In keeping with this month’s Travel theme, we thought we would reference a recent blog we discovered from Departures, highlighting  the best travel apps. Little did we know there are more than 30,000 travel apps that can translate languages, convert currencies, find a Wi-Fi location, direct you to the nearest toilet, find the cheapest flight or hotel and let you play games with other app users while you’re travelling (not to mention the 29,000 more!).  Thankfully, Departures have narrowed it down to a Top 25

Naturally we also turned to the World Wide Web – what did we do without it?! – and made some comparisons to narrow down the most popular travel apps. It was noted that iPhones and iPads get more free downloads then any of the other devices! 

Here are our Top 5 Travel Apps (with help from Departures and many other websites):

1.    Kayak Mobile:
Find a flight, track your flight status, find a hotel and manage your itinerary with this easy-to-use app which compares hundreds of travel sites in seconds. It’s free for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile 7, and Kindle devices.

2.    Vocre:
Set the languages that you are translating from and to and speak into the mic and let Vocre translate into 23 languages, even differentiating between Portuguese spoken in Brazil and Portugal and three different versions of Chinese! I bet some of the Amazing Race participants wish they’d had this! Free for iPhone.

3.    Oanda Currency Converter:
With 190 currencies (and 4 metals), you are never caught out not knowing what something costs in your currency and whether it’s a bargain or not! Free for iPhone and iPad, Blackberry, Android, and Windows.

4.    Yelp:
With reviews from 50 million app users you can get recommendations for everything you might wish for from restaurants and hotels to spas and book shops. It’s a mine of information and you can bookmark items for later use. It’s free on Blackberry, iPhone and iPad, Windows and Android.

5.    Words with Friends:
It’s like scrabble with a slightly different board and you can play it with friends in the Word with Friends community and play one-on-one over WiFi or 3G. It’s gaining cult status. Free for iPhone/iPad and Android.

There are so many more apps that:
·      track your flight (FlightTrack Pro)
·      store your information in case your phone disappears (Lookout Mobile 
       Security)
·      locate the nearest toilet (SitOrSquat)
·      share user comments (TripAdvisor)
·      offer handy location tips (Foursquare)
·      help you mess around with your snapshots (Instagram)
·      download books (Kindle)
·      talk you around cities (HearPlanet Lite)
·      find the nearest Wi-Fi (Screenshot via iTunes App Store)

If however, you find yourself staying put in the Cape this October, take a look at some beautiful open gardens to travel to without using any app…oh I suppose a GPS will help!