Apps that help to make your travel smooth and fun

Flightradar24

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Turn your phone into a live flight tracker, watching aircraft around the world and viewing flight data in real time. Identify flights overhead, or log on to inflight wi-fi and follow your route progress in detail (including a weather layer). Bonus features, like Augmented Reality View, which identifies the planes flying overhead when you point your phone’s camera at the sky, are addictive and entertaining. Info from Flightradar24’s worldwide network of data receivers has even been used to help investigate aviation incidents.

Available on: IOS and Android, free, with paid upgrade options for additional features

UVLens

Going somewhere sunny? Prepare for a day outdoors with access to live reports on the UV levels at your location. The UVLens app recommends the best times of day to enjoy or avoid the sun, and also does a personalised skin type assessment to find out how long you might be able to spend in the sun before you reach the UV danger zone.

Available on: IOS and Android, free

Komoot

Whether you are cycling, hiking, backpacking or mountain biking, the trail ahead can often prove tricky and challenge. Komoot makes it easy to plan ahead with navigation technology and location data that enables you to generate sport-specific, topographic routings. The app then guides you on your journey with turn-by-turn voice navigation and detailed maps, even in offline mode. Surely, a great support to have, especially when you are out in the wilderness. 

Available on: IOS and Android, free, with paid package updates 

Google Translate

Speak, snap, write, or type anything in one of the app’s 103 supported languages, and the app will instantly translate to your preferred language. Snapping is the particularly helpful feature, as the app uses your phone’s camera for an augmented reality translation that works wonders when trying to make sense of menus, signs, and even magazines or books. It’s like having a personal interpreter in your pocket, especially as it supports offline use. It saves translation for future reference in several languages. 

Available on: IOS and Android, free

Instagram

Whether you’re sharing photos from your travels to keep family and friends updated, or just bragging that you totally swam in the same Moroccan riad pool as your favourite “influencer”, Instagram is a must for travellers. The newest update allows you to save images to private collections, like Pinterest, making it much easier to find the name and location of destination photos that have had you daydreaming. Before you post, however, do consider cultural etiquette of the destination. 

Available on: IOS and Android, free

— The Independent