The opportunity to travel to a foreign country always strikes mixed reactions. While one side, it’s an exciting adventure, and on the hand, are thoughts of how life will be in the foreign country. Will I get lost? How about the language barrier? Will I be able to keep in touch with my family and friends back at home?
There is one gadget that can make your trip incredibly easy – a smartphone. Over the past few years, there has been the development of new apps and software that target travelers. These apps will help you solve some of the serious issues in a new country.
To help make your big adventure easier and enjoyable, below are 7 genius smartphone hacks for traveling abroad that every traveler must know.
1. Weather
One of the greatest benefits you can get from your smartphones is getting weather news. This allows you to plan your travel. Today, there are numerous weather apps that show you the weather conditions at various world destinations.
With an iPhone, you can use the weather app. If you want to get a second opinion and get a detailed weather report, you can use AccuWeather, where you can view the radar. When you have arrived in the new country, weather news will guide you on how to dress and if you need to carry an umbrella. This way, you are saved from waiting to watch weather news, especially if the media language is new to you.
2. Language translator
If there is one thing that can make your travel experience horrible, it’s the inability to communicate in the new country. Luckily, with a smartphone, you can communicate with locals and sometimes help you eliminate the need of a translator. One of the best translation apps is the Google Translate. It’s very accurate and easy to use.
One of the capabilities of Google Translate that will amaze you is photo translation. With Google translate, you can take a photo of a menu or sign and the app will translate it for you in English.
3. Itinerary details
This is the beauty of technology. There is an app that allows you to share your itinerary with your family members so that they can know where you are heading and the exact places you are. Triplt app helps you achieve that effortlessly.
Additionally, Triplt allows you to gather your trip detail and share with anyone in your group or team. For easy access, you can include other information including, car rental details, flight information, tour plans and hotel reservations. The best part is that you can access all these information even when offline
4. Maps and Navigation
Google maps support all cities in the world. This makes it one of the coolest apps for a traveler. With a Google Maps, you can see the neighborhood, roads, and direction even before you step out of the house. The best part with Google maps is that you can save a map and then view it later when you are offline.
5. Conversion calculator
When you are abroad, and you can access Wi-Fi, ask Siri on your iPhone for conversions. If you are offline, install a conversion calculator that can work offline, for example, XE Currency. Shopping becomes easier as you will know how much of local currency you are incurring. One of the best offline conversion calculators is the GlobalConvert.
6. Restaurant and Activities
Currently, there are incredible apps that show you a list of all the restaurants in a specific city. The best part is that you can read the hotel reviews and judge by the experience of others if the place is good for you.
One of these apps is the TripAdvisors app that is used by millions of people globally. For some few cities, it has an offline guide, which you can use. However, when you are in the city, ask the locals for recommendations on some of the best eateries. You will be surprised to find some eating places so good, that you forget any other joint.
7. Staying connected
To plan early, enquire from your cellular carrier about the international calling rates. If the charges are very high for texting, calling and mobile data, use Wi-Fi. If you can access Wi-Fi apart from accessing your emails and Skype, you can use FaceTime and iMessage, which are on iPhone. Other platforms that you can use include, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Read Also: Things to Avoid When Making Foreign Trips
Conclusion
A smartphone is an incredible gadget to any travelers. You will save money, remain safe, stay comfortable and create an incredible traveling experience. So one of the things to avoid when traveling abroad is leaving your smartphone behind; it maybe your only savior, when in a foreign trip.
