Not all trips are about cutting digital ties. There’s a time and a place for unplugging, but tech-savvy travellers know a smartphone can be the perfect co-pilot.
A new crop of functional, practical, how-did-I-ever-live-without-this travel apps pops up each year. Some make your journey faster. Some make it easier. Some make it cheaper. Others help you record your adventures and share them with friends and family back home.
And did we mention that many of them are free? Below is a list of the best travel apps available now. Get packing and start downloading.
Citymapper
Citymapper is the ultimate urban transport app. A to B trip planning is made easy with real-time departures and disruption alerts, transit maps, line status updates, and arrival time estimates. The app covers all modes of travel: walking, subway, bus, rail, ferry, taxi, bike/car sharing. It even has Uber and Lyft integration. Citymapper offers more detailed information than Google, and is easy to use despite its comprehensiveness. Download Citymapper for iOS or Android.
Hopper
Hopper is an award-winning app that predicts when airfare prices will rise and uses push notifications to alert you when your flight is cheapest. Travellers with flexible dates can use the colour-coded calendar to spot the lowest fares in a month. In addition to sniffing out the best deals, Hopper also tells you which flights are inconvenient based on factors like long layovers and airport changes. Users can even save their passenger and payment info so future flight booking is a breeze. Download Hopper for iOS or Android.
XE Currency
XE is the go-to currency conversion site online, so it’s no surprise that the app is equally esteemed. Travellers can find exchange rates or convert any currency in seconds with the tap of a few buttons. The app even saves the last updated rates so it can continue to function offline. For business travellers, there is a suite of useful features like rates for precious metals and historic currency charts. Download XE Currency for iOS or Android.
PackPoint
PackPoint is the ultimate tool for determining what goes in your suitcase. The app builds a custom packing list based on the length of your trip, the weather at your destination, and any activities you have planned. Your list gets its own website, so you can easily share it with fellow travellers who are clueless about what to pack. Premium features include integration with Evernote and TripIt. Download PackPoint for iOS or Android.
Google Translate
Google Translate is a veteran on the best travel apps scene, but it remains one of the genre’s standouts. The app’s highlights include language packs that can be downloaded for offline use (invaluable when you’re roaming a foreign land without wi-fi) and instant visual translations using your phone’s camera. It also offers two-way instant speech translation in Conversation Mode and can read hand-drawn characters along with keyboard input. Download Google Translate for iOS or Android.
TripIt
TripIt is a travel agent that fits in your pocket. The app eases the travel hassle by consolidating all your plans into one place. After scanning your email inbox for confirmations, TripIt creates a single, easy-to-ready itinerary that covers flights, hotels, rental cars, and event bookings. Itineraries can be shared with contacts, making it easy to book group travel. Download TripIt for iOS or Android.
HotelTonight
If you’re the spontaneous type, HotelTonight is a must. The app makes it easy to book great stays at affordable last-minute rates by partnering with hotels and offering their unsold rooms. You can book the day of, or up to seven days in advance, giving you the flexibility to play it by ear, plus the confidence of knowing you’ll get a low price and top accommodations. Download HotelTonight for iOS or Android.
Splittr
While there are other apps out there for sharing expenses, Splittr is designed especially for travel. Simply add expenses as you go and Splittr will tell you who is next to pay and who owes what to whom. At the end of the trip, it generates a full report that can be emailed to your friends. Best of all, all currencies are supported and you can even mix them. Download Splittr for iOS.
Dayuse
Booking a hotel room for a few hours usually raises eyebrows, but Dayuse is out to change that. The app helps weary travellers find a place to kill time between flights, take a quick nap or shower, or finish an important work project before the deadline. With Dayuse, you can book a hotel room during the day at more than 4,000 properties in 20 countries for a fraction of the standard nightly rate – and you still get access to the amenities enjoyed by overnight guests. Download Dayuse for iOS or Android.
LoungeBuddy
Airport lounges aren’t just for long layovers and first class flyers. LoungeBuddy helps you find a place to relax, be productive, freshen up, or just get away from it all by locating lounges in more than 500 airports worldwide. Input the details of your trip and any applicable elite benefits or memberships, and the app provides a list of locations you can access for free or a one-time fee. Download LoungeBuddy for iOS or Android.
FLIO
Make the most of a flight delay or a long layover with FLIO, an app that handily contains all the info you could possibly want to know about more than 5,000 airports around the world. In addition to a flight tracker with real-time information, FLIO is an indispensable guide to each airport’s layout, lounges, eateries, transit options, wi-fi networks and more. It also offers discounts on food, drinks, retail stores and lounge access at hundreds of partner airports. Download FLIO for iOS or Android.
WiFi Map
The days of travelling comfortably without wi-fi are long gone. Unfortunately, fees for on-the-go internet can quickly add up, particularly if you’re a frequent traveller for business. Enter WiFi Map, a crowdsourced service that highlights free hotspots near your current location and provides the passwords needed to use them. The app provides access more than 100 million wi-fi networks worldwide. Download WiFi Map for iOS or Android.
AirHelp
Ever felt irritated by an airline (who hasn’t)? AirHelp could turn that irritation into cold, hard cash. Submit your details if you are denied boarding or your flight is delayed, diverted, cancelled or overbooked. AirHelp checks to see if you’re entitled to compensation and manages your claim. If the claim is successful, the company takes a cut of the payout and automatically sends you the remainder so you don’t have to lift a finger to get what you deserve. Download AirHelp for iOS or Android.
DayPass
An all-inclusive luxury resort may be out of your budget, but download DayPass and you can still rub shoulders with the jetsetting elite. DayPass unlocks access to amazing pools, famous beach clubs, rejuvenating spas, private gyms and unparalleled culinary experiences at 500 handpicked hotels and resorts across the globe – no overnight stay required. Browse by day, destination or amenity, and book instantly through the app. Download DayPass for iOS or Android.
Roadtrippers
If your next great adventure involves four wheels and the open road, don’t leave home without this essential companion app. Enter your route into Roadtrippers and watch in awe as the app trawls its extensive inventory of scenic views, local eateries, campsites, museums, amusement parks, quirky attractions and other off-the beaten-path oddities to suggest stops based on your interests. Select what you like and Roadtrippers will automatically redraw your travel map accordingly. Download Roadtrippers for iOS or Android.
