Apps aplenty to plan your travels

It’s easy to lose your bearings when travelling overseas but having the right apps in your pocket can take a lot of the stress out.

Having the right apps takes some of the stress out of being overseas.

It’s easy to lose your bearings when travelling overseas. Fighting jet lag and the marathon of running to one connecting flight after the next can get to even the best of us.

But having the right apps in your pocket can take a lot of the stress out of travelling.

Planning your trip

SkyScanner is a straightforward fare aggregator that helps you bag the best deal on your plane ticket. For finding the best accommodation deals it’s hard to go past Airbnb. The 600,000-plus user-provided accommodation choices mean there’s an option to suit almost any budget along with a fair few gems that offer amazing places to stay for the price of a cheap motel. The app also makes it easy to communicate with the host who often serves as a handy source of local information. Hosts are generally pretty flexible with checkout times as well, which can be really handy for late flights.

Before you fly

The headache of travel can start well before you even board the plane. Packing, or knowing what to pack, can consume a whole day of your precious time. So why not let an app like PackPoint take care of it for you? Simply punch in the city you’re travelling to, purpose of the trip (business or leisure), departure date, the number of nights you’ll be staying there along with any extra activities and the app will tell you exactly what to pack.

All seats on a plane are not created equal. Some seats can have a larger bulkhead or cramped legroom while other seats might have limited recline that can make a long-haul flight all the more excruciating. SeatGuru has access to interactive seating charts for any flight out there — simply enter your flight number and the app will enlighten you on the best seats available, including those closest to the bathroom.

Once you have all your flights, transfers and hotel accommodation booked why not have an app create a travel itinerary for you? Simply forward all your confirmation emails to TripIt — including any sightseeing or restaurant bookings — and the app will transform them into a single itinerary accessible from your smartphone and easily shareable with friends, family or colleagues. The application will also update the itinerary in real-time whenever there are flight delays.

Master the airport

GateGuru makes navigating an unfamiliar airport painless. The app keeps you across flight delays and sends you real-time push notifications whenever there’s a last-minute gate change. It even gives you estimated wait times to clear security. The app also gives you the lowdown on the food options and amenities available at an airport complete with user reviews. Think of it as the “Yelp for airports”. It also offers handy tips and maps for almost every airport.

Passing the time

If you’re a regular flyer, then chances are you’ve probably seen every in-flight movie or TV show, so why not bring your own entertainment on board? Most flights offer at least a USB outlet near your seat for charging portable devices so you won’t need to worry about running out of juice. With no internet connection, your regular entertainment apps like Netflix won’t cut it so your best bet is to roll your own content. Infuse will not only play anything you throw at it but also present your content in an incredibly slick manner. Infuse also offers a number of ways to transfer your movies to your iPad or iPhone.

A long flight can also be a great opportunity to catch up on your backlog of podcasts while also giving your eyes a valuable break from the screen. iPhone owners should skip Apple’s default Podcast app and get the sensational Overcast app instead. Overcast offers a number of useful features wrapped up in a clean, easy-to-use interface. Our favourite feature is “smart speed”, which removes silent moments and dead air from podcasts, substantially cutting down the overall playback time.

Apps to get you around

Uber is a great money saver for getting around, but overseas is where it really comes into its own. The ability to request a ride by setting up your pick-up location within the app completely eliminates any chance of miscommunication that may arise due to language or cultural barriers.

Payment is easy as the app automatically charges the cost of your trip directly to your credit card and subsequently emails you a receipt.

Kurrency is a no-fuss money exchange app while Wi-Fi Finder will direct you to your nearest available wireless internet hotspot. Both apps work offline. Google’s Translate app is almost as good as having a real-life translator accompanying you, with the ability to translate up to 90 languages. Visual translation allows you to point your smartphone camera at any sign and have it translate it back to you on-screen. Simultaneous speech mode is also a really handy feature. Select a pair of languages, tap the mic symbol and the app automatically translates whatever it hears in either language — enabling you to have a proper conversation with a local. On Android smartphones, the voice and image translation modes work without an internet connection as well.

Apps to help you explore

FieldTrip taps into recommendations from travel and lifestyle publications and notifies you of points of interest based on your location, history and preferences. Recommendations include what to see, eat and do but the best thing about the app is that the suggestions actually get smarter the more you use it. FieldTrip also saves you from having to dig for information within the app and, instead, notifies you as you get close to something interesting. Lonely Planet guides include offline maps and are packed to the gills with tips.