1) Flight App— Skyscanner or Momando
The first app every traveler needs is an app to book your flights. If you plan on traveling somewhere outside driving range, you’ll need to find affordable flights, and there’s no better way to do this than with Skyscanner or Momando. I like both of these apps because they compare fares from multiple airlines and budget sites. If you’re not sure where you want to travel, they also have a feature that allows you to see all the possible destinations and prices for any date you want. I always start planning my trips on one of these two apps.
2) Lodging App— Hotels.com or AirBnB
The second app you’ll need, once you’ve picked your destination and flights, is an app to secure where you’re going to lodge. If you choose to go the hotel or resort route, Hotels.com is my favorite booking site. I like how easy it is to search for rooms, and I like their points system. If you decide you want to stay at a vacation rental or rent a room from a local’s house, AirBnB is still my go-to. I love how they have experiences hosted by locals you can book, as well.
3) Map App– CityMapper/Alltrails/Maps
Now that you have your flights and lodging, the next thing you’ll need is a comprehensive map of your destination. I like all three apps above depending on the type of vacation you’re planning. If you’re planning a city break, City Mapper is a great resource for getting the layout of your destination. If you’re looking to do mostly outdoor hiking and exploring, Alltrails can be really great for picking your trails. For either, or a combination of both, I love having a basic navigation app like Maps to avoid getting lost. All three of these apps you can use to plan your future trip, and you can use them when you’re on vacation for navigation.
4) Transportation App– Uber/Lyft
If you’re traveling somewhere somewhat walkable, especially if parking is expensive or difficult, you can’t beat rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft. Whenever I’m visiting a dense city, I hate worrying about parking a rental car. If you like to pack your vacations with as much fun things as I do, you can really lose a lot of time navigating a new city and figuring out where to park. I love rideshare apps because they pick you up quickly, they drop you off exactly where you want to be, and most of the time they’re quite affordable. One tip, though– make sure you check the availability of these rideshare companies before you get to your vacation destination. Some cities have banned them and prefer you use tradition taxi services.
5) Vehicle Rental App– Turo/Outdoorsy
If you’re planning a trip somewhere more rural or ‘outdoorsy’, Turo and Outdoorsy are wonderful resources to have on hand. Turo is an app where you can rent cars from local car owners for much better prices than corporate rental companies. Outdoorsy is similar except you can rent RVs and campers from locals. Both of these apps are very trustworthy, and every time I’ve used them, I’ve received a clean vehicle/camper. They make your nature-focused vacations hassle-free!
6)Planning App– TripIt or Notes App
Now that you’ve figured out the bones of your vacation, you’ll want an app to consolidate your information and start planning the details. If you don’t mind doing most the organizing yourself, you can do this on the Notes App that comes on your phone. If, however, you don’t want to do all the organizing yourself, TripIt is a great app for this. It has an easy-to-understand layout, and it also offers some fun tips for your future trip based on the information you put in it.
7) Communication App– Whatsapp
Oftentimes when you’re traveling, you don’t have cell signal. Communicating with your loved ones back home as well as your travel partners can be difficult. Whatsapp makes this easy. Whenever I’m traveling, I do most of my communicating through this app. You can make calls and send texts as long as you have any internet connection.
8) Translation App– Google Translate/Duolingo
The last app every international traveler needs is a good translation app. If you’re planning a trip in advance, you can learn a little of the language spoken in your destination. I love Duolingo for this. The app interface is easy to use, and it’s fun. You don’t need to spend a ton of time on it every day to learn a lot. Just a few weeks can teach you a lot of the basics you’ll need. If you don’t have a lot of time to learn a new language, however, Google Translate is a phenomenal resource. It gets better and better with every update. It has a text function, a voice function, and it even has a picture function that translates photos you take of text into a language you understand. I highly recommend you have this app on your phone, even if you don’t think you’ll need it. You never know when you’ll meet someone who speaks a different language!