Top 15 iPhone Travel Apps

The Recorder enabled me to capture unforgettable sounds on a trip to South Africa. On safari in the bush, our Afrikaans-accented game ranger described tracking an elusive female leopard, and the iPhone picked up his hushed narrative as we waited for her to emerge. I also used this app in Cape Town a few days later, recording a group of kids singing on the street. (And when I travel without my husband, I can always replay him saying, "I love you.") NOTE: The iPhone software update includes a free recorder. I still like this one better.

I don't like getting caught in the dark when I travel, and this free iPhone app (we like free apps!) helps to prevent that. Its default turns the entire screen a bright white (or other color you choose), which you can dim by sliding your finger across the screen. It's especially helpful when you need to read a map at night (or find something buried deep within your luggage).

A blessing for the math-impaired, this easy-to-use iPhone currency converter is one of those apps that also can save you money: It only updates when you tell it to -- rather than automatically pulling in fresh data, which can get very expensive when you travel overseas. (Read more about How and Where to Exchange Currency.)

A handy way to bring along important computer files without lugging your computer when you travel. This iPhone app launches on your desktop, and you can then drag the files that you need onto it. It's compatible with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as PDF files, and accesses them in read-only format.

Anyone who's been in a strange place and needed to find a bathroom will consider this app for the iPhone a godsend. It uses the built-in GPS to locate the nearest lavatory. User reviews help it to grow, so after downloading do what you can to add to the info base.

This isn't a single app -- it's a company that publishes more than 100 travel-guide apps (and that number is growing, thanks to Apple promoting many on its "New & Noteworthy" page). Whether you want to find the best locations to shoot in San Francisco (that would be Lee Foster's San Francisco Travel Photo Guide, $1.99) or the most bountiful stores and markets in London (that would be my colleague Ferne Arfin's London Shophound, $1.99) — Sutro has it covered with apps that include brief descriptions of the attractions, photos and slide shows, phone numbers and addresses, Google maps to get you there, and more to enrich your travels.

This travel app for the iPhone enables a user to track flights around the world. Want to know what gate your flight will be leaving from and the type of aircraft? You also get ETA info on arrivals, takeoffs, and landings as well as flight delays, cancellations, and more.

When you use your iPhone outside of the country without enabling additional data roaming services through your carrier, you are at risk for incurring steep additional charges. To avoid this, go to Fetch New Data in Settings. Slide Push to the off position and select Fetch Manually. Be vigilant about only accessing your email when you are in a free wi-fi zone, which this app can help you to find.

Keep up with your Facebook friends when you travel. This iPhone app makes it easy to read their status updates, get phone numbers for contacts who may not be in your address book, and upload photos showing where you are and where you've been.

Hungry in an unfamiliar city? Urban Spoon can help you to find a restaurant that matches your taste and budget in some 50 cities. By clicking the image of the lock for two out of three parameters -- location, type of restaurant, or price -- you can quickly find a suitable place to eat.