Technology makes it easy for everyone to do various things, which is why it has become an indispensable part of life.
With your device and apps, you can wake up on time in the morning, plan your daily schedule, complete your work, stay on top of your fitness goals, communicate with others and do many other things.
It is only fitting, therefore, to use technology to make your travels less stressful and more enjoyable.
If you’re travelling to Abu Dhabi, there are different technologies you can use to plan your trip and enjoy the entire experience.
From creating your itinerary and booking your flights to finding the best restaurants and hotels in Abu Dhabi, you can use your computer, smartphone or tablet and log on to a website or app to do all these things and more to have a stress-free and pleasant trip.
Different Ways to Use Technology for a Seamless Travel Experience
Below are the different ways you can use technology to enjoy a hassle-free, seamless trip to Abu Dhabi
1. Planning and booking
Whether you’re travelling alone, with your family, friends or colleagues, planning your trip from start to end can save you a lot of time and money. It can help you avoid plenty of hassles and headaches as well.
Trip planning apps help you organise all the important information you should take note of or remember. You can also use these tools with any reservation or booking you need to make.
If you want to get the best deals for your flight and hotel room, online booking platforms can help you. You can use these apps or websites to compare prices and find the best deals right on your computer or mobile device.
Booking platforms, such as Expedia, Booking.com and Kayak, have expansive databases of flights, hotels and vacation rentals worldwide. As such, you can use them to search for specific dates, locations, amenities and rates to find the perfect flight and accommodation for your trip to Abu Dhabi.
You can also book your flight and reserve your hotel room directly on these platforms.
Additionally, these platforms offer different payment options, including credit cards, online banking and PayPal, to make transactions more convenient and secure.
2. Organising transportation
Technology now makes it easy for you to arrange your transportation even if it’s your first time visiting another country.
Ride and cab-hailing apps let you arrange your transportation using your mobile device. You can use these tools to book a cab to pick you up at your current location and bring you to your destination.
With these apps, you can avoid the hassles of waiting in line for a cab or bus while lugging around your luggage.
You can also track the car or cab’s journey as you wait and contact the driver if needed via the app.
Lastly, cab and ride-hailing services give you more time to visit more attractions since you won’t have to wait for a taxi or bus. Sharing the ride with other passengers can help you save money on transportation too.
3. Navigating
If you want to explore Abu Dhabi on foot but are still deciding whether to do so since you are in a new place, you can do so with the help of a navigation or map app.
With map apps and AI voice services, you can use your smartphone to get around the city safely and without fear of getting lost.
Responsive voice systems, such as Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant, even make getting directions and navigating the city easier and more convenient.
Whether you’re travelling on foot or via public transportation or car rental, you can reach your destination without any huge problem.
Some apps can even give you recommendations regarding the best attractions and restaurants in Abu Dhabi.
For instance, if you’re in Yas Island, you can use Google Maps to find the most popular, top-rated restaurants in this area. You can specify the cuisine you’re craving and the dining experience you want so that you can get recommendations based on your preference.
With these apps, you can save time looking for a great restaurant and avoid getting disappointed and wasting money on a bad one.
4. Translation
Although English is widely spoken in Abu Dhabi, there may be instances wherein you need to read something in Arabic or have to explain something in this language to a person you’re talking to.
You can overcome the language barrier by using a translation app.
Language translation apps like Google Translate and iTranslate let you translate text and speech in real time.
If you want something written or a passage translated into English or your native language, simply open the app and point the phone’s camera at the text. You can also use these tools to translate speech to speak with the locals.
Some apps offer lessons and tutorials to help you learn the basic phrases of various languages. When you take the time to know some commonly used Arabic words or sentences, you can impress the locals and build rapport with them easily.
5. Cashless and contactless payments
In the past, travelling to another country entailed exchanging cash for the local currency of your destination.
You can do this before your trip or after arriving at your destination.
Although there is nothing wrong with using cash on your trip to Abu Dhabi, this can pose a problem if you need to make a large purchase. After all, carrying huge wads of money is unsafe anywhere and, therefore, is not a recommended option.
Using your credit or debit card or mobile wallet to pay for your purchases is the safer and more convenient choice.
You can swipe your credit or debit card for transactions you make when dining out, shopping, or paying anything.
The COVID-19 pandemic also gave rise to contactless payments, which work by holding your credit card, smartphone or watch near a card reader.
Instead of inserting your card or swiping its magnetic strip into the machine, your device communicates with the reader through RFID technology to carry out the transaction.
Apple Pay and Google Pay are two of the most widely used and accepted mobile wallets for contactless payments in commercial establishments around the world, so consider installing these apps on your phone.
Since you likely already have a computer, smartphone or mobile device, use the appropriate websites and apps to plan your trip to Abu Dhabi to make your visit here more memorable.
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