A few effective travel apps can play a big role in your holiday or business trip’s success. But with thousands of apps on the market today, it can be tricky to find the successful few. Not all of them are worth having, but there are quite a few hidden gems. A new year should mark a new inventory of travel apps.
You won’t find the usual FlightTrack or Urbanspoon listed in this article. Here are 5 apps that will help you through the troubles you can face on your travels.
1. Touchnote
Despite today’s tech-dominating travel and obsessive tweeting habits, the good old postcard still holds a special place in the hearts of travellers. Touchnote aims to build upon that by trying to bring back snail mail with its very own 21st century touch. With a few taps of your iPhone screen, you can send your very own postcard to long lost uncles and great grannies around the world.
Just upload a picture you took on your holiday and the app takes care of the rest. You can send these without the hassle of finding a post box and buying a stamp for as little as £0.99.
2. Word Lens
Talk about future-oriented apps—Word Lens takes the phrase ‘ahead of its time’ to a whole new level. It translates printed text with a language of your choose with a mere picture snap. As if some magician was behind the development, Word Lens will take a picture of a Spanish street sign and display the text in English that very instant.
You can try the demo for free, but a full version is available in the app store for £6.99. Google Goggles does something similar, but it requires Wi-Fi and is considerably less developed.
3. HotelClub
Many dominant accommodation providers have some sort of tool that makes hotel booking easier—but HotelClub’s hotel booking app easily takes the number one spot. The user-friendliness alone makes it worthy enough for the prize. You can browse through thousands of hotels over the globe while filtering to your liking. From airport shuttle access to pet allowances, this app has sorting abilities you won’t see anywhere else.
You can book a hotel with just 3 taps, each one having a considerable amount of photos and reviews for you to judge accordingly. The app also links to HotelClub’s member rewards scheme to get you mobile-exclusive discounts for your next booking.
4. JetLag Genie
Flying from Bangkok to Toronto for a business trip can leave you desperate for a single minute of sleep. The last thing you want is to be nodding off in a career-changing meeting or presentation. JegLag Genie will take care of all your sleeping problems. It adjusts your sleeping pattern to get you ready for your destination. The app will have your body hallway to Toronto before your plane even takes off.
In addition, JetLag Genie has its own personalised alarm and recommends when you should take melatonin. It’s certainly a must-have for regular long-distance travellers.
5. Foodspotting
The most accurate and comforting reviews are those done by individuals just like us. Foodspotting finds the best place to grab a bite based on other’s reviews and recommendations. Whether it’s pierogi in Poznan or lobster in London, the app identifies the best of the best wherever you are.
Foodspotting searches your location and find something nearby; you will never have to waste a holiday meal in a disappointing restaurant again. The great thing about the app is that users can upload their own images. No more HQ-edited pictures from restaurant websites that make the food look ten times better than it actually is.
