Destination decided, date set, tickets done. But travel plans can still go awry. And that’s where these apps can help!
Let’s face it. That tome of a guidebook you bought three and a half minutes before boarding the flight (because your rough-n-seasoned solo traveller friend suggested it) will not be read.
Whatever vital information you need will only be gleaned from the hotel manager, or by gesticulating frantically to strangers, wherever you are headed. Apps make your life easier in general, and these travel apps can certainly help in making your vacation a tad less chaotic.
From figuring out the nearest ATM, foraging for shuddh vegetarian food to locating the comfort of a shouchalya when you just have
to go, these apps are your friend. In need and deed.
HopStop
New city. Unfamiliar language. And an urge to explore. Public transport can be confusing in one’s own country, let alone a foreign city. But HopStop helps you with which ‘way to go,’ providing a guide to public transport including bus numbers, station locations and journey lengths. Could travelling get any easier?
Available on iOS
PinPin ATM Finder
Like that dress in a flea market, but the owner won’t accept card? Or your cabbie says a no-no to your credit card? It happens to all travellers, when we run out of cash and are helplessly looking around for an ATM. And in an unfamiliar city, it can be quite a pain. Now PinPin ATM helps you find an ATM across 220 countries. Just use your GPS to locate ATMs near you or search near an address.
Available on Windows 
TripCase
Tickets, suggestions from friends, your personal notes on the journey…in short, too much information. Add all your trip details (including meetings, reservations etc.) to TripCase and it generates an itinerary for you. You can also edit or make changes to your plans and set reminders.
Available on Android
PinPin ATM Finder
Like that dress in a flea market, but the owner won’t accept card? Or your cabbie says a no-no to your credit card? It happens to all travellers, when we run out of cash and are helplessly looking around for an ATM. And in an unfamiliar city, it can be quite a pain. Now PinPin ATM helps you find an ATM across 220 countries. Just use your GPS to locate ATMs near you or search near an address.
Available on Windows TripCase
Tickets, suggestions from friends, your personal notes on the journey…in short, too much information. Add all your trip details (including meetings, reservations etc.) to TripCase and it generates an itinerary for you. You can also edit or make changes to your plans and set reminders.
Available on Android
HappyCow
I love travelling. I love food. AND I am a vegetarian. As you might have already guessed, a vegetarian’s or a vegan’s food choices are rather limited or non-existent in a foreign country. Until HappyCow came along. HappyCow provides information on vegan and vegetarian guesthouses and accommodation and travel tips.
Available on Android 
SitorSquat
You might be able to survive without fancy food, and without an awesome shelter. But there is one important function which is imperative for one’s survival. And that is, to answer nature’s call. You are in a new city and you don’t know how to ask for a restroom in the local language. That is when SitOrSquat will help you to ‘find the go on the go’.
Available on iOS
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From HT Brunch, March 22
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