Savvy travelers already know the value of having specialized travel apps on their mobile phones. No more tickets to carry (or to lose), and maps help when you are lost. Currency converters on-hand make it easy to know how much you are paying for an item amidst the bustle of an exotic marketplace. A priority is to know where to eat in the hope of avoiding a belly with the collywobbles. You can book hotels, find flights and grab transport, all with a finger-poke on a screen.
Travel apps are designed to give you a hassle-free vacation, and there are plenty out there to satisfy any globetrotter. Below are a few of the new or quirky travel apps available depending on your adventurous needs:
When you Need to Pee
Toiletfinder
A free app that's constantly evolving as more people add their newly discovered water closet of whatever type, with some folks giving the toilet a rating or posting a picture of the facility available. This is a must-have app for when you are caught short and tired of buying a coffee just so you can use a cafe's facilities. Definitely, an app for loose bowel souls after big nights out, handicapped people, or if you have children in tow. Toilet Finder lets you happily meander without the distracting urge to do a wee.
If you don't like Toiletfinder, there are other apps such as: 'Sit or Squat", 'Flush' or 'Bathroom Scout' to help you out.
Airport Wait Times
MyTSA
Another freebie app for anxious travelers who like to know how long the queue is at those pesky major airport security checkpoints. It allows you to know how much time you will need before you can take that deep breath when you sit down in an airport lounge waiting for your flight. MyTSA app provides 24/7 access for passengers, historical and current wait-time data. It names allowable items through checkpoints and also gives delay information and weather conditions.
Airport Terminal Info
Flio
The freebies keep coming—Flio app has everything about airport terminals at your fingertips. Partnering with 300 airports and with information on many more around the globe, Flio provides terminal maps displaying food options, shops, and gate locations. In addition, you will be the first to know if your flight is delayed, when the boarding gate changes, and what baggage claim belt your luggage will show up on at the other end. But wait, there's more: a flight tracker, information and direction on shuttle buses, a boarding pass scanner, plus booking options on car parking to lounge access.
For when you don't know what to pack
PackPoint
If you need a helping hand packing that suitcase or have been known to leave essential items such as undies at home, then download PackPoint. This travel packing app organizes you and your holiday wear just like your mother would. You simply create a profile of your destination, planned activities, and the number of days for PackPoint to develop a packing checklist for you, whether it's for business or pleasure. This app will even consider the weather conditions at your destination.
How much to tip
GlobeTips
This is always a dilemma. Tip too much, and you will have service staff seeking you out—tip too little, and you are considered the original Grinch who stole Christmas. GlobeTips takes the stress out of trying to calculate how much to tip for good service. It will also split a bill if you are not paying the whole bill and handle any sales tax. A fantastic app for those who failed maths, GlobeTips covers over 240 countries with automatic currency detection once you scan your account.
Splitting the bill
Splitwise
There are quite a few apps that will split the bill for you. The ideal app for situations we have all experienced at some point, whether traveling or not. You know, when grumpy in the corner of the restaurant table complains they didn't eat or drink as much as someone else. Or traveling in a group, and one person appears to be left with the taxi bill all the time. Using Splitwise will save your friendships or stop family squabbles. You can upload expenses in one place and split items (in equal or unequal shares) across everyone involved while keeping track of who owes money to whom. It's terrific for group travel as Splitwise gives you one hundred plus currencies and currency conversion.
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
