3 GREAT ANDROID APPS FOR YOUR SUMMER TRAVELS

By Rosa Orihuela

Last week we showed you the best travel apps for the iPhone. This week, its Android’s turn to take center stage. Even though Android apps have not reached the level of iPhone apps’ sophistication and variety, Android still has a lot of great apps to choose from. Some of the most successful iPhone apps have been made available for Android smartphone users as well.   Here are our three favorite Android travel apps.

Google Goggles is very similar to the Word lens app for the iPhone but it has so much more. Word lens translates text instantly from one language to the other. Google goggles on the other hand, translates words in English, German , Italian, French and Spanish. Additionally, it identifies products, landmarks, storefronts, artwork, and popular images found online. It even extracts contact information from business cards. So next time you happen to be in a new city with your other half, surprise them with your knowledge of the language and the surroundings.

So we know where we want to go, how are we getting to our vacation destination, . . . Kayak is the apps to get when you want to find flights, hotels, car rentals, flight status, airline information and flight price trends. You can even compare prices.  This is the app to get.  Kayak for Android was listed as one of the Top 10 Android apps by Gizmodo.  With Kayak, all your travel arrangements are within your reach, at the tips of your fingers on your smartphone.

Now you found your vacation destination, bought your tickets . . . all that is left to do to is figure out where to go within our destination. Where is definitely the app to download when you need to get somewhere. It tells you how to find nearby hotels, hospitals, restaurants, theaters, and many other places. You can see how traffic is going, movie times and even news headlines. Where offers so much, it is hard to put it all in one little post. It is really a bundle of apps put together. This app is perfect for a traveler who does not have much time to sit down and do some serious travel research — Where does it for you and puts it all in one small, but powerful app.  This app is also available for BlackBerry, Palm and Windows smartphones.

These three apps are great for travel but they can also be used in your hometown as well. They are easy to use, convenient and FREE! So go on Android lovers, explore the world . . . just do not forget your #1 travel essential: YOUR SMARTPHONE.