Best From Expats

Traveling has become much more fun with these apps:

      Planning your trip:

- TripAdvisor: perfect to find flights, hotels (true reviews), restaurants, things to do, etc. It compares  prices in lots of websites/apps (expedia, hotels.com, booking.com, etc.). I started to review there to make it easier for me to give tips to my friends (it's easier than writing a travel diary).

- Other flight search apps options are Skyscanner, Kyak, Expedia (this one searches hotels, car rentals, etc.) and Seat Guru (this one is great for choosing the best seats in economy class).

- Where to stay: AirBnb (house rentals), Hotels, Booking, Expedia.

- Currency Converter: Currency XE

-WorldMate: simply the best flight assistant. It helps you organize itineraries in a simply way.

      

      Packing:

- 10-day Weather forecast

- Packing Pro

      

      Airport:

- Almost every airflight company has its own app. Download the one you will be flighying with, so you can check-in, check flight status, boarding terminal and gate, etc.

-Gate Guru helps you track flights but also gives tips of things to do in the airport while waiting for your connection (restaurants, yoga room, etc)...

      During the flight: 

- Before leaving home create song playlists, download games, travel guides and magazines (Next Issue App) so you can use them during the flight. I get my travel guides and books at amazon's kindle store and read them in my iPad/iPhone app. By the way, if you enjoy reading while sunbathing the kindle paper white is a must-have, cheap (so you don't feel guilty to take it to the sandy and salty beaches), no screen glare in bright sunlight, small and light to read with one hand and the battery lasts weeks, not hours (I swear by my mini iPad but in the sun it's almost impossible to see anything in the screen)...

- If you are used to work in the air, the expensive but useful Air Sharing App turns your iPhone into a wireless hard drive, allowing you to quickly and easily load it up with documents at the airport, then browse and amend on the move throughout your trip.

      At your destination:

- JetLag: StopJetLag (free), JetLag Genius or Rescue (both paid).

- Maps: you can always use Google Maps, or Waze but they requires internet access (wi-fi or cel data). If you prefer you can download maps to be used offline, such as Galileo, Offmaps, and guided city walks.

- Subways and Taxis: Metro, All Subway, Uber, TaxiMagic, EasyTaxi, etc.

- What to do: Field Trip, Around Me, Tripomatic, Wikitude (by using the camera in your smartphone to view your neighborhood, information will appear on the screen, hovering over relevant locations...). 

- Translation: Word lens lets you translate taking a picture! Or you can use the microphone to translate, such as in Translate Voice app. Or simply text, like Google Translate,  iTranslate (also has the voicefeature) and many others.

- Sunscreen: interactive UV Map forecast, sunbathing guidelines and timer.

Did I miss your favorite? Please share!

      Every expat travels a lot... Wether going on a business trip, visiting relatives or on vacations, mastering the art of packing saves you time, money and trouble (like having your luggage lost...). My husband and I travel with carry-on luggage whenever possible. My tips for compact packing are:

- clothes that won't wrinkle, in neutral colors (so they match easily multiplying your outfits)

- usually I travel wearing a comfortable (usually broken in) pair of day shoes and take one pair for the evenings. Pack your shoes in a plastic bag, tightly together, with the soles facing out. And always fill them (socks, scarves, etc.) so you don't waste their inner space.