I really enjoy trying out new apps for my phone, especially if those apps make my life easier. Whenever I travel with other people I tend to notice that I am the only one using various apps to get the most out of my travels. Whether it is planning my itinerary or just helping me get around in a new place. I thought I would share some of my favorites that I have been using for years. I’d also love to hear which ones you can’t travel without in the comments.
[2020 Update] As the years go by, more and more apps come and go. This list has been significantly updated to remove apps that no longer exist and add new ones.
Table of Contents
Travel Apps for Planning and Booking
Below you will find the best apps to help you check prices, book transport, and accommodation with ease.
Skyscanner
I’m not on team Skyscanner or Kayak, I’m on team whoever will give me the best deal haha so I use both apps. I like to search from my local airport to “anywhere” with flexible dates or month view so that I can find the best deals and get some travel inspiration. I love popping in my info for a free weekend and seeing oh cool I can fly super cheap to a place I’ve never been and decide my travels that way.
Airbnb
I don’t talk about accommodation often in this blog, and this is honestly because I don’t really focus on finding beautiful places to stay. However, I do prefer Airbnbs over hotels or hostels. I also almost exclusively stayed in Airbnbs for the past 6 years. With the app you can easily find and book your places, communicate with your host, and find all of the important bits of information you need.
Kayak
Kayak functions similarly to Skyscanner in that you can browse a wide range of airlines for your flights at once. I like the ease of selecting “Explore the world” on the app to see all of the different options from my nearest airport. Also, you can easily track the status of a flight right on the front screen so the ease of this app has definitely improved over the years.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is very useful for finding restaurants or tips for your trip. I love the ability to browse restaurants by map to see what is close to me or by cuisine or price and to read reviews and view pictures. You can learn a lot about a restaurant just from a quick browse on TripAdvisor. The forums are also very useful for asking about itineraries, planning logistics, and tips from others who have traveled there before.
Hopper
Hopper is a fantastic tool for the budget traveler. The app allows you to search for and purchase flights. The great thing about Hopper is that it helps guide you to when a ticket price is expected to increase or decrease so you can buy your tickets with more confidence. In the app you can track flights you are interested to see if the prices do fluctuate. It has been a very invaluable tool for me when buying trans-Atlantic flights at just the right moment.
Hostelworld
If you are staying in hostels then you must be familiar with Hostelworld’s site and app. It is the best way to browse hostels across the world accompanied by genuine reviews. If I stay in a hostel, I always book with Hostelworld. With everything in one place to make your travels that much easier the app allows you to book a room, store your favorites, and even provides a live translator to use during conversations.
PackPoint
PackPoint is an app I never knew I needed. Perfect for the forgetful or those who just love to be overly organized. In this app you can enter where you are traveling to, how long, and what type of activities you will be doing. Then it will give you a packing list for your trip based on the location, weather, and activities. Bonus points for being designed very nicely and actually providing very useful packing lists.
Travel Apps for Finance
Keep your budget in order, split the bill with friends easily, know how to tip in each country, and currency conversions on the go!