If you own an android device these are some of the apps that will help make your travel smooth and save you a lot of direction , data loss and ‘what to do’ troubles. All of these travel apps can be downloaded from the Google play store. Here is our list of top travel apps:
a) TripAdvisor
It is the number one travel mate app which allows users to view millions of traveler reviews, photos and maps from TripAdvisor. Find the places to stay, watch or eat. Search can be filtered based on the five star ratings or prices. Other features include flight search and booking options for hotels, restaurants, and airfare. If you want offline access to all these information, TripAdvisor has FREE City Guide app for selective cities.
b) Flightboard
This app turns your android device into the Arrivals and Departures board for any airport in the world. FlightBoard lets you check out the boards of your favorite airports and view all the flight information in real-time. It covers over 4000 airports and 1400 airlines worldwide and the flight info is updated every 5 minutes. The flight status such as delay or on time arrival/departure can be seen in real-time for any flight. Also allows sharing of flight info via Twitter, Facebook, SMS and email. It can be integrated with another app called Flighttrack.
c) FlightTrack
This app allows real-time flight status and map tracking for airline flights worldwide. Features include tracking flights with zoomable maps, real time departure info, delays and gate numbers. This app updates cancellations information and helps you find an alternate flight.
d) Google Maps
Download the latest release of Google Maps, and never carry a paper map again. Whether you need directions to your destination, the closest good place for a bite to eat, or just a sense of where you are, Google Maps for Android can help. Carry this app and never get lost anywhere in the world.
e) Compass (catch.com):
In case you want to save some data charges on your mobile, a digital compass will come handy as this will help you navigate with a paper map.
f) A water proof case for your android phone
If you are planning on an Island trip or anything that has to do with floating on or even being near a large pool of water, do carry your electronics in a water proof case/bag. And if you are going to a beach party its better if you just leave your phone behind (DUH!). I ****** up my phone on a beach party in Thailand. To this day, I scream WHYYYY did I carry it along.
g) Dropbox
The main reason for my WHYYY above is not because I drowned my phone but because I lost many great pictures and videos of that trip. If you are also one of those people who like to take a quick snap every now and then and don’t always carry a DSLR, this app can save you a lot of trouble. Well, I could’ve saved all those precious data had I used the Dropbox app. Dropbox allows you to upload all you data in its server so that it is safe and accessible through the internet on any desktop anywhere.
I did have this app installed but I was lazy not to use it. Another lesson is “save your data while you still have time”.Last lesson, though not related to dropbox, is- always store your videos and pictures in the external memory because chances are that your microsd will survive even after your phone is dead.
h) Photaf
If you are planning on using your mobile as a camera, then photaf is an application that will allow you take great panoramic shot. It supports 360 panorama and has both manual and automatic modes. You can also check out the videos uploaded by other Photaf users in the Photaf gallery. You have no need to install this app if you have Android 4.2 as it already comes with the photo sphere panorama feature
I) Google Translate
This can come handy when you want to translate your native language into local language. The latest version of Google translate also detects texts from images which can be translated into any supported languages and offline language feature will save you data charges or save time when your 3G is not picking up.
j) Booking.com
This is another useful travel app which has a massive database of not only hotels but properties like bungalows, hostels, apartments, island resorts, villas, boathouses and more. Currently Booking.com has info on 300,000 places to stay in over 41,000 destinations. You can also use the app’s search filter to find the exact type of property you need and also check its availablilty at different dates and then book your choice. This app is available in 25 languages and supports 53 currencies.
Agoda.com and Expedia are two other apps worth checking out for booking purposes.
K) The Traveler
This is a highly useful travel journal app which will help you organize and record your journey. Traveler allows adding trips, recording paths, adding markers to your paths, notes and medias (pictures, audio and video). You can also send your paths to Google using Google Docs, Maps or Spreadsheets and share it via social media.
