Survival Tips for Studying Abroad in Switzerland

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7 Handy Apps When You Are Traveling

Lingmonlemon
Sep 11, 2016
4 min read

If you are going to travel without internet connection while on the go, you are at the right page. These apps work well offline, but a note of advice: please make sure to download some of its maps/ language/ file offline first.

These are the 7 apps that I can't live without when I was in Europe:

1. Google Maps

// For Navigation //

Pros:

- allows you to drop a pin or "star" the attractions

- icons on the maps signifies F&B, attractions, banks

- you can approximate the distance using the mini "ruler" at the bottom right corner

Cons:

- you MUST download the offline maps (limited to an area only) in advance if you are not using any wifi or data when navigating

- you cannot "star" the attractions without internet connection

- google map will not give you any information regarding what public transport to take or the walking route if you don't have internet connection

Basically, without internet connection, google map is just like any other physical map.

Alternatively, you can download "City2Go". The map is more detailed but I felt that the response is slower and less sensitive.

2. Google Docs

// For Planning //

You can use Google Doc to plan your itinerary, and share it with your friends as well to view or edit. Just remember to save it for offline view so that you can view it without internet connection.

You can copy and paste descriptions of places and food, as well as photographs from websites and paste it onto your Google Docs for your own reference.

3. Google Sheets

// Also for planning //

It's a a great alternative to Google Docs, because it has a different layout. Although attaching photographs will be a bit of a trouble for Google Sheets, I still like google sheets more because it allows me to:

- highlight or color different boxes (for example, I like to highlight the address of my airbnb in orange and my transport details in green.)

- get organised by using different sheets in the same file. Here's how I do it: I love my Italy planner because I have separate sheets for my itinerary, must-try food, basic phrases.

Label the tabs to help you organise your important information

Some useful phrases to help you get by in a foreign place

4. Google Drive/ Dropbox

// For saving photos and videos //

My iPhone 6 only has a pathetic memory of 16 GB. If you spam photographs and videos like me, back your masterpieces in an online cloud while you're on the go.

I'd prefer Google Drive over Dropbox, because the former has 15 GB worth of space, whereas the latter only offers 2 GB.

Here's a little tip to get organised:

- Instead of dumping all your photos and videos into the storage space, organise them into folders for easy retrieval

- I remember the country that I have been to by chronological order, so I named my folders by <number> <country>, so that it appears in the order that I have numbered.

- If you are spending more than 1 day in the city, you can label <number> <city> <day x>.

Label your folders in chronological order

You'll need good WiFi to upload the photos and videos, so I suggest that you do it daily when you are in your Airbnb, hostel or hotel.

5. Google Translate

// For...Needless to say, right? //

When I was in Europe, many things (menu, signboards, goods in the supermarket) were all in the local language. Usually restaurants do have English menus, but I have heard of tourists being scammed because the prices on English menu is different from the original menu, and were made to pay higher prices for their meals.

I also had a difficult time buying groceries in Switzerland and Germany. Because their cucumber is really huge and different from the Asian cucumbers, I had no idea that gurken meant cucumber. :(

Enough said.

If you have used Google Translate before, you will realise that the translations will only work if you have internet connection. Then how is it useful?

The coolest feature of Google Translate is the camera feature, which does not need internet connection at all. Use the camera function in the app, align the text to the menu or signboard and let Google Translate do its magic.

The camera feature can roughly translate the foreign language. Don't get frustrated if the translated sentences don't make any sense (it never does). Just be thankful that at least you can tell the shampoo and the body soap apart with its help.

Take note: You can you will need to download the foreign language for offline use if you are using the camera feature.

6. Expenses App

// To control your spending //

Keep track of your spending. It doesn't stop you from spending more, but you should be able to feel the pinch when you see yourself spending more than a 3 digit figure.

7. Weather App

I can't stress how important this app is!

It helps me to monitor the weather in advance so that I can plan my day trips in advance. During winter, check not just the temperature but also the wind conditions. Anything with wind speed above 10km/h is going to be really cold, so prepare in advance and layer up before you leave your cosy rooms.

You can prepare some wet weather plans in case of bad weather. Museums and cafe-hopping are great to spend your time indoor.

A gloomy rainy day in Lisbon, Portugal, and my umbrella got caught between 2 poles. But my friend and I burst out into fits of laughter for no apparent reason.