APPY Holidays
■ FOREVER MAP
Part of the pleasantly growing number of offline apps, this rather awesome map by Skobbler brings you a super-advanced offline map for Europe, with fully interactive city and country maps covering the continent. Features include address search, location finder, route calculation and info on places of interest. £1.49
■ ASK A NOMAD
There’s an answer to everything, and with 11,000 travelers from 129 countries registered at Ask a Nomad, you can quickly and easily access them. Best place for Thai food in LA? What are the rental car options in Bogota? This app will help you research before you go and help you once you’re there with its “nearby” feature. Free, worldnomads.com
■ TOUR WRIST
A tool for sharing photo panoramas (“panos”) so that users can better grasp places and destinations, making better decisions about what to see and do. The app “enables you to discover, shoot and share 360-degree panoramic images” and, with about 30,000 panos already, there’s a huge about of info already there. Free
■ HG2
The Hedonists Guide has become the iconic hipster reference point for city breakers. With essential insiders’ info about the best bars, clubs, hotels, and restaurants in a city (you’ll have to research museums and libraries elsewhere), you’ll be as cool as the locals in no time. Currently 41 cities are covered. £11.99
■ XE.COM
Its best, most user-friendly currency conversion website and thus an invaluable tool for the traveller keen to know what they’re spending. Stay on top of world markets with live currency rates and charts, as well as precious metals charts. Every world currency is covered. Free.
■ TRIP LINGO
When you zip somewhere for business or a short break, you don’t necessarily want to – or have time to – learn the language. Enter Trip Lingo, which provides you language on a need-to-know basis in a beautifully designed format with quirky twists such as a “slang slider” to help you with colloquialisms.
■ TOURIST EYE
A trip planner that allows you to plan your trip day by day before you go by adding the cities and places you’re going to visit. If you don’t plan, you can just open the app and it’ll tell you what’s a must-see. Once you’re back, use it as a journal of photos, messages and check-ins. Use offline to avoid roaming charges. For iPhone and Android (free), touristeye.com
■ PACKING PRO
It’s so simple yet so useful – and, weirder still, so overlooked. Packing Pro erases last-minute packing errors and headaches with a checklist. If packing is not your forte, input the type of trip you’re taking and the app will make suggestions. Geniuis. £1.99