GOING ON HOLIDAY is something we generally dream about, plan for and otherwise moon over.
But it’s not without its stresses. Factors like where you’re going and when, how many people you’re going with or how much money you have to spend can all affect the quality of your trip.
There are ways to help though, and many of these can be found in the palm of your hand – or your smartphone anyway.
From currency converters to finding the best hotel prices, or apps that let you save maps offline so you’re not spending a fortune on roaming costs, we’ve rounded up seven of the most handy apps to have in your smartphone.They’re all available on iPhone and Android and a couple are even available on Windows.
While travelling in the Eurozone is so so easy now, money-wise – there’s no remembering how much 1,000 lire is worth anymore – chances are you’re not limiting your trips abroad to those countries.
So, here’s an app that’s handy to have in the event that you need to do a little currency conversion. You can check the exchange rate and follow multiple currencies in the one place – great for if you do a lot of international travel. And it’s available for Windows too.
Wherever you want to go, you’re going to have to sleep somewhere – and AirBnB is a great way to find nice places to stay.
Whether you want the place to yourself, or are happy to stay in the owner’s spare room – and get to meet locals that way – there are all sorts of different accommodation available on there.
While you’ll probably opt for an apartment, there’s all sorts of places on there – like an igloo in Greenland, a tipi in Denmark or a lighthouse in New York.
It’s available on Windows too.
At some point in your life, you’ve probably gone on a trip with other people and had multiple meals, drinks or taxis together, right? And rather than everyone chipping in their bit (maybe you don’t have local currency on you yet, or can only pay by card) sometimes one person takes on one bill and another person takes another, right?
So you end up with a situation where monies are owed all over the place and it just gets messy.
Not with Trip Splitter - this app tracks trip expenses for you making sure that everyone knows exactly what they owe and to whom, so there’ll be no arguments or other confusion around money.
(It’s called Splitomatic on Android, but it’s the same thing.)
Obviously when you’re in a new city, chances are you’re not going to know where everything is and you’re not going to want to run up massive bills using your data while trying to figure it out.
Stay.com ‘City guides and offline maps‘ solves both problems. It allows you to work out routes (preferably before you go to avoid data charges) and then save them and access them when you’re offline.
When you’re abroad and looking for something to eat it’s nice not to fall prey to the typical tourist traps. Foodspotting helps you find great food no matter where you are. It’s all based on user feedback so you know that you can trust the opinions.
The app (for iPhone, Android and Windows) locates you and gives you suggestions based on where you are, or you can search for types of food you want, restaurant recommendations or can even make recommendations yourself. Give something back, like.
Tripit seems like a godsend for the chronically unorganised – or even the organised. Basically you email your flight itinerary and it keeps everything in the one place – it can even notify you of changes to your flight times.
Additionally it can suggest attractions and activities based on your schedule and checks the weather for you too.
The paid version would benefit the more serious traveller – you can get text message alerts or refund notifications that way.
Whether you’re keeping an eye on your own flight or meeting a loved one at the airport FlightTrack will make life so much easier for you.
It will let you know if flights are early or delayed, or any other changes to the selected flight happen.
It works by tracking all the flights, so you can search for the flight you need. Additionally it can provide you with loads of information about your upcoming flights and see if delays look likely.
Nothing will make your next holiday more stress-free than booking it online at aerlingus.com. Our all-new website offers you smarter searching options, easier booking, personalisation and more – all geared towards making it dead simple for you to get the best deal on your next trip. Try it out today at Smart flies Aer Lingus.
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