My 3 Favorite Travel Apps

Over the past five years, I have had the opportunity to travel to quite a few locations. Most of my travels have been here in the United States. But I have also traveled internationally, adding Italy, Colombia, and El Salvador to my list of countries I have visited for the first time.

I am obviously not an expert on travel, but I thought I would share with you a couple of my favorite travel apps.

Mobile Passport

On my way home from Colombia, I knew I was going to have to go through immigration at the San Francisco Airport. While on the plane, I quickly answered the few questions, scanned my passport, and took a photo. Once our plane landed, I submitted my form and made my way off the plane.

After I got off the plane and headed over to immigration, you should have seen the line! There were probably over 200 people waiting to go through immigration.

I found the line for the Mobile Passport, stood for a few minutes behind three other people, and was quickly in front of an agent.

I almost hesitate to share this with you, because it is a great little secret that I don’t believe most people are taking advantage of! The app is free and is advertised at most of the larger entry points for foreign travel back into the United States.

Google Translate

The thing I love about this app is the ability to have a language downloaded and available offline. This is especially helpful if you are not using your data while traveling.

The app lets you type in text in English, and then it will translate it into the language of your choice. You can also use your camera to translate typed or handwritten text, and record conversations to translate.

I have used this app in Mexico, El Salvador, Italy, and Colombia.

Since I am not proficient in Italian or Spanish, this app has helped me to have conversations with people who are not proficient in English. The translation is not always completely accurate, but it sure has come in handy!

My Currency Converter

Can’t figure out how to convert US dollars to Colombian Pesos? Or any other form of currency?

This app makes it super simple to figure out how far your US dollars with go while purchasing items in a foreign country.

Just type in the price of an item in the foreign currency and the app immediately lets you know what the price is in US dollars. You can also do a reverse of the currency also.

What are your favorite travel apps?

The ABC's of Compassion - Family

Who is a part of your family?

Photo credit: Jessica Gardner

My family consists of me, my husband, my son, and my daughter.

But really, my family consists of my brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world.

“14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” - James 2:14-18

Most of my family lives in places I will never visit and I may never meet them here on earth.

Our family sponsors Compassion children, and we consider those children and their families to be a part of our family.

We pray for them.

We write letters to them.

We encourage them to read their Bible.

We want them to know who Jesus is.

These kids who are growing up in areas that most of the world doesn’t even think about, they have an opportunity to be a light in their family and in their community.

Who is a part of your family?

The ABC's of Compassion - Explorer

When we first became Compassion sponsors, we wanted to learn as much as we could about the country where our sponsored child lived.

If you have your own young children at home, Compassion has made it really easy for you and your family to learn about the country where your Compassion child lives.

In my ABC’s of Compassion series, E is for Explorer!

Compassion has an online magazine available for families with children ages 6-10 (there is a print version available for subscription for USA sponsors and donors).

The online magazine is divided into quite a few sections: activities, stories, devotions, recipes, explorers, and world map.

My favorite part of the web site has to be the world map section!

From here you can find a printable about each country where Compassion is partnering with local churches to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

The printable provides some fun facts and key descriptions about the country where you sponsored child lives. If your family keeps all of your sponsored child’s letter in a binder, this printable would be a great addition to that binder!

Make sure you take the time to explore all there is to discover on the Compassion Explorer web site! Things you learn on this web site might encourage some new letter writing topics between you and your sponsored child.

Have you and your family explored the Compassion Explorer web site yet? If so, what is your favorite part?

The ABC's of Compassion - Donate

Most people who donate money to Compassion do so by sponsoring a child.

Sponsoring a Compassion child should be considered a long term commitment since you are investing into the life of a child growing up in extreme poverty.

Some people might not be able to make a long term commitment, but they want to make a donation to Compassion because they believe in Compassion’s mission to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Here are a few ways you can make one-time donations to Compassion:

• Urgent care for mothers and babies - Compassion knows that the best way to ensure that a child has their best shot is with good prenatal and infant care

• Unsponsored child fund - children who have been registered to attend their local Compassion center receive the financial benefits of the program while they wait to be matched with a loving sponsor

• Medical assistance - the financial needs of some medical procedures for children go way beyond what the basic sponsorship can cover

• Disaster relief - help provide for basic needs to be met when disaster strikes

• Gift catalog - this is a way to provide tangible items for children that can be life changing

Compassion continues to primarily be a holistic child development program to help children in areas of spiritual, physical, social and economic development.

Donations can be given at any time during the year to help where the need is greatest.

I have just touched on a few of the additional ways that you can donate to Compassion.

What are some ways that you have made donations to Compassion?

The ABC's of Compassion - 3 C's

Slowly making my way through the Compassion Alphabet by sharing posts that begin with each letter of the alphabet.

So far, I have shared about Act for Compassion and Bite Back.

Which means our next letter of the alphabet is...C!

I thought about picking just one item to cover this letter, but Compassion has three things that make them distinct that all start with the letter C.

Christ Centered - I always tell people at events, there are a lot of wonderful organizations out there making a difference in the lives of many people around the world. One thing that sets Compassion apart is their commitment to sharing the Gospel. You can clothe people, feed them, and provide them with medical care, clean water, etc., but if they do not know that Jesus is the One who gives them eternal hope, all of that other stuff will not save them. 

Church Based - Who better to serve the children in their own community than the church members of the local church? I love that Compassion is committed to allowing the local church to partner with Compassion to share the Gospel with the children, and to give them hope to escape the poverty they were born into. Currently, over 6,700 churches in 25 countries are partnering with Compassion.

Child Focused - Each sponsored child at every Compassion center is known, loved, and protected by the local Compassion staff and volunteers. The holistic child development model that Compassion uses provides each child the opportunity to grow up to be a fulfilled Christian adult. And each child is paired with a sponsor who is able to pray for and encourage the child through letters and gifts.

Any guesses on what the topic will be for the letter D?