Stuff.tv’s Top 10 travel apps

With the Bank Holiday looming and summer hols just around the corner, you’re going to need some guidance to get the most from your trip, and let’s face it, paper guides are so last century.

Whether you’re embarking on a road trip, want to learn about the local scene, need flight information or a bite to eat or simply somewhere to rest your head for the night, let Stuff.tv’s guide to the best mobile travel apps guide you through your every itinerant whim.

WorldMate Live £free, Blackberry

This app has your fundamental travel needs covered, from hotel bookings, itinerary manager and real-time flight status, to hotel directions, car rental and weather forecasts. WorldMate Live will even alert you of any changes to your travel plans and provide the necessary resources to take action. It’s like having a BlackBerry-shaped travel assistant in your pocket.

MapsBuddy £0.59, iPhone

Losing your way en route is not only frustrating but severely time consuming. MapsBuddy makes searching on Google maps easy by determining your current location to find the nearest petrol station, restaurant, bank, etc to ensure your detour doesn’t take up precious holiday time.

Flightstats £free, Android

While some of us will be making our way to overcrowded UK beach destinations, others will be sitting in the airport waiting to board their flights. This air travel application gives Android-equipped travellers the low-down on flight status, flight tracking, airport weather, delays and general airline information.

Where To? £2.99, iPhone

If you’re having trouble planning your itinerary once you’ve arrived at your destination, Where To? is great for finding local places of interest, be it the local zoo, shopping centres or a health spa. And if you like the element of surprise you’ll like its Surprise Me feature that will help you choose an activity if the family can’t make up their minds.

Top2Move Add-on pack £4, Symbian S60

Let’s say you’re going to Spain for a short break but your Spanish doesn’t even verge on beginner’s status. Rather than come across as a bumbling tourist, whack the Madrid version of this app onto your mobile and navigate your own way around with this route-navigation system. If hiking and biking is your thing, it offers topographic maps too.

Taxi Magic £Free, Blackberry

Regular taxi-hailers will know that trying to flag down a cab isn’t always easy. With TaxiMagic however, summoning cabs from the pavement is irrelevant as it equips you with the ability to book taxis from your phone, complete with payment and receipt features in over 25 major cities.

Wikitude £free, All Android mobiles

Augmented reality is the next big thing in gadgetry, so why not get a piece of the action and impress your pals with Wikitude. Forget tour guides, this clever app will let you check out your surroundings by pointing your cameraphone on a particular location and then pulling up relevant information about it.

Tipulator £0.99, iPhone

Having to do a bit of mental arithmetic when splitting the bill can be a slow and often miscalculated process. Let Tipulator do the calculating for you, which takes into consideration the bill total, number of people and tip percentage leaving you to extract the money from your pocket and into the waiter’s hand.  

CellSpotting £free, Symbian S60

If your friends like to wander off leaving you in the lurch, Cell Spotting will prove useful. As well as being a geographic location service, the app can locate all your mates too, providing they use the service. When you’re not people tracking, use the app to find name and location information about your surroundings.

Dictionaries and Translators £free, Blackberry

Downloading this app gives you your very own personal travel phrase book, so you don’t have to get lost in translation and embarrass yourself by asking “where’s the nearest strip club?”. It covers a range of languages, so unless you’re going to Kazakhstan you should be OK.