Go niche

SANDRA O'CONNELL on iPhone and iPod Touch apps for the frequent adventurer...

- The advent of apps – downloadable software designed for Apple’s iPhones and iPod Touches – has resulted in a flurry of must-have gizmos for travellers. Available online from Apple, they cost buttons and could save you oodles of trouble.

- For just 79 cents, World Customs, for example, lists traditions from around the globe, including crucial ones such as the Bulgarian habit of shaking your head from side to side for yes and up and down for no.

- At 10 times that (€7.99) Lonely Planet’s Phrasebook is not quite so cheap, but it might be worth it, because it doesn’t just spell out a phrase; it pronounces it for you. Available in a range of languages, it comes at a discount – sometimes even free – with certain Lonely Planet guidebooks.

- For free, check out the HearPlanet Audio Guide to the World, which is like having your very own tiny tour guide trapped in your phone. Basically, you tell it where you are and it tells you what’s around, from landmarks to historic sites.

- Frequent flyers should check out the TripIt Travel Organiser, which puts all your travel plans on your iPhone, no matter where your travel is booked, and allows you to share itineraries and access your info from your phone for free. TripIt Pro, the upgraded version, offers mobile travel alerts, alternative flight suggestions and frequent- flyer-point tracking.

- Finally, HotelsByMe allows you to find and book hotel rooms worldwide from your phone. You can search thousands of hotels in real time with up-to-date rates, in a range of languages, all for free. You can even search hotels by popular landmark.

apple.com/iphone/ apps-for-iphone