Is it summer already? Just a few months ago, the whole world came to a standstill when the pandemic hit. Most people were behind closed doors, keeping safe and minimizing the spread of COVID-19. After months of uncertainty amid the global crisis, optimism is again on the rise. As countries start to ease restrictions, the summer of 2020 will be one to remember.
Here are a few must-have apps to help you navigate amidst this pandemic stricken summer. Sit back, scroll through and download them!
1. Travel Is Back…kind of
Source: Freepik
The tourism industry definitely took a big blow this year. However, things are slowly starting to look up. Many countries are easing internal travel bans, while some are doing so even internationally. The European Union has opened its internal borders and is also reducing restrictions for several third-world countries. Bali has is also very recently opened its borders to local travelers, with looking at international travelers from September 11th onwards. With this slow yet steady start, the summer does not look so bleak. By taking substantial precautions, one can plan a trip to safe places.
The first thing that comes into mind when travel is concerned is planning. There are plenty of apps out there to keep you organized and prepared from finding the best flight, to accommodation and the places you would like to visit. Some are the very well spoken of such as TripAdvisor, Skyscanner, Agoda, Google Trip, etc. Here is one that has been raging the app stores that can help you consolidate your entire trip –
TripIt
Source: Popsugar
What is it: TripIt is a platform that consolidates all booking and reservations into an easily consumable itinerary. All one has to do is forward all the emails, and the app adds everything to the master itinerary. It does not matter who you book with, it will be compatible. You can share, edit plans, and even access it offline.
Price: Free for basic features with a subscription for TripIt Pro.
2. Keeping (Ac)Count
Source: Freepik
Regardless of the current or coming health effects of COVID-19 on the world, the pandemic has affected and will likely continue to affect household finances for years to come. With economic activity falling and unemployment rising, having a plan, prioritizing spending, and using resources efficiently will be crucial to financial stability. Besides, if summer travels are not ruled out for you, then financial planning will definitely be of importance. Keeping personal accounts of spending can become overwhelming and cumbersome as an individual these days can have multiple cards, multiple accounts, locally and internationally. Apps like AndroMoney, GoodBudget, Money Manager, and My Finances allow you to budget, plan, and keep track of all your money. One such app is Mint –
Mint
Source: App Store
What is it: Mint is the free app that brings together everything from balances & budgets to your goals, credit score, and more. Your financial life – easy to understand & in one place. You can pay your bills, organise your money from multiple accounts, keep up to date with personalised alerts, get reporting and monitoring all in one touch.
Price: Free with In-App Purchases
3. Getting That Summer Fitness
Source: Dribble
As we all know it, being fit and healthy is a two-fold process. It is said that fitness is made more so in your kitchen than in the gym. Thus, apart from staying active and exercising, one has to also take good care of their intake. During this pandemic, it is either a laze-fest or an abundance of time in your hands to pay more attention to your health. With summer here now, you may want to get your ideal summer body. With apps like Down Dog, Seven, FitOn, Calm, and Asana Rebel dedicated to keeping you active, there are apps like Calorie Counter, Carbs Control, and MyMacros specialized in managing your intake. Here is one app that takes diet management to anew level of wholesome –
MyFitnessPal
Source: App Store
What is it: MyFitnessPal has you covered, whether you want to lose weight, tone up, get healthy, change your habits, or start a new diet. It lets you log your meals with ease, and gives you personalised diet recommendations based in your goals. You can even track your exercise and steps by syncing your favourite fitness apps. You can even connect with friends on the app or join communities for the extra motivation.
Price: Free for basic plan. Offers premium plan with monthly/yearly subscriptions.
4. Summer wardrobe additions
Source: Dribble
Summer is here, whether you are traveling or not, its time to update your wardrobe. Moreover, with people starting to go out of their houses slowly, maintaining all the rules and regulations in place, it is the perfect reason to start doing some summer shopping. With online shopping continually being on the rise, even more so during the pandemic, millions of shopping platforms cater to everyone. Most retail brands have also invested in having their own apps such as Zara, H&M, TopShop, and many more.
However, consumers are starting to be more sustainable-conscious. Many consumers are boycotting brands that have been allegedly exploiting resources. One brand that has been aware of this trend and is becoming more and more sustainable is As0s. Their efforts in corporate social responsibility involving their supply chain, material handling, and disposing of are commendable. This is definitely one brand to purchase from this summer –
Asos
Source: App Store
What is it: Asos is home to more than 850 brands, over 85,000 products, free shipping and return options. They provide personalised reccomendations according to your searched/saved items. They also have a style match feature that allows you to upload a picture of an outfit and the app find items that are closest to the outfit uploaded.
Price: Free
5. The Perfect Picture
Source: UI Here
The most prominent social media trends during this pandemic involved making videos and pictures. Challenges such as #stayathomechallenge, #challengeaccepted, and many more were started to educate people on specific world issues and raise awareness. Some were merely for fun as well, keeping everyone occupied with something during the lockdown. Now that summer has hit the town, you will have to whip out your cameras again, for those summer loving posts! What gets your pictures to the next level is the editing. It is going to be endless to list all the available apps here, but here is one such app for editing –
Snapseed
Source: iClarified
What is it: Google’s Snapseed has a huge range of features and an intuitive interface. This photo editing app comes with a range of preset filters. However, unlike most apps, you can edit these filters and even create your own from scratch. It also has all of the classic tools, such as cropping, straightening, frames, text, vignettes, etc. Snapseed has precision masking, which allows you to edit the depth of field. There’s also a “Selective Adjust” tool. This lets you select a specific area of your photo and adjust the saturation, contrast, and brightness of that single point. Overall, it is exactly what you need, all in one place
Price: Free
6. Find New Companionship
Source: TotallyMe
Summer has always been known for its ability to bring everyone together. All people look forward to this time of fun, new friendships, and even potential love. A significant change during lockdown has been the dating scene. With restrictions, it was impossible to meet new people out and about. Thus, resorting to dating apps has become the norm. Now that summer is here and things are starting to look up, people have started to schedule their new dates in their calendars. For those still searching, there are dozens of dating apps out there such as Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, Grindr and etc. Here is one such app that might interest you –
Bumble
Source: Fortune
What is it: Bumble is the first app of its kind to bring dating, friend-finding, and career-building into a single social networking platform. It changes the rule by having the women make the first move. And first message exchange has a 24 hour time limit, after which the connection expires. The app prompts users to be bold and make the first move.
Price: Free with subscriptions for premium features
7. The Sports Season Is Back
Source: Freepik
The summer has bought with it the sports season again. The pandemic has slashed most sports events through the calendar. Due to uprising cases and movement restrictions, sports were off the books. However, now, the situation seems to be turned. Most of the big leagues and sports events have been scheduled to be back during the summer. NFL, NBA, La Liga, English Premium League, U.S Open, and many more are set to begin this month and the next. However, all have their own restrictions placed to ensure the safety of their players and viewers. Most will not be open to physical viewing but only live streaming. This can only mean one thing – thinned to download a good sports app. There are many live streaming apps such as ESPN, Fox Sports, CBA, etc. However, here is one app that brings the scores to you in one touch –
theScore
Source: Google Play
What is it: theScore brings you news, scores, stats, sports betting coverage and videos from NFL Football, NBA Basketball, NCAA Basketball, MLB Baseball, NCAA Football, NHL Hockey, WNBA Basketball, English Premier League Soccer, La Liga Soccer, Champions League Soccer, PGA Golf – and every major league and competition! It also provides you with a personalised feed and allows you to meet other fanatics and have conversation with them.
Price: Free
8. One-stop GPS
Source: Freepik
If your town is partly closed, or you’re wary of travel during the Covid-19 pandemic summer, it might feel as if your phone’s map app is just sitting there, gathering digital dust. But even if you’re not tapping Apple’s Maps or Google Maps to explore an exotic vacation spot or to belt out turn-by-turn directions on a long road trip this summer, your interactive travel aid can still be beneficial. Most places, such as restaurants, gyms, parks, etc., have been updated on the maps with their adjusted hours, any curbside pickup service, and temporary closures. Apple and Google now include the locations of Covid-19 testing sites in their plans apps using data gleaned from government agencies, public health departments, and health care institutions. Thus, these two apps are a must-have for everyone with a smartphone –
Apple’s Maps
Source: App Store
Price: Free
Download: iOS
Google Maps
Source: App Store
Price: Free
With these apps, we hope that you will keep healthy, connected, productive, and busy this summer. As regional restrictions are easing out, be sure to follow all rules and regulations. Stay safe, folks!
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