By now you’ve probably seen the ads for Apple’s iPhone, the ones that end with, “There’s an app for that.” While there are apps for finding local restaurants and processing credit cards, you may be surprised that there also are numerous apps appropriate for missionary, ministry and humanitarian travelers.
Yes, there are apps that can make your next trip better—and even save your life.
Apps—short for “applications”–are programs that run on your mobile phone, just like software that runs on your desktop computer. Apple has introduced more than 100,000 of them since 2008, according to recent reports.
Although the iPhone, along with Apple’s new iPad, have been getting all the “app” attention, there are thousands of apps for other phones as well. Chances are if you have a newer mobile phone, especially those capable of Internet access, there are apps for it also.
One of the largest marketplaces for non-apple apps is www.GetJar.com. The site has more than 50,000 applications for 2,100 different devices. Best of all—GetJar’s apps are all free to download.
Apps for Apple products can be access through the iTunes software (free download from Apple) or through the device itself. Many of Apple’s apps are also either free or they have minimal costs (under $5).
Ministry Travel has waded through the sea of apps to find those we feel will make our client’s travels better. In our next few blog posts we will introduce you to some of these. We’ll show you apps for handling finances abroad, keeping safe, managing teams, communicating cross-culturally and more.
Stay tuned—there’s an app for that!