Top travel apps: for planning, packing, navigation (2024)
Are you planning to go on vacation this summer? If yes, you'll find this article very useful. We've gathered all the apps that will help you pack, plan the trip, find the best eating spots, convert the currency, navigate in offline mode, and more. Read on!
TripIt
The best travel organizer
TripIt helps you have everything about your trip in one place: from flight plans to hotel reservations, including car hire options, airport gate info, interactive maps of airports and terminals, and much more. It can send you helpful reminders about airport gate changes, check-in and check-out times of your hotel, country-specific information, real-time flight status alerts, and more. The app accomplishes all this by collecting travel data from your emails. So, if you feel like you need a personal assistant for your family vacation, this app can be the one!
XE Currency
The best currency converter and travel calculator
If you are going to travel to a country with a currency different from your domestic one, you might need a reliable currency exchange converter. XE Currency allows you to determine exchange rates, monitor currency rates for up to 10 currencies in real time, and also perform global money transfers. The XE tool also enables you to track your expenses when traveling with a handy travel expenses calculator. This option can be extremely useful if you are traveling to a country with a high level of inflation: XE uses historical rates to calculate foreign exchange charges, allowing you to see the real total of your expenses.
Tripadvisor
Old but gold restaurant finder
If you are a foodie or simply prefer to discover local cuisine through nice restaurants and cafes, you need to have the Tripadvisor app downloaded on your phone. It provides tips and tricks for anywhere in the world. You can see rankings, honest reviews, and photos of the places other users have been to. Whether you're looking for a good place for dinner, a takeaway, or even a perfect spot for a picnic, Tripadvisor has it all. And it offers even more in terms of travel tips beyond just restaurants: hotel deals, sightseeing spots, and more. Another cool feature of the app is that it allows you to book a table directly through the app.
HotelTonight
For the last-minute hotel deals
Going on a road trip this summer? Well, in that case, you probably don't know exactly yet where you will stay for the next couple of days. To make the most of your trip and save some money, give the Hotel Tonight app a try. It allows you to book last-minute rooms at great prices and view reviews and photos. The only downside to the app is that you can't choose the type of room, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks anyway.
PackPoint
For wise packing
The best app for those of us who hate packing because every time forget to take something with us. Enter where and when you're going, for how long, and create your personalized list of items you need to bring with you, depending on whether you are going to a hiking tour, beach hotel, or Eurotour, for example. You can save your lists as templates for later. And while packing check items off.
Kayak
To plan the trip essentials
If you're planning to go on a vacation but haven't decided on the exact destination yet, Kayak is here to help you out. It enables you to find cheap flights, train and bus tickets, hotel options, and car rentals, all in one place. Whether you prefer to check Kayak's website or use their handy app, both platforms will provide you with great deals and exclusive offers. One advantage of using Kayak is that the company collaborates with smaller hotel branches that may not be available on larger aggregators like Booking.com, for example.
Google Maps
The best for online and offline navigation
It may seem obvious, but there is no better map application out there than Google Maps. It provides you with all the information you need about a place, including reviews, creating routes, and performing automatic rerouting based on live traffic updates. You can create travel lists, save and share them with friends who are visiting the same location, and the best part is that you can download specific maps and use them in offline mode.
