The Best Travel Apps for Every Step of Your Journey

The Best Travel Apps for Every Step of Your Journey

Whether you’re booking flights, finding last-minute hotel deals, or navigating around an unfamiliar city, these apps for travel can help make your journey more accessible, cost-effective, and enjoyable.

When it comes to planning a trip, travel apps can be a lifesaver. Whether you’re booking flights, finding last-minute hotel deals, or navigating around an unfamiliar city, these apps for travel can help make your journey more accessible, cost-effective, and enjoyable.

Here are some great apps for traveling that will get you through every step of the trip, from planning to returning home.

When You're Planning Your Trip

The best place to start when planning your trip is to watch for flights with the best fares and accommodations with the best deals.

Flight Tracker Apps

Flight trackers like Hopper, Kiwi, and Skyscanner provide real-time updates on flight prices and allow you to book tickets at the lowest cost.

flight tracker travel apps

Hopper: The app's price-prediction technology warns you when to buy tickets and when not to, so you can save on airfare. It also helps you find the cheapest hotels and rental cars in your destination, making it one of the best travel apps for bargain seekers.

Kiwi: With a Travel Hacks section that can help you save time and money, this app provides an easy way to track flights and compare prices across different airlines. With Kiwi, you’ll never miss out on the best flight deals.

Skyscanner: Skyscanner makes finding the best flight fares a breeze. Its powerful search engine allows you to compare prices between different airlines and find the lowest fare.

Value Stay Apps

Accommodation apps like Hotels Tonight, Hostelworld, and Airbnb help you find the best nightly rates on luxury hotel rooms, trendy hostels, and unique (entire-place) stays (think: a treehouse in the woods or a yurt in the desert).

accommodation travel apps

Hotels Tonight: One of the best travel apps for discounted luxury stays, this travel app helps you find the best last-minute deals at five-star hotels. The catch? You must book the same day, so it’s ideal for spontaneous travelers who don’t mind taking risks.

Hostelworld: This app for travel is great for budget-minded adventurers who want to stay in trendy hostels and save money. It offers detailed information on over 36,000 hostels across 170 countries, including photos, reviews, and ratings.

Airbnb: A power player in the travel app industry, Airbnb has revolutionized the way we stay. It provides a platform to find unique accommodations around the world, whether it's a converted shipping container in Australia, a castle in Ireland, or a space saucer in Joshua Tree.

When You're On the Go

Once you've booked your flight and accommodation, it's time to hit the road! Below are a few apps that will come in handy during your travels.

Airport Assist Apps

Need to track a flight in real-time or find the nearest bougie lounge? Airport assist apps like LoungeBuddy, Priority Pass, and Flight Aware are here to help.

airport travel apps

LoungeBuddy: This app is great for travelers who want VIP treatment at the airport. It offers access to ritzy airport lounges the world over, with options to purchase access on the day of travel or 60 days in advance.

Priority Pass: Similar to LoungeBuddy, Priority Pass is an airport lounge membership app that gives you access to over 1,300 airport lounges throughout the world. Membership plans start at $99 per year.

Flight Aware: With Flight Aware, you can track most flights in real-time and view live flight data like departure times, arrivals, and gate information. This can useful when making flight connections or when picking up a friend from the airport.

In-Route Entertainment Apps

The below aren't travel apps per se, but they're a great way to stay entertained on the road. On one hand, you have a classic like Netflix to view some of the greatest entertainment of all time. On the other, you have apps like Duolingo and Lumosity to keep your brain active while learning a new language or tackling some brain-teasers.

entertainment travel apps

Netflix: Netflix is the ultimate entertainment app, with a huge library of movies, TV shows, and documentaries to watch while you're on the go. And with quick downloads, you can watch your favorites offline.

Duolingo: Duolingo is a fun interactive app for learning new languages, so you can master the basics before your trip. It offers lessons in over 40 languages, with approximately 100 lessons per language.

Lumosity: Lumosity is a brain-training app that features daily brain games, puzzles, and quizzes. It’s great for travelers who want to keep their minds sharp while fending off jet lag.

When You're at Your Destination

Once you reach your destination, these travel apps can make navigating unfamiliar surroundings and communicating with locals a whole lot easier.

Location Apps

From directions to your hotel to recommendations on nearby restaurants, these location-based apps for traveling can help you make the most of your trip.

location travel apps

Google Maps: It's hard to beat G Maps from an international standpoint. This handy app for travel offers detailed information on different locations in over 200 countries and continents.

TheFork: This travel app is a great way to find the best restaurants in town. You can search for restaurants by type of cuisine, budget, or location and view detailed reviews from past customers.

TripWhistle: TripWhistle provides global safety information and assistance in over 150 countries. It has an SOS feature to summon help during an emergency and includes phone numbers of local firefighters, medical respondents, and police officers.

Communication Apps

Staying connected with friends and family at home or in your travels is no problem with these apps.

communication apps

WhatsApp: WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows you to send messages and make voice or video calls to anyone in the world, as long as they have the app. It’s free, secure, and easy to use.

Viber: Viber is another messaging app that allows you to make free or low-cost international calls and send messages with ease. It’s great for staying in touch with people around the world.

Google Translate: Google Translate is an amazing app that instantly translates text, images, and audio into multiple languages. It’s great for communicating with locals who don’t speak your language or translating the menu at a foreign restaurant.

Using the best travel apps for each step of your journey can make your experience go that much smoother, from watching flights for lower fares to finding great restaurants at your destination. So don’t forget to download them before you set off on your journey and have a great time!



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