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=Best Apps for Travelers =

This is a list of the most useful and best quality apps that I could find for travelers. These apps are meant to be used as a resource for travelers while traveling in a strange place or during the planning stages of their adventure. They provide a ton of useful information for travelers including: flight, hotel and rental car information, currency conversion, foreign language help, city guides and packing lists, as well as the ability to find free internet, locate cheap gas and send postcards while away from home. The best part? Almost every app is free!

All of the listed apps are available for iPhone and iPad and can be downloaded through iTunes. My reviews are under the username: TracyRaeAnn.

To the list!

1. Kayak
 Description: This app can be used to search for flights and compare prices, track your flight and set price alerts. You can also find and book a hotel or rental car. Price: free.

Learning uses: This app would clearly be an extremely useful resource for anybody planning a trip. It is a great way to get a general idea of prices for flights, hotels and rental cars. It is also a way to book last minute services while traveling.

Review: I find this app simple and very easy to use. I have it set to send me push alerts when cheap prices become available for flights to Seattle, which is very handy.

2. XE Currency
Description: This app allows you to convert between every world currency. The rates are updated constantly, but the last rates are saved in case you don't have internet access. Price: free.

Learning Uses: Changing currency is often confusing so this would be a handy resource to have while traveling abroad. It is always helpful to know just how much you are spending on things when the currency is unfamiliar.

Review: This app has a very user-friendly interface and only does currency conversion so it is very simple to use.

3. Google Translate
Description: This app translates words and phrases between more than 60 languages. You can type your text or speak it to get a translation. Price: free.

Learning Uses: I can see this app working in a variety of learning situations. Of course it would be incredibly useful while traveling through an area where a foreign language was spoken, but it could also be used in a language classroom.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: This is an amazing app! You can talk right into your phone in English and it will translate what you said into any language. You can even make it say your translation out loud. I can only imagine how helpful this would be in a foreign country.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">4. Word Lens
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: This app translates printed words in real time using your phone's video camera. Price: free to download but each language pack costs $5.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: Like Google Translate, this app would be very useful when traveling in an area where a different language was spoken. You can use it to translate signs (that might be important), menus etc. I could also see it being useful in a language classroom, instead of looking every term up in the dictionary, you just point your phone camera at it.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: Um, amazing. I can't believe that this is real technology. This would be incredibly handy when traveling in a foreign country where it would be important to read signs, menus etc. Too bad there are only a handful of languages available so far, hopefully more to come.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">5. TripAdvisor City Guides
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: A city guide for more than 80 of the world's major cities including tours, maps, restaurants, attractions and city facts. It also allows you to create a trip journal including photos from your travels that you can share on Facebook. You can use the features offline if you are traveling somewhere without network coverage. Price: free.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: This is great reference resource for those traveling or planning to visit a new city. It includes links to wikipedia articles so that you can do research on the go as well as user reviews to steer you to the best and most interesting places. It is a great way to plan out activities in advance for your trip.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: This is a great app, packed full of useful information for travelers. I loved the self-guided tours option, I wish I would have had this to guide me in DC instead of just wandering around.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">6. Wikihood
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: Includes wikipedia information for any place in the world that you can access on the go. Also available in an offline mode. Price: free.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: This is great reference resource for people traveling or for those who just want to learn more about the place they live. The app automatically picks up your location and shows you information about all of the interesting things nearby.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: This is such a useful app for learning things about where you are. Would be great for traveling, but allows you to learn about your hometown as well. Very easy to use. It did seem to have trouble syncing to maps to get me directions though.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">7. City Guides by National Geographic
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: City guides for 4 of the world's biggest cities: London, Paris, Rome and New York. Includes practical travel information, little known facts and walking tours. Price: free to download but each city guide costs $5 or $13 for all 4 guides.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: Like the other travel guides, this is a great resource for somebody planning a trip, or trying to find fun things to do while traveling. The walking tour feature is really neat.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: This is beautiful app with great photographs, but I wish it included more cities.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">8. Postagram
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: This app allows you to send postcards from your phone using your own photographs and allows you to write a personal message. Price: free to download, costs $0.99 for each postcard, including postage.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: Would be such a fun way to keep track of your trip. Send postcards to loved ones from all over the world.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: Ok this is just cool. I always say that I'm going to send postcards when I travel but I never do, this app makes it easy and quick to do!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">9. Packing
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: Allows you to create a packing list for your trip and check off items once you have packed them. Price: $0.99

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: A great resource for thinking about and planning what to pack for a trip. Includes many items that I always forget, like my phone charger.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: I thought that this would be a useful app but I never end up using it. Pretty complicated system for creating a packing list.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">10. Hotel Tonight
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: Allows you to book last minute hotel rooms in 12 countries and always gets a great deal. Price: free.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: Great for last minute research on hotel rates. Gives you an idea of the cheapest rates at nice hotels right in your area.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: Quick and easy to use. Really does offer amazing rates! And you can book until 2 am. Great for those times you want to be spontaneous.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">11. GasBuddy
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: Uses gas price information provided by users to help drivers find the cheapest gas and closest gas stations. Price: free.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: Super useful for people who care about saving money on gas (everyone). Would be a great resource for those planning a road trip as well, able to find gas prices from around the country.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: A must have app for a road trip, you wouldn't believe the differences in price from station to station. Easy to use and accurate.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">12. Wi-fi Finder
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Description: Locates the closest wi-fi hotspots, works in 144 locations worldwide. Allows you to download all locations offline so you can find wi-fi while traveling.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Learning Uses: With all of the online gadgets that we can't live without, this is a great way to find internet access. Could be used to plan in advance where to get wi-fi to work on homework, skype etc. while traveling.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Review: This is a really cool app. I was shocked at the number of free wi-fi hotspots in my area. It even gives you directions! Great for travelers.