BA cabin crew in front of Big BenWho better to ask for travel hacks than someone who flies for a living? British Airways cabin crew name their go-to travel gadgets and apps. Here’s the BA Top 10:

1. Google’s translate app nominated by Thomas Drake, Worldwide Cabin Crew: ‘It’s something I’ve used in several countries worldwide and has been a life saver – from translating how I like my reflexology done in China to ordering some spicy sauce with my steak in Brazil. The added bonus is that it’s free and extremely easy to use.’  

2. Skype nominated by Kat Woodruffe, Senior First Officer: ‘I’ve found that trying to pre-arrange a time to call my kids doesn’t work very well since kids don’t necessarily want to conform to when I can be in the hotel room. A quick text or WhatsApp message and I can jump onto Wi-Fi and check in with the family.’  

3. LG foldable keyboard nominated by Rebecca Wadsworth, Worldwide Cabin Crew: ‘When I have down-time overseas, I try and catch up on correspondence. Using my keyboard makes it much quicker to type. It can be rolled up to the size of a stick of rock and is compatible with all Bluetooth devices.’

Transit App4. Transit app nominated by Carolyn Wilson, Worldwide Cabin Service Director: ‘Transit app tell you the best way to get to your destination using public transport. It details the bus number, time to destination and offers choices where available.’  

5. TripAdvisor app nominated by Harry Sanganee, Worldwide Cabin Crew: ‘I use this app to look for restaurants when I’m overseas. It’s really good to find places to eat on a budget or excellent street food.’ 

Go Pro camera6. Go Pro nominated by Allison Pack, Senior First Officer: ‘I really enjoy skiing and particularly love Calgary.  It’s an exhilarating escape with spectacular scenery, but it can be tough to capture when you’re focused on the slope. A GoPro camera is the answer for me. It catches all the action when it’s mounted on your helmet, so you can share some of the sights, and, of course, show off how well you tackled the mountain.’

7. Evernote nominated by Mark Vanhoenacker, Senior First Office and author Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot: ‘The app helped me to record everything that came to mind regarding my job while I was on the move, whether I was walking on the harbour in Hong Kong, sitting in a café in San Francisco, or picking up my suitcase at the baggage claim in Mexico City. It allowed me to tap a note on my phone, iPad or laptop, and know that those notes would be synced across all my devices—and also stored online, in case I ever lost one of those devices.’ 

Garmin 310XT GPS watch8. Garmin 310XT GPS nominated by Thomas Reynolds, Senior Officer, training to break a world record for cycling through the most countries in a single day (with fellow Senior Officer James Van Der Hoorn): ‘Training while overseas for work is essential and will usually be a long run or bike session. To keep track of our data we use the Garmin watch which automatically syncs all of our data when we get home and allows us to compare our efforts.  It has the added advantage of helping me to avoid getting lost in foreign cities with the minimap mode.’

9. PlayStation Vita nominated by James Easton, Customer Service Manager: ‘Along with my Kindle, the Playstation keeps me occupied while sunning myself or relaxing overseas. It doesn’t take up much room in my luggage but can provide hours of entertainment.’  

10. Sony portable wireless speaker also nominated by Thomas Drake, Worldwide Cabin Crew: ‘For such a lightweight device it’s extremely powerful and lasts up to 12 hours. Listening to music in my hotel room always helps me unwind after a long-haul flight. It can also help set the mood for a beautiful sunset viewing if I’m lucky enough to be in the Bahamas on a stopover.’

BY MAGGIE O’SULLIVAN