Independent travel is rapidly changing through the exciting, powerful use of apps. Information which once used to be available only through costly agencies or clunky websites is now just a few finger taps away. More than 16,000 travel apps are available at the Apple App Store making it challenging to find the best travel apps for iPhone and iPod Touch. I’ve scoured the internet looking, downloading, testing and making notes to bring you 10 travel apps I believe are a ‘must have’ for any tourist.
10 Must Have Travel Apps
This free app is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed planning a trip. You set up a trip, find out which of your friends have been there, and invite them to help plan your trip. Organize their suggestions into an itinerary and even plot locations on a map. Once there, recommend the place to others or add comments so your friends can follow your trip. Works with iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required).
Found a new friend during your travels? Use Bump to share contact details, connect on social networks or swap photos. The free app works on iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required). Open Bump, hold your device, and gently bump your hands together. Stay connected afterward on Facebook, Twitter and more.
Get it? It’s a play on words! Use TourWrist to make high quality videos of your travels. Highlight an amazing hotel. Create a tour through the back alleys of a city. Show what it’s really like to ride a bus in India. When finished you can share your photos and videos on a website, blog or social network. Tons of powerful tools can turn the most basic images into Wow! The free app works on iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required), but it’s optimized for iPhone 4 and 4S.
With fewer and fewer direct flights to India these days you’re bound to be stuck with a layover somewhere. Flightboard lets you check out the arrivals and departures boards for more than 4000 airports across the world. Flight information is updated every 5 minutes so you can view real time status of 1400 airlines worldwide all at once. Share flight into via Facebook, Twitter and email. Thirteen languages are supported. This app works for iPhone, iPod Touch (WiFi required) and iPad (WiFi or 3G required). Cost: $3.99
A simple app designed to help the Goa tourist navigate the coastal union territory. From help on how to get there to how to get around, Goa can also be used for dining and hotel recommendations. Want to know where the beaches are? How about the local churches or temples? Yup, Goa can help with that. Goa app works on iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required). Cost: 99¢
Medical help may only be as far away as turning to this app which touts a huge database of doctors across India. Travelers of California can also tap into a database of hospital and doctors in that state, but I’m recommending this for the India tourist. Find a Doctor claims to have a complete list of hospitals in India as well as a complete list of doctors in major Indian cities. Search by location, specialty or insurance. Results include addresses and phone numbers. Find a Doctor works on iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required). Cost: $1.99
Go from being a tourist to a local in no time with this free app. More than 50 categories help travelers navigate 11 cities with ease. This all-in-one app includes transportation info, where the best events are in town, and even where the nearest coffee shop or ATM is located. Find movie times, book rail tickets and much more. Cities include Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai plus more. Amazingly it’s FREE! and works on iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required).
MeterDown – Mumbai Taxi & MeterDown – Mumbai Auto
Finally pay the correct rates when traveling by taxi in Mumbai with this app. Rated the best mobile app of 2010 by CnnGo, users can easily scroll and find the payable fare for daytime and midnight. Never pay too much again! Also try the sister app MeterDown – Mumbai Auto, the same concept applied to rickshaws. iTunes India Store featured MeterDown as #1 on ‘What’s Hot’ list. Both apps are free and work with iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required).
More and more often tourists want to take charge of their travels. This means leaving the guides behind and relying on other information sources to best explore a city. Agra Map and Walking Tours puts you in charge with detailed tour route maps and navigation tools to guide you from one sight to the next. Six tourist sites, a Taj Mahal walking tour, and an Agra shopping tour are included in the app which works on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Two sister apps are available for Delhi and Mumbai. Cost: $4.99
Another app that packs so much information for travelers and it’s FREE! Described as an app that helps you discover things around you in India, users can find the latest news, money saving deals, movie showings, weather and a lot more for 40+ cities. Integrated maps help direct you where you want to be and you can share on Facebook and Twitter so your friends can tag along. Works for iPhone and iPod Touch (WiFi required).
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at 7:06 pm
Thank you very much for the app ideas. My employer DISH is sending me away on business to India in about a month or so for business, so I definitely appreciate getting these recommendations now, before it’s too late. I’m going to download all of the apps listed because they sound like they all will come to good use. As far as the layovers in airports and such, I’ve heard such horror stories about some of my friends being bored to death, so luckily I know I’m set in that department with my favorite iPhone app, DISH Remote Access. I’ll be able to watch all of my subscribed programming from home on my phone live or recorded anywhere I go in the world (which will also come in handy in the hotel). I can’t wait for this trip because it will be my first time out of the country. I’m so excited!
at 7:21 am
great list prepared which covered almost everything
thanks for sharing this article…
further adding to this list Mintm is also worth to have especially for India which will get you near by offers for dinning, shopping n many more…
it rewards you also for visiting places…
try it out…Mintmapp
at 10:24 am
Thanks for the suggestion Sonam. I’ll check it out