Having worked in web and app development for the last 25 years, I’m always keen to try out new technologies and apply them to different or challenging scenarios. Travelling a fair bit over the last decade, I’m always testing travel apps and, in particular, the best ski snowboard travel apps.

The best travel apps

I normally spend the summers traveling through Europe which has given me the chance to test out a range of travel and photo apps. In my experience, some of these have become utterly indispensable while others have proven themselves frankly useless. Note – the list below isn’t necessarily just limited to ski / snowboard apps – although all these applications will make your winter trip easier. Also, we’re currently developing the iRide app which will become your one-stop-solution for your winter trips. More info on this soon. Anyways, without further ado, below is my selection of the best travel apps, for any type of foreign trip.

iRide app – coming soon

We’re currently developing the iRide ski / snowboard app (video above) that will become your one-stop-solution for your winter trips. The app is scheduled for release through 2024 with the full version expected in Q4. iRide will be the most comprehensive ski and snowboard app available with a host of useful functions all gathered into one clean, easy-to-use interface.

Solve language issues – Google Translate

Top of the pile of travel apps has to be Google Translate. From Turkey to Greece to France and beyond, this was by far my most-used app – incredibly useful for all manner of situations.

Google Translate is available on both Android and iOS. It supports more than 100 languages and can translate 37 of them via the photo command (really handy for menus, instructions, directions, etc). It can translate 32 languages via voice in its “conversation mode” and can even interpret via real-time video in “augmented reality mode”. Google Translate proved to be an absolute lifesaver in so many situations – from explaining I had a cotton bud stuck in my ear at a local hospital in Antalya (don’t ask – a very embarrassing, stupid accident) to booking bus tickets. I used it for everything from translating menus and ordering food to watching local TV news and translating the headlines. One minor (and I mean tiny) criticism would be the app doesn’t deal particularly well with long sentences or idioms – but keep things brief and it does an incredibly good and accurate job at translations.

If you install only one app before you go travelling, make it this one. Unless you’re skilled enough to consider yourself a polyglot, Google Translate will likely end up your go-to solution for almost all challenging language situations. It sure beats that age-old tactic of speaking louder and more slowly in the misguided hope that English will become easier to understand for a non-English speaker. Btw – young people – that was last century’s version of Google Translate.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

Never get lost again – Google Maps

Another stalwart offering from Google and definitely one to have in your quiver of apps, GoogleMaps is beyond useful for so many situations. I mean, if you’re lost, it’s obviously very useful for getting your bearings but dig a little deeper into Google Maps and you’ll find there’s a wealth of other ways it can be used to make your life – and your trip – easier. Google Maps can be incredibly useful if you’re driving to La Plagne and will help plan your route – plus show you areas of congestion. It will also let you choose between taking toll or non-toll roads.

First up let’s look at the really obvious things – like opening Google Maps when you arrive in a foreign city or ski resort to find your way to your hotel. Just type the name or address of where you’re going, let Maps find your location then hit directions. GoogleMaps will scour its database of walking, driving and transit routes giving you the best options. And, as mentioned, if you’re truly lost, a quick tap on the app will soon let you see exactly where you are. Again, use directions to get yourself back on track.

But really, GoogleMaps has much more going on under the hood. Say you’ve arrived in a foreign city – Athens for example. You’ve probably got an idea of some of the things you want to see in the city (Parthenon, National Archaeological Museum, etc) but you likely don’t have a clue where they are. Open Maps, type in the first location then hit the ellipsis in the top right of your screen. In the dropdown, you’ll see ‘add stop’. Tap this and you’ll be able to add up to ten other locations you want to visit – and let the app plan a route between them.

Try taking that idea a little further by having a look at one of the many online travel guide sites online to get even more ideas (for example, search “Things to do in Athens”). You can then note down the places you want to go and drop them one by one into Google Maps to make a route. If you find yourself doubling back on yourself, simply shift the locations around until you have a logical one-way route between them all. In my opinion, this is one of the very best ways to see a city – with your own personal guide giving you directions from location to location. If you’re traveling alone, this works great with headphones and means you can still listen to your favourite tunes, with Google Maps prompting directions when needed. You’ll see far more than you ever would on a bus trip. Oh, and afterwards, don’t forget to check your timeline to see the route you walked and the places you visited. An automatic log of your trip with zero effort required on your part.

And one last thing that’s incredibly useful: the minute you arrive at your accommodation, log your hotel into ‘my places’ in the app. It’s really easy to forget a hotel name (or where it is) in the excitement of arriving and wanting to get out exploring. The ‘my places’ function is also really handy for logging favourite restaurants, bars, etc. I still have a tiny Chinese takeaway which is hidden away on a backstreet in Madrid, logged in my places – meaning I can go back each time I’m in the city. Lastly, yes, I’m aware Apple has its own maps app – but, in my opinion, it’s rubbish in comparison to GMaps and can be really inaccurate.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

See La Plagne in 3D – Google Earth

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When Larry Page and Sergey Brin first started Google back in 1998 in California, the world really did seem a much bigger place. New technologies have since shrunk it to the point we have access to almost any point on the planet, all on your mobile.

Google Earth is yet another of Google’s (at the time) hugely ambitious projects that we all now just take for granted. Really, we should be in awe more at the ability to see anywhere in the world with just a few taps on a handset. As the years have progressed, so has Earth’s skillset – to the point it now includes major global landmarks in stunning 3D detail. And this all became possible because of some very clever computer engineers – and you. Google’s data scientists managed to extrapolate data from photos taken at major destinations, break it down, drag the GPS data and then ‘rebuild’ the photos into the stunning 3D models you see in the app today. Obviously, actually being there is better – but Earth allows you to see the world in a whole new way – and in stunningly high detail too.

If you want to really explore the massive Paradiski domain, you should use Google Earth. With hours of patience, some clever software and Google Earth we used the system to build the Les Arcs / La Plagne flythough video above.

Get the app (Android): http://tiny.cc/m26bhz
Get the app (iOS): http://tiny.cc/o16bhz

Plan your routes – Fatmap

Fatmap is a work of genius. The developers have successfully mapped and recreated the world’s greatest ski areas and mountains to produce a best-in-class mapping system aimed at outdoor types. The attention to detail in this app is staggering – though, it must be said, the interface probably works better on laptop/desktop. Still, if you’re out on the hill in any capacity, load up your location to get a massively detailed look at the terrain around you. You can even plan and save routes for later. Beyond impressive. Better yet, Fatmap was recently acquired by tracking specialist company, Strava, which has helped improve the already excellent service.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

See all travel options – Rome2Rio

The Rome2Rio app fills the blanks left by GoogleMaps. While GMaps is great as a mapping application, it lacks true intelligence when it comes to actually planning how you’re going to make your journey. Step up Rome2Rio with its vast database of transit options around the planet.

The app was founded by Bernhard Tschirren and Dr Michael Cameron, two ex-Microsoft software engineers. The concept came from their frustration at the lack of a fast, easy-to-use, comprehensive multi-modal search engines with global coverage. And so Rome2Rio was borne.

Rome2Rio should be your first port of call when planning longer, inter-city or inter-country journeys. It’s a fantastic way of working out how to get from A to B to C and beyond, showing all the available transit options. R2R is probably best used in tandem with the desktop site so you can really see the maps clearly but, once you’ve got your route planned, you can dump it over to your phone so you always have it with you.

So, for example, say you’re arriving in Lyon for your La Plagne ski holiday. Jump into the R2R app to see all the available train, bus and car routes.

Again, one minor criticism is its data can be a little inaccurate in more obscure locations – and the booking function is often inaccurate (although this has improved greatly in recent years) – but R2R always offers links out to supplier sites anyway where you can properly check details. The route planner is also an awesome function allowing you to set multiple destinations and then choose the best mode of transport between each. Personally, I use this to outline the major parts of a trip, then drill down into the detail on the supplier apps/sites.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

La Plagne accommodation – Booking.com

We already work with booking.com to provide the largest range of accommodation in La Plagne to suit all budgets. However, it’s also a handy app to have on your mobile.

There are so many accommodation apps available these days (and most are already household names) that you, like most people, will likely have your favoured app/site already. For me, I mostly use Booking.com as their service is pretty much unrivalled. Personally, if I’m on the go or on a snowboard trip, I don’t really care where I sleep as I’m only there for a few hours a day anyway. A bed is a bed after all. In this respect, Booking.com’s array of hostels and cheaper hotels is ideal with options for shared dorms, private rooms with shared bathroom or even en-suite rooms (less common). It all depends what you’re looking for I guess but, for me anyway, accommodation is just a necessary evil draining funds I’d rather use on other things. We have dedicated Booking.com forms on all pages of La Plagne 360 to make searching for your next La Plagne ski holiday easier and quicker.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

Messaging Apps – WhatsApp

If you’re abroad and want to avoid massive phone bills and roaming charges, the only way to stay in touch is with a messaging app. While there are many pretenders to the throne, the most popular remain WhatsApp and FB Messenger. Of the two, WhatsApp definitely rules supreme across Europe. In my experience, many Europeans shun FB’s social aspects, instead preferring the privacy of WhatsApp (you’ll tend to find this also applies to ski resort hotels, taxi and La Plagne transfer companies. Both apps offer good messaging, voice and video calls over IP – saving on phone costs. For most people, the one you use most will probably be dictated by how many contacts you have on either platform.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

Cheap rides – BlaBlaCar

BlaBlaCar is another app model which has numerous competitors but, for my money anyway, remains vastly superior to all other rivals. BlaBla is a carpooling app that allows you to input your start location and end destination to find drivers going your direction. Once you find a ride, you arrange a pick-up point and contribute towards their petrol costs. The company bans drivers (suppliers, if you like) from taking an excessive mark-up – they’re only allowed to charge a sensible rate for the distance they’re covering. This means you can cover serious miles for a fraction of the cost of public transport. It also means you can get to more obscure locations – places not normally covered by the main transit links. Drivers and passengers are rated so you know you’re in the company of good, trustworthy people. I personally used this app to take a direct route from Chamonix to Albertville over a small mountain pass – a route that takes about a quarter of the time compared to going round towards Geneva (and came to about a twentieth of the cost). Note, other apps like Lyft also exist but don’t seem to have nearly the same number of subscribed users.

Website link – https://sovrn.co/152x8hp
Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

See your ride – Relive

If you use a tracking app while you’re riding, it’s possible to extrapolate the GPS data and drop it into Relive which will transform your route into an engaging 3D animation, similar to those used in Tour de France. This can be a fun and immersive way to show others your skiing / snowboarding.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

The official Paradiski app – Yuge

Yuge is the official app of Les Arcs La Plagne Paradiski and lets you see live data from around the resort. Many of the functions are already included on the La Plagne 360 site – with the exception of the tracker function which can prove handy if you haven’t already installed an alternative. Other useful functions include live conditions reports, anticipated queue times and itineraries based on your level of riding. This app used to be very temperamental and buggy but has improved over the last few years.

Get the app (Android)
Get the app (iOS)

La Plagne video guides

Please remember to check the iRide YouTube channel for extensive La Plagne videos showing everything from resort life to activities and conditions you can expect through the year in the resort. La Plagne guide team that developed LaPlagne360 also produced these edits. Also, check this page for information on the developers of the La Plagne 360 guide website.