Travel doesn’t mean being out of touch with the rest of the world any more. With Smartphones and Tablets, we are able to have the world at our fingertips, no matter where we are in the world. We all know that TripAdvisor is ideal for planning trips, Whatsapp and Skype are great for contacting home, that FourSquare is brilliant for stumbling on local treasures and XE Currency can bridge the money gap whilst souvenir shopping. What are the alternatives? The great little niche apps that could really make your trip run smoothly?
5. Tripwolf
A great all-rounder – if you only take one thing on holiday, Tripwolf should probably be it. The app doesn’t need internet connection to provide you with all the information you will need for the most popular cities in the world. Need an overview or a map? This app has it for you straight away. Tripwolf has collated, and keeps up-to-date, the best things to do, where the nightlife is and how to get the best from the sights the city has to offer. It comes highly recommended but isn’t as popular as other well-known brands such as the Lonely Planet guides.
4. JetLag Rooster
An unusual and quite niche app, the JetLag Rooster will come in handy for anyone who really suffers with jet lag. It can be a real blight on your trip and waste precious time on your well-earned break. It will calculate the flight times, the differences in time zones and take into account whether you want to start adjusting your sleep patterns before departing, during the flight or on arrival at your destination. It will tell you when to sleep, when to seek light and gives advice on taking melatonin to assist in jet lag recovery. It’s a free app that has been featured on NBC, BBC and CNN.
3. FoodSpotting
One of the deciding factors for choosing a certain holiday destination is the food associated with that region. So what better way to get the best out of your trip, but with the FoodSpotting app? This clever little gizmo shows you what’s nearby in your destination. It will tell you where the best local dishes are served or give you suggestions on what to try where you are at that time. It claims that since its launch in 2010, FoodSpotting has registered 4 million dishes globally, suggested by those who live there or visit. See the food and where it’s served where you are, wherever you are!
2. TripJournal
To document your travels in one place, without getting a paper diary, TripJournal will allow you to collate everything you might have collected for a scrapbook in your youth. Pin your destinations onto maps, geo-tag your photos, blog entries, videos and comments. All this whilst automatically noting trip statistics such as distances and times and geography. You can update friends and family back home by sharing your experiences in real time. Great for any worried loved ones who might be concerned about your adventures.
1. TripIt
An alternative travel planning app to the big names such as TouristEye (owned by Lonely Planet), this takes all the effort out of itinerary making. Simply forward on your travel confirmation emails, along with hotel bookings, car rentals and restaurant reservations to their email account and their technology will put together a detailed daily itinerary for each trip. You can then sync these up with your calendars, and add or edit the trip to suit your tastes or needs. Fantastic for business travellers and gap year students alike, the pro version of this app ($49 a year) will provide you with even more up-to-the-minute travel updates on flights, seats and any refunds you may have requested.
Photo Credit/Source: Wikimedia/Producer
