Technology And Travel: The Perfect Combination

There’s a small vocal minority who argue that technology has made us lazy, taking what we can do for ourselves and just dumbing the process down. In some cases, this may be true, but technology as a whole has always done this. The same goes for travel. We used horses so we could travel further. Humans invented the automobile so we could go further distances more quickly. The airplane has made us an interconnected world that has put us in touch with every corner of the globe. There may be deficits with the use of technology and with the smart-phone technology, but it’s made us a walking archive of information and increased our capabilities exponentially. There are many apps on the market today that have, like with many tech advancements, improved the quality and ability to great affect:

FlightBoard

Apps don’t have to be complex to be useful. Sometimes a simple approach is the perfect approach and this definitely applies for the FlightBoard application. This invaluable tool has taken the need for constant on-line checks and phone calls to the local airport. With this app, users can view any airport’s arrivals and departures on their 4G Android with ease. Just by pushing a few buttons on the screen you can receive real-time alerts and updates. There’s an added feature to the program that allows users to update these changes in their flight schedule on Twitter, Facebook, or email. This could be very useful if you’re trying to coordinate a pick-up schedule with someone at your destination.

Google Translate

Language has long been a barrier that has kept people at a distance, but new apps, like Google Translate, have become a new feature on the landscape of international travel. No longer do you have to worry about going abroad and finding someone that speaks your language. Even if you do have a basic understanding of a language, sometimes you want to express more complex ideas that you don’t have the words for. With these apps, you can simply speak a word, phrase, or series of sentences into the speaker and you’ll get a clear translation of what you just said. The Google Translate app offers 57 different languages using the latest in voice recognition software. Not all languages have the audio feature, but updates are constantly adding new features and increasing the capabilities of these apps.

Foodspotting

This is another app that takes care of one of the basic necessities of travel, but makes it fun and exciting. Foodspotting is more like a social web site that allows people to recommend different types of cuisine and dishes from the many restaurants in the country that you’re visiting. You might wonder what some of the best places are to eat in the country your vacationing and instead of guessing and hoping for the best, you can go to this app and see some of the best dishes and photos of great places for any price range.

Travel apps are huge time-saving tools that free you up to explore a location or city without being encumbered by your language or directional limitations. In essence, these apps and others have helped open up the world to each other to make for a better experience.

Jen Hoggett has written 26 articles. Jen is newest member of “The Firm“, originally from the West Country in the UK, recruited because she’s an excellent cider drinker and can dance shamelessly to the Wurzels for hours at a time. Her codename “Giggles” comes from her faint and delicate laugh – A.K.A – Her most deadly weapon. Jen is truly a master of disguise, she’s the person nobody ever suspects but she aint messing around.