Have you started your holiday shopping? Are you planning a vacation trip? Are you the chef for the season? And are you a bit confused about planning for all the tasks for the festive season? Worry no more. Technext has got you covered.
Some people have been anticipating this period since the start of the year. I mean, 2022 has been demanding, and it is about time we took a break from work, school, projects, and anything else that has drained our energy this year.
This is the perfect time to relax and focus on genuinely enjoying these next few weeks of the holiday season with family and friends. But you know that the period also comes with a lot of preparation, planning, decorating etc., and it can be stressful for some people?
Not to worry, some apps can help relieve this holiday stress by simplifying the list of what needs to be done in your household and beyond or providing entertainment that will help you enjoy the festive season.
We have highlighted five apps from the various areas a lot of people find very challenging when planning for the festive season.
These apps were selected because they can be downloaded free (although in-app purchases or subscriptions may be required). Also, they will help you make the tasks peculiar to the festive season easier or provide entertaining content to make the period even merrier.
Five essential apps you must have during the festive season
Shopping and delivery apps
Have you ever visited the market or a shopping mall during the holiday season? The crowd and the inflated prices can immediately change your mind about celebrating the holiday season.
That can be annoying and discouraging, especially for people who are sometimes indecisive about what they want to get. But guess what? You don’t need to endure this stress anymore.
With shopping apps, you can order your gifts, Christmas clothes, jewellery, gadgets and even foodstuff from the comfort of your house and have them delivered to your preferred locations.
Who knows, you might even get a holiday discount promo. So why not give them a try this holiday period? Most shopping apps on the Apple App store and the Google play store are free to download. Some shopping apps are Jumia, Konga, Jiji, AliExpress, etc.
Read Also: Jumia food vs Glovo: What you need to know before making a choice.
Travelling and trip apps
Are you planning on travelling to your hometown or somewhere new and different this holiday? I mean, it’s the holiday season, and nothing gives a vacation vibe more than a change of environment. If this is your plan for the holiday season, you might as well need a travelling app to enjoy and explore the experience fully.
Travelling apps allow you to strategise your travel plans from flights to booking accommodations, exciting tourist sites, top-rated restaurants you can eat at, and so much more. The festive season is already stressful, with many people travelling to spend the holiday with their loved ones. Don’t make it harder for yourself.
Travel apps help make planning holiday vacations much more effortless and free to download (although in-app purchases may apply), so they make our list of essential apps for this festive season. Examples include Wakanow, TravelPlus, TripAdvisor, TripIt, Booking.com, and Kayak.
Read Also: 6 travel vloggers you should check out
Movie streaming apps
If you love to spend the festive season binge-watching Christmas movies (or any genre of film, really), you are in for a treat this holiday. Movies are a must-have no matter where you decide to go for the festive season. Movies help prevent boredom and give moments of exciting, imaginative ideas.
Nothing screams an exciting holiday more than an organised family holiday movie date.
While you can collect DVDs, movie apps curate the best old, new and trendy movies, TV shows, documentaries, and other content on one platform. These apps allow you to navigate different genres, search for specific films, and watch informative documentaries.
These apps help keep you entertained during the festive period and are free to download (but some may require a subscription to enjoy all the benefits.) Some of the best movie streaming platforms include YouTube, Netflix, Disney +, ShowMax, HBO Max, Apple TV, and IrokoTV.
Read Also: With 221 million subscribers, Disney is leading Netflix in the race for subscribers.
Music streaming apps
Do you know that famous saying, ‘dance your way to the new year?’ Exactly!
The festive season without music is almost unthinkable. Even churches and businesses organise carols and seasonal song performances. Christmas music has been a tradition for a long time; this year, it won’t be any different.
Music apps like YouTube, Spotify, BoomPlay, Apple Music, Deezer, etc., can help you get into the Christmas groove, especially with those old Christmas jams like Boney M. tracks. You can get a great list of Christmas songs, Nigerian playlists and access to all the jams you loved and grew up listening to during the festive season.
These apps are free to download, and they help to provide entertainment for the festive season.
Cooking apps
Apart from weddings and ceremonies, Nigerians cook the most exquisite dishes during the festive period. If you want to try something new or some Christmas-themed dishes this festive period, cooking apps can help you achieve this.
These apps allow you to explore a range of meals, from international dishes to pastries and smoothie drinks. Some of them include over 100 homemade recipes on the app that can provide a twist to your signature holiday meals.
These apps are free to download, help make holiday tasks easier, and can provide entertainment (Yes, food is entertaining) for the festive season, so they earn a spot on this list. Some examples are Food.com, PepperPlate, Yummly, Kitchen Stories, etc.
Read Also: Dear foodie, here are top 6 Nigerian food bloggers you should check out
Honourable mention: Language and translation apps
While the festive season is a great time to learn a new language, it is also essential to be able to translate sentences, especially when you are vacationing in a different region.
These language/translation apps make learning new languages easy, can help you with festive season tasks, and are free to download (in-app purchases may apply), so they earn a spot on our list of essential apps to have this period. Some of them are Google Translate, Duolingo, Busuu, Memrise, and Kabimba.
Finally
While there are more apps you can explore, these are just a few to help you overcome challenges you might face while preparing for the holiday season.
Are there apps you think should be on the list? Add in the comment section below.
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