While it’s one of modern life’s most common declarations, that we’d be ‘lost’ without our smartphone, have you ever tried actually being lost without one? It’s a bloody nightmare. With penetration at more than 85 percent of the adult population, more people these days use a smartphone than wear a wristwatch, and most of us have endured that feeling of panic when we venture out and realise we’ve left ours at home.
When you’re on your travels, whether it’s for work or leisure, your reliance on that little handset is even stronger. Step out without one in a land far flung, and the holiday can enter crisis mode quick time. But it’s not just about checking in with loved ones via WhatsApp or trying to provoke your friends’ green eyed monster on Instagram. Nope, with the right app downloads, your travelling life just got a whole lot easier. With that in mind, here’s 5 IDEAL smartphone apps to install when travelling.
TOO BUSY CONVERTIN’
If you’re travelling overseas, the ease and convenience of paying for things on the go, as well as changing currency, sometimes comes at a cost. While you can use your contactless card in a shop or to withdraw currency from an ATM, you still need to get your head around local prices, since the further off the beaten path you stray, the less likely your card is to be accepted.
Searching on your mobile browser for a currency converter every time is the equivalent of having ‘tourist’ tattooed across your forehead and only works if you can get a data signal. Instead, install an app. There are plenty to choose from, but look for one that works offline; pretty much essential, we think. XE Currency is one of the most popular choices with the broadest range of currencies.
A LITTLE LEISURE TIME
Here’s a home truth to jolt you out of your ‘dream trip’ fantasies; a lot of ‘travel’ can be pretty damn boring. There’s always time to kill when travelling, make no mistake, and there can be some huge slogs on the plane or the coach to suffer through. Keep yourself entertained, then, by downloading the latest streaming service apps; Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now Tv…different strokes, same principle.
There are also gaming apps you can download to keep yourself busy. Nope, not Candy Crush, though that wouldn’t do any harm, actually. We’re thinking something to keep your brain sharp on the road, like Chess with Friends or Andoku Sudoku.
NOW YOU’RE TALKING MY LANGUAGE
Part of the experience of visiting new and mysterious places is to learn at least the basics of a new language, and it’s well worth making the effort. After all, you’re never going to unearth that proper street food find, or get an invite to a raucous, traditional wedding celebration with the locals if you’re muttering ‘dos cervezas s’il vous plait’ to no one in particular.
Fortunately, there are some really clever translation apps out there now that will instantly translate spoken as well as written word. It’s worth experimenting with a couple to see which you find easiest to work with, but iTranslate or Google Translate are obvious places to start, depending on whether iOS or Android is your platform of choice.
MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION
Should you have trouble sleeping on the road, suffer from flight anxiety, or simply fancy using your time travelling to get into a good meditative place, an app which offers guided meditations could (and should) be for you. Headspace and Calm are two of the most popular and user friendly in an increasingly crowded field, and both offer offline, downloadable sessions. The options for specific meditations are pretty much endless, so whatever kinks you have in your brain you’re wishing to iron out, making use of the down time of a plane journey is a sensible move for those in need of a little self care.
LAST MINUTE HOTELS
Was your Airbnb reservation suddenly cancelled by the host? The hostel you booked grottier than you anticipated? Or do you just prefer to travel by the seat of your pants? Us too. Well, Hotel Tonight specialises in last minute hotel bookings, partnering with hotels to flog empty rooms for cheap last minute. In other words, everybody wins with this one.
More of a planner? Hotel Tonight also allows you to book rooms for tomorrow, next Tuesday and well beyond. And if things go awry and that charming boutique hotel isn’t as clean or accessible as you promised, you can seek help or redress through the app’s concierge service, staffed by real humans and not bots. The catch, if there is one? Hotel Tonight offers deals on lodgings throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia, but hasn’t spread into Asia and Africa yet.