Costco Connection

travel & recreation

Have app,
will travel
Using “apps”
on the road

A GOOD SOURCE for finding apps for Android and Apple devices is www. appolicious.com, which rates the apps by category. Here are some of the best.

Travel on the grid

Currency (Android, iPhone; free): Converts between currencies using up-to-date exchange rates.

Gate Guru (iPad, iPhone; free): Allows you to view your TripIt and Kayak itineraries, view/post airport security wait times and see maps and a list of airport food, shops and services.

By Alice Shapin

LAST YEAR, my husband, Paul, and I, both Costco members, took a vacation to Phoenix and clocked more than 600 miles on the road. Thinking we could navigate the trip on our own, we decided to forgo a GPS in the rental car.

What we didn’t realize was that, after getting used to a family car with GPS, we had totally lost our ability to read a map. Thank goodness our tablet computer had a GPS app. And that wasn’t all. The Yelp app gave us the locations of hotels, restaurants and attractions on a map tied to our current location, the Flight Track app let us know if our flight home was on time and we also downloaded a couple of self-guided tours.

“App” is short for “application,” meaning a computer program generally designed to run on a smartphone or tablet and perform a specific function. And yes, if you’re traveling, there are hundreds of apps for whatever your need may be. For example, Currency calculates exchange rates, i Translate is a universal translator and Google Goggles will tell you all about a landmark just by taking a picture of it.

“Apps are like potato chips. You want to have just one more,” says Chris Hall of Arizona, a senior writer at www.148apps.com. The website covers everything about apps.

A self-professed foodie and Costco shop-
per (especially on Saturdays, with all the food
samples), Hall remarks, “When I’m in a for-
eign land the first thing on my mind is where
I’m going to eat. If I’m looking for something
expensive, Zagat is invaluable. But he adds, “I
do love Open Table, which lets you make reser-
vations at any participating restaurant. There’s
nothing like hitting a button and having a res-
ervation set.”
Timothy McLain of North Carolina and
his family were headed to see the space shuttle
launch. “We had pre-booked a hotel near the
launch, but after we were on our way we real-
ized we’d have more fun staying at the beach.
My wife used the Kayak app to find a hotel in
Daytona Beach. We even saved $50 a night,”
McLain says.

Google Goggles (Android, iPhone; included in Google Mobile App; free): A visual search tool that lets you take a picture of a landmark and then tells you about it.

Google Maps with Navigation (Android, iPad, iPhone; free): Offers map routing and turn-by-turn directions.

HearPlanet (Android $3.99, iPhone $4.99): Like having your own tour guide. Tells you what attractions are nearby and can read the descriptions aloud.

iMedjet (Android, iPhone; free): A comprehensive first-aid guide for travelers, detailing everything from bee stings to stabilizing a bone fracture.

i Translate (Android, iPhone; translations free, spoken language $1.99 per language): Translates between 60 languages.

Kayak (Android, iPad, iPhone; free): For flight, hotel searches and last-minute changes, or if you need a new flight or hotel.

Lonely Planet (iPad, iPhone; $5.99): Phrasebooks and guidebooks for virtually every destination.

Open Table (Android, iPad, iPhone; free): Search for restaurants by location, cuisine and price; see ratings; and make a reservation.

TripIt (iPad, iPhone; free): TripIt Travel Organizer puts all your travel plans right on your iPhone no matter where your travel was booked.

The Costco Connection Costco offers a variety of smartphones and cellphone plans, and numerous travel guides are available for those who can still read maps.

Alice Shapin is a Maryland freelance writer who has been published in national publications.

Wi-Fi Finder (Android, iPad, iPhone; free): Can locate all the Wi-Fi hot spots near you or at a specific address. Can download a database to help you find a hot spot when disconnected.