Whether you are traveling solo or planning a holiday with friends, there’s always one more buddy you bring along — your phone. And it always pays off! Did you know your smartphone can help you book flights, plan trips, navigate entire countries, and so much more?
Here’s a full breakdown of how exactly your mobile device can make your journey smoother and more secure.
Stay On Course With Navigation Apps
Regardless of your destination, it’s hard to memorize every city you travel to. Thankfully, you no longer need a physical map and a compass to navigate a foreign location. An app will do everything for you, including planning routes for walking, driving, biking, and even give you step-by-step instructions on how to use public transport. Most navigation apps also feature an offline mode, allowing you to use maps without an internet connection.
Communicate Easily With Online Translators
Language barriers come in all shapes and forms. Sometimes, you understand more than you are able to speak, and vice versa. However, a good translation app can significantly assist you, helping you communicate with people around you even without knowing the language. Some software offers voice and photo translation, which is extremely useful when shopping and ordering food. So, you no longer have to act like a mime when talking to others in foreign lands.
Stick to Plans With Itinerary Apps
Although you might still be tempted to print out all your tickets and reservations, this slowly becomes a thing of the past. Plus, the digital option is more eco friendly, contributing less waste. Now, you can store everything regarding your journey in one app, such as:
- flight times and tickets;
- hotel bookings;
- restaurant reservations;
- tour schedules.
Many services will sync with your email and automatically add new details to your online itinerary. Look for apps that work offline, so you can stay organized on the go, even without a fast connection.
Access Data Securely With Password Managers
You’ll have to enter a lot of passwords when traveling: checking your bank account, posting photos to social media, accessing travel bookings, and much more. And if you haven’t changed your password in a while or it’s simple and reused for all of your accounts, that’s an easy way to get yourself hacked.
A password manager, however, will keep your login details encrypted and secure. Moreover, it will alert you when your passwords are weak, and create complex, unique combinations for each account you own — an additional shield against cybercriminals.
Stay Within Budget With Expense Tracking Apps
It’s common to let go of your financial worries on vacation. After all, you’ve put aside money to go abroad and relax. This can lead to severe overspending, though. Budgeting apps can keep you in check by syncing with your online banking apps and tracking expenses in real time. Set a daily limit, and it will alert you when you’re spending too much.
Remain Connected with eSIMs
Getting a new SIM card is not a bother when you are traveling within one country, but what if you’ve got many destinations? To avoid buying several SIMs and wearing down the SIM card slot in your smartphone, opt for great eSIM . It’s a digital solution with countless benefits, such as a cheap and uninterrupted connection. It’s also safer than public Wi-Fi, and can be a great choice for those who bring their laptop along to enjoy movies and other media on the road.
Entertain Yourself With Offline Content
Remote destinations and long flights often result in long hours of boredom. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, as there are countless apps for reading, listening to music, and watching movies, even offline. Choose apps that let you save content straight to your smartphone or laptop, so you can enjoy it even in airplane mode.
Protect Your Privacy With a VPN
Airports, coffee shops, and hotels all have one thing in common — a free Wi-Fi network. It’s always widely accessible and full of strangers, which brings many risks. One of them is bad actors infiltrating the network and trying to steal sensitive data. A IOS VPN can encrypt any network you access and act as a wall between you and hackers, turning all the data you send into unrecognizable code. Thus, your browsing becomes much safer, and your information is almost impossible to steal.
Packed Up and Ready
It doesn’t matter if you are traveling alone or with a few friends; the apps above will always help you en route. Navigating the new destination, staying in check with your plans, avoiding overspending, protecting your login details from hackers, and so much more are possible with just your smartphone, as long as it is equipped with the right software.
Before you zip up your bags, don’t forget to pack your travel apps first, as they will serve you at every step of your journey. Good luck on vacation!
