With summer vacation well underway, one of the best options to beat the heat is to hit the beach or pool on the daily. While it may seem like a no-brainer, spending the day in the sun can be trickier than you might think. Luckily, there are plenty of Android apps to help you enjoy your summer to the fullest.
Avoid any unpleasant surprises at your chosen location
As the heat rises and our free time opens up, it’s more than tempting to go to spend a day at the beach. If you live in a coastal area, then you probably have plenty of beaches to choose from. In that case, you’ll want to do your homework ahead of time to find the best beach for you needs and preferences.
A day at the beach doesn’t just mean laying down on the sand and soaking up the sun. You also have to consider the surrounding area: are there restaurants nearby to eat? A place to have some drinks with friends or party? That’s where apps like Playea come in. It lets you see all sorts of information about what’s around the beaches in a specific area. Others even let you find out if the beach allows pets so you don’t have to worry about leaving your dog at home while you’re on vacation.
Don’t forget anything important at home
Once you know where you want to go, it’s time to get your beach bag packed and ready to go. You’ll probably be spending hours in the sun, far from home, so it’s important to be prepared so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Tapping your pockets to check if you have your phone, wallet, and keys just isn’t going to cut it in this case. But no worries, that’s what apps like Packpoint are for. This app lets you create a list of must-have objects that you don’t want to leave behind, so you can have a worry-free beach day, guaranteed.
Watch where you put your towel
So, you’re at the beach and you throw down your towel in a free spot near the shore. It appears that luck is on your side and that you found just the right spot to have the water close by. But watch out. The tide can be tricky, so you need to keep an eye on it if you want to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
These unexpected tide changes can mean that your umbrella, towel, and all your other beach supplies get waterlogged faster than you think. That’s why it’s a good idea to have an app like Tides installed on your smartphone, so you know what to expect and when the sea level is going to change.
You won’t be alone in the water
If you spend more time in the water than on the sand, then you’ll also want to be ready for any possible dangers that you might face. For example, you can keep track of the waves with an app like Swim Guide so you don’t find yourself with any unpleasant, or worse, dangerous surprises.
Once you’re in the water, you’ll also need to consider the fact that you’re not alone; there are plenty of marine animals living in the sea. Thanks to your Android device, you can save yourself the dismay of a jellyfish attack with Medusapp or, if you’re in North America or Australia, you can check out the shark situation with the app Dorsal Shark Reports.
The sun can be your worst enemy
Even though a lot of people still don’t give it too much thought, prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays can lead to serious skin problems. Avoiding the peak hours of UV radiation and constant reapplication of sunscreen are just two important ways to avoid future problems.
Your smartphone can also let you know what the UV index and danger level is at any particular moment at the beach or pool, with apps like UVLens or QSun. These tools can help you keep track of how often you need to reapply your sunscreen and the times you should avoid the sun altogether.
There’s always time for some entertainment
A day at the beach or pool can end up feeling longer than expected if you didn’t come prepared with apps to help keep you entertained. That’s why it’s always a good idea to have ebook apps installed like Wattpad or Amazon Kindle.
If you’re not that into reading, and you prefer listening to music as you look out at the horizon, then it’s always nice to have a good playlist on Spotify Lite, so you don’t use up all your data, or the new YouTube app that’s specialized in music.
Last but not least, you could always end up playing a traditional game directly on your smartphone, so you don’t have to worry about lugging a giant game board or anything around in your beach bag. With Parchis STAR you can challenge your friends or family to see who can be the first to get all their playing pieces home, in between refreshing dips in the water.
If you’re more of a card player, you can also have fun playing a classic game of UNO from the company Mattel.
