If You Love to Travel, You Need These Apps
In addition to the stress of packing, the stress of having every electronic device securely stowed somewhere, the stress of memorizing every cable you need to keep your devices charged as you travel, and the stress of making sure that your pets feed and water the plants, there are also applications.
Before embarking on a big European tour or anywhere else, what apps should you download to make the most of your vacation, visit the best places and not get lost?
The Points Guy recently spoke with several travel enthusiasts to find out which apps they use while traveling the world. While everyone has their own preferences and needs when it comes to the software they install on their smartphones and tablets, here are the apps that are usually mentioned by those who have bitten travelers:
WhatsApp ( iOS , Android )
Unsurprisingly, this handy secure messaging app is a must. Everyone is busy with this. (It has over one billion daily active users.) It’s a great way to save money while traveling by paying for international data transfers instead of text messaging. The messages you send to it are end-to-end encrypted, which is a must-have when using Wi-Fi from a coffee shop overseas. And WhatsApp has tons of features – just as many, if not more, than the default messaging app on your smartphone.
Google Maps ( iOS , Android )
Arrivederci, Apple Maps. Wave goodbye Waze. Google Maps is by far the preferred vacation mapping app. And it’s easy to see why: offline maps provide all the information you need, allowing you to keep your smartphone on airplane mode (so as not to incur costly international fees) or if you are in a remote location where there are simply no services; custom maps allow you to specify all the places you need to visit before stepping on board; you can save new locations that you stumbled upon in order to return to them when you have a free day; you can ping your travel group to let them know where you are; and you can share your favorite destinations with friends who want to book a similar trip.
And of course, you can also revisit your travels with Google Maps’ handy timeline , if you don’t mind letting Google know wherever you go.
Uber ( iOS , Android )
Tell us what you want about the company’s past business practices, including all the important data collection and privacy changes it should have made many years ago, in addition to much-needed improvements to passenger safety.
Assuming you don’t face a sharp increase in prices, Uber can be a great alternative to local taxis or public transit. Depending on the area and the qualifications of your driver, you might get better service, cheaper fares, or a fountain of knowledge about the surrounding area or tourist attractions you are about to visit (and snacks! And clouds !)
Of course, don’t forget to use a service like RideGuru to make sure you’re getting the best price for your trip.
TripAdvisor ( iOS , Android )
This surprised me a little, as I assumed most people would just turn to Yelp for advice on where to eat, what to see and where to stay on vacation, but I was wrong. Featured even more than Yelp, TripAdvisor offers a ton of information, reviews, and user comments on just about everything your vacation destination has to offer .
I like to use TripAdvisor not to plan my trip directly, but to confirm that the places I’m going to visit (or stay) are not beautiful photographs filled with less than ideal experiences. In other words, if a hotel looks great but has bedbugs, poor service, or terrible Wi-Fi, chances are good that someone has already complained about it. Read enough reviews and you have a good idea of what conditions are actually right for your supposedly magical destination.
While you’re probably better off booking hotel, sightseeing, and meals separately rather than through the TripAdvisor app, to ensure you’re getting the best deals, be sure to use travel guides other TripAdvisor members create to inspire your planning process . The secret for TripAdvisor is not just the app itself, but the users as well.
PackPoint ( iOS , Android )
Only one person The Points Guy spoke to said they used PackPoint, so I’m cheating this post a bit, but I checked the app and it looks incredibly useful if you’re the type of person who hates feeling forgetful. I understand; I always get stressed when I pack my luggage because I always feel like I miscalculated an important item, forgot the cable, or brought all the camera accessories and left the camera on the shelf. Such things.
With PackPoint, you enter a destination, enter travel dates, and choose from a list of general activities that you might want to do on vacation: things like swimming, the beach, gourmet dinners, etc. PackPoint then creates a simple list of potential items. which you might want to put in your luggage or carry-on, depending on what you want to do and when you do it, as well as the potential weather for your trip.
You can swipe away anything you don’t need and click on the remaining items to mark them as soon as you drop them in your luggage. And, of course, you can add your own elements in case the application makes a little pressure on your memory due to something important that you might not want to forget about.
Essential Apps Travelers Won’t Go Without The points guy