5 Great Reasons to Travel with your iPhone

Packing for holidays used to be a lot harder. You needed to remember your camera, travel guides, Travel Insurance documents and much more.  Thanks to those clever people at Apple, however, it's a lot easier these days as much of what we used to have to pack can be contained in one nifty device; your iPhone!

Not only does this genius invention help you to stay in touch when you are away, it has a whole range of fab uses! From simple things like setting an alarm to make sure you get your maximum sunshine hours, to organising your holiday snaps, the iPhone is a must-have accessory for any getaway. If you are in any doubt whether to pack your iPhone the next time you take a holiday or road trip then below are just five very good reasons why you shouldn't leave it behind.

1. Camera functionality

Whether it’s zooming in to capture perfect snaps, taking panoramic views of landscapes or taking perfect selfies, the iPhone gives you the ability to do all of this and much more. To be honest, it even does better than many cameras on the market.  The ability to turn the camera around means that you can capture that perfect ‘this is me standing in front of a famous landmark’ photo and make sure your background setting is spot on. Of course, the great thing about using your iPhone as a camera is that it is everything is all in one. The ability to instantly upload your images to social media sites or ping them to friends on snap chat means that there is no delay in sharing your sun-kissed snaps with friends. Plus instant access to Instagram means that even if the weather has let you down, you can brighten up your snaps and no one will ever have to know that you were unlucky enough to encounter grey skies.

2. Connectivity

Remember popping to an internet cafe while abroad or at the airport? If you have only ever travelled in the past 10 years then chances are you don’t. With many airports, hotels and cafes offering complementary or affordable Wi-Fi, if you have an iPhone then the opportunity to stay in touch with friends and family is huge. Whatsapp allows you to send SMS-type messages over an internet connection meaning that there is no charge for international texting. Facetime and Skype mean that you can not only talk but even see the people you are talking to and Snapchat and access to a range of Social media platforms means that you don’t even have to wait until you get home to share that ‘ this is me drinking a cocktail in the sun’ snap with friends and family. The ability to stay connected and brag about your adventures while abroad is bigger than ever thanks to the iPhone.

3. Apps at your fingertips

One of the greatest things about the iPhone isn’t just the iPhone itself, but the huge range of apps available for free download. With so many dedicated to travel, you would be mad not to invest some time in downloading some of the best. WorldMate for example allows you to forward all of your bookings; hotels, flights, transfers and day trips and will produce you an itinerary for the duration of your trip. Foursquare is another great app for travel among many others. Location-based it can help you find out what is in the area in the way of restaurants, bars and attractions and read reviews and tips from those who have visited the destination before. Language translate apps are another must-have for travellers and there is no shortage of these available to iPhone users. Never has it been so easy to find out how to say ‘Can I have the bill’ or ‘Three pints of beer please’ in almost any language.

4. Built-in features

Once again, if you have access to WiFi, then the built-in features of your iPhone can help make your holiday just that little bit easier. The GPS system allows you to pinpoint your location and find directions with ease which is great for locating that holiday bar that your friends recommended. Finding transport links, directions and journey time is a huge asset when trying to work out how to get around and what mode of transport to take. Those with ios7 can benefit even more. For example, the new photo moments allow you to build collections of photos taken at specific locations on specific dates. This is a great feature when taking holiday snaps as it organises your pictures depending on location across the globe. If you are visiting a variety of hotspots throughout your trip then the moment's function can organise these depending on your location and date, which makes sharing photos even easier and far more fun.

5. Entertainment

Long flights and transfers are boring and it’s a good idea to pack something to play music on, play games on, sort out your personal admin on... or wait, you could just use your iPhone! If you have access to the internet at airports or on the road then the entertainment options expand even further. A long train journey is bound to go a little quicker with access to your favourite blog or with the ability to watch epic fail or cute animal videos on YouTube, and let’s face it, Angry Birds and Candy crush sage were practically invented to get you through painfully boring journeys.

Of course, it can be a daunting experience taking something as expensive and precious as your iPhone abroad and it is easy to be protective of your iPhone when on holiday. That's why Gadget Insurance exists so that you can have peace of mind. If your Insurance provider doesn’t cover you outside of the UK however it can be a risky option, so make sure you pick one wisely. Luckily Protect Your Bubble covers you abroad for up to 90 days, so you can enjoy your holiday and use of your iPhone abroad with peace of mind. Arguably that actually makes 6 good reasons to pack your iPhone!