Wednesday, May 8, 2013

5 apps to ensure hassle free holiday

Google Search trends show that Indian tourists are getting adventurous. Scuba diving, tribes, and cruise in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand were among top destinations and interests searched for. Internationally, Seychelles and Bahamas figured among places queried, according to Google.

Lalitesh Katragadda, country head, India products, Google, said the trend shows a change in the way Indians holidayed.
"Domestic tourist spots are as much sought after as the international ones. We see that the average Indian likes places that offer artistic and cultural values," he says.

If you are planning a holiday, there are many web and mobile apps that will come handy.

Google Now, an Android app, is an advanced, personalised and intuitive Google Search. It pulls data from Search, Calendar, Gmail etc, and offers suggestions and information.

Katragadda says Maps is perhaps the most useful travel tool providing a lot of information. It gives you distance , route, traffic and public transit points. The navigation feature voiceguides you as you travel from one point to another. It's helpful from a security angle as well -- you don't have to depend on strangers and thus you are saved from being misled and cheated.

If you set your privacy settings carefully, you can make use of the Latitude feature to see if your friends are nearby and what they're up to. You can 'check in' at places to let friends know you're there.

TripAdvisor is available across many platforms and devices: iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android phones, Android tablets, Windows phones and Nokia phones. It can be linked to your Facebook account and its exhaustive city guides are available offline.

Airbnb is a fledgling service that lists accommodations rented out by individuals. It claims to have over 250,000 listings in 30,000 cities across 192 countries. XE currency converter app is a handy tool when you are in a foreign country. The latest exchange rates are updated automatically while online, and the app can be accessed even offline.

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