Navigate the world with ease and enjoyment.
I remember when I went on a trip to Costa Rica 10-years ago much of my trip was anxiety-ridden. Why might you ask? Well because of the language barrier (I only spoke limited Spanish), and because I didn’t have handy smart phone apps in hand to help me quickly find public transit schedules, find suitable restaurants, maps to my desired hotel, or tools to help me track my flight to see if it was on time (otherwise I wouldn’t have spent 4-hours waiting for it in the San Jose airport before realizing it was delayed…yet again!)
No, before the invention of smart phone apps travel was often limited to chance—the restaurants you found by luck, or the phrases you misspoke in your printed dual language dictionary (boy, could that thing get you in some hot water). However, thanks to advances in technology, there are a plethora of handy iPhone, Android, and TripIt Travel Organizer applications to help you track flights, navigate foreign airports, find great places to eat, and maps to help you find the tourist spot or hotel you’re looking for.
Here are, in my opinion, the essential apps for the travel junkie:
1. WiFiFinder ($4.99 – for Android)
The Flight Track app gives you up-to-date, real-time flight statuses for a multitude of airline flights around the globe. Launch the app to track your flight thanks to this apps stunning, detailed, zoomable maps. Never be late or delayed at the airport again with Flight Track’s real-time departure info, up-to-date delay information, and gate departures. Plus, chances are, no matter where you are traveling, this app will locate the info you need from full international coverage on flights worldwide.
2. SoSauce (Free – for iPhone when you sign up for a SoSauce.com membership)
The SoSauce travel app puts the saucy in world exploration. This often hilarious language app is rare compared to other translation apps because it has some fun with the common phrases we’re used to learning when we travel. For instance, rather than simply asking where the bathroom is in English, the SoSauce app will infuse some humor by translating the question to: “I had a bad taco and I need a bathroom pronto!” SoSauce phrases are available in English, Mandarin, French, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian.
3. TripIt Travel Organizer (Free – for Android)
This app puts all your travel plans right at your fingertips for absolutely free! The TripIt Travel Organizer is a one-stop shop for planning your next work adventure. Simply forward your travel confirmation emails (regardless of if you booked online or through an agent) to plans@tripit.com and they will build a customized trip itinerary and deliver it your inbox automatically. Don’t leave your travel plans up in the air, let this app do all the work for you and sit back and enjoy a well-planned vacation.
4. WiFiFinder ($0.99 – for Android)
Have you ever had to make an emergency phone call or send a quick email to check up on things at home while travelling abroad? Well, no more long distance roaming charges for you when you use the WiFiFinder app. You’ll never have to be worried about being without a Wi-Fi internet connection on your travels with this app. The Wi-Fi scans your surroundings for free or paid public Wi-Fi hotspots online or offline—so you can send a quickie email to check on your cat or call your mom to say hi via Skype from anywhere in the world.
5. Talk To Me ($1.99 – for iPhone)
The Talk To Me app is a mobile text-to-speech translation application that speaks words in your desired language as you type them in your native tongue. Featuring 7 languages—including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese—you will never be lost for words or unable to communicate on your worldwide travels.
Author: Pearlie Davis is a staff writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone news commentary, and reviews.
