These sci-fi apps will make you feel like a travel hacker. Photo / David Preston, Unsplash
Passport, purse, smartphone.
Travel apps have become an essential part of getting from A to B. Airlines, hotels and even national Border Agencies take this bit of tech for granted.
When was the last time you last used a printed boarding pass?
While some are a necessity - see the New Zealand travel declaration - others will make you feel like a high-tech travel hacker.
These apps promise to supercharge the way you plan, get around and even recover from your next trip.
Insomnia and brain fog were once an unavoidable part of the deal when booking long-haul travel. The traveller's hangover was the price one paid for skipping one too many time zones.
However one app says it can help create a travel regime to help get over the jetlag fast.
Timeshifter provides a pre and post departure plan for travellers to follow. Controlling sleep, caffeine intake and even when to avoid daylight - think of it as a sleep diet for your circadian system.
Punch in your flight number or departure details and it'll calculate how to get over the jetlag lump quicker.
They say it's used by athletes and business owners to make sure they don't miss out on valuable time on the ground.
Paid with a free trial.
Some carriers such as United Airlines offer free membership with loyalty programmes.
"Never forget your jacket or umbrella or shorts or sandals again!" is a patronising pitch for any app.
However, if you are the kind of scatterbrained, or generally busy, traveller who doesn't know whether they are coming or going - PackPoint could be for you.
By providing your travel itinerary, it uses local weather trends, activities and other travellers' itineraries to generate a packing list. It will save you plenty of time and money from buying spare swim togs on holiday.
Simple advice like "pack your boots on a tramping holiday" can't be overstated.
For when your significant other has given up on reminding you to pack a toothbrush, you can now turn to Big Brother.
Free, premium option for $4.39
This travel app aims to keep track of your bookings and eliminate the gaps in shared travel itineraries.
TripIt allows you to email airfares, hotel reservations and other bookings and automatically generates an itinerary. Particularly helpful for group trips, it will give you reminders to book accommodation to plug the gap before you get there. There's a place to keep QR codes PDFs and other travel documents at your finger tips.
Some of the more interesting additional features include a carbon emission calculator for your journey and a partnership with AirHelp - which lets travellers know what compensation they are entitled to for cancelled or disrupted trips.
There is a free and a paid option, with additional perks such as baggage tracking.
OK so web translations are nothing new. Google translate has long been the go-to for travellers traversing foreign language hotel websites.
However, you may not know there is a Google Translate app. And it works offline.
Features including speech translation and real-time translation of signs and menus using your smartphone camera. It's sci-fi wizardry straight from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Of course it's not perfect. At best, mistranslations cause hilarity, at worst offence. Nobody wants to be the traveller who introduces themselves by saying "please talk to my phone".
In a tight spot, off the beaten track, it could be a game changer for adventurous travellers.
It's also free.
This remarkably useful app lets you plan a roadtrip with friends. The shared planning tools mean those behind the wheel will be able to find those hidden gems and most scenic routes. Backseat drivers can schedule in pit stops, too.
Relaying info including accommodation and scenic detours - as well as free camping sites for van drivers - journeys can be planned online with a corridor of potential stops.
Once you're done you can share it to the navigation app, and away you go.
Expect it to get plenty of mileage on the highways of New Zealand this summer.
You can store five free trips to share with friends.
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