Best apps for summer travel

While we are in the final throes of summer before heading into Fall, it’s not too late to get some last minute travel in. To aid you in making phone calls abroad cheaply, exploring a new city, navigating sites, locating free wifi, finding a great restaurant or even translating the menu, with the right apps on a smartphone, it can be an essential life saver. Here Asiance has rounded up the best apps and websites for the savviest travelers.

Bossrevolution.com – Why pay $1/ minute calling from a hotel or even paying for roaming charges. Boss revolution lets you call directly from your cell phone to any other number, cell phone or landline abroad for an average of 1.2cents/minute. No strings attached.

Whatsapp – While Apple addicts don’t have the benefits of Blackberry Messenger, Whatsapp allows you to sms and mms videos and photos to your friends for free.

Slingbox – If your foreign hotel has limited English speaking programming, watch the same tv shows from your own cable box at home on your laptop, tablet or phone while abroad.

Skype – Call other skype members for free when traveling.

Hipstamatic – Turn those favorite memories into artsy vintage renditions with this program that uses vintage lens filters that get the same effect without carrying the bulk.

Free wifi finder – A tracker that locates free internet spots around the globe. You can use your phone without getting whacked with high roaming charges.

Google translate – An essential tool to communicate in hundreds of languages.

Share a bill – If you’re traveling in a group and need to track shared expenses, this is a handy tool to make sure everyone pays their fair share.

World lens – It’s like google for photos. Take a photo of a foreign language sign and it will give you the translation in your native tongue.

Sit or squat to locate the cleanest toilets around – In true emergencies, this app is a godsend that tracks the closest clean toilet to where you are on the planet.

Xe exchange rates – Don’t fuss with memorizing country exchange rates. XE will give you an up to the minute currency rate exchange for different denominations.