A survey of 5000 international business travellers showed 80 per cent of respondents carried a smartphone but 73 per cent didn't use travel-related apps. Source: Supplied
IF there is one piece of advice every travel expert agrees on, it is to travel light.
With that maxim in mind, most travellers will go to great lengths to cram the minimal number of clothes into the lightest possible piece of luggage. But there is another item that can help trim a little more weight from the average load -- a smartphone.
Packed with the right apps, such a phone can replace all sorts of odds and sods that take up space in many a well-travelled daypack.
Yet travellers are making less use of mobile devices than might be expected. A recent survey of about 5000 international business travellers by medical assistance company International SOS revealed that 80 per cent of respondents carried a smartphone but 73 per cent of them didn't use travel-related apps before or during a trip.
Instead they used their devices mostly for email. Justified fears of hefty roaming charges could be one reason, but it is also possible travellers are tentative because they simply don't know where to start.
When Apple opened its app store in July 2008, early adopters could choose from an impressive but manageable range of 500 apps. Three years later there are about 500,000 available for the iPhone alone.
That means curious travellers can use apps to gather just about any kind of information they want, from advice on how much to tip a local waiter to directions to the nearest public toilet.
But finding the travel apps you really need might be a tad overwhelming. To help navigate your way, here are 10 apps every international traveller should consider.
1. MANILA FOLDERS
TripIt (iPhone and Android, free): When it comes to sheer convenience, this would have to rate as one of the most useful apps available. Just send it your individual confirmation emails for flight, hotels, car rental and so on, and TripIt automatically aggregates these into a single itinerary, which you can then update and share with friends, family or colleagues. It also adds information such as maps, weather forecasts, driving directions and details of local attractions.
2. CAMERAS
Camera+ (iPhone, 99c): If your hands are sometimes shaky, Camera+ is invaluable because it incorporates a stabiliser, reducing the chances of blurred shots. There are plenty of other useful features, including excellent zoom, crop and lighting options, and when you've captured something memorable you can post it on Facebook and Twitter.
If you want something a little different, you could also try Pano (iPhone, $1.99; Android, $2.87) to create terrific panoramic shots and Hipstamtic (iPhone, $1.99), which recreates the quirky retro look and feel of 1970s toy plastic cameras.
3. GOOD BOOKS
Stanza (iPhone, free): There are several good e-book apps available but Stanza is hard to beat because it offers easy access to the 50,000 free (fiction and nonfiction) e-books of Project Gutenberg and Feedbooks. You can also buy thousands of other titles. Kobo (iPhone and Android, free) is another good e-book app, and if you want some fun and an insight into where e-books might be heading, check out Booktrack (iPhone, free), which livens up the reading experience by playing music and sound effects (such as galloping horses and rain lashing a window pane) as you read the text.
4. MAPS
If you use your built-in map app when travelling, you definitely run the risk of racking up some nasty roaming charges. Instead, use an app that enables you to download a specific map on your phone, just like a printed map, and then access it offline. Two good options are City Maps 2Go (iPhone, 99c for more than 7000 destinations) and OffMaps (iPhone, 99c for two maps). The maps offer rich detail such as train stations, restaurants and attractions. They are also searchable and you can use your GPS to locate your position.
5. MEDICAL KITS
Fit2travel (iPhone, free): Prevention is always better than cure and this app will help you stay healthy before and during a journey to any of more than 300 destinations. Besides a health checklist, it offers tips on avoiding illness, malaria prevention strategies, and a map showing recommended vaccinations for all countries. If, despite your best efforts, you still get sick, you can turn for advice to the Travel Health guide developed by Australia's Deborah Mills. The author of Travelling Well offers diagnosis for more than 150 common conditions -- from diarrhoea to malaria -- and guidance on the best remedies.
6. PHRASEBOOKS
Translation tools are definitely at the gee-whiz end of the app spectrum. None of them is perfect, but most are pretty impressive. Google Translate (iPhone and Android, free) allows you (or someone you are trying to communicate with) to type or speak a foreign phrase into the phone and have it instantly translated. There are 57 languages on offer (15 for spoken phrases); you can hear the translation spoken aloud for almost half of the languages and save favourite phrases to use offline. Another useful, and very cool, translation app is Word Lens (iPhone, free), which uses the iPhone video camera to capture an image of a sign and then translates it (you need to buy language packs).
7. POSTCARDS
Facebook (iPhone and Android, free): I prefer to drop off the radar when travelling, but if you wish to share your adventures with friends and family, Facebook's app is a must-have.
So is a good Twitter app, which will also allow you to follow all the usual sources. There are plenty on offer (including Twitter's own app), but the best of the bunch is Tweetdeck (iPhone and Android, free), which allows you to create multiple columns to follow specific sources or topics.
8. GUIDEBOOKS
There are so many great guidebook apps that choosing one will come down to personal preferences. Most printed guidebook publishers offer mobile versions, which you can supplement with apps that address specific interests or locate nearby activities or amenities.
If you're not loyal to a specific publisher, download Worldly (iPhone, $2.99) or Tourist (iPhone, $2.99), both of which draw on information from WikiTravel, an open-source (or traveller-compiled) website that at the moment boasts more than 25,000 guides and articles about a wide range of destinantions.
9. CURRENCY CONVERTER
XE (iPhone and Android, free) is an easy-to-use calculator that will help you convert prices using live rates for just about every currency on the planet. It can also use the last updated rate if you need to check it offline.
10. PHONE CARDS
Skype (iPhone and Android, free): If possible, first use Free Wi-Fi Finder (iPhone and Android, free) to get online at no cost; then, after you've checked your emails, you can use the Skype app to call or send messages on low-cost international calling plans.
If you can't find free Wi-Fi, you can still minimise your roaming fees by using Skype WiFi (iPhone, free) to find hot spots at, say, an airport, hotel or railway station, and then only pay for the time you are online, rather than the amount of data you download (you'll need some Skype credit in your account).
David Carroll's Switched-on Tourist column on new travel technology appears monthly in Travel & Indulgence.
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WHAT THE TECHNO-EXPERTS RECOMMEND
Richard Noon, director finance and technology, Webjet: I use practical apps when travelling, such as XE for currency exchange; (Skype rival) Viber (iPhone and Android, free) for phone calls; and of course the Webjet app (iPhone, free), which is like having a travel agent in your pocket. For guidebooks, I use Lonely Planet apps (iPhone, $6.49) and complement them with a location-based app such as Urban Spoon (iPhone and Android, free) or, in the US, Zagat (iPhone, $10.49; Android, $9.37), which point me towards great restaurants. I also store my passport, driver's licence, credit card details, etc, in iTravel Wallet (iPhone, free).
Tim Hughes, CEO, Getaway Lounge: TripIt has been a life changer. Not only can I combine different elements of my trip into a single itinerary, but I can then share it, which means the people in my office and my wife can track where I am. As a business traveller I also love Cardmunch (iPhone, free). When I finish a meeting, I just take a photograph of each business card I've collected and the app automatically turns them into contacts. On a more quirky note, Plants vs Zombies (iPhone, $2.99) was recommended by my nine-year-old, and now I while away many an hour at airports killing zombies.
Chris Noble, general manager, WorldNomads.com: I'm attracted to apps that really enhance the travel experience. Besides the WorldNomads.com language guides and Ask a Nomad apps we developed to help travellers share local destination insights, I like the Nile Guide: What's Next? app (iPhone, free) because it provides some great ideas on local things to do, restaurants and nightlife. I also love the simplicity of Tumblr (iPhone and Android, free) and Path (iPhone and Android, free), two micro-blogging apps that help you capture and share your travel experiences.
Jeff Lewis, vice-president, engineering, Viator: Facebook allows me to post photos of catch-ups with friends and quirky local sights, as well as arrange meet-ups with long-lost schoolmates. Skype turns my iPhone into a cheap and convenient way to call my family and office using Wi-Fi at hotels. And TripIt is a saviour when I need to quickly look up hotels and flights while I'm checking in or jumping into a taxi, as it caches my itinerary and doesn't require expensive internet roaming.
David Carroll
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