Many times, our mobile or tablet – and an internet connection – become the essential travel companions, because with geolocation technologies and universal internet access, there is practically no tourist place where we can not count on the help of apps.
We in our travels have used many of them to make our experience more enjoyable.
Below, we show you the 7 that, in our opinion, are essential when visiting any destination.
1. Google Maps
The internet giant Google has long offered the Google Mapsservice, which uses satellites that have been photographing the Earth’s surface in great detail for years.
These images have become interactive, with the possibility of locating in them the places, photos and comments that you want.
This, together with GPS technology, provides the possibility of showing routes to reach a destination. You can choose the route according to whether you want to walk, bike, car, metro, bus and even plane. You can even save routes you’ve made to repeat them on your return.
In Italy there were so many things to see! We entered all the sites we wanted to visit and Google Map made us an optimized and efficient itinerary. We were able to change the order of visits by simply swiping our finger on the mobile screen.
It also allows you to see information about hotels, reviews of shops and sites of interest. You can even order taxi service! You can see the traffic in real time.
For meetings with friends, you can send them your position at a meeting point and Google Maps will make them the fastest route to get to you. In Google Maps you can see in the “Explore” option the interesting sites you have around and close to your current position.
2. Google Translator
The well-known Google Translator tool is also available as an app and when it comes to crossing the language barrier, it really has little competence… unless you already speak the native language!
In addition to the basic function of translating to and from a number of languages, there is an extremely useful function that uses basic artificial intelligence that consists of taking a photo of a poster, advertisement, marquee or whatever it is where you have written a message in the language of the country where we are and the application does the automatic translation.
You can also record audios in the foreign language and get a fairly acceptable translation into your own language.
3. Guide by Lonely Planet
Guide by Lonely Planet is an application, with the support of the very reputed Lonely Planet Guides, in which you can build an itinerary based on information from people who have visited that destination.
Once the app has built your itinerary of visits according to your personal tastes, you can download it to your cell phone and use it without WiFi. It’s like a virtual tour guide, a “cicerone” from ancient times, but in your pocket. And free!
There is an icon that gives you information about places with offers, with lower costs of tickets, tickets or tickets and other services that vary according to the season, the day, etc.
4. Lodgings
Applications such as Airbnb or Booking not only allow you to search for the best options for accommodations. They also allow you to maintain communication with your current accommodation.
Many hostels and inns, especially small ones, may not have their contact numbers published and it may be a matter to contact them to, for example, announce your arrival. With apps like these, you can communicate through the app on your mobile if necessary.
Sygic Travel
Sygic Travel is a travel planner and city guide that is specific to show sights and sightseeing. It is the evolution of the printed maps of yesteryear.
Remember those big folded maps that were carried with the city plan, its sites of interest and comments from the editors? Well now you can have everything much more compact and even more important: updated.
With apps like this, which are constantly updated in real time, both on maps and on the sites included and user comments, it has never been easier to make smart decisions for our visit.
You’ll pick the places that’re really worthwhile and discard the ones that don’t. That way, you optimize your time spent at your destination, usually limited for travelers on a modest budget.
6. AroundMe
AroundMe: indicates the points of interest such as shops, pharmacies, supermarkets, cafes, hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs, etc.
It provides contact information, schedules, websites and other useful information regarding the places around us.
It has filters where we can specify the distance from where we are. Google Maps has a similar function, but it is more general and oriented to more emblematic sites. AroundMe is much more detailed and detailed in terms of showing the existing offer.
It has multilanguage support.
7. WiFi Finder (apple devices only)
WiFi Finder is an app that indicates where you can get free WiFi. Displays the location of the free WiFi points closest to your current position.
Show the routes to get to them from your current location.
One feature we like is that it allows you to download the maps of your neighborhood, so you can find the free WiFi hotspots without being connected to the internet.
It has filters that allow you to locate WiFi in restaurants, hotels, bars, coworking spaces, etc.
Conclusions
Technology has put a lot of help available in the palm of our hand. In all sectors of life… And travel could not escape that reality.
Printed guides have given way to applications and software, more up-to-date and complete and much better for the environment.
There is practically an app for every need of our trip, you just have to find the one that best suits our tastes and inclinations.
Have you used any useful travel app you’d like to share?
Leave us a comment!
