Whether I am traveling domestically or internationally travel apps are part of my arsenal in enhancing my efficiency when planning any trip by car, train, or plane. We all have experienced how frustrating and stressful planning any trip can be. Today, there are travel apps for everything — whether you are booking a trip, in need of a travel guide or planner or basic utility needs such as a currency converter to language translators. Many of them are also free. Here is my top list of go-to travel apps I use when traveling that you may want to check out.

 

First Thing to Know

There are way too many travel apps to choose from and you do need to be selective in order to be sufficiently organized when traveling. There are (for me) at least four categories of travel apps I keep on my mobile phone (and some on my IPAD). They are airlines, lodging, travel guides, and utilities. Below I listed for each of these categories the ones I most use with always an eye towards exploring new ones. Here goes:

 Category #1   Airlines Bookings

Airlines Apps — If you have not downloaded apps for the airlines you frequently use, now more than ever in these crazy traveling times, you need to reconsider. You can book a flight, check in from any location or store and access your boarding pass easily. They notify you of any changes immediately, including when they cancel or delay your flight. My airline apps are United, American and Jet Blue. However, I would not hesitate to download any others that I may need to use. Last year, American Airlines canceled one of my flights just when I was arriving at the airport and booked me on a plane, leaving the next day as my only option. I spoke with an agent to see what other flights may be available. He suggested United, but advised me to do it on the app so that I would not have to wait in line and potentially lose the seat. I was able to fly three hours later to my destination. As I travel more internationally, I already added several new airlines apps such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Emerites. Many of them have alliances with US airlines, allowing you to accumulate and exchange points.

Two others that fall into this category are:

 Google Flights—I always check Google Flights first to see what airlines are going to my destination, time availability and the cost before booking a flight. One of my biggest concerns is to spend 20+ hours on a plane trip that can be done in less than 8 hours. Looking for options that reduce the time is a first priority for me, sometimes at a higher price and not always possible. More recently, I used Skyscanner that had more features than Google Flights.

Category #2   Lodging

Favorite Hotel Apps — When staying at a hotel, I tend to favor Marriot Bonvoy, which has affiliations with over  20  brands of hotels that are tied to two of my credit cards for points among other membership benefits. Although using just this app is not enough, especially when traveling internationally or when off the beaten path. Here are four other apps I used:

Booking.com, Expedia.com — either one, although I prefer Booking.com where I am already a genius member and I receive points and discounts. I only use them for lodging or car rentals. I prefer to book my flights through either the airline or Google Flights. Remember when you book a flight with a third party agent, you can easily get bumped off over someone who uses an airline app.

Hotel Tonight   

   When you need a hotel on short notice, this app will help you book last-minute rooms at reasonable prices. If you are driving for a long distance and you want to make an overnight stop, this app will work well.

 Airbnb is great for both domestic and international travel if you are looking for a different lodging experience. Beware their customer service is very bad. More recently I discovered CozyCozy, both an app and a website that search hotels, Airbnb and VRBO, including camp sites and unusual places — all on one platform.

Category #3   Traveling Guides (See, Eat, Shop, Drink, and Play)

Food and Tour Guides: There are quite a bit of travel guides that are worldwide and include about everything you want to explore. They are extremely useful in getting you out to explore what cities have to offer and be inspired.

Get Your Guide—Great for learning about what is available in the cities you are visiting, allowing you to purchase tickets for attractions and tours around the world. I used them all the time when I am looking for tours, cooking classes, art shows and boating — you name it. Another one I use is Viator.

For Food guides, there are so many starting with Trip Advisor, Zomato and Four Square. I prefer to ask local folks or the concierge for dining recommendations.

Category # 4  Utilities

 Currency converters are essential, especially if you are bad at multiplying in your head. I recommend the Xe Currency Converter. This currency converter and money-transfer tool allows you to determine exchange rates quickly and easily regardless of whether you use their money transfers.

 Google Maps— Great for finding your way around your neighborhood or practically anywhere in the world (over 220 countries). It offers real-time updates to help you manage your time and you can download the map if needed. Super useful when walking or driving in New York City. They now feature a new button that gives you a live view of your walking path. It took me a while to learn how best to use it, especially in foreign countries where the street names can change in seconds.

Google Translate—I used this app all the time to translate everything. It is very helpful when you are in a grocery store to purchase food or to read instructions. Just use the camera button and it translates what you could be possibly eating. Pretty effective and it’s free.

PackPoint — Need help packing, just enter where you are going, and it develops a customizable packing list of what you need to pack that you can check off. Best part is it will tailor the packing list to coincide with the weather at your destination.

 TripIt—This app will help organize all of your emails regarding travel plans into one place. This is a great tool for nervous peoples and frequent flyers. No need to search through your emails for flight and lodging confirmation numbers. It uploads your boarding pass, digital passport, QR codes, and all confirmations of your travel plans. Everything is in one place. I use it as a backup to all the other notifications I get from my other apps.

WhatsApp— When traveling internationally this is a must have. You will connect with anyone enjoying all the benefits of a mobile device such as calls, video chats and messaging over data with no roaming cost or a sim card. If you are on Facebook, download Messenger and it too will allow you to make calls.

Car Service— This is a tricky one. Many countries do not use Uber or Lyft. I suggest when you arrive in a country that you try to book a driver online to get you to your lodging. Once you are there, ask what is the app for cabs and download it and attached a credit card. This will make it easier to get a cab and not have to worry about cash to pay. If you are in New York City, I suggest you download NYC Best Park app or Spot Hero for finding reasonably priced parking. Also use Park Mobile to pay meter parking minus the coins.

 Citymapper or Rome2Rio –Best apps for public transportation searches to any city, town, landmark, attraction across the globe with specific instructions to get you from A to B for train, buses, ferries, even flights.

 As mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of travel apps. You don’t need them all. Figure out what works best for you and delete the rest. On your phone screen, combined them and name it “Travel” for easy access.

If you enjoyed this story, help other discover it by sharing it with your friends. The newsletter offers more information than what is posted on Facebook. Your support will go a long way in continuing the blog. If you are not a subscriber for more stories and photos like these, please click here to subscribe!“