iPhone and the City: The Best Apps to Help You Avoid Looking like a Tourist

Picture the cliché tourist. A glaze of confusion on her face as she stares at a map, looking up and down the street for a recognizable landmark. If you’re really unoriginal, they have a camera around their neck and an atrocious outfit on, only made worse by the clunky pair of tennis shoes. In any case, you pity her. It’s almost embarrassing to be so clearly out of place. Well, fear no more. There’s an app for that.

Mobile Internet devices have revolutionized the way we travel. No longer are we subject to bulky maps, heavy restaurant guides, or your friend’s recommendation “from when he went there ten years ago.” The iPhone can be all of these things and more—a helpful packing list, a guide through foreign airports and even the tour guide at a museum. So here they are—the best apps to make you a local anywhere you travel.

Packing List: Ever left the toothpaste at home? The cell phone charger on the floor of the hotel room? Those days may be over. With Packing List, you can either create your own checklist or use a pre-made packing list (which can be edited) to keep track of your belongings.

TripIt: Flight confirmation. Hotel confirmation. Tour confirmation. The list is endless. Well, now it can be stored in the palm of your hand. Just forward all confirmation e-mails for trip plans to plans@tripit.com and the app will build an itinerary for you and load it to your phone.

My Flight Info: With information from over 5000 airports and 1000 airlines, My Flight Info is not short on just that—info. The app updates you on delays, weather conditions, ticket information and arrival times.

MobileNavigator: Navigon’s newest version of this app turns your iPhone into a turn-by-turn navigation system, complete with 3D maps and step-by-step directions. Users have complained that the system runs a little on the slower side, especially in fast-moving cars, but the app still earned 4 out of 5 stars in the iTunes store. For more information, see Mashable's article on MobileNavigator.

AroundMe: The name should explain it all. The app allows you to find out exactly what you’re near, from hotels to gas stations to drug stores. Using your phone’s camera and GPS, your phone recognizes your location and superimposes distances over the image on your camera. Customer reviews are consistently good. Some even called it the most useful app you can have.

HearPlanet: Audio guide to over 250,000 locations across the globe. Check. Interactive maps. Check. HearPlanet was described by National Geographic as “a tour guide in your pocket.” The information about attractions is consistently updated and the app also features Geolocation, a tool that helps you identify nearby landmarks.

For more information on useful (and sometimes ridiculous) travel apps, see the following sites for their recommendations on the best apps for traveling:

Travel and Leisure

The Seattle Examiner

National Geographic

Photo obtained from http://wp.appadvice.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/01/aroundme_augmented.png in public domain