Privileged to have a guest post by Jean of Holy Smithereens!
A lot of these are more for practicality and safety and not much to do with apps that tell you what to do in a certain city, places to eat shop etc, as I tend to do those kinds of research before I leave the country. I use the apps as something that I may need immediately / emergency basis , especially on those trips when I’m travelling solo.
XE.com app –it’s easy to get swept away when shopping overseas. You’re in a good mood and the “real life” is faraway from your mind. So before you convince yourself that those EUR 149.00 flats are indeed a great bargain, open this conversion tool first. If the local currency figure still looks cheap, then go ahead and buy.
I.C.E – In Case of Emergency. — you store all your medical information and history, allergies, medication etc. All your next of kin and their contact numbers. Should you get into an accident in a foreign place, paramedics worldwide are trained to look for this app first for medical ID and it opens even when your phone is locked. (it converts to several languages too)
Smart Traveller – This isn’t really an app but a website that has a Twitter and FB page that I subscribe to. Maybe it’s a good call for them to develop an app! (Found the app!) Days or weeks before my trip. I’m usually very busy wrapping up last minute arrangement with clients, packing, writing, etc. I tend to just do a check on the country I’ll be visiting 1-2 weeks prior and that’s it. But with the fast events (both natural and man-made) happening in countries right now, this website will send you an alert whenever something has changed in the security level of the place you’re going to – be it a typhoon or miltary/safety alert. The alerts don’t necessarily mean you need to cancel your trip. It just helps you be more aware of the place you will be visiting.- Help Call
– we all know 911 (US) and 000 (Australia) as the emergency numbers. But do you know what France’s is? or Brazil’s or South Africa’s? – this app will allow you to dial just one number, and it will automatically call the national emergency number of the country you are in. No need to memorize those numbers! 
Jet Lag Genie app-– When I was younger, I used to be able to fight off jet lag easily, no effort at all. Once I hit 30’s I really need a Genie to be able to function. This is good for travelling in different hemispheres and continents where the time zones are really drastic. Before departing, you enter your usual sleeping times (in your local time) and then you enter your destination and the time. It will calculate for you your personal alarm clock and what time to sleep to help you ease into the local time easily.
Tipulator App – this is a lifesaver! I’m mathematically challenged and working out the tip takes the fun out of travelling. The last thing I want is for a waiter to yell at me asking did I not enjoy the meal, etc. So this app allows you to calculate tips excluding sales tax. And this is also a great tool to divide the bill among friends.- Wi-Fi Finder
– this is a very convenient app as it searches for the nearest Free (and Paid) Wi-Fi hotspot location where you are, whether you are online or offline. The list is over 650,000 locations in 144 countries worldwide! - mPassport app
– this is really important. If you find yourself playing charades at the pharmacy in the country you’re in just to ask for “Immodium” — this app will convert all local brand names of any drug. For example, Claritin is known as Loremex and Allerdryl in other countries. This app also connects you to the available doctors within your are though I fortunately never had to use it.
For easier reference, you can check out this infographic:
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Jean is the main voice behind Holy Smithereens. Holy Smithereens is a luxury travel blog with a penchant for adventure. It seeks to find that “Holy Smithereens!“- inducing moment in every travel.
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- Must Have Travel Apps - September 23, 2014
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