Planning on combining your love of travel and all things iPhone? Not surprisingly, the iPhone has emerged as a useful tool for nearly all of life’s situations. Jampacked with functionality, your iPhone could be your new resource as your travel both domestically and abroad. We’ve spent time reviewing Apple’s current travel apps and , mixing their rating system with our thumb in the air tactics, we’ve compiled a list of the best apps for specific travel scenarios.

Here’s how we’ve broken down the list of best iPhone travel apps:

1. Good for All Travelers
2. International Travel: Free
3. International Travel: Paid
4. Business Travel: Free
5. Business Travel: Paid

How can you get these apps? Click on the link below and you’ll be brought to the apps home page on the Apple Store. From there, it’s all up to you!

Good for All Travelers

1. Mass Transit/Subway Apps (Ex. iBart: San Francisco Maps – FREE)
2. UrbanSpoon: Ideal for finding local restaurants by numerous genrese
3. Wi-Fi Finder: Great for connecting to the net wherever you are
4. Taxi: Use this app to find the local taxi service instantly
5. Where: This service combines maps with the local service you’re looking for

International Travel: Free

1. Language Translator, by Piet Jonas: Great for translating foreign text on the fly
2. Currency Converter: The best tool for figuring how much you’re actually paying
3. Flight Sites: Quick access to flight information you need yesterday
4. iRail European Rail Timetables: Great for travelers seeing Europe by train
5. Geopedia: Offering travelers a listing of local must-see-locations

International Travel: Paid

1. World Customs: The source for local culture and customs where you may travel
2. International Dialing Codes – The best option for quickly finding out international area codes
3. Local Radio Finder: There’s no better way to find out what’s popular on the radio with the locals
4. Lonely Planet Phrasebooks: This line of apps is custom-created for each country of the world
5. World View Live: Tap into the public webcams of your favorite cities from afar

Business Travel: Free

1. Remote Desktop Lite: Run your Windows XP Professional apps like you’re in your office
2. MileBug - Track your miles for your travel receipts
3. mBox Fax & Voice - Receive your calls as faxes and/or emails while on the road
4. Trapster - Avoid speed traps using this cool little app
5. Cheap Gas – Find the cheapest gas wherever you are

Business Travel: Paid

1. Tipulator: Painlessly calculate tips in large or intimate groups
2. Flight Track: A step up from free services, get live info on flights, departures and delays
3. Local East: Only $1, there’s no better way to quickly find food in your new surroundings
4. Speak Easy Voice Recorder:
   
5. Zagat To Go ‘09: When you’re looking for a nice client dinner, this is the resource to use

A few that we just love for fun and entertainment:

1. Alpine Ski Trail Maps: What’s not to love about having any ski terrain map a finger click away?
2. Finger Football: The old classic brought to the iPhone

Is there an iPhone app that you think should be on this list? Drop a comment and we’ll review it and let you know if it should be added to the list. This list is organic and our aim is to keep it up-to-date with the most current apps.

Traveling soon and planning on bringing a travel book to reference local sites and accommodations?

As you prepare to spend time away from home, there’s a good chance you’re packing a travel book. For some a requirement, for others a rarely-used luxury, travel books are usually last minute thoughts thrown into your luggage with little regard for how it will be used during your travels.

From our experience, preparing your book for frequent use and convenient access will make your travelling much easier.

As you prepare to pack your travel book, whether it’s Let’s Go, Frommers, or Lonely Planet, you need to focus on protecting the outer cover and, if you’re looking to make your book the McGyver book of the travel world, adding some security and quick-access features. Here’s how you can get started:

Required Items:

• Your Travel Book
• A roll of duct tape
• Thick rubber band, or 3-5 thin rubberbands
• Optional: carabeener

With the items above, you’re ready to start creating the ultimate travel book. As we’ve learned on travels through 40+ countries, the frequent use of travel books can quickly shorten the life of your most valued reference resource. Using the downloadable instructions below, make sure you don’t find yourself in a foreign country lost and wishing you had taken 10-minutes to prepare before your travels!

Download the Instructions for Protecting Your Travel Book>>

(The file is a print-ready 8.5×11″ .pdf so you can easily print it out on your home printer.)

Looking for ways to save money before you start travelling?

If your plan is to stay in a hostel, or any other accommodations that frequently require your own bed linens, then you’re most likely looking for a travel sheet.

You know a lot of the brands out there – Cocoon, Rick Steves, and others – but the truth is that there’s no reason to buy a travel sheet. Why spend $20, $40, $60 on what is essentially a bed sheet folded and sewed? With that mentality, we decided to make our own travel sheets before a trip across Eastern Europe.

Required Items:

• Bed Sheet, used or new, at least a double in size, but ideally a queen sheet
• Sewing machine

Which type of  bed sheet cloth is the best?

We recommend using flannel sheets. Thick, durable and warm, the flannel bed sheet is ideal for long hauls and frequent use.

Download the Instructions for Creating Your Own Travel Sheet>>

(The file is a print-ready 8.5×11″ .pdf so you can easily print it out on your home printer.)