Traditionally, the busiest travel day of the year in Canada is the Friday before Christmas. Most of the preparation for that trip happens now – in November. Thankfully, travel has become much easier to navigate due to some amazing apps on the market. We have gone from flipping through travel books in a travel agent’s office and packing disposable cameras to enjoying immediate flight updates, instant restaurant reservations, reliable translation, and simple ways to post your adventure pics for all your friends and family to see.
Going on vacation is one of the great rewards many of us look forward to at the end of the year. If you’re looking to give your travel experience a boost this winter, download these five great free travel apps to your phone before you start your next trip.
FlightAware
Every traveler needs an app that provides live flight information. With FlightAware, you never have to worry about arriving at the wrong terminal, not being informed about a changed gate, or being the last to know about a cancellation. Your family and friends can also see where your plane is in real-time, a perfect way to plan your arrival pickup and get on with your sightseeing without delay!
Google Translate
When travelling to a country with a foreign language, you might look for an easy-to-use and reliable translator app. Google Translate is one of the best on the market. Not only can you type text that can be translated into 103 languages, but you can also talk into your phone and have an automated voice translate it back. Plus, you can screenshot anything you need to be interpreted, like a menu, and it will translate it for you. This app is sure to make getting around a new country less stressful and the connections you make more informative.
Open Table
With global restaurants at your fingertips, every foodie should be excited to download Open Table. This app allows you to find exciting restaurants near all your travels and instantly book a reservation. It provides all the information you need – restaurant hours, websites, ratings and reviews, price ranges, maps and menus, even how often they have been booked that day and photos of the ambiance. Open Table helps to make finding the perfect restaurant fast and easy everywhere you go.
Boomerang
There’s no better way to show off the places you’re visiting than through photos and videos that can be viewed on your social media accounts. With the Boomerang app, you can experience the newest technology when it comes to multi-media. From the makers of Instagram, Boomerang allows you to make small video clips into a loop that you can upload to your social media accounts and instantly share with all your friends.
JiWire Wi-Fi Finder
Most travelers can see the value in a Free Wi-Fi Finder. After all, you can’t find, connect and share your experiences if you can’t find reliable Wi-Fi on the go. For many of us, if it’s free, it’s even better. Try JiWire. It shows where you can find free wireless connections and the nearest hot spots in 117 countries – an excellent way to post all your Boomerang videos of your favourite restaurants and activities on your trip!
When getting ready for your next adventure, don’t forget to check out some of these apps to add to your travelling arsenal. But most importantly, before you go, drop into your nearest Mobile Klinik to get great professional advice on how to optimize your phone and data services in preparation for your vacation.