For many of us who travel, we are always looking for great tools for the road without the bulk. Imagine carrying all those guidebooks to help you figure out what to do and what the “must see” places are. How about locating a restaurant near where you are staying? Did you ever want a quick way to find the rest of your group and round them up so you can all move on? We found 10 great iPhone apps that will make you life easier when you travel, and some even help you stay green!
OffMaps
$2.99
Download new maps for wherever you are onto your phone, and access them offline. Unlimited maps, for anywhere in the world. Access wikipedia and save notes within the maps so you can create your own travel book on your phone.
hiCard
$1.99
Ditch the carbon footprint of sending paper postcards while you’re traveling. The app lets you send e-cards with photos you take on your phone.
Lonely Planet Travel Guides
$0.99
Save trees and forget about the paper books. Get all your Lonely Planet guides on your phone. Guides are available for all the popular destinations of the world.
Hiking Calculator
$0.99
Calculate your hike’s duration, find out how much water you should pack with you, and calories burned (so you know how many organic snacks to take!)
iLocate Parks
$0.99
Find information about all the parks in the area, plus directions for getting to them. Whether you’re on vacation or at home, you’ll know where green spaces are located.
TrackMyTour
Free
Make sure everyone on your trip knows where each other is located. When you’re on a bike tour, hiking trip, walking tour or other activity, you can ping other people in your party so no one gets lost.
Bluewalks Walking Tours
Free
Forget the bus tours – grab your phone and go for a guided walk. Travelers and locals guide you through tours focusing on architecture, books, movies or whatever suits your interests. You can create your own walking tour for others to enjoy as well.
AroundMe
Free
The app quickly identifies where you are and shows you the nearest bank, hotel, movie theater, restaurant, market and so on. With nearby businesses so easy to locate, you might be more inclined to walk or bike to what’s close, rather than drive to what isn’t.
Nearby
Free
Easily an app that can be customized for green thanks to user generated content, Nearby gives you location-based notes, photos and stories about everything close to where you are. An excellent way to explore your city and find out things you had no idea existed, but were right around the corner from you.
AirYell
Free
Find out what businesses are around you, pin down what you’re searching for, and then access a map that traces the best route for you to take to get there. Only problem is it gives driving directions. We’d like to see it expanded to include walking, biking and public transit directions.
Are there other iPhone apps you would recommend?
[Treehugger]
photo by life in ldn
