Remember the days before you kept saying “there’s probably an app for that”? Me neither. Who needs an actual real life spirit level? Or calendar? Or printed plane ticket? When you can literally just do it all from the tiny computer in your pocket?
I’m a big believer in using apps for everything – especially everything travel related. And I’m going through a particularly “app”reciative phase right now. From managing my daily life while I’m on the run to managing my travel plans from my the palm of my hand – there’s literally an app for that. Here are a few of my favourite travel apps.
Hey Jude
Hey Jude is a personal assistant app, but with real people – The Judes – on the other side. So, you need to source a gift for your mother-in-law and have it delivered to her front door, but you’re currently in a different time zone half way around the world. Hey Jude can do it for you! The app is free to download, and you’re given 3 free requests. After that, you can decide if you’d like to subscribe for R199 per month. You pay for the goods or services you need, while only paying Hey Jude R199 a month for their personal assistant service.
More info: www.heyjudeapp.com
TripIt
A travel app that collates all your travel plans into one master itinerary – from flights to accommodation bookings to car rentals. Imagine you’re booking a six week Euro tour with multiple flights, ferries, hotels and activity bookings. All you do is forward your confirmation emails to [email protected] and the app creates a neat and tidy itinerary where you can do online check-ins, check flight numbers and find addresses.
More info: www.tripit.com
LoungeBuddy
Life is too short for 5 hour layovers spent wandering around departure halls like a freezing cold zombie. LoungeBuddy helps you check out lounge options at any airport around the world, find out what they offer, read reviews and book and pay for access online. I used it on a recent layover in Singapore and it was great. It’s so embarrassing arriving at a lounge and finding out you can’t pay for access. And it’s even worse having to trek through the airport at all hours looking for a lounge. This way, you know where you’re going and what you’re getting before you even board your flight.
More info: www.loungebuddy.com
Hitlist
Dreaming of taking a trip? Hitlist is a beautifully designed app that helps you build and plan trips, find flights and discover destinations. The app scans millions of fares to find you the best itineraries so you can figure out the optimal time to travel for your budget.
More info: www.hitlistapp.com
Waze
It’s the app that smart Uber-drivers use to skip traffic by taking crazy routes you didn’t even know existed. It sends alerts when you’re approaching police, accidents, road hazards or traffic jams, which are all shared by other drivers in real-time. It’s like a personal heads-up from a few million of your friends on the road.
More info: www.waze.com
Don’t roll your eyes just yet! I’ve used Instagram as much more than a photosharing app in the last few months and it’s helped me find unique and delicious spots that I’d never have known about without it. While we were in Iceland, I used the geotagging feature to find interesting locations and exciting activities the night before drove to our next location, and it helped me find some seriously stunning spots, including a geothermal pool we’d have driven straight past without my Instagram-sleuthing.
More info: www.instagram.com
