To prevent this from happening, here we’ll preview five iOS apps that can make your life a lot easier the moment you step on foreign soil. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Find Your Way Around Even While On the Go
Getting around while in a new country will be perhaps the most crucial aspect of your visit. Maps and guides are great for this of course, but why spend money on physical copies when you can get rich and detailed maps for free on your iOS device. This is thanks to the maps.me app, which allows you to select any area across the globe (city, town, or even country) and download a detailed map of it so you can access it offline. Once you download the map for the city or country you are visiting, the amount of detail is truly great, which lets you get around without worrying about exhausting your data plan.
2. Navigate (the Internet) For Free
If you’ve ever been abroad, you know that Internet access doesn’t come cheap. Thankfully, Wi-Fi Finder gives you a hand with this so you can minimize your internet expenditures while far from home. The app uses your location to search for free (and paid if you want it to) Wi-Fi internet hotspots wherever you are in the world, using its ever growing database. Even better, you can download the app’s entire database to your iPhone so you can hunt offline for the most convenient hotspot.
3. Get Your Money’s Worth
When you are on a trip and far from home, every cent counts, which is why having a reliable currency exchange app is mandatory. Currency for iPhone definitely fits the bill, and we have already mentioned how great and convenient the app is in a previous entry, so there’s not much more to add here other than that we strongly recommend you download it.
4. Get a (Cheap) Room
If you are on a budget while visiting a new country but you also want an accommodation that provides a more ‘local’ feel, then the Airbnb iPhone app will make you very happy. The app features local listings from thousands of cities across the globe, with most of them not-so-known among travelers. On top of that, Airbnb lets you also book your choice right from your iOS device, and it even allows you to contact your host via message to get more accurate directions should you need them.
5. Don’t Miss a Word
Walking across the streets of a new country not knowing what you are reading is nowhere near as fun as when you do know what all those signs say. This is exactly why Word Lens can be so valuable when you are abroad and you don’t have a full grasp of the local language. What makes this app great is its ability to translate printed text on the spot. See a sign you don’t understand? Just point your iPhone’s camera at it and the image will show the same sign, but this time in your native tongue. It is almost surreal. The app does have its drawbacks though: you can’t translate small or cursive text, and translations will not be 100 percent accurate all the time. But it definitely comes in handy if you are not on your home soil and want a quick and convenient way to get around town. And there you have it. If you are planning on traveling abroad anytime soon, you definitely have to get these apps on your iPhone right away. They will save you tons of time and will make your vacation much more pleasant.
