Got your smart phone ready? If you’re a jet-setting, globe-trotting, travel-loving freak, these awesome travel apps for smart phones and small devices will enhance your trip considerably, whether you’re planning, exploring or trying to communicate!
Skyscanner
Over having to sift through dozens of different sites just to find the cheap flight you want? Skyscanner helps travellers all over the world search millions of routes for the cheapest flights available – and best of all, they don’t charge commission. You can also use Skyscanner to compare costs for hotels, holiday packages and car hire!
Kayak
If you’re one of those people who has trouble finding what you want or keeping track of everything, the Kayak app will be a lifesaver. Kayak is similar to Skyscanner in that it lets you search flights, hotels, car rentals and holiday packages – but it also lets you save and manage your itineraries, compare baggage fees, track your flights and find your specific airline/flight information.
Zuji Packman
Are you an under-packer, an over-packer, a last-minute packer or a four-weeks-early packer? Whatever your packing personality, Zuji Packman has been designed to quell your packing worries and make planning and packing much easier. The app allows you to create packing lists, share/store itineraries, set reminders, see what your friends are packing and coordinate who’s going to take what!
Vocre
We’ve all experienced it: that moment when you’re in a foreign country trying to (unsuccessfully) ask someone where the bathroom is. Vocre, fortunately, sorts all that out! This voice translation app lets you communicate in real time in over 60 languages – simply speak your phrase into your iPhone or iPad (or ask someone else to) and it will translate the dialogue into any language you choose.
Word Lens
Can’t read that sign? Never fear, Word Lens is here! Just take a photo of any foreign sign with printed words and this app will instantly translate it into your own language (without requiring a network connection). It’s great for figuring out what particular signs means or what items are on the menu. But while this app has gotten lots of attention, it’s currently only available in 5 languages and language packs must be purchased from within the app.
WhatsApp Messenger
If you want to contact your friends and family back home for free while you are travelling, WhatsApp is a must! You can send messages, images, videos and audio to anyone in the world for free, using your web browser connection. Cross-platform effectiveness is one of the best features of WhatsApp, which is available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and Nokia.
Gogobot
Connecting with like-minded world lovers is one of the best things about travelling. With Gogobot, you’ll be able to search reviews, photos and recommendations and share advice or ask questions about almost any destination around the globe, allowing you to get a true, travelling insight into any place you want to go (or end up!). Hotel bookings (via booking.com) and the ability to create your own digital postcards are also key features of this app.
Touchnote
Paper postcards have been taken to a whole new level with apps like Touchnote. Simply take a photo anywhere on your travels and this app will let you design your own postcard, which is then printed and sent to your loved ones back home! The whole process takes around 2 minutes and you can choose from a range of pre-set designs and personalise the card to include your own message.
Trip Journal
If you love the idea of digital scrapbooking and travel journalling, Trip Journal is of the coolest apps you can have: you’ll be able to organise all of your images while on the go, map and track your travels using your device’s GPS capabilities, geo-tag your content and share everything in real time with your family and friends as you move from place to place.