12 Travel Apps You Need Now
Download These Before Your Next Trip
Planning your dream vacay can be complicated enough. Flights, excursions, hotel vs airbnb? Sometimes you’re emotionally over the trip before it begins! But it doesn’t have to be that way. Apps to the rescue. Someone has already spent time researching the details and cutting through the hassle, so you don’t have to. Let’s put them to work so we can vacay stress free! Here are 12 travel apps you need now to make 2023 your best travel year yet!
Help getting there
1. Skyscanner
Skyscanner searches over 1,000 websites to pull deals for flights, hotels and transportation. The best feature is the “everywhere” tool. Instead of giving you prices based on a location, it will give you locations based on your budget and availability. This is perfect for people who want to go everywhere, last minute or months in advance! With 100 million bookings monthly, you’re definitely in good hands with Skyscanner.
2. Hopper
This is another option for all your flight needs! Hopper’s main perk is notifying you of when your airline ticket will be the cheapest by predicting price fluctuations. All you have to do is search your desired flight and track it. You’ll then get notifications when the ticket drops to its lowest price. The app features all major airlines around the world and a 95% accuracy rate on their price estimations. They also have lots of filtering options, so you’re not missing out going third-party.
3. Eurail Planner
The only solution for traveling through Europe! Eurail makes the thought of country hopping seem easy, because it is. It’s like the Expedia of trains in 33 European countries! You can search and book all rails, reserve seats, and more all in one place. Whether you’re looking for overnight trains, scenic routes or cross-country rides, gathering from a dozen rail companies, Eurail has it all. With constant deals, and multi-ride passes, you can see more of Europe for less.
4. Rome to Rio
Everything in one place. Flights, trains, ferries, buses, taxis and rideshare. Rome to Rio will give you several options of how to get from any two locations. It will include more than just airport to airport. Rome to Rio details the entire route, from when and where to catch the city bus, transfer to the metro, fly transatlantic, then metro to your new hotel. It also includes prices and timetables for each segment of the trip.
5. Hotels.com
There are a lot of apps to search for lodging. Hotels.com is the way to go without having to commit to a single brand. “Special pricing” discounts are available for each stay, but the main perk is it allows you to accrue free hotel nights across all chains, redeemable in all cities. Hotels.com offers lodging in just about every country and a range of last-minute deals.
6. AirBnb
We all know Airbnb as a go-to for all types of stays; find a unique boat house, long-term rental, or some other one-of-a-kind property, like a pink castle! With a wide variety of filters, you’ll always find the lodging you need. But whether you’re Team AirBnb or Team Hotel, there’s one huge perk that can’t be denied… the experiences tab! There, you’ll find photoshoots, personalized tours, and other activities, sometimes a lot cheaper than more established websites with a much wider variety. It’s easy to find things to fill your itinerary this way, as a lot are offered by locals who know the city!
Help Once You’re There
7. Google Translate
Duh. This app has over 500 million users for a reason. 100+ languages, instant translation, and most importantly OFFLINE USE. The app can even translate the text of a picture. i.e… menu! Don’t end up with grilled octopus instead of fish like I did. No wonder it’s the world’s most popular translation app!
8. Google Maps
I’m definitely an Apple kind of girl. But unfortunately, Apple Maps will walk you into a river outside the US. Google to the rescue. Stable directions aside, Google Maps has a lot of great features; like pinning and sharing. When I hear about a cool place I want to visit, I just create a list for that city, pin it, and revisit when I arrive. Seeing proximity of things on the map makes creating an itinerary for your trip super easy! Another cool feature is that people can easily exchange lists. So once you’ve visited Paris and created your amazing itinerary, you can send it to whoever you want!
9. WhatsApp
If you’ve been out of the US, you already know. Every other country in the world operates on WhatsApp. Businesses, people you meet on the street, restaurants; everything and everyone you need will tell you to contact them through WhatsApp. It’s just a data based encrypted text & call service. So no surprises on your phone bill for international minutes! For anyone not in the US reading this, believe me when I say it just isn’t a thing for us. Download it, now.
10. Globe Convert
It’s easy enough to estimate currency conversion if it’s 1:10 or some other perfect figure. But that’s not usually the case, especially with rates changing daily. Save your brain power for deciding where to eat and download Globe Convert. It allows you set any two countries and will show the conversion for any amount you type in. So when you buy that dress in dirhams, it will automatically convert to your home currency. With over 160 currencies and 350 units of measurement, never miss a step on knowing exactly what you’re paying, how far you’re traveling, etc. Pro Tip: if you open the app while you have service, it will download the most recent conversions for offline use.
11. Maps.Me
Finally an app that understands you still need to find your way, before you find a foreign sim card! Whatever the reason, never find yourself with a non-functional map again. Maps.Me has functional offline maps worldwide. Additionally, while offline you’ll still get turn-by-turn navigation, favoriting locations, even a public bathroom search!
12. TripIt
If organizing isn’t your thing, Trip.It to the rescue. This app organizes all your travel plans in one neat place. One of the best features is that once you connect it to your email, you don’t have to keep adding trip info. It will auto populate when you receive booking confirmations from travel companies! Then you can share your travel itinerary with family through the app without having to actually send them 100 individual emails.
There are hundreds of apps all designed to help you get the best deals on flights and lodging. These are some that will get you on that bucket list trip sooner. If you’re looking for more ways to get organized for your upcoming trip, start here. 5 Items You Need for Your Next Vacation! Now book the flight. It’s time to pick up and go!
