Credit: Flickr user John Karakatsanis

This article is from Thrillist Nation


City Maps2Go (iPhone / Android)
What it does: Lets you download a detailed map of any city, which you can then view without cell service or WiFi. Perfect for checking while you’re on the subway or in a dead zone.

Related: Simple Tricks To Beat Jet Lag

What makes it great: The premium version allows you to download relevant Wiki articles to read whilst you tour, populating your map with tidbits of local information.

Related: The World’s Best Airport Cafes

PackPoint (Android)
What it does: Creates a custom packing list according to your destination, length of stay, and the activities you’ll be taking part in. NOTE: “Awkward small talk at youth hostel” isn’t recognized as an activity by the app. Yet.

What makes it great: PackPoint also factors in the projected weather forecast when tailoring your list. It’ll even adjust quantities of socks, drawers, and other basic items based on your willingness to repeat wearing, or potential access to laundry facilities.

Duolingo (iPhone / Android)
What it does: Teaches you a foreign language (Italian, Spanish, French, German, and now Portuguese) at your own pace. You can bypass what you already know and hone in on your trouble spots, or just start from the beginning. As you’re a few years away from 9th grade French, you’ll probably want to start from the beginning.

What makes it great: It adds a social gaming element to learning a language, ranking you and your friends by how many “experience points” you’ve earned. Each translation has a comment section as well, giving you context as to why your answer was wrong, or why a snake would be in a newspaper in the first place.

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