iPhone apps can help in planning a travel

New York: The iPhone can help a traveler to have the best experience by using the apps from the App Store. Among them are HearPlanet costing $4.99 - billed as an 'Audio guide to the world'- offers text and recorded commentary for about 250,000 points of interest worldwide including tourist attractions and landmarks.

Want to know where to hike on your next trip? AccuTerra from Denver-based Intermap Technologies provides hiking, biking and snowmobile maps for the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii, including wildlife refuges and most national. The app is free, but the maps themselves are 99 cents to $4.99. If you want to eliminate roaming charges, Skype and Truphone offer free apps for making cheap international calls over Wi-Fi, rates start at pennies per minute.

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SitOrSquat (free) shows nearby restrooms in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia with detailed directions on how to find the toilet, star ratings and pictures uploaded by users. Consider downloading Disney World Wait Times (99 cents) to cut down on the time in line at Walt Disney World. The app gauges wait times for popular rides based on input from other users, reports New York Times.

There are several gas station finder apps that help users find cheap gas while on the road, many of which are free. Gas Buddy ($2.99) is perhaps the most robust, with a clean design, estimated drive times and a list of gas station services like car wash, automated teller machine (ATM) or food mart. Trapster (free) alerts drivers to approaching police officers, red-light cameras and speed traps to help heavy-footed drivers avoid tickets. Bionic Eye (99 cents), specifically developed for the iPhone 3GS, uses the iPhone's camera to offer a snapshot of the cityscape overlaid with signs of restaurants, hotels, subway lines and other icons to show where things are.

Several travel sites including Kayak, Travelocity and Hotels.com have developed free apps designed for travellers booking flight or hotel reservations on the go, which can be helpful if the user is stranded at the airport and need a room for the night. The iPhone's worth as a travel companion is perhaps no greater than when put to use on a long plane ride to entertain a restless child. The memory game AniMatch (99 cents) and the Peekaboo Barn ($1.99) guessing game are good for toddlers. No need to pack the crayons with Colorama (99 cents), a virtual colouring book, and if you're feeling nostalgic, there is Skee-Ball (99 cents), a virtual take on the traditional boardwalk game, perfect for killing time during those mind-numbing flight delays.