Are you ready for the world’s worst-kept secret? As travel writers, we spend a lot of time traveling. Travel apps are the only way we can keep some semblance of sanity in our crazy, hectic lives, so we thought we’d take a moment and share our favorite travel apps with you.
Planning and Booking Apps
Photo Credit: Allianz Partners.
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
We love our planning and booking apps because they turn wishes into reality. Here are the apps we use and the order in which we use them.
TripAdvisor —We advocate for traveling experience and adventure first, and then filling in with unique places to stay and delicious food to eat. If you find a travel writer you trust who’s gone to a place you want to visit, that’s pure gold. Otherwise, there’s TripAdvisor. The crowd-sourced reviews of food and activities are a great place to start. They have accommodation reviews, too, which we find helpful for inspiration, but the interface and prices aren’t ideal for a point-of-sale tool.
Expedia —Hotel booking aggregators like Expedia are a great way to find discounted hotel rooms when you book in advance. Do your due diligence and check the official hotel page for comparable prices. All things being equal, we’d rather book from the hotel because it avoids issues with rebooking and cancellation. It also removes a step from getting your reservation in the system, so fewer things go wrong. Of course, if you do have that travel writer you love, you can always book from their article and support independent writing by using affiliate links.
Hotels4Tonight —Whenever we’re booking last minute, we search Hotels4Tonight. Sometimes, we get a smoking deal that’s almost too good to believe. Ironically, you often pay the full rack rate if you show up in a hotel lobby without a booking and ask if they have a room.
Google Apps —Google Apps, like Google Docs and Google MyMap, are where we build most of our travel plans. First, they’re a platform-independent collaborative environment, so you can share your plans with your travel partners and emergency contacts. Since wishing and planning take the same energy, you create a searchable library of potential trips using Google Apps. Finally, Google MyMaps is integrated with Google Navigation, so you can get reviews and pictures as you build your personalized travel map that can be used in real time. We love these maps so much; they’re integrated into many of our articles because they’re just so darn helpful.
TripIt —TripIt, especially the paid version, does a great job of building itineraries. The layout is super easy to read, and much of the data is auto-populated when you link your email account. Another feature that saved our bacon several times is the auto-notifications when an event (such as an upcoming flight at 12:05AM) is approaching.
Physical Safety Apps
Photo Credit: Allianz Partners.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra
Good old Yogi. He’s smarter than the average bear(a). But he has a point. The best way to ensure physical safety is to know where you’re going, especially in emergencies.
Allianz / Allyz Travel Smart — Allianz travel insurance could be a good idea as it covers unexpected, unforeseen events and includes 24/7 travel assistance. Of course, you should read your plan as significant terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Even without a policy, it’s worthwhile to download the Allyz Travel Smart app. Non-policy features include a trip organizer, hospital finder, medical translator, medication dictionary, and embassy finder.
Strava — Strava is more than just an exercise app. You can set a beacon so you can find your travel group in real-time. It also works to send the last known location, just in case. Plus, if you click into the map mid-activity, you can see the heat maps of nearby routes so you don’t inadvertently wind up on the road less traveled.
Cyber Safety Apps
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos.
STRONG SAD: Have you been using the Internet irresponsibly?
STRONG BAD: No more irresponsibly than usual.
I consider myself a Strong Bad sommelier because of my daft pairing of Strongbad quotes, IYKYK. Something you should definitely know is that there are some sketchy internet connections on the road, so these cyber safety apps will help you use the internet a little more responsibly.
AloSIM — One of the best ways to avoid sketchy connections is to pipe directly into the network with an eSim. We like AloSIM because of their excellent customer support. BTW, having a data connection can also help with other issues, like walking directions on Google Maps, booking a last-minute hotel with Hotels4Tonight, or staying connected to TripIt so they can tell you that your flight from Colombo Sri Lanka is leaving in four hours and you messed up your departure day because it leaves five minutes past midnight. Luckily, the traffic is pretty good in Sri Lanka at that time of night; trust us.
Tunnel Bear — When do you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)? The safe answer is anytime you’re on a public network. Most VPNs work well, but we like Tunnel Bear because we can select our “home,” which helps on our home network, too. Sometimes, internet prices, especially for flights and hotels, are geo-gated. For some reason, they don’t expect Spaniards to understand or pay Spring Break surge prices for flights to Orlando, which is how we got our daughter to visit us during Spring Break when we lived in the shadow of the mouse.
Air Transportation Apps
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“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near one.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
The dragon in this scenario is air travel. There are a lot of moving parts and high consequences if you mess things up. That’s why we keep our battery of air transportation apps at the ready.
Airline Apps — I get curmudgeonly when asked to download yet another app…and you kids stay off my lawn, too! Eventually, I figured out that these apps are here to help. They keep your boarding passes ready and alert you of flight changes. They also connect for free to in-flight wi-fi so you can access gate information and check if your bags made the flight. You can also tap into the in-flight entertainment, order drinks, and use your miles to purchase in-flight internet, which we love to keep up with our work on the plane.
Priority Pass — We get Priority Pass with our travel card, and it’s useful in about half the airports. That’s why we check for Priority Pass lounges when we’re still on the tarmac. The Denver deal is $28 of food for every person, including a guest from the plane. Taking a guest to lunch in Denver landed Ed his day job in Huntsville. If you get a chance to check out the Chase Sapphire lounge in Laguardia, it’s off the hook! They have table service and even a complimentary spa facial.
Ground Transportation Apps
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“By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Some people prefer driving over flying, but unless you’re staying at the airport, you will be using ground transportation during your trip. That’s why you have ground transportation apps to edge you closer to preparing than failing.
Uber/Lyft — I love the Taxi Mafia as much as the next guy, but I also love saving money. That’s why I check out prices on both Uber and Lyft before booking a ride. Some places, especially overseas, have a better-organized Taxi Mafia, so Uber/Lyft might not be available, but it’s worth checking.
Google Maps — You can substitute Waze if you like, but having a navigation app in a new city is critical. Don’t forget to download the regional maps in advance so you don’t have to worry about internet connection. You might not have real-time traffic information, but the navigation still works unless you’re walking. In which case, Google requires a data connection to provide for some unknown reason. I mean, walking through a foreign city without data is when I’d most like my navigation to work, but I digress.
Rome2Rio — Google is great in the States and many other places, too. However, Rome2Rio shows you how to get anywhere by plane, train, bus, ferry, and car, which is great for international travel. They even do a fairly accurate price breakdown by option.
GasBuddy — If you’re like us, you know where the “cheap gas” is in your hometown. Thirty cents per gallon adds up. If you’re on a road trip, it adds up quickly. That’s why we GasBuddy for cheap gas as soon as we hit a quarter tank.
Miscellaneous Travel Apps
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“Just because you made a good plan, doesn’t mean that’s what’s gonna happen.” — Taylor Swift.
The best way to avoid, um, stuff, is to know stuff. With these miscellaneous travel apps, you’re ready for when the stuff hits the fan.
Weather Channel — We always look at the next day’s hour-by-hour forecast before bed. It’s remarkably accurate and more useful than the ubiquitous tropical forecast that it will be raining every day at some time.
Google Translate — When all else fails, break out the translator. The text scan feature is pretty cool, too.
Flush — When you’re on the go and need to go, Flush will help you find a public toilet.
Wrapping Up Our Favorite Travel Apps
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos.
There are many travel apps in the world; these are the ones we use the most. We gave a rationale for each suggestion so you can see if you’re already using a similar app. The most important travel app is the one you know how to use on your phone. Trying a few out while you’re still in your hometown is not a bad idea, so you can see which ones resonate with you.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and the Allyz Travel Smart App, and we have received financial compensation.
However, as always, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own, and we only recommend brands and destinations that we 100% stand behind.