The 13 mobile apps travellers can’t go without
While on the road, one of the most precious possessions for a traveller is their phone. It keeps them in touch with family, stores all itinerary info, helps them find where they need to go and lets them spread the travel envy online.
There are thousands of trusty apps available to help your customers navigate their way around new cities and regions, and with the help of The Global Work & Travel Co. we’ve found the very best for convenient travel tools and guidance at their fingertips with our travel apps they just can’t live without:
PackPoint
Put in the destination and travel dates and this bad boy will create a weather-specific personalised packing list.
It will ask what activities your customer is planning to partake in while abroad, and will make suggestions based on them so they don’t forget their snow gloves if their hitting the alps or business tie if they are off for an important meeting. Add and delete as they see fit. Genius!
XE Currency
With over 55 million downloads, XE Currency is the most downloaded foreign exchange app. It offers real-time live exchange rates and charts to help your customer make smarter purchases.
They can create rate alerts for the currency pairs they want to watch, and if their rate is triggered, they’ll be notified. It’s free, easy to navigate and can be used on or offline.
Google Translate
Your customer will never get lost in translation again. Google Translate will be their best bud if they are travelling to countries where they don’t speak the lingo.
It can translate 103 different languages just by typing the text into their phone. It can also convert 38 languages of text in images just by pointing their camera, and can even instantly translate bilingual conversations on the fly.
Trip Journal
Your customers can document their travels and create their own mobile-based scrapbook along the way with Trip Journal.
Google’s most awarded app lets them compile a journal of their adventures by tagging sights and destinations with photos, videos and notes. They can share with friends and family to keep them in the loop with live updates.
Google Lens
Has your customer ever found a beautiful building or landmark overseas but have no idea what it is? Once again, Google knows all and brings you googles to put a name to their view.
All they need to do is simply point their phone at a building, painting, statue, plants and animals, and even outfits they like. The app will search its database to give them all the info they could need. It can even translate any foreign text for them!
WiFi Map
“Free WiFi” – has there ever been a more beautiful phrase to be uttered, ever? Connect for free to more than 100 million WiFi spots worldwide.
Users have added millions of locations in the world’s busiest cities, airports, small towns and villages, as well as the most remote areas of our wonderful planet. They can avoid roaming and data charges during their travels and every day of their life.
Time Out: Discover your City
This app allows users to store guides in their pocket to discover the very best of the major city they are currently exploring, including restaurants, bars, clubs, gigs and events.
With a wealth of knowledge collected from Time Out’s experts as well as other users, your customers will undoubtedly find somewhere or something new to try.
With more than a billion users, it’s highly likely your customers will run into someone that uses it. Plus, it’s a great way to keep in contact with friends and family back home whilst away.
Downloadable on all devices, WhatsApp lets you message contacts (including international) free of charge – all they need is an internet connection.
Mobile Passport (US only)
While it’s only launched in the US so far, it won’t be long before this takes off. As soon as your customer hits the tarmac of their new destination, they will know that they will be herded into a painstakingly long line to wait to be called before a customs agent.
With Mobile Passport, all they have to do is set up a profile and ask a few questions before they go. Once in the country, they can follow the Mobile Passport Control signs, show their passport to the CBP officer and scan the barcode on the CBP receipt. That’s it!
Travel Math
If not planned well, travel can cost much more time and money than your customer originally anticipated. Tolls, petrol and distance are often forgotten in the budget preparations.
Travel Math allows them to type in low locations, and it will quickly calculate the driving distance, flight time, closest airports and costs of driving.
CityMaps2Go
Covering 150 countries, 60,000 destinations and 50 million places, CityMaps2Go is a reliable and easy-to-use global travel companion for your customer, perfect for creating lists and sightseeing itineraries to save later.
They can find detailed maps, insider tips, in-depth content and popular attraction guides for them to save for later or use it on the go to find bars, restaurants, streets, addresses or attractions and get pointed in the right direction. With no internet required, it’s the ultimate offline map.
Timeshifter
Jet lag affects every traveller differently. Used by astronauts and elite athletes, Timeshifter is a sleep tool based on the latest research in sleep and circadian neuroscience to eliminate jet lag with personalised advice.
Users have to input a few details about their sleep pattern, chronotype and flight plan. Great for when your customers are first adjusting to time differences in a new city.
Globe Tips
Tipping varies by country, region and situation, and this can be enough to baffle even the most well-travelled of travellers.
Globe Tips allows them to scan their bill and it will calculate everything for them. It automatically applies geo location-based advice, has a full tipping for over 240 countries and regions, has a handy bill spilling to divide it among people, and can save, copy and share a bill.
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