Travel apps can make travel so much easier, and a lot of them work without WiFi which is an added bonus. Here's a list of our favourites which we use before and during our trips. We'll focus on the App Store as we use iPhones, but most of the apps that we feature are also available for Android.
1. Holiday Extras Countdown
Holiday Extras Countdown is a simple app that lets you know how long you have to go before your upcoming trip. The app counts down to any kind of events, be it holidays, birthdays or even Christmas, and has the ability to count down to multiple trips at the same time. You can even share your count down by email, message or on social media, right from the app.
2. XE Currency
XE Currency is our go to app for currency conversion. This app gives you access to live rates for every world currency, and monitors up to 10 currencies of your choice. It also has an easy-to-use calculator functionality to compare prices using the currency converter. You can set the currencies you need before your trip, and the rates will update when you are in WiFi range. You can also transfer money securely via the app with competitive exchange rates.
3. Google Maps - Transit & Food
By now everyone is familiar with Google Maps, but did you know you can download maps and use them offline whilst you are travelling so you aren't using precious data?
Google has put together this handy guide on how save an area from Google Maps to your phone or tablet and use it when you're offline..
4. Weatherzone
Weatherzone gives you access to detailed observations, 7 Day forecasts, rain radar, using Bureau of Meteorology forecasts, to produce accurate forecasts worldwide.
Weatherzone has a nifty function where you can slide a bar across the day to show you what the weather is likely to be like at a specific time of the day. This include the percentage likelihood of rain which is great if you are heading out for a day of sightseeing.
5. Trip Advisor
This is a peer to peer app which started as an accommodation and restaurant review site, but has expanded to offer a trip planning tool and activity booking functionality. You can save all your ideas for hotels, restaurants, tours and attractions and view them on a map -- then easily access your saves while you’re on holiday.
In the trip planning stage, we use it to check reviews of accommodation properties and tours and attractions, noting that not all businesses that have a lot of negative reviews are awful, and not all that have a lot of glowing reviews are great. People are very different in their expectations and their likes and dislikes, and all reviews should be read with this in mind. The only thing we pay special attention to is negative reviews in relation to customer service or cleanliness.
We also use the app to search for things to do at the destinations we are visiting. Trip Advisor has great ‘Top 10 Things to Do…’ lists as well as informative blog posts on destinations and attractions.
6. Booking.com
There are too many accommodation booking apps to list but Booking.com is our favourite. Not only does it provide competitive prices, but it has a great map function which shows all accommodation available in the town or city you are visiting. You can click on the pins on the map and a simple overview of the property pops up, usually with an image, the lowest nightly rate, and the consumer sentiment rating.
You can zoom in to a specific part of the city, which will usually bring up more properties in the area you are looking at. To get the best results, this app is definitely best on an iPad or a desktop. The map function is pretty small on a phone screen.
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