Back in the good old days, travel accessories used to consist of a sturdy backpack, a pair of decent hiking boots and a map. Today, that’s no longer the case. Yes, these things are still useful out on the open road, but so too are many travel apps that make up the modern traveller’s arsenal. We’ve selected five of the most useful applications available at the moment.
Pack the boots, but don’t forget your charger.
An obvious place to start, but has there ever been an app more useful for regular travellers? Find out the best places to eat in town, from the high-end gourmet treats to the little-known family run eateries. Fancy a drink off the beaten track? Consult the app for a cool place to spend the evening. With potentially just one day in any given place, you want to make the most of your time there and that means finding the best possible place to eat, drink and have fun.
On top of food and drink, there’s also a highlight of the best attractions in any given city, plus the reviews from people who have been. With an easy-to-understand five-star rating system, you can get a glimpse of the good stuff when you’re in a rush and check out the comments for a more in-depth view when you’ve time to spare.
If you haven’t ever used it, you really should give it a go before your next big trip.
Because no matter how many phrases you learn in Thai, there will be a point when the words for “please, no more buckets” escapes you.
On top of a regular translate mode, complete with phonetic guide, the newest version of this helpful app includes ‘Conversation Mode’; a really useful piece of kit. Simply hold up to two people having a conversation in another language and the app will tell you what they are saying. It’s excellent for those times when frantic gesturing and pointing just aren’t enough.
If you are planning a big end of year trip and you really want to learn a little language, try Duolingo as well.
One for the more cautious travellers, TravelSafe Pro contains the emergency numbers for almost every country on the planet – or at least the ones you’d want to visit on holiday.
As well as numbers for police, fire, ambulance and emergency medical assistance, the app also contains numbers for your embassy within a country, in case your passport is lost or stolen.
Available on Android, the app only costs 99p, which is nothing when you consider how important it could prove to be.
Even the most intrepid modern travellers still need a good internet connection every once in a while. WiFi Finder helps you avoid excessive roaming charges for those times when you need to transfer money to your travel card or when you absolutely must update your Facebook status in order to induce envy among your friends at home.
Download it for free on all major smartphones and use the offline mode to avoid further charges. Just fire up the app and follow the directions to that sweet, sweet internet.
Snap happy travellers might want to invest in this handy cloud storage app to keep the holiday pics safe and secure. There’s a free initial service of 2GB, or you can pay a monthly fee to ensure you have maximum capacity – it really depends on how many pictures you intend to take on your trip.
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
We were recommended Kadie by friends and has now been our holiday representative for the last 4 years travelling throughout Asia, she is always so helpful, friendly and available to answer queries. Everything always runs very smoothly. Thank you Kadie, we would always recommend you too
Asked for a specific itinerary for Sicily - Emma came up with one, plus all transfer options; we then did some changes and she put together exactly the holiday we wanted! Very easy and pleasant to talk to; very professional.
I always feel that eShores listen to what I want from my trip and put together a package that suits my needs. Anna has been charming to deal with. She put together a wonderful tour of Malaysia and Borneo for me and has just arranged a trip to Costa Rica for me which I am…
Book every time with Dave at eshores always excellent service, wouldn't go anywhere else
We haven't had the holiday yet but the booking process was excellent. Looking to see several of the smaller islands of Greece the suggested itinerary met our requirements exactly. Each location had an option of three different hotels but our in depth research of each island just confirmed that the suggested one was the best.…
Used Eshores earlier this year for a trip to Venice and Florence. Excellent holiday. All arrangements by Eshores were brilliant. Have recently booked another holiday with them. Again, easy to deal with. They take care to ensure everything arranged to your wishes.
Claire at eShores was friendly, professional and creative in setting up a multi-centre holiday over Christmas and New Year, including all international and inter-Caribbean flights. Nothing was too much trouble and our whims and wishes were all taken into account. Ongoing support is excellent. We cannot recommend eShores highly enough.
Good communication, prompt service, love the way the quote is laid out all details are included also with the option of upgrading your hotel. So far so good.
Very friends staff always available to answer my questions re availability and costs . Willing to research my requests and advise possibilities .
We have now used eShores probably 6 times and every time they have been so informative and helpful, thoroughly recommend
Kadie delivers with professional, empathetic and prompt efficiency. She always goes that extra mile, making us feel confident and reassured as oldies with our travelling plans.
Emily was very helpful she gave me different options till I got the right holiday for me abd my family.
Great value and Emily the consultant was both knowledgeable and efficient . Will definately use this Company again
Kadie went over and above and it wasnt her working day she responded to evey email .It was really easy and communication has bern great so far
Having made enquiries about a year ago for a Greek trip we had to put trip on hold. Recenetly we were in avposiitionto book and e shores had held pur original itinerary and were able to update it swiftly. Rob and Cath Pusey excellent
Booked a holiday to Canada with e-Shores. From the first moment we spoke to Hannah, I felt confident that we would achieve the type of holiday we wanted. Hannnah was invaluable in putting together an itinerary that will take us to all the places we want to visit and nothing was too much trouble for…
It is the third holiday we have booked through Claire Smith at e-shores. We give her a budget, wish to fly in or out of different airports, discuss itinerary/journeys to be booked, often by train or ferry, airport transfers, any excursions. She takes time to get to know you and the types of accommodation you…
Third trip booked with Michelle.Excellent service. Lots of patience to get our perfect trip and at a great price.
Booked tours with eshores a few times Andy goes out of his way to plan everything flights hotels transfers everything always done to perfection highly recommend
Great advice & knowledge given by Andy. Nothing to much trouble and we have now planned our perfect 17 nights in Thailand