I’m always going somewhere and, in my travels, I’ve discovered some of the best iPhone and iPad apps that help me stay in touch, keep productive and save money. It is easy to find the popular apps such as Facebook and Twitter, to share your travels with your friends and followers. Finding other great free travel apps is a bit harder. Here are my top 10 free and essential travel apps that you should check out.
1. Kayak. Plan your next trip anywhere. Among the best features is the flight-search capability. You can choose any airport to leave from and this app will search all the airlines that go to your destination. You can choose flights based on price, number of connections and airline-specific.
2. Gay Cities. Leave the paper guidebooks at home. Find bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and even bathhouses in any city worldwide.
3. GIRL Radio (Gay Internet Radio Live). Dance music everywhere you are with the best DJs and new music 24/7. Stream it live from Wi-Fi or your 3G cellphone service.
4. The Weather Channel. Check your travel weather forecast before you go — up to 10 days in advance. For those who like to anticipate a trip or daydream about places you would love to go, you can load specific cities in advance and check the weather at your favorite travel destination any time.
5. TripIt. Go green. Replace your paper confirmations and travel file folders and put your personal and business travel plans in your iPhone. Email your travel confirmations to TripIt and all the information appears in your custom travel itinerary. You can even share your travel itinerary with friends and family.
6. Currency Converter by Oanda Corporation. Finally, an easy way to convert any currency to the U.S. dollar! It is a quick and easy app to tell you how much things cost in 180 countries.
7. Penny Talk Mobile. Call the world cheaper! This app makes international calls from the U.S. affordable. Instead of paying astronomical rates through your cellphone carrier, you can call anyone for pennies per minute, plus the 99-cent monthly fee.
8. Skype. Call home and stay in touch cheaper! It costs a small fortune to call the United States from abroad. Simply launch the app, connect to the internet and call anywhere. For fun, when flying, buy the in-flight internet service on the plane and call your friends while you are high — 30,000 feet high!
9. Scavenger Hunt with Friends. Looking for fun and games? This is a brand-new app for those who love a good, old-fashioned scavenger hunt. You and your friends can custom create your own hunt through a new city or a museum. It’s great for families too.
10. ScanBizCards is a paid app, about $7, that uses your iPhone’s camera to snap a picture of that important business card, scans it and automatically adds it to your contacts.
Jeff Guaracino is a vice president for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and author of “Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing.” He has learned how to find the best deals and travel resources for our community. If you’re traveling locally, check out visitphilly.com.