Best Off-Line travel apps

[Celiac Cruiser]

Hello Cruisers, I am on a quest to be well prepared for our Viking Homelands Cruise in May 2017. In addition, we are doing our own Pre and Post cruise travel in Sweden & Norway. I want to set up my iphone with the most useful apps that can be used off-line (on airplane mode). I am seeking advice to those who are more traveled and more tech savvy. Thanks for your input!

[Peregrina651]

I would also look for answers to this particular question in the Cruise Technology forum, first because it may have been answered already and second because it has a bigger audience than this forum. I would also google the topic because some one is always tauting their list of "best apps" and then come back to here or the tech forum and ask what people think of this app or that.

 

Personally, I use--

 

• TripIt.com for organizing my travel itineraries. I load all the info into it from my desktop and then access it from my phone.
  
• Trip Advisor--needs wifi but wifi can used be while in airplane mode
  
• a currency converter
  
• a messaging program that can be used with wifi (can only contact other people with that app; DH and I use it to communicate while we aboard the ship but not together)
  

Edited October 19, 2016 by Peregrina651

[Celiac Cruiser]

Thanks Peregrina,

I will look into the Cruise technology forum. I have 'googled' the topic and was getting overwhelmed so that is why I turned to the Cruise Critic. I also thought the Viking Ocean crowd would help point me towards apps that were user friendly for the less tech savvy (older generation) crowd.

 

I was just playing around with Tripit so glad to hear you like it. I am curious about messaging while on board (with WiFi). What app do you use?

[photopro2]

For a great free offline map app Google Navmii

 

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[CharTrav]

Can TripIt be used off line? I'm looking for an app to replace TravTracker from Silverware that I've used for years - back to when I used a Palm handheld. (still have and use my T5 for an app that never moved to the iPhone). What I like about it is that I can access all my travel data without having to be connected to any Cloud. Apps like TripCase require an active Internet connection for me to view both data I've entered (stored in their cloud) and data they've populated for me. I want a local copy of all my data that is then synced to their cloud (similar to how Evernote works.) and accessible from a desktop browser.

 

 

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Edited October 19, 2016 by CharTrav

[Peregrina651]

Thanks Peregrina,

I will look into the Cruise technology forum. I have 'googled' the topic and was getting overwhelmed so that is why I turned to the Cruise Critic. I also thought the Viking Ocean crowd would help point me towards apps that were user friendly for the less tech savvy (older generation) crowd.

 

LOL. I know. Asking us is like phoning a friend. However, sometimes, you have to poll the audience. So, go ask this very same question in the tech forum and see what answers where there are many, many, many more people participating. Then, when you have names of specific apps that you might want to use, come back here to ask us if we are familiar with the app.

 

Most of all, I think you have to get a handle on just what you want to use these apps for --and that might help with the feeling of being overwhelmed. Personally, I've read some of those article touting the best apps and most of them I have dismissed because I just don't see me ever using them. Why fill my phone with apps I'm not going to use?

 

Now that said, I'm off to look into Google Navmii.

 

I was just playing around with Tripit so glad to hear you like it. I am curious about messaging while on board (with WiFi). What app do you use?

 

I've been using TripIt for about 9 years and just started using the app on my phone recently. I'm too lazy to create a document on my own for each trip, so TripIt works for me. I love the fact that I can e-mail an airline or hotel confirmation to TripIt and it creates the entries. TripIt is now spawning other little helper features but I mostly ignore them.

 

CharTrav, I just tested the offline capabilities and I can read offline whatever is already on my phone. I don't know if I can add something offline on the phone and have it sync when I later log on.

 

For messaging, I got involved with What'sApp because a friend was moving to India and was already on What'sApp. However, there is another messaging app that people are talking about that starts with a Y. I saw it mentioned in one of the posts in this forum so maybe somebody will come up with the name. Whatever messaging program you end up with, you have to make sure that if it only talks to people who have that messaging app, that the people you want to message with actually have the app installed.

[jiminyC_fan]

Celiac Cruiser, we are on the Viking Star, May 20, 2017, Homelands Tour. Will we see you there?

[Celiac Cruiser]

We are on the Sea departing May 14th. So sorry we won't see you.

 

Cheers, Julie

[jiminyC_fan]

We are on the Sea departing May 14th. So sorry we won't see you.

 

Cheers, Julie

 

Well darn. I was hoping to find someone willing to share a St Petersburg tour. Enjoy your cruise!

[Peregrina651]

Hello Cruisers, I am on a quest to be well prepared for our Viking Homelands Cruise in May 2017. In addition, we are doing our own Pre and Post cruise travel in Sweden & Norway. I want to set up my iphone with the most useful apps that can be used off-line (on airplane mode). I am seeking advice to those who are more traveled and more tech savvy. Thanks for your input!

 

Julie, did you ever make any progress on this project?

 

I read a couple of articles on the best travel apps for your phone and decided to look deeper into three of them to add to my phone for our upcoming trip--in addition to the ones I already mentioned (and a program that converts measurements from one scale to another -- meters to feet, etc).

 

GATE GURU was touted by one of the articles but reviews in Play Store said that the database was not kept up-to-date. I did not download. I thought it might be helpful but if the information isn't accurate or it doesn't cover the airports I will be using, why bother.

 

GOOGLE TRANSLATE -- I've used it before so downloaded it again because even in Spanish, I need help with the vocabulary.

 

LIVETREKKER uses GPS to record your progress as you travel and can be used offline. In spite of some things mentioned in older reviews (like the program automatically downloads tons of pictures to your phone), I downloaded the app and registered my account (you can't use it without registering). Today, as I ran errands, I ran the program. it did not do very well. It missed my first three stops and even once it found me, it lost me again on my way home. I will try again tomorrow just to make sure that it wasn't operator error. If I can get it to work and if it no longer downloads unwanted photos, this could be a fun app for recording and blogging our up-coming trip. I see it of particular help to record the timing of the shorex--if it works.

[Celiac Cruiser]

Hi Peregrina,

I have put 'cruising plans' on hold until after Christmas but initially I have downloaded TripIt (love being organized), Google translate (helpful for translating restaurant menus), Google maps (I note downloaded maps expire after 3 months) and xe currency converter.

Cheers, J

[roothy123]

In case it's helpful in the future, here's some info on maps I was hoping to test out before our cruise next summer. Maps are important to me, as we do a lot of independent touring, and I'm always looking for very detailed maps, and maps that I can use without having to print out paper copies. I think I took this from some info on tomsportguides.com, a site I use a lot.

 

GPS Map Apps and FREE Maps for Cell Phones

(Comments by Pablo Gutierrez)

 

There are several different types of maps and Apps for cell phones.

 

These are the links to download the maps that I use.

https://maps.here.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id955837609

 

I install the “Here Maps” App to download FREE maps to my cell phone.

This makes it easy to find my way while traveling.

 

Features include:

Voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation that works around the world

You can save maps and use them offline for more than a 100 countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia and Brazil

Real-time traffic and incident information for more than 40 countries

Public transit maps, directions and information for more than 900 cities

A route planner that shows driving, public transit and walking options so you can quickly compare them

Your saved places are available on all your devices so you can plan journeys easier

 

If you want to download a lot of maps, you'll probably run out of storage space on your phone.

The good thing is that you can choose what regions you want to download.

​If your cruise stops for Rome, you don't need to download the maps for all of Italy

[Peregrina651]

 

LIVETREKKER uses GPS to record your progress as you travel and can be used offline. In spite of some things mentioned in older reviews (like the program automatically downloads tons of pictures to your phone), I downloaded the app and registered my account (you can't use it without registering). Today, as I ran errands, I ran the program. it did not do very well. It missed my first three stops and even once it found me, it lost me again on my way home. I will try again tomorrow just to make sure that it wasn't operator error. If I can get it to work and if it no longer downloads unwanted photos, this could be a fun app for recording and blogging our up-coming trip. I see it of particular help to record the timing of the shorex--if it works.

 

I downloaded this program and used it a couple of times as I was out running errands this past week. Bottom-line is that I have uninstalled it. I might have continued using it even though it was able to accurately capture only one of three short trips if it weren't for the fact that it did in fact download over 300 irrelevant images to my phone--each one in it's own album, no less. That really annoyed me ( well, actually my thoughts are a bit stronger than that but this is a G-rated community). One of the reviews said that they tried to deleting the images only to have them downloaded again, so I just uninstalled the app and deleted the images.

 

I was actually looking forward to blogging on the run with this app so, if someone knows of a travel blog app similar to Livetrekker but that doesn't have its annoying desire to download images, is more reliable AND will work off-line, I'd like to hear about it.

[CharTrav]

@Peregrina651 - finally decided to install TripIt and enter a trip I'll be doing this May into it. Not as fancy as TripCase (no photo banners of the cities being visited, ability to autopopulate hotel info, etc), the fact that I can view the data while offline (tested this) and an easier to user interface are definite pluses.

 

By the way, I agree about both GateGuru and SeatGuru - both are way out of date. And useless.

 

Also, no cruise for us next year. The trip in May is a week long ecumenical choir tour to Barcelona and Madrid (2 church choirs plus anybody else who wanted to sing with us). Am looking forward to it!

 

 

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[Peregrina651]

@Peregrina651 - finally decided to install TripIt and enter a trip I'll be doing this May into it. Not as fancy as TripCase (no photo banners of the cities being visited, ability to autopopulate hotel info, etc), the fact that I can view the data while offline (tested this) and an easier to user interface are definite pluses.

 

By the way, I agree about both GateGuru and SeatGuru - both are way out of date. And useless.

 

Also, no cruise for us next year. The trip in May is a week long ecumenical choir tour to Barcelona and Madrid (2 church choirs plus anybody else who wanted to sing with us). Am looking forward to it!

 

 

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Two of my favorite cities. And my number one favorite musem, the Sorolla in Madrid. Yes, even beats the Prado, but only by a little.

[CharTrav]

Two of my favorite cities. And my number one favorite musem, the Sorolla in Madrid. Yes, even beats the Prado, but only by a little.

 

 

Don't think we'll hit those museums; it's not on list of sites we're supposed to be hitting in Madrid. Am looking forward to singing in Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

 

 

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[Vineyard View]

Wow CharTrav......singing in Sagradia Familia!!!! We visited that very beautiful place last year prior to our Viking cruise (3rd trip to Barcelona and love that city!) I cannot imagine the acoustics in singing there....impressive to be sure. Very cool - and you should be excited. Congratulations on that!!

[CharTrav]

Wow CharTrav......singing in Sagradia Familia!!!! We visited that very beautiful place last year prior to our Viking cruise (3rd trip to Barcelona and love that city!) I cannot imagine the acoustics in singing there....impressive to be sure. Very cool - and you should be excited. Congratulations on that!!

 

 

Don't forget I'll be just one of many in a larger choir. But thanks anyway. [emoji4]

 

 

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[CharTrav]

FYI re TripIt - verified its offline behavior again --- this time remembering to turn off BOTH cellular and wifi connection (had forgotten about the cellular yesterday). Yes - not only will it work offline but if you edit while offline it informs you that you have no connection to the Internet and will sync your updates to the cloud when you do.

 

Sometimes its behavior from my iPhone appears a little pokey but I can stand that. And I'm not willing to pay $50 a year to get flight updates etc I can receive for free from TripCase or my United app.

 

 

 

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Edited December 28, 2016 by CharTrav

[Peregrina651]

CharTrav, I just tested the offline capabilities and I can read offline whatever is already on my phone. I don't know if I can add something offline on the phone and have it sync when I later log on.

/QUOTE]

 

FYI - verified its offline behavior again --- this time remembering to turn off BOTH cellular and wifi connection (had forgotten about the cellular yesterday). Yes - not only will it work offline but if you edit while offline it informs you that you have no connection to the Internet and will sync your updates to the cloud when you do.

 

Sometimes its behavior from my iPhone appears a little pokey but I can stand that. And I'm not willing to pay $50 a year to get flight updates etc I can receive for free from TripCase or my United app.

 

 

 

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But, every now and then, they tell me I've been upgrade to Pro for period of time and sometimes those upgrades have coincided with my travel date . Oddly I didn't really notice or even make much use of the upgrades.

[Peregrina651]

Don't forget I'll be just one of many in a larger choir. But thanks anyway. [emoji4]

 

 

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That don't make no never mind! YOU are SINGING *IN* Sagrada Familia. And solo or with 1000 voices, that is cool.

[CharTrav]

That don't make no never mind! YOU are SINGING *IN* Sagrada Familia. And solo or with 1000 voices, that is cool.

 

 

[emoji2]

 

 

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[Vineyard View]

Exactly right Peregrina!!

Edited December 29, 2016 by Vineyard View

[Celiac Cruiser]

CharTrav, I am sure the addition of YOUR voice will make the concert glorious.

🎼🙂