Make the most of your holiday

Want to make the most of your holiday? Keep on reading.

Holidays can be overwhelming, especially if you’re travelling to a new place. There’s so much to do and so much to see, with a new language, culture and climate to contend with – it’s hard to know where to start. Luckily there’s a plethora of advice out there for the savvy traveller offering insider knowledge, easy hacks and unique ideas – and it’s all at your fingertips. Here’s how to make the most of your holiday.

VizEat

Food is a massive part of any trip, with local cuisine and traditional dishes woven into the fabric of a country’s culture. VizEat offers an immersive food experience by connecting you with foodie locals who agree to host for visitors. Dubbed the ‘Airbnb for food’, it’s essentially a supper club – you pay, they cook. The outcome? Traditional, wholesome food enjoyed the way the locals do it – it doesn’t get more authentic than that.

Free, with additional costs, iOS and Android

Time Out

Use the app or browse the website, either way, Time Out will instantly upgrade any holiday, long weekend or evening out. An online directory bursting with ideas of things to do, it provides endless recommendations of bars, restaurants, attractions, events and pop-ups, with coverage spanning the whole world. The app even lets you book and create a customised travel guide for your holiday. Also great for procrastination and wishful thinking…

timeout.com

Detour
If you love an audio guide as you trawl castles and landmarks, you’ll love this. Detour essentially provides location-aware narrative tours of 17 cities across the globe, with outdoor and, more recently, indoor experiences on offer. Using the phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer, the app measures your position and syncs to your pace (no pausing needed), while features such as audio syncing between friends, so that a group can all hear the same thing, make for a really impressive app.

Free, iTunes

Google Translate
An essential app for any savvy traveller, Google Translate does what it says on the tin – and more. Seamlessly translating 90 languages, find any word or phrase instantly or use handy features such as the scanning tool – holding your phone up to, say, a sign for it to translate.

Free, iTunes

Lonely Planet guidebooks
Call us old school, but a guidebook is, in our opinion, the best way to get the most out of a new place. From must-see cultural landmarks to hidden gem restaurants so tucked away you’d never usually find them, guidebooks mean the difference between a good holiday and a great holiday. They also make for a great read on the flight out. Hands down, Lonely Planet are the best.

£16.99, shop.lonelyplanet.com

Duolingo

While not a replacement for proper language tuition, this language learning app might help you with the basics – ‘a beer please’– and get you accustomed to the linguistics before, during, or, indeed, after your trip. Like a game, the app takes you through various levels, collecting experience points as you go. Et voila!
Free, iOS and Android

Visit sites

Visit sites (visitengland.com; visitireland.com etc) can be found for all regions of the UK, and provide endless pointers on what to do, where to go and what to see. Comprehensive and easy to use, the site offers a breakdown based on what you’re interested in – family, romance, heritage, budget are just a few. Great if you’re stuck for ideas or are after something a little different.

SkyScanner

Travel comparison site SkyScanner considers all the major airlines to get you the best price for your flight. Simply input where you’re going and when, and get access to all the available flights, their times and their prices.

Skyscanner.net

Citymapper

Available in 40 cities, with all the major city-break destinations covered, Citymapper makes light work of getting around. Offering seriously comprehensive and detailed journey planner information – including real-time departures and disruption alerts, Uber integration and carriage recommendations based on how busy it is – it’s quite literally the easiest way to get around.

Free, iOS and Android