Six awesome travel apps for your next Traincation… and they’re all FREE!

Fans of The Fly will already know the consequences of teleportation gone wrong. So, until we master the art of instantaneous transportation, we can rely on Tour Wrist. By moving their phone up and down or side to side, users can experience panoramas in 360º glory. From the insides of a hotel to the top of the Alps, you can navigate new environments remotely. Still, we say no replacement for the real thing.

Earworms
You know how frustrating it is when you can’t get the lyrics of a catchy tune out of your head? And then wonder why you can’t make your brain apply the same principle to learning a new language? Well Earworms has gone for the musical approach, helping you memorise foreign vocabulary with the power of song. Guaranteed to get you toes tapping and bring a little joy back to French lessons. Altogether now, ““Je vex un Coca Cola…”

Available for iPhone and Android platforms

Lightbox
What’s prettier than a picture of the Eiffel Tower? A picture of the Eiffel Tower with a beautiful image filter applied to it, that’s what. With the likes of Instagram, and its evocatively named filters (Apollo, Nashville, 1977) users have the ability to transform the most mundane of photographs into works of art, let alone epic Parisian monuments. And now, with Lightbox the entire Android army can do the same.

Tipster
If, like me, the thought of mental arithmetic leaves you cold, figuring out how much you owe at the end of a shared meal, not to mention a tip, is best left to maths brains. The beauty of apps is that no matter how obscure the problem, you can be sure someone, somewhere has solved it. The Tipster Global tip calculator has 8 tip categories and 60 countries, so you’ll never be at a loss of how much to tip.

Sitorsquat
The desire to spend a proverbial penny always seems to come at the most inopportune time. If you didn’t take our advice last time to get a BoginaBag, SitorSquat is the next best thing. Use it to find a toilet or bathroom anywhere in the world and you’ll never be caught short again!

Available for iPhone, & Blackberry platforms

Google Sky Map
While this can’t exactly be filed under essential travel apps, it’s nice to end on a bit of fun. With Google Sky Map, you can turn your phone window into the night sky, just like that. And if you’re really sneaky you can pretend you knew where Ursus Major was all along.