As Europe heads into high holiday season, we have been thinking about how to take the stress out of the break. Vacations are the one time of year when we’re supposed to kick back and relax, yet juggling the vacation itinerary and travel arrangements often takes away most of the pleasure. suggestions for using technology to make the most from your time off: Download Google Now -- Google’s ‘personal assistant’ software aims to provide you with just the right information at just the right time. When traveling abroad, Google Now will show you the time back home, provide one-touch access to translation between more than 60 languages, and a handy currency converter. If you've got an Android phone, such as a Nexus 4, HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S3, you can activate Google Now by swiping up from the home screen. If you have an iOS device, download the Google Search App and switch on Google Now.Enjoy a digital guidebook : Unlike printed books, digital guidebooks and dedicated travel apps can be updated on a daily basis to reflect the latest hot hangout or place to see and be seen. And, thanks to the latest generation of smartphones and tablets, it’s easier than ever to arm yourself with a ton of useful digital travel apps and guides that you can dip into when abroad. Feel free to buy books from Amazon’s Kindle store and read them on your Android device or take a look here at the travel section on Google Play. Bring a tablet : smartphones and tablets are modern day Swiss army knives for the savvy traveller -- providing everything from destination guides to local maps, from translations and currency conversions at the touch of a button to all the entertainment you could ever need for a long haul flight. Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is small enough to slip in a handbag. Load it up with all your favourite music, download a selection of holiday reading from the Google Play store, and rent a couple of movies for the journey.Capture your road trip journey : Make your home videos pop with the YouTube Capture App. Shoot, enhance, and share. Who knows? You may discover a hidden talent.Try out voice search : Want to know how tall the Eiffel Tower is, or when the Coliseum was built? No need to type in a query. Just hit the microphone icon on the Google search bar, speak your query into the phone, and Google will read back the answer (324 meters and 70 AD, in case you’re wondering). You can ask Google to find the nearest petrol station, tell you how far you are from a popular tourist attraction, find good nearby restaurants or have phrase translated and read aloud. Indoor Maps : Google Maps are a great resource for travelers. We now even have indoor maps for museums, airports and other places of interest. Posted by Gareth Evans, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, London
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