Believe it or not, summer is just around the corner, not that the storms would have you believe it. But in true British fashion, we will wear our shorts and our flip-flops come rain or shine. Whether you plan to travel by bus from Tucson, driving to Cornwall for your summer holiday, heading to Spain, or indulging in more tropical climes, there are some apps which should always be downloaded on your phone, especially if you have a family in tow!
We’ve already talked about the best apps to play when on holiday, but here is our pick of travel apps we couldn’t hit the road without.
XE Currency
The XE Currency app is a lifesaver when heading abroad. It stores the latest conversion rates from when you were last online, meaning that you don’t need to be connected for up to date currency conversion rate on the fly. Perfect for busy parents who have no time for maths!
Cinema Box
For long flights, drives, bus journeys or trains, the Cinema Box app will keep you and your family entertained for hours. This clever little app lets you watch your favourite TV series and movies on the go, meaning that waiting in line will no longer be a time of moaning and tantrums.
Maps.me
This maps app is a far, far superior mapping tool than Google Maps. Not only does it know the ins and outs of the back roads of India, but once you have downloaded an area while in WiFi, the app will direct you offline. This means no more high roaming charges because you need to be redirected, Maps.me will naturally just do it for you, all while talking to you and telling you where to go.
Google Translate
This excellent app is a must for anyone travelling abroad this summer. It does two-way instant speech translations in over 30 languages, and you can even hold your camera up to words and it translates them for you! Great if you have just arrived somewhere with no knowledge of the language or if you are trying to navigate a supermarket with a fussy toddler!
LiveTrekker
If you’re going to drag your children halfway around the planet, or country, you’re going to have create something with a lasting attachment to it. The LiveTrekker app is, in short, a travel journal after eight cans of energy drink, which maps your route – whether a mountain hike or a city stroll – and you can pin videos, photos, notes or audio to different locations, meaning that you will always have a visual record of your family trip. You can share the content with family back home if you have data connection (or you want to) or can save it all up to form an in-depth project at a later date! Who needs slideshows when you have LiveTrekker?
WiFiMapper
Whether you want a full digital detox on your holiday or not, it’s likely that you’ll need to check in at some point while you are away. This app, which claims to be the world’s largest WiFi database covering every major city in the world, makes finding a free connection simple and easy.
