September 11, 2015 Matt Hickey

Excellent Free Travel Apps

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A good travel app can save time, money and aggravation, keep your trip organized, help you communicate with the local people and create pictures worth a thousand words. Our favourite travel apps are free to download and provide ways to avoid exorbitant data roaming charges by storing useful content offline. Download any of the featured apps onto your smartphone or tablet at the bottom of the page.

1. Google Translate with Offline dictionaries Why carry around a cumbersome phrasebook when you can have access to 80 languages on your smartphone with translations spelled out phonetically for non-Latin scripts? You can type, paste, handwrite and speak your text. The translation can be displayed in full screen mode to show your taxi driver in Norway or dictated to the waiter in Beijing for foolproof ordering. What makes this app particularly useful while travelling is the ability to download offline language packages or create your own phrasebook of saved translations that can be viewed later when there is no Internet connection available.

2. Pocket App That long flight to India is the perfect time to sit back and catch up on reading articles, recipes and blog posts that you haven’t had time for. Pocket app is an easy way to save content for viewing any time on any device without the need for an Internet connection (except for video viewing). You can add Web pages, e-mails, images and video clips and tag them with key words for future searches. Services like Twitter, Instagram and Flipboard let you save links to Pocket for later reading as well. Your in-flight entertainment is now custom-made!

3. Viber - Communicate on the go You can call and send text and photo messages to other Viber users any time, anywhere for free using Wi-Fi and 3G/4G (depending on your data plan). The app synchronizes with your phonebook and indicates if there are other Viber users from your contact list. If your friends aren’t among the 300 million users worldwide, ask them to join so you can contact them for free while you’re traveling. The new Viber Out feature provides the option of calling landline or mobile numbers at competitive rates so you can always find a way to connect while you’re away.

4. WhatsApp WhatsApp allows you to send free, instantaneous international texts and audio/visual files using Wi-Fi. It works on all the major mobile operating systems and is the most popular service in the world with 500 million users! Push notifications signal when a message has been delivered and read. After the first year the app cost $0.99/year to continue using it. It’s a great deal for anyone who travels abroad or wants to message people in other countries since this is the texting app of choice worldwide. Free for first year, $0.99/yr after

(Bonus) BBM We show some love for our Canadian smartphones too! BBM is the original instant messaging service with over 100 million users across BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. Send and receive instant messages to individuals and groups in REAL TIME – verify that your message has been sent, delivered, read, even see if your contact is typing at that exact moment! Place video or voice calls through your cellular data plan and for free using a WI-Fi connection to stay in touch while on the go without having to pay roaming fees. Share pictures, videos clips, audio files and more. Have a bucket list to accomplish? Friends and family can comment on your accomplishments as you check them off in real-time. Create a calendar of your important destinations or return home date that can sync to your contacts' phone/tablet so they can follow your journey every step of the way. Best of all it’s a free app to download on BlackBerry, iPhone, Android & Windows and runs on your data plan or wi-fi hotspot.

5. CityMaps2Go Offline Maps With 6700 maps worldwide, this free app lets you download and store your selected maps offline for viewing later while travelling. Each destination indicates points of interest such as restaurants, shops, and landmarks and includes current Wikipedia travel information. You can add notes, save places you want to visit and pin locations like your hotel to the map. All features such as address search and GPS location work offline so you can navigate without the use of Wi-Fi or an expensive international data plan.

6. Photosynth Capture the world in 3D and create seamless, fully interactive panoramas that record the full experience of your surroundings. Awesome! Photosynth snaps the shot automatically as you move the camera on your phone from view to view, in all directions. Your travel photos will never be the same again. Friends on Facebook, Twitter and e-mail can view your panorama images as interactive experiences and share the thrill of your adventures.

7.Oanda Currency converter Calculating exchange rates can get confusing, especially when you’re in the middle of some intense bargaining it’s handy to have a converter at your fingertips. Oanda provides accurate exchange rates for 190 currencies with the option of adding a percentage to the calculation to account for commission charges. The app is easy to use with helpful conversion information that uses various rates and a simple black background homepage that is clean and clear.

8. OpenTable Restaurant Reservation This restaurant reservation system is terrific providing your travels are in North America and you have Internet access. With over 30,000 restaurants in the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico, you can book your table instantly in real time, get immediate confirmation and cancellation is fast and reliable. You can refine your search by restaurant name, location, cuisine, price or availability and the interactive map makes it easy to locate your destination. Restaurant menus and diner reviews help you find your next great meal.

9. Tripit – All-In-One Travel Organizer Travel with your smartphone and eliminate searching for multiple e-mails or photocopies of e-tickets, car rental agreements and hotel bookings when you have the Tripit app. Your flight itineraries, boarding passes and hotel reservations are automatically processed into a trip itinerary by sending confirmation e-mails to plans@tripit.com. Travel notes, directions, photos and recommendations can be added to customize your trip information and access to your itinerary is 24/7 via Internet, mobile device, calendar feeds and social media. It’s free to download and free to use when you’re connected to WiFi. It’s like having your own personal travel assistant with you on every trip.