Going on holiday is supposed to be a pleasure but, let’s be honest, we have all had trips when it’s been a pain.
The potential for things to go wrong when you are in a strange and foreign land is almost limitless.
However, your Nokia Lumia can ensure that you are as well prepared as possible.
Whether you are lost, need to find a hotel at short notice or need some help with translation, we have selected ten apps to help you on your holiday.
Don’t forget your passport and don’t forget to pack these apps!
XE Currency, FREE
Being a tourist and haggling in a local market can be really good fun. It’s less fun when you realise that you’ve got your sums wrong and paid far too much for some tacky holiday keepsake.
Guard against such mistakes with the XE Currency converter. Set your ‘Home’ currency and then see what your money is worth against 10 other currencies.
You can get live rates for the very latest and most accurate conversions, but you can also use this app offline.
WorldTime, FREE
Trying to get my head around world time zones is enough to give me a headache. Who wants to have a headache on holiday?
A couple of nice features on this app are its nice map interface and also that it allows you to pin one or two Live Tiles on your start screen.
ConnectivityShortcuts, FREE
This is an extremely useful app to have anyway, but even more so when you are abroad.
You should be aware that data roaming charges are often expensive, so it can be best to use Wi-Fi wherever possible. You might even want to turn off your cellular data so you’re not confronted with a nasty bill when you get home.
This app offers shortcuts to your Lumia’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular and Airplane Mode connectivity options. You can pin all or some of these to your start screen.
TripAdvisor, FREE
On any holiday, your time is limited so an app like this is helpful to ensure you are staying at a decent hotel and making the most of every meal at a good restaurant.
TripAdvisor has over 50 million reviews from fellow travellers that can help you to find the best places to eat or stay.
It also has a handy ‘Near Me’ function so, wherever you are, you can get the best recommendations.
Museums Mobile, FREE
No trip overseas is complete without absorbing a little local culture and history.
This app offers up-to-date information about museums, exhibitions and cultural events in cities around the world.
Each featured museum has information such as opening times, location, galleries and reviews, which you can write as well, if you are so inclined.
Using GPS, it can also show you museums that are closest to you.
SOStravel, FREE
This app definitely falls into the ‘better safe, than sorry’ category.
Search by continent and by country to find contact numbers for the local emergency services, such as police, fire and ambulance.
A simple app and hopefully you’ll never have to use, but it could be invaluable all the same.
Tripit, FREE
Back in the olden days, i.e. before I got my Nokia Lumia 800, I was accompanied on each and every trip by a transparent plastic folder.
Inside this folder were travel tickets, hotel reservation print outs, maps and the like.
Tripit is an app, which allows you to carry all this crucial information on your phone instead.
Unlike the plastic folder, Tripit can also send you alerts when your flight is delayed or the departure gate has been changed.
Translator, FREE
There are plenty of other free translator apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace but this one has the best reviews and it is easy to see why.
Speak a word or phrase into your Lumia and listen to the app give you a translation in a native accent.
Take a picture with the Lumia’s camera of a street sign or some text and this app will translate it for you.
Or, simply type in some text yourself and get it translated that way.
You can also download language packs to use the app when you’re offline.
Wikitude, FREE
This is an augmented reality (AR) based browser that comes into its own when you’re on holiday.
Hold your Lumia’s camera up to a landmark and the AR browser will tell you what you are looking at and give you easy access to information, reviews and other interactive content, from sources such as Twitter, YouTube and Wikipedia.
This app can also be used to explore places of interest around you. For example, searching for a restaurant or a coffee shop.
Track My Life, FREE
It would be remiss of me not to mention that for mapping and transport tools, you really can’t get much better than Nokia Maps and Nokia Transport.
But this is a mapping app with a difference that could be especially informative when you’re on holiday.
By running in the background of your smartphone, this app will tell you where you have been, for how long and how far you have travelled.
So after a long day sightseeing, when you felt you must have walked miles, now you will have the proof to show for it.
Which apps are indispensable when you go on holiday? Let us know in the comments below.
Image credit: The Aslier