These will make your tourist life way easier
It doesn't matter what your holiday destination is, we're all looking for those holiday booking hacks to keep our breaks away as easy (and cheap) as possible. These are the apps that'll help make it even more convenient, too...
The booking app
HolidayPirates
Ever wanted someone to just aggregate all the best travel deals and offers on the internet for you? Well, look no more. There's everything from flights and hotels, through to holiday homes, luxury hotels and weekend breaks. They even send bespoke travel alerts straight to your WhatsApp.
The language app(s)
Babbel
It's always worth learning some of the local lingo before you set off and this app has 14 languages available from Spanish to Indonesian.
Google Translate
It's a classic, yes, but still one worth having on you. It's used by over 200 million people per day and can now translate signposts and restaurant menus at the press of your camera button.
Hostelworld
There's a handy little piece of code on Hostelworld's app called Speak the World, which uses Google Cloud translate technology to instantly translate up to 43 languages for you. After you've inputted what you need, it'll provide an audio pronunciation guide and translate your response. It's free to download on iOS and Android and covers everything from Afrikaans to Vietnamese.
The podcast app
Acast
With a huge selection of podcasts on every topic, from travel, to comedy and current affairs, you're guaranteed to find something that will keep you entertained as you travel from A to B. This app also recommends shows tailored to your taste and lets you download podcasts for offline listening.
The cultural app
Foursquare
This app shows you the best of the local food, drinks and attractions, meaning that you'll experience the true spirit of each place you travel to.
The itinerary app
LiveTrekker
This app logs wherever you go, creating a map of the routes you take and the places you walk by. As you create the map, you can add audio, video and text to bring your travels to life. The more outdoorsy of us can also use it to monitor speed and altitude.
The map app
Citymapper
This mobile map shows you the best routes to take via public transit while trip planning. It includes all modes of public transport including underground, bus, rail, ferry, bike, car, Uber and even, um, jetpack. Citymapper is based in over 39 cities across the world and you can offline routes too. (Sidenote: Don't forget to download offline maps from Google Maps whenever you're going abroad.)
The food app
VizEat
This food network allows you to find a home-cooked meal or eating experience that's more than just another tourist trap restaurant across 110 countries around the world. You can access over 22,000 authentic dining experiences from a network of hosts including local families to ex-food reality TV stars to Le Cordon Bleu trained chefs.
The 'meet the locals' app
Tinder
At its core, Tinder has been built to meet people. Now with last year’s inclusion of Tinder Social, there’s now a way to categorise between potential dates and potential tour guides/BFFs. Give it a swipe when you’re on holiday this summer.
The Instagram-friendly app
Wiffinity
Searching for WiFi on holiday is probably the one thing we all do but never admit. This app is a map of local WiFi hotspots so you can find your next posting spot just in time for golden hour...
