The Best Apps for Traveling Abroad
This week, Tech Talker continues his look at the best apps for traveling by taking the topic global.
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The Best Apps for Traveling Abroad
Hey, everyone! This week I’ll be continuing with my series on the best apps for traveling by taking the topic global.
Last week I went over some of the best apps for road tripping, and this week I’ll be covering the best apps for traveling abroad..
Flight View
Flight ViewOne of my favorite apps while traveling is the Flight View Free. It’s available for most smartphones, and it has a ton of features. You can put your flight information into it and it will track departure time and arrival time, and give you notifications about any delays.
But that’s just the most basic part of it. It also shows you maps of the terminal that you’re in, and can show you where your arrival and departure gates are, in case you’re trying to make a quick connection. It shows you where baggage claims are, and even where your seat is on the type of plane that you’re on.
They even have a beta feature where you can simply forward your flight confirmation to them and it will automatically configure the app for your phone. It will even give you driving directions to and from the airport, and give you the forecast for your destination.
It’s been pretty amazing every time that I’ve used it, and it comes with some stellar reviews.
Google Translate
My favorite translation app for the iPhone and Android is Google translate. The app allows you to translate your native language to any other language through voice, text, or handwriting. They have a ton of languages, and its incredibly simple to use. You can talk right into it, and have it convert and play converted audio into whatever language you choose.
You can do the same with text if you’re like me and your phone can never understand you! It can even use handwriting if you’re trying to identify a symbol. Plus, it’s free, and if you have the Android version, it will let you install language packs so that you can use it without any cell or internet service. The iPhone version doesn’t have this feature, but it’s pretty incredible how easy it is to use.
If you want to have a little bit of fun with it, try using it with a friend who knows a language that you don’t to see how much is–or isn’t–lost in translation!
Currency Converter
When you’re traveling abroad, it’s important to know what the value of a foreign currency is compared to the one that you’re familiar with. This may sound like something you could Google easily, but with a dedicated app you can keep track of multiple currencies, and use it on the go–and when you may not have internet service.
One of the best apps for this is XE Currency. It’s free for all of the major smartphones on the market, and it can keep track of multiple currencies. It’s simple, but perfect for the job. They do have a paid version, but I don’t think that you’ll need it unless you’re doing some major traveling that requires keeping track of more than ten currencies at a time.
Vovox/Viber/Google Voice/Skype
Vovox/Viber/Google Voice/SkypeWhen I’m traveling abroad, I often need to have a way to communicate with other people.
iPhones will allow you to make audio facetime calls and send iMessages over data, but this won’t work if the person you are trying to get ahold of doesn’t have an iPhone. This same situation also goes for Android users: there are number of messaging apps that can keep you in touch easily with certain circles, but none of them are a complete replacement for being able to simply dial your friend, like you would if you were at home.
If you travel with a mobile data plan, you know just how expensive they can be. For this reason, many people opt for just data, which does not allow you to make calls or send text messages while abroad. Unfortunately there’s no 1-to-1 replacement that only uses data, but there are a number of apps that only require an extra bit of work.
For messaging friends and family, there is Google Voice. This service will allow you to make calls to the U.S., and send text messages. I like Google Voice because it has been around for so long–and services that bridge the gap between data and dial tone don’t often last very long.
Another solid option is using Skype. However, this is only free if you and the person you want to contact both have a Skype account. This isn’t very difficult to setup, however, in most circumstances you’d have to do all of this ahead of time in order for it to work smoothly.
There are also a number of apps that allow you low data usage voice communication through their apps, and which look a lot like your stock phone app.
Viber, Vovox, and Magic Jack have all worked for me in foreign countries. I won’t go into detail about each of these apps individually, but if you’d like me to do a full episode on communicating in foreign countries, please shoot me an email. These apps all have their pros and cons, and they take up next to no space on your phone, so before traveling, I’d check them all out! If you’re interested, I’ve posted links in the show notes.
I highly recommend getting a number of these apps, and to practice using them while you’re in the comfort of your home. There’s nothing worse than trying to figure out a new app in an airport in a foreign country, right when you need to call someone that you’re meeting!
Bonus Tech Apps. Here are a few of my other favorite apps that are great for travel:
Evernote
I’ve mentioned Evernote in a number of podcasts; in fact, I’ve done a full episode about it. This app is great for just about everything, including travel. It will help you keep track of items you’ve packed, important information about your destination, and your travel plans. You can take clips of something that catches your eye in Skymall, and you can even use it to keep track of receipts if you’re traveling for business and will need to fill out expense reports.
Photo App
If you’re not traveling with a fancy DSLR camera, I highly recommend using your phone to take pictures over a point and shoot, for a number of reasons.
The default camera app on Android phones and iPhones will take your photo with a geotag stamp, which will allow you to show friends and family your photos, and help keep track of where you were when you took them.
Using your phone over a standard point and shoot camera is also great because you can simply connect to WiFi and upload your photos to your favorite web storage site, such as Dropbox. This helps you free up space on your phone without needing to lug a computer around with you.
Well, that’s it for today! Be sure to check out all my earlier episodes at techtalker.quickanddirtytips.com. And if you have further questions about this podcast, or want to make a suggestion for a future episode, post them on Facebook QDTtechtalker.
Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!
Photos of couple taking a selfie in Rome and tourist using an app courtesy of Shutterstock.
