They say life is a journey and one should enjoy the ride but getting that ride is just so much easier when it’s an Uber. Thanks to today’s technology travel has never been easier, with a tap of a button the world will not only be at your fingertips but will also conveniently notify you of its ETA, give you tips on where you can find the best sushi and recommend a filter for that. Here are our top 10 favourite travel apps to make your next journey that much more enjoyable.

Image: scyther5, iStock

Everything in its right place
No more rummaging through mails to find your flight booking number as Google Trips now consolidates all your travel info in one tidy place. Linked to your Google account the app pulls up all the info related to your trip and builds a holiday for you, complete with food recommendations and day trip plans. But don’t worry, if you’re still out there holding a candle for your hotmail account, TripIt will tell you where you’re going without the Google overloads knowing where you’ve been.


Right this way
Now that you know how and when you’re getting to your destination Citymapper is going to help you get around when you get there. With transit maps, bike share info, up to date lines statuses and ETA estimates you can plan your commute in practically all modes of transport (subway, bus, rail, ferry, bicycle, Uber) and occasionally even a few impractical modes (jetpack anyone?)


¡Yo no hablo ingles!
If you wish to get the full authentic experience on your dream trip then why not learn the language with DuoLingo. It’s the easiest and cheapest (read free) way to learn a language and thanks to the gamification aspect of their teaching, it’s super fun too. If you’re not that dedicated but still quite keen not to be scoffed at by the locals, Bravalol offers you a downloadable basic phrasebook in over 13 languages. The offline app even goes so far as to teach you proper pronunciation and is conveniently broken down into different sections such as romance, which will no doubt come in handy for the love struck and Tinder curious. If all else fails the Google Translate app has got you covered, especially with its instant text translation feature allowing you to point your camera at a sign and translating it in real time.


Mom, I’m Bored
Want to know more about the city that you’re visiting but not quite in the mood to herded in a large group of invariably loud Americans and a stray German couple? Thanks to the location-aware Detour app you are able to be your own tour guide, as your gps works alongside local experts to give you in-depth knowledge in sync with your surroundings. And about those surroundings, although Yelp is still the classic go-to app for food, experience and business recommendations, Afar is just that much pretty to look at. Made by the American travel magazine of the same name, Afar has over 90 000 experiences that you can save in your own customized guide making your plans a breeze but if you’re more spontaneous in nature a simple click “near me” function instantly opens up the world around you.


Take a picture it’ll last longer
Once you have figured out what you’re doing, how to get there and what you’ll say when you do, best you use SnapChat to document the moment. Although seen as a “young person app” one needs to give the millennials their due, as their white hot short attention spans guarantee that they’ll get any job done as a quickly as possible and SnapChat is by far the easiest and quickest way to capture your memories. We even go so far as recommend that you use the social media app as a camera alternative for this very reason and thanks to it’s “save to your phone” button you can easily share your quick videos and snaps across all your other social media platforms. Plus with the added bonus of its geotagging tech, you can add stickers and filters specifically tailored to your location. Granted if the dogface filter is a little too hip for your liking then ‘ol faithful Instagram’s new “Your Story” feature should do the trick.


All apps available through iTunes and Google play app store

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