Did you know that travel-based mobile apps are among the top five most downloaded app categories? Yes, thousands of travelers use mobile phone apps to enhance their leisure expeditions.
That said, digital detox vacations seem to be on an upward trend, especially for people who are eager to connect with the locals, and other travelers. However, it’s possible to strike a balance and use your phone to revolutionize the way you travel.
Apps are patently useful tools especially when you’re traversing across unfamiliar places and you can use them for everything from scoring the best deals on flights to managing your itinerary.
There are thousands of apps in the marketplace, but most of them might not be worth your while. So, check out this list of best travel apps that will make your trip as hassle-free as possible;
There are a dozen of details that go into mapping out a group trip.
Keeping everyone on the same page while planning a trip with friends or family can be dispiriting especially when everyone has different ideas and preferences about how the trip should look like.
There’s a lot of back and forth involved when it comes to scheduling, sorting out finances, and making important decisions, which leaves a lot of room for chaos.
That’s where Passero comes in – the app makes communication easier by allowing all parties to collaborate throughout the trip planning process.
There is an idea board where you can share destinations and excursions ideas, you’ll also find custom-designed surveys to help with decision making, and most importantly, a customizable itinerary so everyone knows where to be at what time!
The app is user-friendly, slick, and free.
If you’re an avid budget traveler, you know booking a hotel well in advance is a rule of thumb. However, with Hotel Tonight, you don’t have to be too rigid with your plans.
Whether it’s habitual or fortuitously, at one time you might need to rely on a last-minute hotel deal.
Although it’s always a good habit to plan everything in advance some people enjoy the thrill of being spontaneous with travel plans and dealing with everything at the last minute.
If that’s you, then Hotel Tonight is a must-have. The app was specially created for travelers who are flexible with their schedules.
Spread across 1700 cities around the globe and with over 50 000 properties for travelers to choose from, Hotel Tonight is one of the most popular same-day hotel booking platforms in the world.
This app has a vast catalog of hotels categorized according to price range, amenities, and luxuries. So you can easily find accommodation that’s suited to your needs at the best price possible with just a few clicks.
Waiting for a transfer can be the most stressful part of traveling. But with lounge access, you can use the time you spend in the airport as a mini vacation where you can relax, and rejuvenate as you wait for your next flight.
There are a bunch of different reasons why lounge access could be so beneficial. Maybe you want to access the Wi-Fi so you can stay productive during your layover, or you booked a flight with multiple stops/long stopovers and a comfy stay would keep you sane.
Whatever the reason, having access to an airport lounge is a sure way of leveling up your travel experience.
Lounge buddy is exclusively available to American Express Cardholders and it offers amazing airport lounge booking services that allow you to purchase one-time access to lounges in major cities across the world.
If you don’t travel frequently enough to justify the high cost of lounge access membership fee or the travel credit card, LoungeBuddy could be handy because then you’ll only need to book access only on demand.
Figuring out how to get around a foreign city can be a tough task but with Citymapper, you’ll have turn-by-turn directions with suggestions of the best routes to take at that particular moment.
Citymapper is a great real-time urban navigation app that suggests a variety of ways for you to move from point A to B.
You can take a bus, train, taxi, bike, walk, or even a combination of two or more modes of transport.
For each option, Citymapper gives you an estimated cost and amount of time needed to get to your destination taking into consideration any disruptions on the routes.
If you’re an avid hiker you’ll know that finding a great trail that fits your needs is not always easy. That’s why Alltrails, a trail finder app ranks high as one of the best travel apps as it can help you plan your best adventure on unfamiliar ground!
Probably one of the most used apps among outdoor enthusiasts, Alltrails is a fantastic user-friendly app that shows you the best nearby trails, and their reviews and also tracks your location.
Whether, you’re a hiker, biker, rock climber, or even a horse rider, this app can be very useful if you want to explore new trails.
Alltrails is also very community based so you can always have support from other members. The app offers two subscription models; the ‘Basic’ which is free to use and the ‘pro’ model which goes for $29.99/year.
When planning to take a vacation, exorbitant prices for hotels and flights can be a turn off especially when you’re on a shoestring budget.
Even though there are dozens of apps on the market touting flight deals and discounts, it’s easy to question whether you’re getting the best deals possible.
Plus, with all the websites at your disposal, information overload is envisaged. If the abundant information available online is overwhelming, you should give Hopper a try.
It’s an app that searches for the best hotel and flight deals on the internet but what makes it special is the ability to predict prices with up to 95% accuracy.
Not only does Hopper keep an eye for the upcoming cheap flights but it also lets you know exactly when the prices will be at their lowest for up to a year in advance!
In essence, this app lets you know if you should purchase your ticket right now or wait for a better deal at a later date.
There are a bunch of things that can spoil your vacation and bad weather is top on the list. Storms can throw your travel itinerary into disarray, scorching sun and high humidity can make exploring a city unpleasant, and a cold gloomy day prevents you from exploring the outdoors.
While it’s impossible to control the weather, knowing what to expect lets you make better travel plans and create your itinerary around the forecasted weather conditions.
Weather Bug is the most thorough and reliable weather app on the market.
It provides you with every detail you need to know from lightning detention to pollen count. Plus, it’s possible to track several locations at once which means you can easily put in your route details to know what’s happening at your next destination.
One of the most important steps in planning a trip must be a candid review and contemplation of your travel budget.
Having a travel budget will keep you on track and help you see the true cost of your travel. As a result, you’ll be able to make better plans and enjoy a stress-free escape.
Trail Wallet is one of the best expense tracking app that’s perfect for all your budgeting as it tracks all your spending, convert the currency, and lets you know how much you’re spending per day in your local currency.
With just a few clicks, you can customize the categories. This makes it easy to record and organize your expenses in a way that you can understand.
For instance, on top of the basic categories such as transport, accommodation, food, and tips, you can add an extra category like ‘spa treatment’ to make every outlay crystal clear.
A currency converter is very useful if you’re traveling to a foreign country and a must-have especially if you’re a minimalist traveler that appreciates an app with more than one function. With a list of over 170 world currencies, XE Currency Converter shows you how your local currency will fare against foreign currency.
It lets you know exactly how much you’re spending and how much your currency is worth in over 130 countries across the world.
With its live currency rates, you’re able to see the currency fluctuations throughout your trip.
It also doubles down as a money transfer app which can be pretty convenient if you want to send or receive money from your country.
Whether you’re a foodie or not, finding great restaurants and eateries is important because food can make or break your trip.
LocalEats app doesn’t focus on listing all the local restaurants available or the famed international chains. Instead, it’s a one-stop destination if you want to discover and reserve a table in a highly rated restaurant.
In fact, you can even order meals in advance and have them served on arrival!
You can search with LocalEats’ remarkably detailed filters to find restaurants, cuisines, and even food delivery services.
Conclusion
From getting invaluable travel information to booking flights and hotels these are some of the best travel apps that will ensure you have almost every type of service at your fingertip.
