Top Ten Apps for International Travel

To help make your travels and travel planning less stressful there are a number of apps that take care of common travel needs. The top ten apps for international travel are:

10

WhatsApp Messenger

Platforms: Android, Blackberry, and iPhone

Cost: $.99

WhatsApp is a cross-platform text messaging app that allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. The app using the same internet data plan that you use for everything else with no hidden fees or costs. If you can’t live without text messaging this a must have app.

9

Sit or Squat

Platform: Blackberry and iPhone

Cost: Free

Sit or Squat is pretty much what it sounds like it is. It is a worldwide bathroom finder. Sometimes you gotta go when you gotta go and nothing can be more frustrating than being in a foreign country not knowing where the closest restroom is. Sit or Squat maintains a database of more than 95,000 bathrooms and contains miscellaneous data such as whether the stalls in the bathroom are open or closed, what the hours of access are to the bathroom, whether the bathroom has hand dryers, is handicap accessible, and what type of toilets you will find. The service is also available on the internet if you don’t feel like downloading the app or if you have an unsupported phone.

8

Skype

Platforms: Android, Blackberry, and iPhone/iPad

Cost: Free

Skype allows you to send messages, place phone calls, and place video calls to fellow Skype users for free over cell or WiFi connections. If you need to phone someone with a standard land line you can purchase Skype credits to place long-distance calls for fairly cheap. This is an essential app for staying in touch with those at home.

7

Help Call

Platforms: iPhone

Cost: $.99

Help Call is an emergency service organizer. When traveling to a foreign country you may not know all of the emergency numbers on the top of your head, this is where this app comes in. Help Call automatically detects your location and pulls up one-touch access to local police, fire stations, ambulances, and a custom friend contact. The service works in over 126 countries around the world. Additionally the app an be setup to place an emergency call when the phone is shaken a certain way just in case you are unable to see the screen for whatever reason. This is a must-have app for anyone traveling alone.

6

FlightTrack Pro

Platforms: Android, Blackberry, and iPhone/iPad

Price: $9.99

FlightTrack Pro helps alleviate the stress of air travel. It provides undated flight times in real time, as well as, gate numbers and terminal maps. It can also even forecast the probability of potential delays based on current weather and historical data for a given flight route. Anytime your flight status changes it will provide an instant notification letting you know of the change. Also a pretty cool feature in the app  is called SeatGuru, which recommends certain seats, assuming they are available, on a particular type of plane based on leg room and other amenities.

[adsense]

5

Google Translate

Platforms: Android and iPhone/iPad

Price: Free

Google Translate is a simple-to-use translating app. You can either type or speak into the app to receive a text translation in over 58 languages and a spoken translation in over 23 languages. Additional languages seem to be added on a regular basis.

4

Oanda Currency Converter

Platforms: Android, Blackberry, iPhone/iPad, and Windows

Cost: Free

Oanda is based on the popular currency conversion website. Its easy to use interface allows you to instantly convert to and from over 190 different currencies based on real time currency exchange rates. You can even add in custom bank rates depending on who you bank through. If you plan on doing a lot of shopping while traveling or are on a tight budget, this free app comes highly recommended.

3

Word Lens

Platform: iPhone

Price: $9.99

If you are traveling to a Spanish speaking country this app is incredibly useful and innovative. To use the app all you need to do is take a picture of a sign or small set of words in a foreign language and press translate. It will immediately translate the text for you. Despite being a bit pricey and only available for the iPhone it is still a great app altogether. If you have an iPhone it is without a doubt worth checking out.

2

Instagram

Platform: iPhone

Price: Free

One of the best parts about traveling is seeing and experiencing new things. It is important and worth while to cherish and preserve those memories. This is where Instagram comes in. Instagram allows amateurs to take great-looking pictures. The app comes with a variety of filters you can apply to the photos you take. It also integrates the sharing of your photos to sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

1

Vocre

Platform: iPhone

Price: Free

Vocre is great app if you want to have a full conversation with someone who speaks another language. Simply into the app, select the output language and your words will be instantly translated. Then as the other person replies, whatever they say gets translated back to English. If you conduct international business this is an app you can’t live without. The only downside is it is only available for the iPhone.

 

Source of inspiration: CNN

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.