Put your smart-phone in ‘Airplane’ mode and take a look at our recommendations for the most useful travel apps for this year.
Travel apps
It is the time of year where most of us are thinking about our summer holidays, whether you are still booking it or dreaming about relaxing on a sandy beach the main aim is to relax and enjoy it.
There is always a certain amount of anxiety involved when going on holiday as there are so many potential hazards along the way, will the taxi turn up on time?, will the plane be delayed?..will the hotel look like it did in the brochure and will you bags turn up in Afghanistan instead of Athens!
We have compiled what we think are the most useful apps to set your mind at ease when setting of on what will hopefully be the trip of a lifetime.
The most useful travel apps
1. Hailo
OS: iPhone / Android
Price: Free
Hailo is a taxi booking app that is truly brilliant, using GPRS this app show you where the taxi is in relation to your location and allow you to contact the taxi and book it, all through the app, then once booked you can actually watch the little taxi icon move closer to your location with a count down to arrival so you know exactly when to get your coat on.
The app also provides the drivers name and photo for extra security.
The app is currently only operational in London, Dublin, New York, Toronto, Chicago & Boston.
2. Airport
OS: Android
Price: Free
Check flight departure and arrival boards virtually anywhere in the world with this free flight, find out if your flight is delayed or cancelled and in the worst case scenario even book an alternative flight.
Airport also provides a wealth of other useful information including terminal maps, airport restaurant information, parking information and where the best shops are for you duty free shopping.
The app is available in 11 languages.
3. Google Translate
OS: Android / iPhone
Price: Free
You have arrived safely and now you want to take full advantage of the local culture, forgotten your GCSE French, no problem Google Translate to the rescue.
A must for anyone who doesn’t want to come across like a stereotypical tourist, Google Translate is a well established translation app that can translate in more than 65 languages, you speak your phrase into your smart-phone and listen to the translation back on your devise.
There is a handy conversation mode which allows you to communicate in real time in the local dialect (currently 14 languages supported), view your past translation history for a quick recall if you need to use the same phrase again, enter text to be translated by either voice mode, type mode or writing mode.
There is even an option to translate text within a photo.
4. World UV
OS: Android / iPhone
Price: Free
You are relaxing on the beach in the lovely warm sunshine, you are just giving yourself a ‘sunscreen free’ hour, just to get that tan started, but how safe are you from the sun’s ultra violet rays?
World UV is an app created by the British Association of Dermatologists in partnership with the Met office that provides information on the strength of the sun’s UV rays.
It works by calculating the peak times when the UV rays are at their most powerful in thousands of locations around the world, so you can determine depending on your skin type how long you should expose your delicate skin to the sun.
The app also provides a wealth of useful information on sunburn prevention and skin types.
5. Exchange Rates
OS: Android
Price: Free
Is that Snickers really £2!… I am always shocked by the price of some items in other countries, but wouldn’t it be useful to actually know how much something costs compared to your local currency, rather than wasting precious holiday time standing around in a foreign supermarket trying to work it out in your head.
Well this beautifully designed app is all you need to to make that difficult decision on whether to buy that Snickers!.., the user interface is clearly and simply designed to make currency conversion a real joy, with automatic real time or manual currency rate updates.
