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5 Best travel apps for iPhone

Dalene Ingham-Brown 07 October 2011

Part of the South Africa Safari Collection
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Your iPhone is now the perfect travel companion. Install the right iPhone travel apps and when you find yourself in a pickle, all you need to do is whip out your pocket sized tour operator.

To celebrate the brilliant entrepreneurship and inventive genius of Steve Jobs, we dedicate this post to him by showing our tech savvy traveller how having an iPhone in your pocket can save the day. Rest in Peace Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

“3 Apples changed the world: One seduced Eve, the second awakened Newton and the third was in the hands of Steve Jobs." - Daniel Neville

Top 5 Best Travel Apps for iPhone

1. Skype

Skype, Skype, Skype. What would we do without you? This is the cheapest way to contact the house-sitter and check whether you remembered to turn the stove off when you’re 8 000 km across the country fraternising with Berbers.

2. World Customs

You don’t want to tick anyone off so after enjoying a meal in a foreign country, you can now browse your iPhone and find out whether you should be burping or farting to show your appreciation for the meal.

This travel app allows you to browse through various cultural customs and make sure you’re in the know with all the cultural do’s and don’ts of the company you find yourself in. Definitely one of the best travel apps for iPhone.

3. UrbanSpoon

So, the idea of sitting on the loo for three quarters of your trip or at your new job, because you picked a bad restaurant, doesn’t sound so great. I hear you. With UrbanSpoon you can avoid the dodgy restaurants and with a simple shake of your headset the best local restaurant guide is at your fingertips.

Note to traveller: If you opt for certain Thai or Indian dishes, you’re going to end up on the loo anyway. Not even the best travel apps can save you from that. #FoodThatBurnsTwice

*This application works in selected cities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Sydney.

4. Next Flight

Okay, so you get halfway to the airport and realize you’ve left grandma behind. So you make a U-turn, pick Gam-Gam and her zimmer frame up, and arrive back at the airport too late. You just missed your flight. Doh!

Next Flight tracks scheduled departures from over 4,200 airports and 1,100 airlines so you can easily find the next available flight so that you don't miss that amazing African sunset, making Next Flight one of the best travel apps.

5. HearPlanet

No doubt, out of utter excitement, you’ve researched your travel destination to the ends of the earth before your departure, but when you get there you’ll find that there may be an area that you pass through you don’t know much about. HearPlanet to the rescue! Once you’ve installed the app, its like you have your own personal tour guide in your pocket. HearPlanet tells you about nearby attractions and then plays the Wikipedia location description aloud. Awesome! Come to think of it, this is also a great application for travellers with bad vision, but I think their guide dog would probably have trouble navigating their way around the iPhone without opposable thumbs.