New Travel App for Visitors to Peru

Upon flying into Jorge Chávez airport in Lima, you might notice an iPerú app stand. What's that about? Mincetur (Peru's Tourism and Foreign Commerce Ministry) is promoting a new mobile app intended to provide greater safety for travelers and locals; travelers can download the app at the stand or from a QR code.

Once the app is activated, travelers can be monitored on public safety monitors and an integrated communication system. Taxi license plate numbers can be quickly recorded and sent to security forces in the event of distress. Traveler's also receive information about area attractions and safety information such as emergency telephones numbers.

Thus far, this is considered a pilot program only applying to the 12 districts of Lima and Callao, with the participation of the regional government, security services, and other local officials. If it works well, this service will expand throughout Peru, allowing visitors who are unfamiliar with the area to travel with more ease and peace of mind.

Data On-Off: Don't be one of those travelers who rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected bills simply because their phones continued automatically browsing the internet and receiving emails abroad (at much higher international rates). By placing it on your home screen before traveling, you can turn your data plan off and on at the touch of a button, without having to navigate multiple menus.

Word Lens by Quest Visual: Worried that your Spanish won't be up to the task for your trip. Find out what that restaurant menu, museum placard, or ominous sign is saying by simply pointing your phone at it, tapping a button, and getting an instant translation. An internet connection is not required once the download is complete. This app is free, but language packs cost ten dollars.

TripIt: Keep all of your information organized with this mobile app, which extracts your trip details from your emails, collecting flight and hotel confirmation numbers, rental car information, restaurant reservations, etc.

Tourist Eye: This is a crowd-sourced travel guide alternative with information about the tourist attractions, restaurants, parks, museums, and other destinations in more than 10,000 cities. It integrates Foursquare community tips, sending personalized recommendations and ideas based on your travel preferences. One advantage of Tourist Eye is that you can access texts, maps and photos of your trip without an internet connection if you download the information before leaving home.

iFareFinder: This app searches the major booking sites (Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, etc.) for airfare and then directs you to the seller in order to make a reservation.

TomTom: The TomTom app turns your mobile phone into a GPS device in order to help you navigating around town.