll create a suggested list of what you might need to pack. The list is separated into categories. With “HopStop,” point your camera at a building, statue or monument and up pops a list of articles about the subject. It also works with barcodes or QR codes.
It doesn’t matter how many of these apps you have, if you’re in a locale where English isn’t spoken and you’re not able to communicate with the locals. That’s where translation apps come in handy. The best-rated translation app for Androids is “Better Translator Pro.” It supports more than 50 languages in text-to-text mode (great for signs and menus) and 11 using voice recognition. You won’t be able to have a conversation, but simple questions are a breeze. “Lost in Translation” is a free app that supports 36 languages, but only as text. “Google Goggles” is a free app that can read text in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish, and translate it into other languages. “SayHi Translate” is geared towards conversational speaking and is one of the most user friendly apps available. The standard free app comes with 41 languages and more languages and specific dialects are available via in-app purchases for a couple of bucks.
