Posted on December 10, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard

Introducing our latest round-up of the best iPhone travel applications out there right now. You never know, they may just get you out of a spot of bother when you’re sightseeing in Paris or renting a car in Alicante.

Maps

Ah, the old reliable map, where would you be without it? Like, literally. Let’s face it, they do get a bit messy though. But fret no longer. Technological advancements mean there’s no more  battling against the wind or rain with a crumpled, soggy piece of paper.  The latest iPhone maps are robust yet small enough to fit inside your phone. Mash mobile mapping up with a compass, as in the case of the iPhone 3GS and the phone changes from a “nice to have” to a “can’t live without” travel resource.

Lonely Planet Phrasebooks

The iPhone- friendly Lonely Planet Phrase Book series cost £5.99, (€7) each but their usefulness can prove priceless.  Not only do they provide you with written and spoken versions of phrases, but they also save you from lugging a phrase book around the place.

Yelp

If you’re in a strange US city and you’re curious about where to find the best restaurants, hotels or shopping, you can rely on Yelp to provide you with user-generated reviews of what’s hot and what’s not in the local area. The best thing about yelp is that it’s free.

Urbanspoon

This is the stuff of sci –fi.  While you’re wandering around lost and hungry, simply type in your location and wave your handset around at the nearest restaurants and Urbanspoon will provide you with a recommendation of where to go. The app is still in its infancy in the UK, but is an excellent resource when hunger strikes in the US.

 HearPlanet

Imagine if you could shrink your tourguide to pocket sized proportions and let him tell you all about the local sights, whenever and wherever you stumble upon them. Well, this little application lets you do just that. Not only does HearPlanet tell you what attractions are nearby, it also lets you tune into an audio description by Wikipedia.

Big Tipper

Yes, you’ve guessed it, an application to help you avoid the embarrassment of offending your waiter when you’re dining in a foreign country.  Big Tipper allows you to calculate how much you owe your server, based on the country you’re dining in. Even if you split the bill between diners, you can work out how much each person owes.

Sit or Squat

Not only does this one have a great name, but it is an essential app for those who worry about being caught short while on their travels.  Sit or Squat  pin points the nearest public toilets on a map and in some cases shows you photographs of the quality of the facilities.

 Kindle

Compare and contrast the thoughts of your favourite travel writers while you’re on the road with Kindle, the application that gives you access to hundreds of e-books.

Postino

This is one for creative types. Ok, so maybe it’s not an essential but it’s a pretty clever little app.  Postino allows you to send real postcards (not just e-cards) with photos of yourself or your beautiful surroundings (or you in beautiful surroundings).  You can even add your own handwritten messages and buy virtual stamps. The company will print your postcard and post it to your friends and family back home.

Gas Bag

Lol! Another one with a great name, but if you’re fast running out of funds on your great American road-trip, you’ll be glad you downloaded it.  GasBag  allows you to fill-up without emptying your pockets, by directing you to the cheapest gas station in the area. It also provides a handy gas purchase and mileage log to help you get more drive for your dollar.

Written by Fiona Hilliard

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About the Author:  Fiona likes to travel – especially to cities. Her favourites include: New York, London, Copenhagen, Madrid and Lisbon. Just don't mention budget airlines, baggage restrictions, airport security queues…

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