Travels of Adam

Last week I wrote about how I use my iPod Touch to stay on top of world news. Which apps I use and why. I think most people have a news app or two on their iPods so this week I’ll try to highlight some of the more unusual ways I use my iPod while traveling.

Learning about a place (or culture, language, attraction) before visiting

Because the iPod Touch fits in your pocket, it’s almost always readily available. So before I head out to a tourist attraction or new country, I check to see if there are any available guides. I’m only downloading them if they’re free, but if I get desperate I wouldn’t count out buying a pocket guide. Here’s some examples of how I’ve used it.

• Hostelworld (free): Hostelworld is a great site for finding cheap accommodation. And I’ve found their customer reviews honest & reliable. This has been a lifesaver when I’ve showed up in cities without knowing where I’m staying.
• Wi-Fi Finder (free): Not nearly as useful as you’d think. Though I did use it to figure out that Luxor Train Station had free wifi (even if I didn’t end up using it).
• Currency (free): Obviously useful for finding current currency rates.
• City/Country travel guides (usually expensive): Lonely Planet did a nice promotion during the volcanic ash fiasco giving away several European city guides for free. I snagged a few even if I’m not planning on immediately heading there. A quick search will almost always turn up a purchasable city guide for wherever you’re going.

To find more pertinent apps I generally search in the app store for the city/country/tourist attraction I’m headed to and see if anything really useful comes up. Usually not. This would work for podcasts as well if you’re looking for an audio guide for some of the major museums and attractions that are heavily funded by their country’s tourism departments.

All those suggestions above are pretty obvious. But I’ve also tried to be a bit more creative in learning about new sights, cultures, etc. and it’s worked out well.

Sunrise from Mt Sinai

When I climbed Mt. Sinai last week, I knew I needed to freshen up on my biblical history. So I downloaded a free Bible app with an offline translation. A few searches for “Moses” and “Sinai” within the app turned up the relevant passages and my friends and I relearned our bible history.

There are so many apps available you’re bound to find something useful. It’s just a matter of searching it out and asking for recommendations. So many backpackers and travelers are carrying iTouch’s and iPhones. It’s become ubiquitous in hostels and on the travel circuit. And it’s easy to see why.

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