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Gone are the days when travelers had to lug around well-thumbed guidebooks and struggle with unwieldy maps to navigate their way around a new city.

Smartphone travel applications have freed up travelers to explore without all the baggage, by providing in-depth, up-to-date information on a number of far-flung travel destinations — at just the tap of a button.

Travelfish, a prominent travel blog known for its wealth of stories and tips on Southeast Asia, released its first application for the iPhone early last year, with information on Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia.

Since we first wrote about the app in January last year, it has branched out with travel apps for destinations across Southeast Asia, including cities in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, and now it has finally just released its first app for Indonesia — focused on Bali, of course.

Like the other Travelfish apps, the Bali version is set up like an electronic guidebook, equipped with an interactive map that pinpoints places to eat and sleep, local attractions and activities, and even plots out suggested itineraries for users.

The application can be downloaded for a one-time fee of $7.99 and is only available for use on Apple products.

Once downloaded, it can be accessed offline, which is a useful feature for travelers on the go. When an Internet connection is available, the application is able to update itself with any new posts from the Travelfish Web site.

Currently, the Bali app holds information on more than 20 destinations, 300 hotels and guesthouses, 150 restaurants and bars and over 100 activities.

The information is organized under different sections, from “Background,” “Sleep” and “Transport” to “Eat and Meet,” “See and Do” and “Photos,” which can all be browsed with the flick of a finger.

Each section is categorized by location, like a typical guidebook. This makes it easy to find accommodation and activities in each place you visit, but it is not helpful when you’re looking for a certain activity. For example, if you’re looking for good surfing spots, you will have to browse through the relevant section for each individual location to find information on its beaches.

Another hassle for quick access to information is that the app is not equipped with an offline search engine, so you can’t just type in “Ubud,” for example, and be brought immediately to the right page. Instead, you have to scroll through the list of contents alphabetically. On the bright side, you can bookmark pages for later reference.

The best place to start for newcomers to Bali is the “Background” section, which is filled with rich information on the island’s history and tips on day-to-day life, planning, practicalities and a shopping guide.

For those who want to explore beyond Bali’s most popular destinations, like Kuta, it’s a good idea to check what else the island has to offer by taking a peek in the “See and Do” section.

This section offers tips on activities off the beaten path, like who to ask if you want to see the brewing process for arak, Bali’s rice wine, how to find a yellow, sandy beach called Impossible and where to go if you want to try jumping off a cliff into the sea.

If you’re looking for quick answers on what to do during your limited time in Bali, the “Itinerary” section is your best bet. Travelfish suggests itineraries for visits from anywhere between three days and four weeks.

The “Planning” section offers comprehensive information on how to prepare for your trip, including a list of Web sites, books (“Eat Pray Love” noticeably doesn’t make the cut) and even Twitter accounts to check out for a complete Bali experience.

A “Blog Articles” section also gives insightful perspectives on each destination from other travelers, staying true to the origins of the Travelfish Web site.

Recent updates include an interview with Janet De Neefe, founder of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, which is heading into its eighth year this October.

The up-to-date information and wealth of local insights is what makes applications like Travelfish so much more useful than the old paperback guidebooks.

For those who wish to step off the trodden path of tourism and explore new places for themselves, travel apps can open a world of possibilities.