Whether you’re hitting the beach, mountains or enjoying a relaxing staycation this March Break, iPhone and iPad are trusted devices you can take anywhere. Below are some tips and apps to help you stay organized, entertained and keep the kids learning during the time off.
Travel tips with iPad and iPhone
Plan with apps. These apps will come in handy from the time of booking your trip to after reaching your destination:
— Flying south? Use TripIt: Travel Planner to organize flights and hotel info. At the airport, open Apple Maps and “look inside” the terminal through the built-in Indoor Maps tools to find things like gates, restrooms and restaurants. I took it for a spin a year or so ago at Toronto Pearson and found it hugely helpful.
— If your destination speaks another language, try iTranslate Translator to communicate with locals. It’s way better than crazy hand signals!
— Taking a road trip? Roadtrippers helps plan out a day trip or two and discover an amazing place nearby you never knew existed, whether it’s a cool restaurant or a funky museum.
Apple has great ways to keep the whole family entertained during March Break. (CNW Group/Hotels.com)
Set up Apple Pay
While roaming a new city, resort or out and about in the neighbourhood, use Apple Pay on your iPhone (or Apple Watch) to conveniently pay without fumbling for your physical payment card. Here’s how to easily set it up on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac.
Photo edit on the go with iPhone or iPad
A clam boat heads out of Cedar Key at sunrise. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Before posting straight to Instagram, use the tools already found in the Photos app to edit your photos and videos shot on iPhone. Check out this link to discover how easy it is to adjust light, colour, crop, adjust perspective and even apply filters with a few taps. I do this routinely with my photos, such as this one from a recent visit to Cedar Key, Florida.
Access your favourite entertainment anywhere
Get the playlist ready — download your favourite playlist or albums from Apple Music. Or, make your March Break playlist as a family activity before leaving where everyone contributes their top tracks. Your kids might not like your choices now, but I bet in 10 or 12 years they’ll come around.
Download shows — whether it’s the latest from Apple TV+ or Netflix, download your favourite shows and movies to watch offline for guaranteed in-seat entertainment on iPhone or iPad.
Game on — Apple Arcade offers more than 100 games to download and play during the break — there’s something for everyone. Apple Arcade is only $5.99 per month and can be shared with up to 5 family members and played across iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV.
Pack AirPods — iPad users can give Audio sharing a try where you can pair two sets of AirPods to one iPad and easily listen to music or watch a movie with a friend.
Apps for Kids
Consider having the kids to try the following apps on iPhone or iPad as an exciting way to keep their learning active during the break:
Playkids – Cartoons and Games — a colourful app offering activities, cartoons and books to explore, learn and be entertained.
HOMER Reading — an exciting, interactive app designed to spark a passion for reading as they build critical skills with a personalized learn-to-read plan.
Tayasui Sketches — With Apple Pencil, iPad turns into an instant canvas. Tayasui Sketches app provides access 20 realistic drawing tools that bring creative ideas to life. The app is also works on iPhone, letting their creations carry with their fingers.
For the kids 8+:
Thomas & Friends Minis — kids will create their own train set piece by piece and bring it to life with Them and all his friends. Using an iPhone or iPad’s camera, kids can immerse themselves in their set like never before using Augmented Reality!
Swift Playgrounds — a revolutionary learn to code app for Mac and iPad that makes it fun to learn and experiment with code — no prior coding knowledge required! The whole time kids learn Swift, a powerful programming language created by Apple and used by professionals to build many of today’s most popular apps. If you’re near an Apple Store during the break, sign up for a free coding session through Today at Apple.
For more great apps for March Break, visit the App Store.
