Everyone looks forward to spring break for various reasons: it marks the end of cold winter weather and the impending warmth and fun of summer. Once you've figured out where to go, made the arrangements and have the itinerary all set, that doesn't ensure you won't hit any glitches. Something invariably happens at some point. The good news is that there are apps for those potential hurdles. Here are five apps you should pack along with the bathing suit and sunscreen.
1. Google Translate
Google just updated its translate app and it now boasts a number of great new features. For example, users can now translate signs and other text between English and a number of other major languages, through using the camera. Simply point the camera at the text to be translated, and the translated text will be superimposed on the image.
Users can also have faster and more complex conversations using the app by simply speaking into the microphone, after which what they said will be translated.
2. Yelp
Eating different and interesting foods is often a big part of traveling, and there's no better app for finding restaurants than Yelp.
Using GPS, Yelp can find all the nearby restaurants, along with information about the restaurants' open hours and the kinds of food that it serves. Users don't need to click through to different websites or anything -- the information is all within the app!
3. Tripit
Tripit is aimed at making the whole travelling process easier by planning every step of the way. Pulling information from confirmation emails, the app knows your flight number, gate, hotel address, and so on.
This is perfect in the situation that you can't find your flight confirmation number or you need to show an address to a taxi driver. Not only that, but after the information is pulled from the emails, the app can operate perfectly offline, meaning that when you step off the plane and there is no roaming, you can still get to where you need to be.
4. Hotel Tonight
Ever forgotten to book a hotel? Backpacking around Europe with no real plan apart from the day or two ahead?
Hotel Tonight is exactly what it sounds like -- a short-term lodging booking app aimed at finding cheap hotels or hostels at as low a price as possible.
5. XE Currency
It's always shocking to see a price tag in the thousands before realizing that it's really not all that expensive. It can be difficult, however, to know exactly how much something costs before buying it without converting into U.S. dollars or whatever your native currency. That's where XE Currency comes in.
Simply enter in the amount that an item costs in the foreign currency and the app will spit out the amount in your currency using the latest exchange rates. Perfect for alleviating that price tag shock!
