Useful Apps for Travel

Today, I’m going to write about the most useful apps for travel. If any of these apps resonate with you, make sure you get them installed and set up before you leave on your trip! It’s not fun trying to validate your email address and entering six-digit codes sent to your cell phone when you’re on vacation!

Looking more travel-related tips? You might enjoy:

Using Your Cell Phone Abroad
Using Your Apple Watch For Travel Can Save You Time, Energy, and Worry
Favorite Travel Products

I’ve split our useful apps for travel into categories, so you can jump to:

• Travel Planning
• Communication
• Getting Around
• Restaurants
• Activities
• Entertainment
• Financial
• Safety

Travel Planning

Here are a few useful apps to use before your trip, in the planning phase.

Google Flights

Google Flights is my first step to get a ballpark idea of what flights are costing for the dates I’m looking at. I use it as a jumping-off point to check directly with the airlines to see if I can get a better deal through them.

TripIt

TripIt is an itinerary planning app that gathers all of your trip information and confirmation into one place and lets you coordinate this information with others in your trip. Although I’ve never used this app, it gets great reviews. iOS Android & Mac App

Rome2Rio

Rome2Rio searches any city, town, landmark, attraction or address across the globe to get you from point A to point B. Note: I’ve found their prices to be higher than other options, so I use the site for research mostly. iOS Android

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is a great clearinghouse of reviews. Use it to evaluate hotels, restaurants, and activities for your trip. Pro tip: when looking at hotel reviews, choose “sort by newest.” You need to know what people think of the hotel now, not in 2017! iOS and Android

TimeShifter

TimeShifter was developed by scientists based on the latest sleep and circadian neuroscience. You can use it to create your own personalized jet lag plan (based on your trip details, age, and more). I just found out about this one, and you can bet I’ll be using it this summer when I go to Europe. iOS and Android.

Communication

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is how the world texts and calls. Owned by Facebook, it is the most popular communication platform in the universe, enabling you to use data to call and text anyone, anywhere. I highly recommend getting your family and friends set up to use it so they can reach you easily while you’re away through your US number, all through data. PC App iOS Android

Google Translate

Getting Around

Google Maps

I’m linking to Google Maps here, but there’s also Apple Maps and Waze. Choose your favorite and get it ready to go on your phone! iOS Android

Airline App

Whatever airline you’re flying, make sure you have it downloaded and that you’re signed into it on your phone. Your electronic boarding pass is found here, as well as important information about delays and gate changes.

Train/Metro App

If your trip involves other modes of transport, make sure to download their corresponding apps before you leave!

MPC Mobile Passport Control App

From the Customs and Border Patrol website: Mobile Passport Control App allows eligible travelers to submit their travel document, photo, and customs declaration information through a free secure app on their smartphone or other mobile device. The use of MPC streamlines the traveler’s entry process into the United States by reducing passport control inspection time and overall wait time. Use of MPC does not require pre-approval. Travelers who successfully use the MPC app will no longer have to complete a paper form and may be provided a designated queue. As a result, travelers may experience shorter wait times, less congestion and efficient processing. iOS and Android

Uber

Uber needs no introduction, does it? Some countries use it more than others, so do your research first. iOS Android

Flush Toilet Finder & Map

I didn’t know how to categorize this one! Average review of 4.7 stars, and helps you find a potty when you need one. iOS and Android.

FlightAware Flight Tracker

This live flight tracker comes in handy whether you’re tracking your flight or needing to pick up a friend from the airport. iOS and Android.

Restaurants

Yelp

Yelp is by far my favorite app for choosing restaurants. It has tons of reviews and great search options. I use it before my trip to come up with choices, and I use it during trips “on the fly” to see if there’s anything good near me. Pro tip: When you see restaurants you’re interested in, create a collection for them to make them easy to find. I have Yelp folders for quite a few world cities. iOS and Android

TheFork

TheFork is the leading online booking platform for dining in Europe, making it easy to secure reservations to some of the best places. iOS and Android

Happy Cow

Happy Cow helps vegetarians and vegans find food at home and abroad. iOS and Android

GlobeTips

When you’re out of the country and don’t know how much to tip, GlobeTips has got your back. This app can tell you how to tip adequately in any situation in over 240 countries. It also has bill scanning and helps you “math” by calculating check-splitting, rounding, and tax excluding. iOS

Activities

AllTrails

AllTrails has amazing listings of hiking and other outdoor activities around the world. Available on iOS and Android.

Weather App

Entertainment

Netflix/Prime Video/Disney+/You Choose

Download some movies onto your device before you leave. They’ll help entertain you while you’re waiting in the airport. Or if you get Covid and are stuck in your hotel room feeling crummy. (Perhaps I have a little PTSD from last summer?)

Spotify

Spotify is the movie soundtrack to our lives, is it not? I like to create a playlist for all my vacations. I listen to it while I plan, while I pack, and while I travel. When I play the playlist later on, it triggers so many fond memories for me. Highly recommend!

Financial

Your Bank App

Whatever your bank is, make sure you have it on your phone and know how to log on.

Your Credit Card Apps

Same for your credit cards. Have the apps and make sure you can sign in to them.

Wise

Wise is an online bank offering free accounts, great exchange rates, and low cost transfer fees. With the Wise platform, you can easily hold money, pay, and easily create wire transfers in different currencies. Here is an article explaining the currencies. When making purchases abroad, it’s still your best bet to pay with credit card. That said, sometimes you need to pay by transfer. With Wise, you effectively have a bank account in multiple currencies.

I personally use Wise and love it. If you sign up for Wise with my link, you get a fee-free transfer for up to $600. (No pressure to use my link. I only get something if three people sign up and the moon is in the seventh house and the groundhog sees his shadow. Or something like that.)

Xe Currency

Xe Currency Converter App quickly and easily converts from one currency to another. You can even set up alerts if you’re tracking certain exchange rates. iOS and Android.

Safety

Smart Traveler App

This is the official State Department app for US travelers, offering you easy access to frequently updated country information, travel alerts, travel warnings, maps, US embassy locations, and more. iOS and Android

TripWhistle

There are 196 countries in the world with more than 70 different emergency numbers. Find the right number and get help fast with TripWhistle Global SOS. You can call emergency numbers directly from the app, and it shows your location. You can also share your location with friends. iOS and Android

Conclusion

Whew! That was a lot! Did I miss anything???