Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

First things first. I did not bring a laptop on the race, I opted for an Ipod touch instead and its been wonderful! I’m also the team treasurer. They’ll tell you to bring a laptop, you don’t need one…personally I think it’s just too much extra weight (unless you are really into video making/tech stuff). Just make sure someone on your team has one you can borrow, or in all reality you can just go to an internet cafe and update your spreadsheet on a computer there, just make sure you have a USB.

Having an Ipod touch as my only electronic, I did a plethora of research pre-race to download the most useful of apps, and now I’m compiling the list for you other travelers, and/or people who just like apps! If you don’t have an apple device, a lot of these apps have android versions as well.

I’ll list them according to preference in categories of ‘Really Great’, ‘Neat to Have’, and ‘Cool, but Don’t Need’. And, ‘Great for Musicians’. ALL APPS are FREE unless otherwise mentioned. 

If you have an Apple device, the apps that come with it are awesome, I won’t go into specifics for that reason:

  1. Messages
  2. Mail
  3. Notes
  4. Reminders
  5. Calendar
  6. Calculator
  7. Contacts
  8. Camera
  9. Clock
  10. Weather
  11. Photos
  12. App Store
  13. iTunes
  14. Safari
  15. Music
  16. FaceTime

Really Great:

  1. SpanishDict- a MUST HAVE if you’re on the Spanish Route, or even if you’re just going to some Spanish Countries.  Check for Dictionary apps in languages where you’re going.
  2. Kindle- can download books to read, and if your library has an app you can easily checkout ebooks and have them sent to your kindle app for FREE.
    1. Also, if your library uses OverDrive there’s an app for that to check out books.
  3. Schwab- GET a Schwab card, NO ATM FEES worldwide! It’s been a lifesaver on the Race, and then get the app to check your account and transfer money from any other banking accounts you may have. 
  4. Box- GET THIS. Because…if you set up an account, you can upload all of your pictures from your device when you have wifi and they will be saved in ‘the cloud’ and you can access them on any device anytime there’s internet. Then if your device is lost or stolen, you still have all your pics of cool things you’ve done across the globe/people you’ve met, and don’t have to carry an external hard drive!
  5. Google Drive- if you have a gmail account and use Google Drive, you can access any papers, sermons, testimonies that you’ve written, etc. by using the offline view setting.
  6. Hangouts- again, you have to have a gmail account, but with this app you can voice call any US (or Canada I think) landline or cell phone for free over wifi, and can video call anyone else who has this app! It has been great for talking to the fam and friends, just tell them you will always be calling from an ‘unknown’ number. It doesn’t work in some countries, but has worked in all the countries we’ve been to. Their site has a list of places it doesn’t work.
    1. If you’re in a country where Hangouts doesn’t work MagicJack is the same type of thing but voice calls only, no account needed, works anywhere in the world and FREE!
  7. Skype- lots of people have this, so comes in handy if you don’t have FaceTime. Personally, I use FaceTime more.
  8. Pocket- GREAT app if you like to read articles/do research online.  You can easily save any webpage for offline viewing, which comes in handy as you usually have minimal wifi time. Just make sure to log into the app after you save it to download it to the actual app. Spanish Routers, go to studyspanish.com and download all of their Spanish lessons, and you can practically have an offline Spanish textbook that is SO easy to learn from!
  9. Duolingo- A MUST HAVE if you are on the Spanish Route, a focus route with a specific language, or just fancy to learn 11 languages. Great for language learning, pick your language and it will get a course ready for you.  You can do some lessons offline, but will need to update it when you get wifi to get more lessons. If you have the opportunity to use a laptop and have wifi, their website is better and with your account you can do lessons there too!
  10. Convert Units- great for converting units of things measured in other countries with various systems. 
  11. Podcasts- can’t let your brain go dumb just ’cause you’re traveling! Research podcasts on topics that interest you and have them downloaded and ready to go! Some of my favorites have been: Timothy Keller Podcast, Radiolab from WNYC, Latin American Spanish (news in slow Spanish, great for learning Spanish!), TEDTalks Society and Culture…just to name a few.

Neat to Have:

  1. BlogReader-if you have blogs you like to follow and have wifi this automatically updates you on all the blogs you want to follow and you can read them in the app, it will also keep track of what is ‘read’ and ‘unread’. Ideal if you have a decent amount of wifi . 
  2. Flashcards- make your own flashcards for language study, or Bible verses, etc. 
  3. Dictionary Free- in case you come across English words you don’t know? I just like having a dictionary around.
  4. Sworkit- has a wide array of workouts, or you can design your own!
  5. Six Pack- if you want a 6 pack, or just a good workout, this app can help you get there!
  6. Checkbook- for people who like to keep track of their money!
  7. Goodbudget- for people who like to keep track of their money and budget where it is going! Uses the envelope system, except obviously an electronic version!
  8. Postagram- I haven’t personally used it, but it’s a great concept I hope to remember to try one day.  Basically, you can make your own postcard with your pictures, write a message, submit it, and it will be made and sent to whomever you choose via good ‘ole USPS (maybe only in the States). I think it’s close to $2/card, but you get several free just for downloading the app and signing up. 

Cool, but Don’t Need:

  1. 100 Things- How many things do you own in your pack of world traveling goodies? Enjoy a good minimalism challenge? Keep track with this app! It does cost 99 cents, but is a good inventory tool and I think it’s cool to have less than 100 things in my possession. 
  2. Water Lite- In case you want to learn all the benefits of drinking water, or need encouragement to drink more water, this app will do that! 
  3. iHeart Veggies- Need to know the nutritional benefits of veggies in order to convince yourself to eat them? Or are you a vegetarian or vegan and curious about getting good nutrition? This app is for you!

Great for Musicians:

  1. Guitar God- If you play the guitar or are learning, this is a free app that will teach you scales and give you more chord variations than you know what to do with! Also has a tuner!
  2. Tabs- By Ultimate Guitar, this app costs $2.99 but is awesome for downloading chord sheets for team worship or practice. Add to ‘favorites’ for offline viewing and it will even scroll through the song as you play if the song is longer than the screen!
  3. PanoTuner- Tuner, great for any instrument and can also be switched to Do, Re, Mi, etc. for tuning (they use that in a lot of other countries!). It can also play notes for you and do some other things. Check it out!

Well, I think that’s all I can think of for now, if you have any questions feel free to ask away in the comment section below! Sorry it’s a long blog, but I hope it’s thorough and helpful to those interested!

Live Well!

Crystal