If you’re one of the 78% of British holidaymakers who take their smartphones on holiday, you’ll know that it can be hugely useful to have access to internet and email when you’re away from home. There are lots of clever ways to use your smartphone to make life easier on holiday – and perhaps save you money too.

Roaming Charges

Every year there are stories in the paper about people who use their smartphones overseas to stream movies or download their favourite TV series, and then get hit with huge data bills. Check carefully before leaving home to see what your contract includes. If you’re concerned about racking up charges switch your mobile data off, and only use wi-fi to go online. This will stop applications like Facebook constantly updating in the background.

Photograph Travel Documents

Losing passports, travel insurance or EHIC documents is one of the more common disasters to befall holiday makers, and trying to remember who you are insured with let alone when your passport was issued is almost impossible. Take five minutes to take photos of the relevant pages of your important documents like your flight confirmations or boarding passes, travel insurance, EHIC and passport. Email them to yourself, or use a cloud storage site such as Dropbox so that you can access them in an emergency.

There’s An App For That

Check out the huge range of apps which are available for travellers, most of which are free to download. Most of the airlines and tour operators will have an app to allow you to check up on flight times or check-in online, Tripadvisor will help you decide which restaurants and tourist sites are worth visiting, weather apps will warn you of approaching bad weather, and health apps will help with minor illnesses. Many large state providers of healthcare in European countries have their own apps, which are worth downloading if you speak the language. These apps will help you find a local hospital or GP working in the state sector if you need to use your EHIC cover.

Paperless Travel

A digital passport is still a long way off, but technology which allows you to show your boarding pass on your phone rather than printing it out already exists and can make life a lot easier when you are going through the airport. This is possible when flying with many UK based airlines but may not be accepted overseas, so check what the rules are before flying.

Entertain the Kids

Although it’s not always possible to hook your tablet or smartphone up to wi-fi while you’re in the air or waiting in an airport, it’s always possible to download programmes, games or podcasts to entertain the children through long plane journeys or even longer airport delays. Make sure you’re on wi-fi when downloading to avoid roaming charges, and remember to take some headphones as not everyone on the plane will want to listen to Peppa Pig or Pokemon. Happy children make for a far less stressful travelling experience.