It’s a pretty safe bet to say that the majority of people think going on holiday is great. Perhaps your holiday involves feet in a horizontal position, nose in a book and occasional scavenges for sustenance, or alternately you might intend cramming as much as possible into your trip so that you exhaust yourself and need a holiday after your holiday. Either way there are a range of useful apps that can help you make the most of your travels.
iTranslate:
iTranslate is a free translation app that can translate words, phrases and sentences into over 50 languages. The app requires an Internet connection and is available with a voice recognition feature but this feature needs to be paid for. A handy free feature is the ability to obtain a larger and more readable version by turning the iPhone on its side, which is good if you’re showing the translation to someone.
This is a useful app for keeping you out of tricky situations involving accidentally insulting somebody, their brother and their neighbour’s pet dog to boot when all you were after was finding the nearest toilet. It’s also infinitely more effective than the age-old tradition of talking louder and slower in the hopes that suddenly the listener will comprehend what you are saying.
World Clock – Time Zones:
This is a free app that automatically updates from timeanddate.com and allows you to check the time in numerous cities around the world. You can personalise and customise the app, for example choosing digital, analogue or text clock for the time display and adding cities to your Favourites so they can be easily reused. The app takes into consideration daylight saving hours and accounts for these through the updating process. If you’re arranging for a friend to pick you up from the airport or trying to organise a business meeting, you’re much more likely to get a favourable response if you don’t call the person at 3am in the morning.
easyPark:
Ever had to sheepishly return to the rental agency and tell them you lost the car? Forgetting where you parked a car is not an uncommon occurrence, especially if you are in a city you don’t know well. easyPark uses GPS to take note of the location of your car and to track a route back to it based on where you are currently. It also incorporates a meter alarm so you can get back to your car in time to avoid paying a fine if you’re paying for parking. easyPark costs £0.59.
XE Currency:
This free app allows you to check live currency rates for over 180 different currencies and also precious metals. You can personalise the settings by choosing up to ten currencies and how regularly you want the rates to update. The last rates you checked are stored on your iPhone which means you can work out prices even if you’re offline.
Flighty UK & Ireland:
Need to know the latest arrival and departure times for major UK and Irish airports? Look no further than this useful app, which includes information related to 44 UK and Irish airports. There is the option to search for flights according to the flight number, arrival location or destination location. The app costs £0.59
Google Maps:
Google Maps is an incredibly useful and free app which offers voice-guided navigation. The Street View function also allows you to see a 3D version of what you should be looking out for as opposed to just following the route map. It also provides recommendations and directions for places like restaurants and hotels as well as where to find the nearest ATM and petrol station. Arguments on asking for directions are a thing of the past; now you can focus on debating the merits of that giant charming/eyesore hat you bought instead.
Now that you have the travel apps, you need to find the perfect holiday. Take a look at Pitchup.com for campsite reviews throughout the UK and Ireland.