10 mobile apps to make the most of what’s left of summer vacation
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Minube
A lot of travel app galleries feature apps that help you find a cheap flight, book a room, or get a cab. But what about apps that help you decide where to go, or plot out a road trip? How about finding unique places to see and eat once you’ve arrived at your destination? That’s what we’re covering today, starting with minube.
Can’t decide where you want to go? Minube is designed to help with that. It can find locations nearby, by trip type, by duration, and even by common colors in photos. If you want–or need–to get out of town it’s worth checking with minube to see what suits your desires.
You can get minube for free on iOS and Android.
Roadtrippers
Not sure what you want to do, but don’t want to go that far to do it? Roadtrippers is the app for you. It’s packed with trip ideas and suggestions that are broken down by driving time, cost, mileage, and number of points of interest.
You can also discover locations around you, all filterable so you can hone in on the perfect destination.
Roadtrippers is free on iOS and Android.
​AllTrails
Those who like to hike the great outdoors will find all sorts of new adventures with AllTrails. The app lists trails located around you and breaks them down by distance, difficulty, terrain features, elevation change, and other details.
AllTrails also provides topographical maps of the trail, which can be downloaded to your device with a premium subscription of $29.99/year. It’s a good deal if you’re planning to hit a lot of trails–hard copies of topographical maps can cost anywhere from $5 to $10 apiece.
Get AllTrails for free on iOS and Android.
Viator
Vacations aren’t always perfectly planned affairs. Sometimes you just pick a destination and see what you’re in the mood for once you arrive. For those kind of travelers there’s Viator.
Viator helps travelers find tours and attractions around them, and they can even use the app to book a spot.
Get Viator for free on iOS and Android.
OpenTable
You have to eat, so you might as well make the most of it wherever you find yourself. OpenTable is a great way to spot restaurants while traveling, and make reservations with the tap of a button.
OpenTable also features reviews and a complete breakdown of price, dress code, parking, and everything the traveling epicurean needs to know.
You can get OpenTable for free on iOS and Android.
Citymapper
Planning a getaway to a major urban area? Citymapper is a must-have for visiting some of the world’s largest cities. The app makes navigation easier, providing real-time directions to custom destinations by whatever travel means you prefer.
It actually gets as specific as telling you when the next subway train is leaving and when you need to depart your location to get there on time.
​MAPS.ME
There are plenty of ways to get directions on a smartphone, but most of them require a data connection. Sometimes you’re driving in the middle of nowhere and can’t get signal, and travelling abroad makes that much data use out of the question.
Maps.me allows you to download maps from around the world so that you can simply turn off data and drive. Sometimes it’s just easier to have the maps on your device, even if you have data.
Get Maps.me free on iOS and Android.
​PackPoint Packing for Sheraton
Let’s say you’re headed to Paris for two weeks–what should you pack? What’s the weather going to be like? PackPoint can take the guesswork out of packing for any kind of trip to any location with just a few taps.
Simply tell PackPoint where you’re going, for how long, and what you’re planning on doing and it will generate a list of exactly what you need.
PackPoint is free on iOS and Android.
Talkatone
If you’re outside of your coverage area phone calls can get expensive. Talkatone is a VOIP app that you can use to call home when you’re overseas without incurring any expensive international calls.
Talkatone also allows you to text–just be sure to keep data and cellular turned off when you’re away from Wi-Fi.
Talkatone is free on iOS and Android.
​Google Translate
Navigating the world when you can’t understand the local language is daunting at best and overwhelming at worst. Google Translate can make your life easier when you’re in foreign parts, and it can do so instantly.
Google Translate offers real-time translation of text in more tha 100 languages. Choose what to translate from and to, point the camera at text, and you’ll get an instant result. It’s a bit literal at times, but you can generally get the gist.
The app also downloads language packs so that you can use it without racking up charges.
Google Translate is free on iOS and Android.
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