The smartphone has become one of the quintessential travel companions in this digital day and age. With the right apps at your fingertips, you are well-equipped to convert a potentially stressful journey into a seamless one. These apps are going to take you through unfamiliar territory, help you get organised, and make the most of your weekend getaway or round-the-world adventure.
Let’s explore 18 of the best apps to make your travels a breeze…
Planning and Booking
1. Skyscanner
One of the great tools that any traveller should employ when trying to get the best deals for flights is Skyscanner. It is an application used to compare prices among airlines and travel sites to get better deals on your trip. It also has this feature called flexible search, where you can see prices across an entire month, even a whole year, which is ideal if you have flexible travel dates.
2. Hopper
If you’re not in a rush to make the booking, then Hopper is among the best flight predictors. It looks for patterns in data and makes informed predictions of the best time for flights, letting you know whether you should book now or wait for a better deal. It also includes push notifications any time the prices drop or are going to rise so that you won’t ever miss out on an amazing deal.
3. Airbnb
When it comes to unique accommodations, it’s hard to beat Airbnb. With this app, you book spare rooms, apartments, and houses, more often than not at prices much more budget-friendly than traditional hotels. It’s also ideal for longer stays or if you are part of a group since you get a more homely feeling in your destination.
Navigation and Transportation
4. Google Maps
Great for any traveller, this app shows directions for driving, walking, and taking public transportation, plus offline maps in case you’re somewhere with bad internet. The feature “Explore” is a nice plus for getting to know all the eateries, attractions, and happenings nearby.
5. Citymapper
For being able to see you around major city public transportation, nothing’s better than Citymapper. It will give you real-time information about buses, trains, and other options available for public transit, often better than any official transit apps. It even calculates the price your journey will take and suggests the fastest or most convenient routes.
6. Uber
Available in many countries, Uber is a godsend when you get stuck for a ride in an unfamiliar city. No language barriers, no need for local currency; right there through the app. In many places, it is also cheaper than traditional taxis.
Language and Communication
7. Google Translate
Google Translate is the perfect way to break down barriers in understanding various languages. The platform allows text, voice, and image translation in many languages. It also has a “Conversation” mode that can translate spoken conversations near real-time.
8. Duolingo
Duolingo offers fun, gamified language lessons to those who would like to learn some basics in a new language before or during their trip. Even just a few minutes every day and you’ll pick up some essential phrases that’ll enhance your travel experience significantly.
9. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is popular worldwide for its free messaging and calling across Wi-Fi or mobile data. This helps you get hold of fellow travellers or locals you may get to know during the trip without international calling charges.
Money Management
10. XE Currency
XE Currency is a pretty reliable app that you can use for quick currency conversions. Offline, it uses the latest exchange rates it downloaded when you were last connected. This is super helpful whenever you are just trying to figure out if you’re getting a good deal while you’re shopping in local markets.
11. Splitwise
If you are going to travel with friends or family, Splitwise is a great application that will let you track the expenses within the group. One can easily divide bills and keep running tallies of who owes what, without doing some serious maths at the end of your journey.
12. Trail Wallet
Trail Wallet is one cool tracking expense app for a very tight budget traveller. The system lets you set either a daily or trip budget and will make tracking your expenses in multiple currencies a pretty easy task. The app visually presents your spending to help you stay on track.
Accommodation and Dining
13. HotelTonight
HotelTonight is an app for last-minute hotel bookings. It gives access to unsold rooms at discounted prices; rooms range from mediocre to luxurious. This is the ideal application for your spur-of-the-moment trips or when there is a sudden change in your travel plans.
14. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a widely inclusive application whereby one reads reviews and ratings of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. It helps in the discovery of highly-rated places to eat and things to do at your destination. One can also download city guides for offline use within the app.
15. OpenTable
OpenTable certainly has an app that can be useful for all food lovers. Be it reservations in almost any city across the globe with special offers and added loyalty points, menus, photos, and user reviews-what else can one need to grab the perfect dining spot?.
Safety and Health
16. TravelSafe Pro
Safety first while on travel, and TravelSafe Pro helps you be prepared in case unfortunate things happen. It provides you with local emergency service numbers coming from all countries and allows information like insurance details and emergency contacts to be stored right within the app.
17. PackPoint
We all know that packing can be stressful, but PackPoint makes it a whole lot easier. This smart packing list app takes into consideration your destination, length of stay, weather, and the activities you’re going to do, and based on all that, creates a personalised packing list for you. If you are travelling for a length of time or heading off for a sporting holiday, it makes sense to ship some items (bikes, ski’s, snowboards, wetsuits) rather than add these into the packing mix.
18. App in the Air
App in the Air is an all-in-one flight-tracking app for frequent flyers. It provides real-time flight status updates, gate changes, and even security wait times. This app will store all your airline miles and boarding passes; practically it is your personal travel assistant.
These applications can greatly improve your travel experience, but remember, technology is there to enhance-not replace-the spontaneous discovery and human interaction that ultimately make travel so rewarding. Use these tools to decrease your stress levels and to be more efficient, but sometimes put your phone down and really enjoy your surroundings: what you see and hear, and what happens. Happy travels, and hopefully these apps can make the journey as smooth and pleasurable as possible!
