Why a Smart Phone Makes an Excellent Travel Companion

Traveling with a Smartphone

Traditionally when people travel, they take a map, a laptop, a phone, a camera, an mp3 player and even video cameras. You might think that these items travel light, but these items require you to have an extra bag. That is, unless you can fit it all into your main pack! Rummaging through your main pack to find your camera or mp3 player isn’t really the best system when on you’re on the road.

Find out what we packed on our around the world trip.

Today’s new smartphones include just about everything you need to successfully travel with the exception of clothing, shoes, and sunscreen of course! Some of the biggest perks to using a smart phone as your travel companion include the following:

Digital Cameras

Having a camera is an integral part of any vacation. Most travelers want to snap memories of the new places and people they come across so that they can relive the memories later or share them with friends and family members when they return. However, digital cameras can sometimes be expensive, and they are often at risk of being easily damaged. Instead of purchasing a brand new camera, consider upgrading your current phone to a smart phone such as the HTC Sensation 4G or the 4G Android Phone Samsung Exhibit. Both of these phones have great 8MP cameras and most smartphone cameras anymore perform just as well as other camera-only devices. Those are just two examples of course. There are trillions of smart phones on the market now. The most popular smart phone with world travelers at this point is quite obviously the iPhone.

If you don’t want to rely on using your phone as your primary camera, check out this article I wrote titled “The Best Cameras for Travel“

Video Cameras

No need to buy a camcorder if you own a smart phone. Many new models come equipped with 1080p HDMI camcorders, and you are able to shoot and edit the film right from your phone alleviating the burden of uploading it to your computer to edit. What a time saver! From your phone you can then easily upload the footage to YouTube or Facebook so family and friends can view what you are up to, or watch it from your flatscreen TV when you return home. There are also many cameras on the market now that shoot 720P which is probably sufficient for what most people plan on using it for.

GPS Systems

Why tote around a map when your phone’s GPS will look up the destination for you? Most smart phone GPS systems can pinpoint your exact location and are able to lead you out of wherever you may be – even if you are roaming around a state park or other, more remote area. Google Maps and Navigator are just a couple of the several apps offered by smart phones and they are fully capable of keeping you on the right track no matter where you are.

Virtual Moleskine

No need to take that moleskine along with you this time around. Now that you’re traveling with a smart phone you’ve got yourself a virtual notepad! You can take notes about your trip or even use the built in voice recorder to jot down your memories while you’re on the road. Once you’re finished you can email it to yourself with a click of a button. How handy is that!?

MP3 Players

MP3 Players go out the window once you have a smart phone. Not only will you have a built in mp3 player on your phone, but you’ll also have the ability to stream music from the internet depending on your data plan. One thing to remember is to be sure you have a sufficient amount of data on your plan or else you’ll come home to a giant bill for data overages!

Place Locators

Traveling is a great way to experience new things, but if you don’t know an area very well, you may be forced to go to only touristy spots due to your lacking knowledge. With a smart phone, however, you can simply enter in whatever you are interested in, and in seconds, find new restaurants, shops, and attractions to visit which can make your visit far more authentic and enjoyable.

Do you travel with a Smart Phone? If so, which one? Weigh in by leaving a comment below!