There’s an app for that

How many apps do you have on your phone? It is really amazing how they seem to multiple overnight as surely I haven’t added all these apps myself! I challenge you to check out your settings and see just how many you do have. I have 69 on my phone…. 69 – goodness me. There are apps on my phone that I have no idea what they are for or how they got there.

Just looking through the list I found my favourite – Skip The Dishes. Now I know that has nothing to do with travel but it is my life raft when I come home late after a long day of putting together travel plans and dealing with schedule changes. And of course I have the usual apps like Uber, Spotify so I can listen to music, facebook so I can see whats happening to the older generation and Instagram so I can see whats happening to the youngsters in the family. (Funny how the kids are not into facebook any more – must be because us oldies have taken over). I have my Kobo books app too. But the best app I have is google maps. This has helped me out when I was in Belfast – it was quite late at night and my daughter and I had been to a restaurant and there was no sign of a taxi anywhere. So I just switched on google maps and then “the lady” guided me all the way back to our hotel.

There are some really useful apps like Lounge Buddy which tells you where the different lounges are in the airports you are travelling to and if you have your frequent flyer numbers entered into your profile it will work out whether you can get complimentary access or not and if not how much – pretty neat!

But there are a few weird apps out there – here are a few….

Sit or Squat – need to find a bathroom …. this has you covered ...

” Unfortunately, when we travel, nature doesn’t always call at the most convenient times. SitOrSquat is a database of thousands of restrooms all over the world. Not only can it help you find the bathroom nearest you, but also it features reviews of the bathrooms submitted by SitOrSquat users (the app implores users to keep the reviews informative and “consistent with ‘good taste’” — presumably to minimize the number of poop jokes). The app is produced by toilet paper giant Charmin — how’s that for vertical integration?  “

Or how about the Anti Mosquito Sonic Repeller –

“If you’re traveling to a mosquito-heavy region and want to maximize your chances against those disease-carrying pests, there’s an app for you. The Anti Mosquito Sonic Repeller emits three different inaudible frequencies that the makers claim will repel mosquitoes. There might be some scientific basis to that, but using this app in lieu of insect repellent or mosquito nets is ill-advised (plus side: When you get malaria, you can use your phone to call for help). “

There’s one called Lobby Friend so you can meet up with people staying at your hotel …. mmmm …. a little weird that one. A bit like the KLM app where you can connect with someone on your flight. No thanks.

Pity there isn’t an app for when you fly on a long overnight flight so that you can sleep like a baby, have a shower and a hot breakfast in the morning before landing …. . oh hang on a minute…. that’s called Emirates First Class!