5 Must Have Android Travel Apps for the Samsung Galaxy S4

I’m anxiously looking forward to fall as I’m traveling to Orlando, FL in September and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in November. While I’ve visited Florida often, the Dominican Republic will be my first to the island and I’m incredibly excited. But whether I’m traveling stateside or headed over waters abroad, I rely on my Samsung Galaxy S4 for everything from Flight Check In to finding the best places to see, eat and stay.

Today I’d like to share my 5 Must Have Android Travel Apps, but first a couple of quick general travel tips.

• To avoid being surprised with a mortgage sized phone bill, remember to place your phone on “airplane mode” for the duration of your stay. Nowadays, Wi-Fi is really all you need to complete everything from games to work to phone calls!
• If you’d like the ability to make phone calls, take advantage of and sign up for a Global Voice and or Data plan. For instance, I log into my Verizon Wireless account online and turn on the Global Plan the night before I go and turn it off when I get back home. The charges are pro-rated and there are no activation fees for this! *TIP* if you forget to do this before you leave, it’s ok! When you turn the feature on, you can opt to have it start retro-actively back to the beginning of your cycle. I’ve done this after racking up almost $500 in roaming data charges in 1 day (um, Instagram much?) and LOVED that I was able to turn it into just $29.95 with the retro-active feature. YES!
• Try to get outside of your comfort zone. When staying on a resort it’s easy to just well, stay on the resort. Make sure you get out and try the local cuisine, meet those smiling faces, find the secret squirrel local dives and heaven help me, stay away from restaurant chains! Travel is all about experiencing the local culture. Don’t make the mistake of flying 5,000 miles to only to lock yourself into a compound.

5 Must Have Travel Apps for the Samsung Galaxy S4

iTranslate

iTranslate was originally exclusive to Apple (in case the ‘i’ didn’t give it away) but is now available on Android too. This app translates anything you text OR say into the mic. It’s just a matter of setting the languages you want to translate to and from. It will show the translated words as well as the ability to hear it spoken. Unlike a lot of translation apps, it’s completely free! Free to download and free to use. Another great option is Google Translate, also free.

Oanda Currency Converter

OANDA allows you to convert currency from over 190 different options. You can even enter bank rates that need to be applied. More than just finding out how much money you need to convert, it’s great for checking the price of objects you want to buy. It’s free; for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPad and Windows.

Gogobot

Gogobot dishes up interesting things to for cities around the world. We’re heading to the Dominican Republic in November and I have been using it to scout  places to shop/eat/site-see in addition to exciting activities. In addition to searching cities, I can also search “nearby” too, which is great when plans change.

magicJack

I discovered this app while I was in Aruba. The magicJack APP is free way to make calls to U.S. and Canadian phone numbers using wi-fi. I admit I was skeptical at first, but it does exactly what it says it does and it really is free. Very easy to use and I was able to call any US number I wanted. You can use your Android device’s stored contacts and if you sign up for a free magicNumber phone number, you’ll be able to receive calls for free too.

TripIt

Flight plans, itineraries, car rentals, hotels, activities… we try to cram a lot into our vacations but itineraries can get messy. TripIt allos me to add upcoming trips to my account, including flight information, car rentals, hotels, activities, and more. It stores all of the information confirmation numbers to hotel information in an user freidnly map. It can even import information from your email AND it exports information to your calendar. Best of all it’s completely Free; for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone/iPad.

This post is part of a series dedicated to the amazing Samsung Galaxy S4. A huge thank you goes to Samsung Mobile and Verizon Wireless. I love being a #VZWBuzz Lifestyle Blogger!