Roberta A. LongIf you’re going traveling, you need to deck your phone out with the right apps beforehand. From hotel booking to finding the closest restroom to your location, there is a lot that mobile apps can help you with.
Let’s take a look at 10 apps that you should install on your phone (or tablet) before setting out.
- Airbnb
A bit of an icon in the booking category, Airbnb is an excellent app that you need to have on your phone. With Airbnb, you can find and book accommodations in your destinations easily on the fly. Plus, the checking-in part is super easy, with some hosts providing a keypad for guests and some others providing smart locks. You can come in and leave as you please.
- Flush
The name of this app is pretty self-explanatory about what it does. When you’re traveling, it’s handy to have a map marked with the restrooms available at your destination. Flush does exactly that. It shows you the available places that you can go to answer the call of nature.
- Booking.com
Booking.com is a competitor of Airbnb, and it provides more or less the same service. You can use it to view and book rentals at your destination. We don’t actually advocate keeping either Booking.com or Airbnb on your phone. You can actually download both of them and then check them one by one at your destination to see which provides the better accommodation options.
- GasBuddy
Nope, this one is not another restroom app, though the name somewhat does step in that category.
GasBuddy is an app that you can use to get information about the closest (and cheapest) gas stations at your destination. If you’re traveling by yourself in a vehicle, this is a handy app that you can install.
(According to an online source, GasBuddy can sell your user data, so be cautious about the privacy policy and data usage policy before you start using this app.)
- Google Translate
Going somewhere foreign? Well, with Google Translate on your phone, you won’t have to worry about learning how to say “where are the restrooms?” before you step off the plane. (It’s “¿Dónde están los baños?” in Spanish, by the way. Thank me later.)
Oh, my bad. You probably won’t need to ask that question if you have the Flush app on your phone but we’re just giving an example.
Coming back to the app itself, Google Translate helps you to translate written text into another language. You can also use the microphone to speak directly into your device and get the translated text/audio. This app is what you need to have if you want to avoid making hand gestures at the concierge when you land at your destination.
- Digital Compass Axiomatic Inc
If you’re going exploring somewhere, you can download the Digital Compass by Axiomatic Inc. Mind you, if your phone does support the compass function, it will probably have an app installed in it already. But, the Digital Compass by Axiomatic Inc. comes with some useful features that make it a cut above your default app.
- Metric Conversions
If you’re taking off from somewhere in the US and landing somewhere in Europe, you’ll probably be a little confused about all the kilometers and kilograms and liters and degrees Celsius, etc.
With Metric Conversions, you can get your readings in miles, pounds, and gallons (or the other way around). It’s basically a conversion app that you can use to change one type of metric into the other.
- Happay
When traveling, you probably have to deal with a lot of slips and receipts, and it’s easy for them to get lost somewhere in the abyss of your travel wallet, purse, or rucksack.
With Happay, you can scan and save your receipts easily and store them safely for future reference.
- TripIt
Need help planning your trip? TripIt is a great app that you can use for setting up your travel itinerary, securely storing your necessary travel documents in digital format, and much more.
You can use the app when you get to your destination and need to find places like hotels, ATMs, etc.
- Google Maps
You probably already have it on your phone but double-check just to be sure.
Traveling can be a breeze if you have Google Maps installed on your device. You can use it to find routes, accommodation, ATMs, shops, etc. You can also set traveling routes and get real-time audio instructions from the assistant.
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