Before I purchased my Ipod Touch last month, I couldn’t give two hoots and a holler about apps. I saw it as just another way to waste time and for someone to separate you from your money. Now….I see the error of my ways. It’s my new addiction and I don’t need no cure! Seriously, you could literally find yourself sliding your fingers back and forth over a rectangular piece of glass for hours on end and somehow manage to not get committed! There’s something for everyone….even for morons. There are a whole host of applications for every possible situation, especially for travelers. After doing a littl…erm…a lot of research, I have picked twelve must haves if you are serious about traveling and staying organized and entertained and won’t cost a cent.
1) PageOnce Trip Tracker is a neat app that allows you to record all of your frequent flier program account information securely in one place. Once that’s done, it will automagically import all of your flight information to your Ipod touch or Iphone automatically. It’s a great way to keep tabs on any frequent flier miles that’s earned because you will be notified via email when you do. I’m pretty bad at keeping up with stuff like that, so this is a treasure. Also, it keeps track of any hotel or car rental reservations that you have booked during the trip.
2) Pulse News Mini captures a montage of some of your favorite websites. You can literally view several news sites, entertainment sites, sports sites….all at once. Once you tap on an article, it will pop up and allow you to read it. You can share said article via email or social media. It also allows you to sync stories offline, so you will never be without your latest news stories. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or late and best yet, is free!
3) Tripadvisor is something that I always refer to when I’m planning a vacation or even activities at home. It’s pretty much a review site that rates accommodations, activities and restaurants from all over the world. The reviews are written by fellow travelers who have first hand knowledge, so you get their opinion of their experience and probably a few choice words on how things could improve if they were displeased. The good news is that you get the good reviews too. It’s just nice to get some insight before booking and regretting it later. Compatible with iPhone, Android, Ovi, Palm and iPod.
4) GateGuru – is another user driven app that reviews 115 airports’ services. Travelers can weigh in on how long it takes to get through checkpoints at each terminal. You can get info on the restaurants located in each concourse as to which has the best eats. Also, reviews and tips about the airport in general are freely given. One tap of your stylus gets you a view of the airport map and you can bookmark your favorite airports. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
5) UrbanSpoon – Hungry and in a new town? UrbanSpoon allows you to select a location, the type of food you want and the price that you want to pay. What could be simpler?
6) Bu.mp allows you to share info with someone by simply placing your phone in your hand and bumping knuckles with the person you want to transfer info to. You can transfer app links (you still have to pay for the ones that cost dinero), photos, contact, etc. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
7) Hipmunk – a portable flight search engine that allows you to view results in a timeline. This app doesn’t show you the cheapest flights first, instead they are listed according to factors like the number of layovers and the length of the trip. If you are more concerned with picking flights with a lower ‘agony’ factor than price, this is the app for you.
8 ) All Subway – Ok, so I lied. This is the only app that will cost you…99 cents. But it’s so worth it and an important tool for all travelers to have! It has the actual subway maps of major cities that you simply select, click and the map appears. What a convenience to have them all in one place and not have to worry about toting around various subway maps.
9) Tango Video Calls – I learned about this application from Michael at Strux Travel. Tango allows you to make video and voice calls over your smartphone’s Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks. If you’ve ever Skyped from your personal computer, you’ll understand the concept. Basically, you download the app, create a free account, then launch the application. It will automatically populate with the contacts from your address book who already use Tango. Or, you can invite your friends & family to join up by sending them a text or email. Once both parties have the app, you just make a call. It’s that easy!
If you’re in your local calling area, you can call anyone in the world for free. Or, if you have access to a Wi-Fi network, you can call anyone anywhere, even when you are abroad. (Just make sure you are on airplane mode so you aren’t hit with roaming charges.) I can see it being particularly useful to reconnect if you and your travel partner are separated in a crowd. Currently the app is available for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, iPod Touch, EVO 4G and Galaxy S.
10) Gas Buddy – Finds the cheapest gas on the go – for free! In one click, locate gas stations near you and see their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again. GasBuddy is a community of users working together to update gas prices and help everyone save on gas!
11) MetrO – The smartphone universe is chock full of public transportation apps for cities across the world. MetrO, however, covers some 400 cities, and while most individual city apps may be a bit more comprehensive, MetrO is more than adequate for most traveler’s needs. Users download the app, and then add the cities they want. MetrO can plot routes for you and shows your location on a map so you can see what’s nearby. Compatible with Palm, PocketPC, iPhone, BlackBerry and Smartphone.
Thanks for the “shout out” Renee! This is an awesome, comprehensive list. I just downloaded them all!
Fantastic! I have them all too!
awesome renee! i’m so clueless when it comes to smartphones (although you’d think i wouldn’t be with working in film!) but am thinking of making the switch to an iphone and these are definitely 12 good reasons to do so!
Thanks, Lorna….yes, and new apps are created everyday….if you’re super busy, it can be a godsend.
I love bump it’s a great tool for networking and eliminates the need to rummage through your bag for those business cards. As for Tango Calls- I didn’t even know about this apps.
Yes! Thanks, Grace. I meant to mention that aspect of Bu.mp. You can actually transfer business card data from one phone/touch to another.
Wow, great tips Renee! I had only heard of two of these. Granted, I don’t have an iPhone so no apps for me. But these are great for travelers! By the way, do you still use your Kindle?
Hey Jeremy,
Yep, I still use my kindle….actually, I was going to add the kindle app on this list, but heard that the recent upgrade sucked and most people hated it. But I do still love mine very much!
dammit I ned a smartphone don’t I? Mine doesn’t even have a camera!
Robin,
Having seen your photos, a camera phone doesn’t even stand a chance.
Great list! I’m so jealous you can actually use apps. I still have a “dumb phone”.
Yeah, I foolishly dropped my zune into the cupholder of my car not realizing that water had spilled in it. So, poof….had to get something new, so I opted for the ipod..the apps are a definite bonus!
Oops…I know that I botched up the title, but when I corrected it, my stats disappeared….so unfortunately, I will have to leave it as is. Bummer!
Awesome post! I’ll get downloading right now!
Thanks, Carla!
Thank you for putting together this in depth list! I don’t have an iphone (or even internet on my phone), but this will come in handy if I get an iphone for traveling!
Christy….yes, please bookmark it and come back to d/l when you do get an ipod or iphone. It took me a while to get one too.
Thanks Renee for this comprehensive list. I am amazed how many people above don’t have a smartphone/iPhone – they have all the blogs, stumbles, and tweets, but no iPhone!!!
I have to admit that I had a cell phone for the first time since the 90s that I got last June. I liked it, but never really used it. It was with Virgin Mobile and I got their unlimited text/data/web deal for $25.00 a month with 300 minutes. 300 minutes was too much for me….however, I am planning on dropping my land line so I may end up reactivating my phone soon.
I love bump!! Also- Share-a-bill is a great one for traveling in a group. It’s not free (I think it’s 99 cents) but it makes separating a bill so easy!
Thanks, Jade….I hadn’t heard of share a bill. I did find an app called Split! That does the same thing….will check our share a bill though.
I came across this website that offers apps that used to cost you, but is now free: http://www.gofreeapp.com
Renee, just check these sites: http://appshopper.com/free, http://www.dailyappdream.com and http://appbox.tinyviews.com
they offer free paid apps list too.
u can have a try
this is a fantastic list! Hipmunk is new to me, I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for this post
You are so welcome, Kelly! Glad it helped!
I just purchased an Ipod Touch 8 days ago but was so overwhelmed with the amount of apps until I remembered your post. These are good ones to start with!
I love the concept of Bump. Try Wikipedia on Map!
I really like this post, it’s really fine to find new tools, like the subway one, that keeps you alive in a strange city!
Merry Christmas!!!
Abel Pardo invites you to read..Aigen Digital Marketing helps Senegal
Thanks, Abel!
Good stuff. Urban Spoon can be a little hit or miss but it sure is fun to use. All Subway is new to me. What a brilliant idea for an app! I don’t have an iPhone – just an iPod touch – but there is so much free wifi around nowadays that I can use it pretty much anywhere.
Simon P invites you to read..From Hanoi to Luang Prabang (a love story)
Thanks, Simon. I only have the Ipod touch too, but still got so much good use out of it.
Hi Renee its Renee. Thanks for the great information on travel apps. My daughter is traveling to England and Paris with People to People Student Ambassador Program and I wanted her to find some useful apps which would make her travel experience a memorable one. We are also planning to use Trip journal. Any other ideas?
Hi Renee!
Congrats to your daughter’s participation in the P2P Student Ambassador Program…it will be a life changer for sure! Have you read my followup to this post? http://www.aviewtoathrill.net/2011/08/28/11-more-of-the-best-free-travel-apps-that-will-make-traveling-a-breeze/ I HIGHLY recommend Tripit! It is the one app that I think everyone who travels should have. It’s so important to stay organized so that you will be sure to see everything that you need to and have all of your pertinent travel info like flights, hotels and car rentals at your finger tip. Thanks for coming to the blog….it’s for you and everyone who wants to pursue that beautiful thing called travel….I appreciate it and you!
I checked out this list for two reasons, Renee.
1) Obviously I wanted to see what great apps you had to talk about – naturally!
2) I wanted to see if an app that I thought – even prior to opening the post – should be high up the list would make an apperance in your personal line up and…it did!
I LOVE Urban Spoon! If an app could have make cheerleaders then I would be the head of the Urban Spoon spirit squad! Haha! I’ve spruiked that to friends since its launch and use it on such a regular basis! Thrilled to see that you too get the most out of the nifty little app!
BJ
All these App are very helpful for a traveler, make life easy and save time to do some extra fun on trip. I like all of them but specially Metro – the public transportation app. Renee rocks..
I love bu.mp! I know that sharing things like files and stuff is cheap/free for the most part but there is a lot of ‘fiddling around’ if you want to share something with a person in the same room. Why bother going through the motions to text/email something with you can virtually just ‘pass’ it over. I love the app – so fun to use and a great show of what the technology we have today is capable of!
Yelp – I prefer this to all other review apps.
Yeah, Bump is a great App!