You can whip your weekend bags together, or put two weeks of outfits in a rolling suitcase, but will your status as a “packaging guru” be extended to your phone or tablet? Think of your device as a second carry-on car, using its own packing list of apps that are essential for entertainment, avoidance, safety and more.
“Everyone talks about making a super app, and this is where everything you need,” said Gilbert Ott, Partnership Director at Point.me, a website that helps travelers manage their loyalty points. Here are the suggested apps to download before you go until that Super Travel app exists.
Safety and security
Public Wi-Fi networks like cafes and hotels can be insecure, so “it's better to encrypt your internet activity” to prevent criminals from intercepting passwords, credit card numbers and emails, Ott said. One way to keep your data safe is to download and use virtual private networks such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, which encrypt web actions. Both charge about $13 a month on a monthly plan, and about half of that rate on an annual plan. Another VPN provider, Mullvad, charges about $5.50 a month.
While it may be appealing to keep a copy of important documents like passports, health insurance cards, and prescriptions on your phone as photos, it is safer to use apps that encrypt information such as 1Password (starting at $35.88 a year) or Microsoft Onedrive Personal Vault ($99.999persoft 365 Subscriptrive or Nonsubscribe for for for fore fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fre fry frues or nonsoft 365 onedrive personal vault.
Go around
The US Government's free mobile passport control app can help US citizens and other groups (even travelers who are not in the global entry program). Preloading information will speed up interactions with executives.
For more information about public transport that could surpass Google Maps, Moovit (with free additional features for advertising or Moovit+, $17.99 ads-free) and CityMapper (free or $9.99 ads per year) help with routes, fares and travel lengths around the world. In cities like New York or London, load your digital wallet with your credit or debit card and set it up for shipping to avoid lines using touchless payments on Turn Steel.
In some countries, calling a taxi on the street may be difficult or unsafe. So, if Uber and Lyft are not available, download the local trusted ride hale app that offers configured fares and location tracking. For example, in Vietnam, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, Grab offers vehicles on the back of cars, taxis and motorcycles. In India, Ora is a popular choice.
Entertainment
Spend hours on planes, trains, or hotel rooms, loading your devices with a mix of detours and destination information. Taylor Beale, a Philadelphia travel blogger who leads a high school group on a trip to Europe, recommends using Libby and Hoopra to borrow books from the e-library. The app is free, but you will need a local library card from one of the more than 90,000 participating public libraries and schools.
For road trips in the US, the phone app Autio ($35.99 a year, free trial) offers 23,000 short stories and information about the surrounding landscape and history, based on your location. Offerings include Kevin Costner of the Northern Grate Plains and John Lithgow, a filming location for “Footloose.”
Travel together
Tracking who paid what among groups of friends can be a fun chore. Jamie Larounis, a travel industry analyst for upgraded points, recommends the Splitise Pro ($39.99 a year, or a limited free version). Other apps such as Tricount (free) and Stctle Up (free or premium version $19.99 per year) offer similar services.
To track flights and create plans with solo or companions, Tripit (free version or TripitPro $49) and WanderLog (free version or Wanderlog Pro $39.99 per year) can tame complex itineraries.
translation
You may already have Google Translate on your device, but the app also has a handy feature that is lesser known. For example, you can point your camera at foreign menus, railway station signs and receipts, and Google can translate non-Roman characters. The conversation buttons in the app allow you to exchange your phone when you are trying to get directions, order food, or ask for help. You can also create custom phrase books in the app.
Local attractions
Bloomberg Connect works with over 800 museums and other cultural spaces, such as New York's Botanical Gardens, to provide free information on exhibitions around the world, and complement local organizations such as the Parisian historical museum, Missé Carna Valletto.
Of course, there are always old ways to travel. Is there an app for that?
