The right tool for the job

Travelling is not hard. At least not anymore. No. Really. Hear me out.

I am old enough to remember the days before smartphones. In fact, I lived abroad in college and it was tough. We used paper maps. We had English-[fill in the blank] dictionaries to translate. They were slow and heavy and impractical. We missed the train. We were isolated with no way to talk to friends or family. We got lost. We felt dumb. A lot. Travelling was frustrating and exhausting a lot of the time.

But today that's all changed. I have a number of apps on my Iphone

for travelling. They make me appear smarter, cooler, and more competant than I really am. Don't be fooled. En realidad soy una idiota.

Here are my favorite apps right now.

Trip It.
You know how traveling is about keeping track of a million details? What time is the plane? What is the hotel address? Who is the contact for that flamenco show? Trip It solves all that. It keeps all of your details in one place so you can travel (almost) seamlessly. Every trip with this app has been logistics stress-free. All you need to do is forward those "confirming emails" to TripIt and sorts out the rest.

Barcelona Subway Map
Or any subway map on your phone, really. This is a map. On your phone. But it also shows you how to get from one part of town to another using the subway. Yes, you can also do this on Google Maps. But this one gives you a full-color map of the subway and nothing more. Clearing the clutter makes it easier to use. And no subway map out on the train makes you look less like a tourist.

Rodalies
This is my app for the train schedule. It knows my location. I type in where I want to go. Instantly, I have the outbound and the return

schedule. There are probably hundreds of apps like this in many cities around the world. It took me and the Boy about three weeks to realize that the trains run on a schedule. But once we did and found this app...bam!

Google Maps
If I could have just one app. This is it. Type in a location and it will show you how to walk there, bus there, or train there. I adore it. If you want to "get lost" (or find your car) just "drop a pin" in your location then navigate back to it. This app is a gamechanger for travellers.

Travel Guides
I carry a travel guide on my phone instead of a book. It's lighter and its always with me when I need inspiration. Lonely Planet has especially good ones.

Spanish Dict
This is great for communication on the go. If you just...need...that...one...word this app is a champ. Say you're at the car dealership and you need to know the word for "windshield wiper"

in Spanish? El limpiaparabrisas? Very good.

Google Translate
This is another bomber app. You can type in whole sentences in any language and translate it into any language. So when my landlady sends me a message in Spanish about why I haven't paid my rent, I know what she's talking about. Another amazing feature is the visual translator. Point your phone at a sign or menu -- the phone translates the words on the screen. Here's how I used Google Translate to get a car wash. Love it.

But be warned, the translation on visual Google Translate can be glitchy. The Boy decided not to order an item on the menu featuring delicious "spinal sauce."

Skype
I use Skype to call the U.S. or inside Spain when I can't use What's App. It charges me pennies for international calls. The app has a dial pad. You set the country by name and then dial the number.

What'sApp
What's App is huge internationally. Most Spanish folks I know use the app as their main communication tool. You can call, you can chat, you can send photos or hyperlinks. And it is free. This is how I connect with local friends and international contacts.

A word about data. All of these apps assume you have internet access. There are lots of wireless access points. But most folks who are heavy users will want international data. We are on T-Mobile. I hate the company for millions of reasons. But while travelling I get unlimited data and calling for no additional charge. Mi Madre used Verizon data on certain days and paid a daily $10 fee as needed.

Other folks pick up a sim card at the airport upon arrival. You get as many gigabytes as you want plus a local phone number for your

travels. Sim card goes in your phone. Set up takes 30 mins and you're on your way. My brother paid 70 euros for 12 gigabytes for his three-week trip to Spain. Another option is a wifi takeaway service. For 35 euros, I have an on-demand mobile hotspot that gives me unlimited fast internet for 1 euro per gigabyte. On the train on the way to Seville, the device was up in my packed suitcase as I worked away on my laptop.

The bottom line. It has never been easier to travel than it is now. No need to think that we are super cool or brave to take on international living for 5 months. We have all kinds of electronic crutches. It's a cinch.