Ever wonder what would happen if you found yourself in a sticky situation in some foreign country and you didn’t know how to call for help because you don’t know the language? No…? Me neither. But for those that are now weary of such things happening, here is what may come in handy while globetrotting to Naija this following month.
Now wait, before you handover your house keys to your trustee neighbour to hold the fort down in your absence- an advisable thing to do would be to first nail a few apps to the tee. From finding a great eating spot to flirting with the local beauties, done right- the next selection of apps could ultimately change your life.
First we plan
Assuming that you have your Visa (on or underneath your mattress), immunization papers and a Smartphone handy- here’s what to (do)wnload next…
- Hipmunk
This app has been on the market for a little over a year now and swiftly helps you find a flight or a hotel booking through comparing prices and times on the go while putting some factors into consideration.
What sets this one apart is that it has an ”Agony” Index which is defined as ‘a mix between price, duration of the flight and the number of stopovers’ . Also, with that comes an updated feature – the “Ecstasy” Index. Its a ranking for hotels that combines the price, amenities and star ratings that maps out the ten best hotels changes as you move around the map.
Also on the plus side, this convenient App has one colorful timeline, so mixing up your intended flights will be a little harder to do (…this time).
- Yorumba
So far my favorite phrase is “No Wahala” which loosely translated means “No Worries” and this is just the tip of the Naija phrases iceberg.
The Yorumba app contains all the phrases you will ever need to say all those wonderful things you wanted to say while in Naija. You can listen, record and play back to compare with the native speaker the different wording from asking for directions to the restaurant, ordering , shopping, or just for the time… And yes, they even throw in there the young ones local slang.
As you learn, you can favorite your favorite phrases and also easily share with your friends through the Twitter, Email and SMS plugins.
- Hummba
Now that you’re well on your way to learning a new language and getting friendly with the locals, how about we boast about it on the social media sites with Hummba…?
Hummba lets you download free audio travel guides so you can share your travel experiences directly with the world you left behind through Facebook and Twitter! The app lets you take a single picture that gets tagged to the place you are visiting while you listen to one of the 100+ free city guides from the Worlds best guide publishers. The audio guides geo-play immediately when you are in the vicinity of your points of interest, after you’ve created a route of your travels, of course.
As you are happily traveling your friends can view a live stream of your trip- the locations and tagged pictures. Jealous, much?
- Wakanow
Here’s another way to to research, plan and book a flight from Naija.
Targeted at the frequent-flying Nigerian-USA market, the app allows you to book a flight, hotel reservation, vacation packages and airport pickups options for those without transportation around town. For the business people they offer a nationwide service network with strong resource consolidation abilities and a transparent pricing system through their corporate travel packages.
#Funfact: While on the site, you can quickly brush up on your general travel information and (if you are Nigerian) details on how to apply for a Visa to the their listed major travel destinations.
Now that we all set, there’s nothing to worry about and like they say in Naija, “No wahala!