Are you heading away with the family for a weekend break in the country or a longer holiday overseas? You can take a lot of the stress out of travel, if you pick up your smartphone and download apps designed to make this process as smooth as possible. Here are just a few of the top travel apps for families, from practical programs to games that will keep the kids entertained.
Duolingo
If you want to give yourself and the kids a bit of a refresher course on the language of your destination country, then the Duolingo app is the most accessible and fun way to achieve this. Available for free on both Android and iOS, it helps to gamify the learning process and can be a great way to learn basic phrases, as well as the names of words and objects that you are likely to encounter on your travels.
Wolfram Sun Exposure
Keeping your whole family safe from sunburn and the damage that prolonged exposure can do to your skin is important, especially if you have young children. With this app, you will be able to calculate precisely the amount of time that it is safe to spend in the sun, before it is time to get into the shade. Factoring in everything from your global location, the type of skin you have and the SPF rating of the sunscreen you are wearing, this app is well worth the 79p it costs to download from the iPhone’s App Store.
Pokemon Go
Since its hugely popular launch in July, Pokemon Go has become a great travel companion for kids, because it encourages them to stay active and makes use of GPS, to ensure that there are monsters to catch and keep in every part of the world. Just remember to bring a charger for your gadgets, because this game can be a bit of a battery hog. Also remember to encourage kids to stay safe and alert while using it in unfamiliar areas, preferably by keeping a close eye on them.
Disney Storytime
This engaging multimedia storytelling experience is great for keeping kids entertained on long car journeys or flights, as well as offering plenty of flexibility, depending on the age and experience of the child in question. Popular stories from a range of Disney movies, including modern classics like Frozen, can be purchased within the app, and it includes integrated narration for those who are too young to read all of the words themselves. Just remember that while free to download and use, additional content will come at a cost.
PackPoint
This app is more than just a simple list-making solution to ensure you pack everything you need. It is a fully featured, web-integrated service that helps you actively work out what to take with you on trips, depending on where you are going, who is coming with you and how long you will be staying there. If you are always forgetting essentials or do not know how to plan your luggage for a trip abroad, this app will really help you out.