As fun and exciting going on holiday is, travelling abroad can for some feel a little isolating. People have reported that they often feel lost and disorientated when travelling, particularly in foreign countries. This can lead to stress and anxiety which can ruin a trip and defeat its objective. Fortunately, there are ways to feel safe, secure and at home when you’re away.
Forget paper maps and travel books, we have moved forward. Everything you need is at your fingertips, on your phone or tablet. There are many apps designed to ease your travel anxieties, and enhance your holidaying experience. Here are some of the best travel apps that will help you feel more at home whilst you’re away:
XE Currency Converter
So you’re browsing in an authentic market and you think now might be a good time to pick out a souvenir to take home. You’re a little apprehensive because you don’t want to be ripped off. What do you do? You get out your currency calculator! With the XE Currency Converter App, you can access live exchange rates, view historical charts, and calculate prices on your smartphone or tablet. Not to mention, the app is free!
Google Translate
You were a little lazy and didn’t refresh yourself with the language. Or maybe, languages just aren’t your thing. The language barrier comes as quite a surprise to you, and you’re struggling to explain that you have an allergy in a fancy French restaurant. Your phone turns into your best friend, and Google translate is able to interpret for you accurately. Panic over.
Rebtel
You’re having a wonderful holiday but It’s time for a conference call with work. You can’t use Skype or whatsapp due to poor wifi. You don’t particularly want to spend hundreds on international phone calls, so you try the app Rebtel. The app has the cheapest and best calling rates around the world. It’s a game changer.
Marco Polo
You don’t have time to FaceTime your Mum for hours, so you download Marco Polo. Sending each other quick video messages will help you keep in touch with what your family and friends are up to near and far, and you can reply at your own convenience.
Waze GPS Navigation
Waze is a GPS navigation app known as a taxi drivers dream. The app draws from its active drivers to create the most up-to-date and accurate road data. It functions in the same way as Google Maps but users can also share information about hazards, traffic or accidents. If you’re navigating an unfamiliar city and aren’t sure where the traffic hotspots are, this app is the best you can get.
Google Trips
Are you the kind of person who prepares for every trip by getting a folder and filling it with every bit of your travel itinerary? Well, imagine that folder, but without the bulk, the tatty paper printouts and the fly aways. The app, Google Trips is the virtual folder of dreams. It gathers all of your travel information from Gmail and Inbox and organises it automatically. It also maps out half-day or day itineraries with suggestions of things to see or do. Best of all, it works entirely offline, so you don’t need to worry about having to find a wifi spot before you can find out where you’re going.
Yelp
Are you the kind of person who wants to eat and drink well on holiday? No need to carry around hefty books or brochures containing information about the best restaurant and bars in the area. Yelp is a service that will do all the work for you. You can easily search for nearby restaurants, read plenty of reviews, and even view great local deals and photos of the place. Search filters ensure that you can narrow things down according to distance, price, and rating, so you know exactly what you’re getting into.
By downloading some of these apps, your stress will be next to nothing during your travels!
Google translate is always a good one to have. I always like to screenshot and save maps to be used offline as well x
I always rely on a currency converter and Google Translate when I’m travelling x
I’m definitely trying that up to date sat nav! Sounds like a dream
These apps sound great, I’ve head of a couple of them but not the others. We are hoping to travel more next year so I’ll bookmark this page to come back to.
Google Trips sounds like something I definitely need, even just for my overnight trip to London in a few weeks!
The currency converter has saved me on many an occasion. Shall check out the others
Wow, these could totally come in handy. I didn’t even know about most of these either, so thank you!
This is a really useful post and I am off to check out some of your recommendations
I wish I had known about Rebtel earlier this month when I was in Romania! It would have saved me so much money.
danasia fantastic recently posted…3 Reasons to Visit Augusta NOW
I’m definitely trying that up to date sat nav! Sounds like a dream
Most of these apps requires internet connection right? do you bring your own portable wifi when travelling or does the data plan suffice?
These apps sound great, I’ve head of a couple of them but not the others. We are hoping to travel more next year so I’ll bookmark this page to come back to.
Thank you for sharing your article.
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