Now, I am a type of person who only feels comfortable when I have thing under control. For instance, last weekend, I was out on a small business trip and I had to plan every bit of journey in advance.
And guess what, my nexus 6 helped me a lot with planning and organizing the whole trip (see video). So here are some best travels apps, I install before every trip.
Best Travel Apps for Android
If you charge your phone in public places (like a coffee shop) or even if you keep it unattended for some time, then turn ON this application. If someone tries to move your phone without your knowing, the app will sound an alarm. And to turn it OFF, you will have to enter a preset PIN.
#2 Cram
If you take a lot of pictures while traveling, then you may run out of storage. Especially if your device doesn’t support external memory card. So, what Cram does is, it reduce your image’s size up to 60%, but without any significant loss in quality or cropping.
#3 Evernote
Evernote is a must have note taking app. However, it also comes in handy while traveling. You can track your traveling expense in the form of text notes. It also has a built-in scanner, for quickly scanning your bill and ID’s. And best of all, it works on both offline and online. So you will also have a backup of everything.
#4 Here maps
Google maps now lets you save an entire city (or even a small state) offline. But Here, is still the king. Why? Well, unlike Google maps, Here’s offline maps is available for all countries, the locations are more accurate and most importantly, it works completely offline i.e. full offline navigation. See comparison chart.
#5 LibriVox
While traveling, you will need something to kill time. Right. Now playing games or watching movies, eats a lot of battery. Even browsing Reddit will eat data. So what should do? Well, you can always listen to free audiobooks from LibriVox. It has thousands of books under the free domain which you can download for offline use.
#6 MobiWol
This app lets you choose, which apps has access to the internet. So, if you are running low on mobile data, you can block all application. And when needed, whitelist only the one you want to use. No root require.
#7 Onavo Extend
Another powerful data saving app. So once turned ON the app, it acts a gateway between your device and the internet, thus directing all traffic to onavo’s server. And there it compresses all the images and data before it reaches you. It does not work for audio/video, though.
#8 PackPoint
Does exactly what it sounds — i.e. help you with your packing. As you open the app, you have to specify the destination city, date and type of trip (like business or vacation). And the app will give an intelligent list of items you need to pack.
#9 Pocket
Find an interesting article but don’t have time to read? Well, save it to your pocket account and read it later, on your smartphone. Good for saving the long article and reading it offline.
#10 RailYatri
All in one train app, if you traveling within India. You can see the trains timetable (including locals and metro), PNR status and seat availability. But my favorite feature is — real-time status. This comes in handy if you are on the train and wants to know when will you arrive at your destination.
#11 CovertPad
A feature rich conversion app which is useful if you are traveling to the new country. You can convert almost everything (like weight, distance and currency etc ) in the app itself. And when you are offline, it uses last updated exchange rates.
#12 TripAdviser
A travel guides that you can download offline. It helps you to find a good hotel or restaurant near you, by looking at the reviews from thousands of its registered users.
#13 WiFi Mapper
It helps you find free WiFi near you (like from a coffee shop or something). However, it works only in big cities. For instance, in India, it didn’t show any free Wifi in Jaipur but work quite well in Delhi NCR. So before you install it, I suggest you first check out the list of top 25 cities in its Google play description.
#14 WhatsApp
It’s a popular instant messaging app; especially in the southeast Asia. Now other than its chat feature, I like the ‘send location’ option a lot. So when you are in a new city, simply ask your host to send their current location on Whatsapp and you can easily reach them using offline maps. No need to take direction on the phone.
Related Video: 5 Android Tips for Frequent Travellers
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFaDlZ8NAfM?rel=0&showinfo=0]
Happy Journey