WhatsApp
If you travel abroad a lot, you know that messaging friends and family back home can end up costing you a lot of money. But with this data-based text messaging app, you can message anyone for free as long as you have an Internet connection. You can also call and send photos and videos using WhatsApp. This is a must-have app if you want to stay in touch with loved ones at home while out of the country.
Instagram
Perhaps, you already use Instagram to check out photos from your friends and family. But did you know that Instagram can also be used to discover a destination’s hidden gems — a beautiful overlook, for instance, or a natural swimming hole. Just attach a hash tag to the name of your destination and do a search, and a slew of photographs should appear.
You can also meet up with other Instagrammers (IGers) who may be gathering to socialize or to take pictures of a particular destination. To do this, you will need to find the IGers page. Just search for this page by typing @igers plus the city name — for example, @igers DC for Washington D.C. Then search for Instameet announcements. If you’re lucky, there might be one occurring during the time period that you will be visiting.
Excuse Me
While traveling, it’s always nice if you can share a word or two in the native language with the locals. The free Excuse Me app, which is available in Chinese, English, French, Japanese and Spanish, can help you with approximately 200 travel-related phrases. One of the great features of Excuse Me is that you can either learn how to say the phrase from the app, or you can use your phone’s speaker to say it for you.
Entrain
Are you worried that jet lag may ruin your big vacation?
If so, download the Entrain app, which uses your body’s natural circadian rhythms to help you adjust to a different time zone. Developed by researchers from the University of Michigan and Yale, the Entrain app will tell you when you should go to sleep and when to wake up, gradually adjusting those times until you are awake during the normal hours for a particular destination.
Of course we can’t say enough about relying on the expertise of someone who has been there and done that when it comes to your next adventure.