Let’s face it – today’s traveler is not likely to go anywhere without their trusty smartphone. For some, this may take a bit of the relaxation out of a holiday. But on the bright side, it’s a great way to keep some incredible resources right at your fingertips. I’ve tried and tested several travel apps while on the go, and over time have found some that I would never again travel without. Being biased, I’ve listed apps for Apple devices – however most are available for Android and Microsoft as well. Also, being thrifty (cheap..?), I’ve listed apps that are free, as well as being priceless.
These apps are listed in order of when you’d likely use them during your planning and traveling stages:
SeatGuru
SeatGuru (by TripAdvisor) is the must-have travel companion for anyone who flies. The free app lets you access over 700 seat maps from approximately 100 airlines. Never be surprised or disappointed by your selected seat again! You can also search flights, check on your flight status, browse seat and cabin photos, and submit your own photos and reviews.
PackPoint
If you’re anything like me, you always feel like you’re forgetting something. And most of the time, you are. PackPoint is here to help! Select your travel dates, locations & length of stay, choose activities you’ll be involved in, and specify whether or not you’ll be doing laundry while away. And voila! You have a personalized packing list sorted by activities as well as “essentials”. You can then add or remove items, and check them off once they’re in your bag and watch them move to the bottom of the list!
FlightView
Most major airlines have their own app, which shows you flight schedules, delays, gates, etc. However for smaller airlines, or for a consolidated listing, I highly recommend FlightView. It provides flight tracking, terminal, gate and baggage claim information, airport delay information, calendar integration, and current weather updates.
The CAD $1.00 “normal” version of FlightView should hit the spot – you won’t see any ads (as with the free version), and all you give up is the airport arrival/departure boards (available with the $4 version).
AccuWeather
Incredibly accurate, live weather forecasting for all your favorite locations – any longitude / latitude on Earth. Content includes current and forecast weather conditions, animated radar and satellite imagery, pushed severe weather alerts, and more.
AccuWeather offers their proprietary feature, MinuteCast®,which pinpoints your exact location via GPS, and provides a minute by minute precipitation forecast.
Hotel Tonight
What if you booked a room in the wrong neighborhood? Or what if you have an unexpected layover due to bad weather? Or what if you like to travel spontaneously? This is when Hotel Tonight will come in handy. Browse available hotel rooms nearby at great last-minute prices (up to 7 days in advance), and book in a matter of seconds! The app guarantees the best rates possible and offers 24/7 real-person customer support via phone or email.
City Maps 2Go
I’ve used my iPhone map as well as Google Maps while traveling, until I thought “Enough with the overpriced data-roaming fees!”
City Maps 2Go provides pre-downloaded city maps which don’t require any wi-fi or roaming data once you’re at your destination. As well as providing offline GPS services, the app also pins locations of bars, restaurants, and shops. You can search for nearby places, read through travel guides, view your current location on the map, and – my personal favorite – drop a pin as you leave your hotel, so you always know how to get back! CityMaps2Go covers the whole world. More than 150 countries, 15000 destinations, and 50 million places!!
Google Translate
Easily translate over 90 languages using voice, camera, keyboard, or handwriting. Two-way speech instant speech translation in 32 languages. The camera feature is incredible for reading street signs, maps, and menus – it translates on screen in real time, which is really fun to play around with! You can also save your favorite translations for quick access offline.
XE Currency
Convert on-the-go with the XE Currency App. This app offers live exchange rates and historical charts, for every world currency. Plus, once you have imported the currencies, you can convert offline at the most recent rate you used.
Pro version is available for CAD $2.79.
TripAdvisor
This one you may be familiar with. Check out millions of traveler reviews, photos, and maps. TripAdvisor makes it easy to find great restaurants and fun activities wherever you are in the world. Using your current location, you can receive personalized suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and attractions, and can book through the app on-the-go! TripAdvisor’s app got us flights and hotels all through Thailand with no worries.
Travel Safe & Travel Smart Canada
Travel Safe is a handy database of emergency service numbers for just about every country you’d ever care to visit. There are also embassy details should passports go missing, and even the option to pin certain services to your home screen as widgets, for one-touch access to police, ambulances, and fire engines. This one is not free, but for those who want a little extra security, the cost (~CAD $1.00) is well worth it.
Now, for us Canadians, it seems that Travel Safe is no longer available. However, we do have access to a very similar app called Travel Smart – Canada. This one also provides embassy and consulate details, emergency contact numbers, and border wait times. It also locates the nearest Canada-US border crossings for those driving to or from the States, and has offline capability so that you can access important travel advice when and where you need it, even if there is no wi-fi or cell access. And, as an added bonus, this one IS free!
Data Compress
All of these apps are great yes, but many use wi-fi or cell data to operate. And anyone who’s ever used any amount of data while on holiday will attest to the insanity of data roaming charges. Once installed, Data Compress drastically reduces the amount of data required to perform everyday tasks, such as retrieving email and posting to Facebook. (This app is also great for every day use, not just while traveling). It works in the background to find ways to save, such as:
- Only loading images as you scroll down to them
- Compressing picture and video files in your phone without any noticeable reduction in quality
- Automatically turning off when you’re on wi-fi
iMovie
A super-fun way to package video clips, photos, and sound clips from your travels. The user-friendly design helps you to easily create stunning movies, browse existing videos, share your creations, and watch all of your movies in iMovie Theater.
** Battery Rechargers
No, this is not an app. But tech-heavy travels can quickly eat up your phone’s battery life, leaving you with a dead phone and no way to function in the world 😉 You may want to consider carrying an extra battery (if that’s an option for your device), using a battery expanding phone case, or bringing along your charging cable or a portable battery charger to juice up whenever possible.
Well, those are my suggestions. What are yours? Did I miss a life-altering travel app? Which ones should I try out next??
Jess Hunter Travel 