Thank God (alias Steve Jobs) for the iPad and the iPhone. Whether walking the streets of an unfamiliar city, camping under the stars, or spending a long-haul solo flight seated next to a silent monk, there are tons of apps that help you spend your time fruitfully, productively and with arrogant self-centredness.
Here’s our pick. Feel free to argue!
Skyscanner: If it’s a window seat on a fly-by of the Atacama Desert or just a cheap flight back home after a wallet-dehydrating vacation, Skyscanner is never out of options. Search and book flights at your convenience. Free download
FOOD AND DRINK
Epicurious Recipes and Shopping List: Mashing up everything gourmet of note – from top food-zines and cookbooks, chefs’ specials and restaurants – this app floods you with food ideas. Cook your heart out on the go. Works on your iPhone and iPad. Free download
Urbanspoon: What, and where, to eat are foremost on any reasonably curious (or epicurious) traveler’s mind. Even if you’re on a diet. Find new restaurants by letting the app choose from selections of neighborhoods, cuisine and price range. Impatient? Just shake your iPad and up pops a randomly generated option. Free download
HOLIDAY READING
iBooks: You’re never too far from a good book with
this app. Download your favorite titles, pick them at will from an
impressive bookshelf. Tap to open, flip pages and add bookmarks without
the heartbreak of dog-earing. Free download
Kindle: Give
your iPad some Bezos muscle with this app that integrates fluidly with
the Amazon storefront. Flip through a trove of magazines, newspapers and
books on the move. Even better, it lets you leave your Kindle at home.
Guiltlessly. Free download
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Calorie Counter by FatSecret for iPad: Paranoia
over holiday fat needn’t stop you from trying out new and interesting
food. Eat all you want, but eat right. Locate nutritional info for
everything you eat and keep track of meals, exercise schedules and
weight. Free download
WebMD for iPad: Is
that strange itch on your forearm driving you nuts with worry? Find out
if it’s an allergy or love at tsetse fly-bite. If it’s something you
need to see a doctor about, this handy iPad app gets you access to drug
and treatment information, first aid and to browse local health
listings. Free download
Women’s Health – by US Centers for Disease control and prevention: Not
to be confused with your favorite magazine, this invaluable resource
has tons of podcasts about every health question that ever crossed your
mind. Period. Yeah, that too. Free download
RAIN OR SHINE
AccuWeather.com: Need
to know if your angora pullover is going to be a fashion disaster by
mid-afternoon, or simply talk about the weather with an interesting new
fellow-traveler? Stay up to speed with the trade winds. Browse current
conditions, 15-day forecast, hourly weather details, radar and lifestyle
forecasts, and weather videos. Free download
MONEY MATTERS
Forex Currency Converter: Dollars
to Euros, Yen to dinars… now it’s easy as pie. Dispense with the mental
arithmetic and get current exchange rates on the go. Now you’ll never
be overcharged for a tuk-tuk ride again. Value for money, now playing on
an iPad. Free download
GETTING AROUND
TripAdvisor: With
this uber-useful app, you can look before you book a table at a
restaurant or a hotel room rated by the TripAdvisor community. Travel
couldn’t get more reliable. Free download
EveryTrail: Dump
your GI-Joe beau, for maps were never this easy to read. Street names,
audio guides, a compass, etc. all load up on the go, helping you connect
with other travelers and make the most of your time in a new city. Over
400,000 destinations around the world have been logged. Keep counting,
and adding. Free download
HG2: Definitely
not cheap at $17.99, this comprehensive app is nonetheless popular with serious
travelers. Hedonists Guide is stuffed with local knowledge about
bars, hotels and hotspots worth visiting in 41 cities. Paid download
PACK!
Packing Pro: Every
woman’s nightmare after the shopping is done, packing becomes a breeze
with a checklist app from Venus. Clearly, this app was designed by a
woman (or certainly blessed by one), for it has an option for the
indecisive. Type in the kind of trip you’re embarking on and it suggests
a packing regimen. Go ahead, bump him off the trip with confidence.
It’s a small price to pay ($2.99 specifically). Paid download
CONNECT
Wi-Fi Finder
Find
free or paid WiFi connections on the go without eating a hole in your
travel budget. Covers over 320,000 locations in 140 countries. Free download
COMMUNICATE
textPlus: On
a trip you'll never run out of things to say, and people to say them
to. This app gives you the power of unlimited one-to-one or group
messaging to any iPhone, touch or iPad anywhere in the world. Enough
said, start texting. Free download
TweetDeck for iPad: Set up a tweeting power station on the move with TweetDeck, the most comprehensive Tweet-watching app in the universe. #awesomeness Free download
WordPress: Artful
blogger, don’t neglect your blog while you’re away. Update from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, moderate comments and
create or edit posts and pages. Works with WordPress.com and self-hosted
blogs running WordPress 2.9.2 or higher. Free download
Did we miss any of your favorite apps? Tell us about them. Leave a comment.