Fun, Useful Travel Apps for your iPhone

Here are some travel apps we consider to be useful and fun to use. They are either free or really cheap to download to your iPhone. It just makes the world that much smaller, but how cool is it to be in Bangkok (or anywhere in the world) and be able to research nearby restaurants, hotels, museums, public restrooms, etc. Happy researching...

1) Sit or Squat: When you have to go, you have to go! This free application points out the closet public restrooms. It includes pictures, ratings, and details on hours of operation, etc. You don't even have to enter your location, just press the application and it figures out your location using GPS Technology.

2) Flight Status: This application is self explanatory. It lets you keep track of your flight status, so you know if you need to rush to the airport or not.

3) Mandarin: Lonely Planet, one of the largest travel guidebook publishers in the world, created an application that offers phrase books in a variety of languages. The phrases are grouped into categories that include transport, emergencies, ordering at a restaurant, etc. It also has an audio feature so you can hear the phrase before speaking, as well as phonetic spelling. Definitely a bonus!

4) Urbanspoon: Wondering which restaurant to eat at? This free application, with the shake of your phone, lists nearby restaurants with reviews and the price range. It also allows you to type in key words such as "burgers and beer" to help you satisfy your craving.

5) Hotels.com: This free application offers hotel descriptions, locations, ratings and prices. If you find what you are looking for, you can book directly with the help of the application.

6) Taximagic; Tired of arriving in a new location after a marathon flight and not being able to flag down a taxi? In over 30 US cities, you can connect directly to a taxi company's dispatch system with the touch of a finger. No phone call is required.

7) Shazam: Sitting in a cafe in Paris and enjoying the music, and wishing you knew who the artist was ? With this free application, you just hold your phone up to the music and in seconds it comes up with the name, artist and album. It also offers you a link to iTunes so you can purchase the song or album.

8) Photogene; Wish you could share your travel pictures with your friends and family back home? This application lets you edit your photos and e-mail them to friends and family back home...perfect to make them envious!

9) Yelp: This free application offers reviews of the best places to eat, drink, shop, etc for the city you are in.

10) Cor.kz: This application is for those who enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner. Not sure what to order for the best value?The cor.kz database reviews over 530,000 wines.

11) iMapMyRide: A useful application which records the distance, speed, pace and time of your bike ride. This is a great way to keep on track with your fitness goals.

happy apping,
BikeHike