There seems to be an app for every single thing you can think of these days, frankly, sometimes it’s a bit of overkill. It’s probably not strictly necessary to use an app to do everything from cooking to planning your night’s entertainment. But a time when apps come in incredibly useful for everyone is when they’re off on holiday. The convenience of having GPS on your phone when you’re in an unfamiliar place is magical. Being able to find nearby restaurants or tourist attractions when you don’t speak the language is fantastic. In short, there are so many reasons to love your beloved iPhone even more when you take it with you on a summer holiday. In fact, the app joy can start before you even get there. You can find out about cheap flights and book them using an app or at least via a website on your mobile. A little bit of research into cheap online flights goes a long way to helping you save money on the boring bits so you can spend it on the fun bits while you’re actually there. For example, cheap and cheerful flights to Alicante from East Midlands airport are easily searchable and bookable with just a few clicks. Then you can get on with finding apps that will do all the good stuff. We’ve come up with five invaluable iPhone apps for you to help you get the most out of your holiday.

PACKING (+ TO DO)

One of the worst parts about going away is trying to decide what the hell to take with you. Even if it’s just a couple of days away the decisions can be difficult and procrastination is likely to occur.

This app will be your best friend as you can create lists and check it all off as it’s packed. It also allows you to access templates to give you a clue on exactly what you should be taking for two weeks in Spain or a weekend in London. It’s like a little bit of calm in your pocket.

PANO

This is a beautiful app that helps you take photographs that will stun, surprise and delight your friends. Not to mention make them jealous. Obviously you’ll be taking tonnes of photos during your adventures and Pano allows even the most useless photographer to shoot panorama shots using up to 16 photos. You just need to point it and follow the instructions. Gorgeous.

HOTELPAL

Most of the time you’ll have booked ahead but sometimes you might be living life on the edge a little and rolling with the punches. Sometimes circumstances mean you just haven’t been able to sort out any accommodation. This app uses GPS to show you the nearest hotels and you can even see rates, pictures, lists of amenities, basically everything you could need to know before choosing a hotel. Simple.

FLIGHT TRACKER

Whether your flight has been delayed or you are waiting for someone to arrive, it’s really annoying not to know what’s going on with the expected flight. This app gives you all the info you need including real time information regarding departures, arrivals, delays and gate numbers.

XE CURRENCY

This app is perfect for helping you not get ripped off when it comes to exchanging cash. It converts money from all over the globe and will tell you how much you should receive before fees are taken. It automatically updates exchange rates as information comes out so you will always have the most up to date rates.