Mobile applications are especially important to travelers because travelers themselves are in essence “mobile” and constantly on the go. Smartphones are portable and convenient way to carry around all the resources that you need on your trip. The days having to pack a bag full of traditional guidebooks, maps, or compasses are over. It is estimated that at least 60% of global smartphone users have downloaded some kind of travel application to their mobile device. (GoodWorks Labs, n.d.) In my own travels, my smartphone has been used to check the weather, get directions, search for nearby attractions or restaurants, find events or search for public transportation services. It is fairly easy to get an international data plan these days. (Mine is $10/per day for unlimited data.) However, if your carrier doesn’t offer this, or the price is too steep, you can always use your smartphone in areas with free WiFi, or you can get a SIM card that gives you an international number and international coverage, usually for a fairly reasonable price.
For travelers, especially young travelers looking to save money, Couchsurfing is an essential application to have. The premise of Couchsurfing allows travelers free room and board in exchange for company. While there have been discussions regarding safety concerns, the company’s CEO ensures that this process is relatively safe. It allows a unique experience for travelers, who get to stay with locals and experience culture first hand. In addition to this service, Couchsurfing also allows travelers to meet up with other travelers in the same city looking to partake in similar activities. You can indicate your location, what you are looking to do and on what days, and either meet people before you leave or once you arrive. Generally, guests do something to help their hosts, such as cooking a meal, caring for a pet or cleaning, but it’s more about meeting new people and sharing stories. While I haven’t used this application to stay with a stranger yet (it’s a little outside my comfort zone), I have used the meet-up feature to find fellow travelers (and locals) to meet up with on trips. Chances are, these are like-minded people, meaning that your chance of making a meaningful connection is high.
Another application similar to Couchsurfing is AirBnB. Previously, I wouldn’t have suggested that travelers need download this as a mobile application, because it is usually required that travelers book accommodation in advance. However, recently, AirBnB has launched a new “experience” feature that is available in 12 cities currently, with plans to expand to an additional 50 cities in the next year. You do not have to host guests in order to participate in the activities feature, so that makes it less invasive than Couchsurfing some would say. This feature is going to help AirBnB continue to grow because it allows travelers unique experiences, to make connections with locals, and it allows locals the opportunity to become entrepreneurs or make new friends.
Lastly, if you want to make connections with people in a foreign country (or even just navigate the city on your own), there is no mobile app more valuable than Google Translate. Updates have been made just this year to make full sentence translations smoother. Instead of having to type the words in, you merely have to hold your phone over the word or phrase while in the app for a translation to be generated. And Google Translate has been made available for offline use on both iOS and Android operating systems, meaning that you do not need either WiFi or an international data plan to use this service! Much easier than carrying around a pocket dictionary, which might not even contain the words you are attempting to translate.
Sources:
GoodWorks Labs. (n.d.). How mobile app benefits travel and tourism industry. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://www.goodworklabs.com/how-mobile-app-benefits-travel-and-tourism-industry/
Marx, P. (2012, April 16). You’re Welcome. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/16/youre-welcome
Redman, L. D. (2016, November 17). How to Use Google Translate Offline When You Travel. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-11/google-translate-is-now-available-offline-for-when-you-travel
Theobald, S. (2016, December 04). Putting Airbnb’s new hosted ‘experience’ to the test. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/dec/04/airbnb-new-experiences-events
Valentine, J. (2017, May 21). 7 Travel Apps You Need for Your Next Trip to Europe. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=5646230249&blog=12933487&frame_type=none
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