what's the best travel guide app

30 essential travel apps every traveler needs before their next trip

When it comes to planning and taking a vacation, travelers rely on their phones now more than ever.

Travel apps are a source of inspiration and are extremely useful for booking and managing logistics — even making restaurant reservations or finding a great fitness class wherever in the world you're flying next.

From apps that help with everything from day-of hotel bookings and last-minute flight changes to those that serve as guidebooks and foreign-language dictionaries, travel is infinitely easier thanks to technology.

Apps can help you navigate a new city, make currency conversions, pack a perfect suitcase and even provide on-the-ground local expertise. Whatever you need when you hit the road, there's an app for that.

We've rounded up the most-loved apps here at TPG. Some may be obvious, and others more obscure, but either way, get ready to download.

Best apps for researching and booking trips

In addition to the apps for the airlines you fly most frequently and your favorite hotel brands, these apps can help you save money on flights and accommodations.

Hopper has changed in recent years from just offering a price prediction tool for flights to being a true online travel agency. The app helps travelers find the cheapest flights, hotels and rental cars.

Of course, Hopper also still offers its signature price prediction technology to help you plan out when to book, as well as travel protection options and a price freeze to help you lock in the lowest possible price on hotels and flights.

Kiwi is used mainly to book flights, but it also helps you book hotels (using its partnership with Booking.com) and car rentals (using its partnership with RentalCars.com).

Some of the app's most interesting features include the "Deals" section, which pulls in discounted flights, and the "Travel hacks" section, which includes options for hidden city ticketing, throwaway ticketing (making one-way flights more affordable) and free price alerts.

Hotel Tonight

A dream for last-minute travelers, Hotel Tonight ( now owned by Airbnb ) lets you book stays for the same evening up to a few months in advance in thousands of cities worldwide. Available hotel rooms are categorized into sections like basic, luxe, hip, charming and solid, so you can select what works for your vibe. Take advantage of the daily drop feature, where you swipe to find a personalized deal with a special price only valid for 15 minutes after unlocked.

At TPG, we love a good loyalty program, and HT Perks, the app's nine-level reward program, is extensive. Not unlike a video game, you "level up" by reaching specific spending thresholds on the app, and you'll gain access to perks like discounts, VIP customer support and credits. Also, your levels never expire, so you can only continue to move up.

To book home rentals instead of hotels, use the Airbnb app. After entering your destination and dates, you can filter results based on the home type, price, requisite amenities and more. If you find something you like, you can book directly through the app.

The app is ideal for managing your trips while on the road — you can access all your bookings under the "Trips" tab, where you can view your reservation (and the address or directions), contact the host or change your reservation. Once you have a booking, you can also explore and book local experiences in your destination, such as wine tastings, kayak tours, hikes, shows and concerts.

We can't talk about travel apps without mentioning the TPG App. Use it to track your credit card, airline and hotel points balances; earn points and miles efficiently through using the right credit card ; and research how many points or miles you'll need to book your dream getaway. You can even curate your own news feed so you see the news and advice that matters most to you first.

The TPG App is available for download on iOS . Android users can join the waitlist here .

Related: The TPG App has arrived — here's why you should download it now

Best apps for organizing a trip

From keeping all your documents in order to perfectly packing your suitcase without forgetting a thing, these are the best apps for organizing travel plans.

TripIt declutters your itineraries and documents by keeping them organized in one place. You can set your reservations to automatically send to TripIt, which lets you view travel confirmations, flight itineraries, tickets, hotel and Airbnb booking information, rental car reservations, ferry tickets and driving directions without ever leaving the app.

TripIt also makes it simple to share your trip plans with whoever picks you up from the airport or train station or anyone else who may need to coordinate with you. TripIt Pro subscriptions cost $49 per year and include extras like real-time flight alerts, security wait times, baggage claim information and updates on your loyalty reward programs.

Roadtrippers

Perfect for organizing that epic road trip you've always wanted to take, Roadtrippers plans out your driving route and lets you book hotels and activities along the way. The app is especially useful for finding interesting and off-the-beaten-path roadside attractions, cool restaurants and can't-miss landmarks you can bookmark.

A Roadtrippers Premium membership includes offline maps, live traffic information, overnight RV parking and more for $59.99 per year. For those looking to only venture on a few road trips per year, the app also offers a Pro ($49.99 per year) and Basic ($35.99 per year) membership.

PackPoint takes all the stress out of packing . The app shows you what to bring based on the length of your trip, the weather in your destination and any activities you're planning along the way. If you have access to laundry facilities at your destination, PackPoint even allows you to account for washing your clothes and wearing them multiple times.

Just download and install the app, type in the city you're visiting and plug in your travel details. So, stop waiting until the day before your trip — or the hours before you have to leave for the airport — and start packing now.

Best apps for navigating the airport and flights

Track flights, navigate airports and find airport lounges with these apps.

LoungeBuddy

LoungeBuddy offers access to premium airport lounges around the world, regardless of the airline or class you're flying. When you create a trip in the app and type in the credit cards you currently hold, it will tell you which lounges you have access to based on the airports you'll be transiting through and how to purchase access if you don't already have it.

You can purchase access on the day you're traveling or up to two months in advance if you're the plan-ahead type. If you prefer to search by lounge or lounge program, the app will tell you exactly what is needed to use them.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,300 lounges worldwide and provides meal vouchers at select airport restaurants across the world for an annual fee starting at $99.

Several cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express , the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve , offer Priority Pass memberships for all cardholders (enrollment required). Otherwise, you'll have to pay an annual fee to be a member and, depending on your membership tier, a fee to enter each lounge on top of the annual fee.

To use the Priority Pass app, enter the name or code of the airport you're in, and Priority Pass will pull up the lounges or restaurants that you have access to, including photos, hours, amenities and specific location information. For more information on the Priority Pass Program and how to gain lounge access, click here . Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Related: The best credit cards for Priority Pass lounge access

FlightAware

The FlightAware app allows you to track flights online, see a live map of a flight and check on delays, cancellations and gate changes. This app is especially helpful if you have a tight connection or want to track your flight.

It's also useful when picking up friends and family at the airport, as you can track their flight and see updated landing times or delays. AvGeeks will enjoy digging into flight statistics, flight maps and community aviation discussions on the app.

Best apps to use during your flight

Timeshifter.

What better way to cure jet lag than with an app? Timeshifter actually helps you avoid jet lag long before your flight takes off and also offers inflight and post-flight suggestions. The app relies on neuroscience research about sleep and circadian rhythms to provide personalized recommendations, taking into consideration your age, gender and normal sleep patterns — as well as specifics about your trip and travel plans. Timeshifter maps out when you should avoid or seek light, take a nap or try to stay awake. It even tells you if you should consider supplementing with melatonin or caffeine.

Your first jet lag plan is free, then $9.99 per plan, or you can enjoy unlimited plans for a year for $24.99.

Flying can cause anxiety — or provide a welcome relief from constant contact with our digital devices. Either way, use travel as an opportunity to relax, meditate or listen to soothing sounds that will lull you to sleep or a deep, relaxed state. Or, perhaps, you'll simply find it helps pass the time during a long flight.

Calm offers meditations on topics such as self-awareness, calming anxiety, breathing, lowering stress levels and happiness, among others. The app also has music options for focusing, relaxing and sleeping, as well as stories for adults and content for kids.

A limited selection of meditations and music is available for free (which you can download to use when you're offline or in flight). The premium version of the app costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

OK, so Netflix isn't really a travel app, but it can be a lifesaver during a long flight on an aircraft without seatback inflight entertainment or at the airport during an unexpected flight delay or boring layover. If you have a Netflix account, the app allows you to download your favorite shows onto your device to watch offline.

Just make sure to download your shows while connected to Wi-Fi before flying and check them again preflight to make sure they haven't expired (you can usually renew any expired downloads, but you must be connected to Wi-Fi or data to do so). Monthly prices vary depending on the plan.

Another app that's not really a travel app, Spotify can still be incredibly useful during tedious travel moments — just pop in those noise-canceling headphones and listen to your favorite music, meditations, podcasts and more.

The app's Premium plans (prices vary) allow you to download all your content offline on your phone, so you'll have it during long flights or when you don't have data or Wi-Fi access. Whether you want to take a morning jog in Bali to your favorite tunes or pass the time with a podcast on the metro in Barcelona, Spotify has it all.

Best apps to use in your destination

From exchanging money and sightseeing to communicating and knowing all the local tips and tricks, you don't want to land in a foreign city for the first time without these key apps.

XE Currency Converter

The XE Currency Converter app quickly provides live, up-to-the-minute currency rates, then allows you to store and view them even when you're offline. You'll never need to wonder if you're really getting a good deal in another country if you have this app.

Google Translate

Google Translate is a translation app that allows you to do it all — translate into more than 100 languages by typing, access 59 languages offline, translate via photo, translate bilingual conversations and even use the handwriting tool to translate.

The app is simple to use, too, with icons at the top you can click on to draw, take a photo, speak or type.

Not quite sure how much to tip when traveling internationally? GlobeTips will advise you on how to tip appropriately in more than 200 countries. It also offers a tip calculator for easy math. Globe also has apps for currency conversion, unit conversion and more that may be useful for travelers.

Related: The ultimate guide to tipping while traveling

For travelers globe-trotting with friends and family members or simply splitting the cost between groups, Tricount calculates shared costs and splits bills so you don't have to think twice about who owes what. Just enter your trip and currency and invite your travel mates to join your trip.

Each time someone pays for something, you enter the amount in Tricount, and the app splits everything up. You can also snap and store photos of receipts in the app. At the end of your trip, it will show the balances of who owes who what, making it easy to settle up.

Metric Conversions

Never be baffled by Celsius temperatures or suitcase weight in kilograms again with the Metric Conversions app . Whether you're measuring flour to cook at your Airbnb, figuring out distances for your Europe road trip or deciding whether to take a sweatshirt with you during your walking tour of the Great Wall of China, this app has you covered with easy conversions in volume, weight, temperature, area and more.

Google Maps

Google Maps is essential when visiting a new city (or even for getting around your hometown). You can map locations, get directions (walking, driving, public transportation, ride-hailing services and beyond) and see how crowded your subway will be in select cities .

You can make restaurant reservations, save your favorite spots and read and write reviews of attractions, eateries, shops and more. Make sure to download specific city or area maps ahead of time for offline access if you know you'll be without internet at your destination. For obvious reasons, the app works best when your GPS is turned on.

WhatsApp is a handy messaging service for travelers abroad as it uses an internet connection to avoid SMS fees.

It works like most other messaging apps: You start by creating an account, then add your friends and family members to contact and voila! You're able to call, video chat and send messages, images, voice memos, gifs and files just as you would in, say, iMessage (but with Android users too). You can also download WhatsApp on your Windows or Mac computer.

Best apps for planning activities

Traveling is about more than just getting from point A to point B. If you're looking for activities to add to your itinerary, check out these apps.

Meetup is an app designed for interacting with locals and other travelers who have mutual interests or shared hobbies. Whether you're traveling or at home, take what you love and do more of it with Meetup.

The app shows you groups that are formed around particular interests in your city, including yoga, photography, cooking, wine tasting, hiking, cinema and other activities. You can join groups to get updates on particular events you may want to participate in. The app can even help with networking, as there are many groups dedicated to business and technology. You might even be able to join a coworking group. Travelers with kids can participate in family-friendly meetups, and it's a great way for solo travelers to make friends and connect with others.

TheFork is one of the most useful resources for making restaurant reservations in Europe. Similar to OpenTable or Resy, the app lets you browse different restaurants by category and make reservations. TheFork features more than 60,000 restaurants in cities like London, Madrid and Geneva, as well as spots outside of Europe like Sydney, Australia.

The biggest perk is that many restaurant reservations come with discounts — in some cases, you can get up to 50% off your meal just by reserving a table through TheFork. Since we here at TPG are always down for earning rewards, make sure to monitor your YUMS — TheFork's reward system. You'll earn YUMS with each reservation, and when you hit 1,000, you receive a discount on your bill. Foodie travelers should also consider downloading these apps , too.

Happy Cow helps vegan and vegetarian eaters locate more than 180,000 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, farmers markets and grocery stores in over 180 countries around the world. The app allows you to filter by not only vegan and vegetarian but also gluten-free and cuisine types. You can also read reviews and get recipes on the app as well.

The app does cost $3.99, but it's a one-time expense.

TripAdvisor

Besides reading reviews of restaurants, hotels and attractions, you can book almost anything on TripAdvisor, from vacation rentals and restaurant reservations to tours and tickets.

The app has grown to include almost all things travel, allowing you to search by destination or interest (like the outdoors, food and drink, family or by the water, for example), which can give you inspiration for a trip or help you get your activities, meals and accommodations organized before traveling or on the fly.

With over 400,000 curated trails, AllTrails can help you find the hike or walk perfect for you and your group. It's not just mountain trails — AllTrails offers city walks, too, like easy meanders through the Marais district in Paris or peaceful strolls through Bangkok's Lumpini Park in Thailand.

See photos, updated weather predictions and key information about each route and connect with other travelers through reviews and forums. Access to AllTrails+ is $35.99 per year, which offers perks like offline maps and wrong turn alerts.

Best apps for staying safe

Use these apps to stay safe when traveling.

Smart Traveler

Smart Traveler is a free service that offers tips and information specifically for U.S. travelers. You can see what visas and vaccines you'll need before traveling and where to find help if you need it during your trip.

Register your trip on the app, which gives your information to local embassies and consulates in your destination. If there's any kind of disaster or tragedy, the local embassy can contact you to see if you need help.

TripWhistle

Another app dedicated to keeping you safe, TripWhistle maps your location and allows you to easily text or send your GPS coordinates or location. It also provides emergency numbers for firefighters, medical personnel and police in nearly 200 countries. After all, 911 is only for U.S.-based emergencies: Each country has its own specific emergency number.

Yes, Uber (or any local ride-hailing service app) is convenient, but it may also keep you safe. Using this app when traveling means you'll never get stuck wandering around in an unfamiliar area late at night or have to deal with unscrupulous taxi drivers trying to scam you. Uber also has in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button which will allow you to call local emergency services right in the app.

7 Useful Apps Every Traveler Should Know About

By Harrison Pierce

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Technology continues to make travel easier for millions of people around the globe. New apps offer travelers fresh ways to research a destination, connect with fellow globetrotters, communicate with locals, and track their flights. As a full-time digital nomad , I’ve learned the importance of having the right tools at your disposal when on the road.

Over the past few years, I’ve visited dozens of countries, flown hundreds of thousands of miles, and tested countless apps to find the ones that prove to be the most helpful. And while tools like Meetup, Google Maps, Google Translate, currency converters, and vacation rental , airline, and hotel–specific apps are in fact indispensable on most trips, I find that many of the best travel apps are still undiscovered by my fellow travelers.

Below, seven travel apps that make life on the go markedly easier (and more fun), from real-time flight trackers to photo-sharing gems—all of these apps are free, but some have paid pro versions worth considering. Don’t think these apps are only for full-time travelers—they prove useful for every type of traveler, whether you're in a brand-new destination or back for a return visit.

Discover the best apps for travelers:

Apps for flying, apps for exploring, apps for photo sharing.

My favorite app on this list is Flighty, a must-have for any frequent flier . The free version is fantastic, but I recommend splurging for the premium version, which gives you even more useful information and comes at a reasonable cost of $48 per year. The functionality it provides more than justifies the price.

The free version allows you to input all future flights plus past journeys you've taken within the last year. It provides updated information if any schedule changes occur to upcoming flights and allows you to track all the miles you’ve flown in one place.

The other main benefit is that it allows you to share your flight information with friends and family members who are also on Flighty. They will receive real-time updates about your flight without you having to text them. My parents love to make sure I’m safe so they appreciate getting detailed information about my travels—even while I’m in the air.

Flightradar24 is a favorite app among fellow aviation geeks. It lets you track almost any aircraft you see in the air throughout the day or night. You can track your own flight, a friend's flight, or any plane you see in real-time. It shares plenty of cool data, like the altitude, speed, arrival and departure airports and times, and tail number.

There are tons of eSIM apps on the market, but Airalo is probably my favorite, with digital SIM cards available for dozens of countries. I find it to be the most reliable and offers the best data packages. It can be a little pricey, but it is the best option if you’re only taking short trips. Holafly is another eSIM app that offers unlimited data and works well, but I find the app to be much more glitchy than Airalo and would recommend using the desktop version.

This one is for the planner of the group. Wanderlog merges the best of a bunch of different apps into one. Imagine an app that lets you plan a trip with ease: collaborate with friends as if you’re on Google Docs, manage expense tracking like Splitwise, and have a central place for your reservations, checklists, and more. Tripit is a similar travel planner app, so you can download both and get a feel for which interface you like better.

Been allows you to track the countries you’ve visited and make a wish list of places you can’t wait to cross off your travel bucket list . It gives you information like the percentage of the globe you’ve been to and shows you a world map of your trips. It’s always fun to add in a new country whenever I reach my destination.

This app was introduced to me by fellow nomads I met at a cafe in Montevideo, Uruguay . It automatically tracks your route across the world, allowing you to quickly upload pictures throughout your travels that can be viewed by anyone who has access to your profile. It’s an excellent way to share important moments with loved ones without needing to send photos to each person individually. Users can also create easily accessible guides filled with up-to-date information to help you plan your own trip.

Steller is another app that a friend recently introduced me to, and I’ve quickly fallen in love with it. It uses a combination of AI and user experiences to help you plan trips around the globe. From recommendations of things to see, like the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires or the Royal Palace of Naples, to full guidebooks created by users, you can get inspired, book experiences, and discover hidden gems within this app.

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Best travel apps in 2021

Beat the traffic, avoid flight delays and find a place to stay on your next trip

The best travel apps are the ones that take all the stress out of a trip, freeing you up to enjoy the journey. And fortunately, you've got a lot of choices when it comes to finding apps that can help you plan your next getaway. 

You'll find everything from trip planners and itinerary generators to online marketplaces for flights and hotels in both the Play Store and Apple's store for apps. Combine one of the best travel apps with some great travel tech , and your chances for a smooth trip will increase dramatically.

• These are the best Android apps overall
• Get better trip photos with the best Android camera apps

Not sure where to look first? We've found a list of the best travel apps for when you're ready to hit the road again after sticking close to home for more than a year.

1. MyTSA (Free: Android; iOS)

Before you hit the road, make sure you've got MyTSA on your smartphone. The official app of the Transportation Security Administration isn't going to win any beauty contests, but it will let you check wait times at security checkpoints at major airpots. And that can help you plan on how much travel time you need to allow.

The app includes historical wait-time data while also giving you the option of checking crowd-sourced reports of how long security lines are at that moment. The ability to search what you can bring on a plane, get live assistance and find out info on the TSA PreCheck program make this a good app for travelers to keep handy on their smartphone.

Download MyTSA: Android , iOS

2. Expedia (Android, iOS: Free)

If you're a frequent traveller, you need a good all-in-one travel app, and Expedia is a tried-and-true option. You can book every aspect of your trip through Expedia, including hotels, flights and rental cars. The app also lets you bundle deals on travel and lodging, look for cruises, and research things to do when you arrive at your destination. 

If you're looking to stretch your travel budget even farther, Expedia promises exclusive deals for mobile users, with members of Expedia's rewards program enjoying additional perks. 

Download Expedia: Android , iOS

3. Flighty (iOS: Free)

There are flight trackers, and then there's Flighty, an iOS app for people who really want to know the location and arrival time of their plane. The free version of the app gives you basic flight-tracking tools, but pay up for a subscription ($8.99 a month or $49.99 per year), and you get access to more sophisticated features such as push notifications, syncing with TripIt or with calendars, and an assistant to help with your flight connections. 

Flighty also claims to be able to predict flight delays by monitoring inbound planes for 25 hours and monitoring FAA-mandated delays. You can check out the portions of the paid app for free during a 14-day trial.

Download Flighty: iOS

4. Hopper (Android, iOS: Free)

Another app bringing big data and predictive algorithms to the world of air travel is Hopper It uses a massive database of airline prices and historical trends to predict when prices to a destination are likely to be lowest, when they're likely to change, and the best time to buy a ticket for a particular date and destination. 

You can watch flights on specific dates or destinations, and the app will advise you whether it's worth it to buy now or to wait, tell you the dates when it's likely cheapest to fly, estimate changes in price, and notify you of price drops or rises. You can also save your payment details within the app for quick booking.

Download Hopper: Android , iOS

5. iExit (Android, iOS: Free)

If your travel plans involve a lot of driving, iExit works as a handy freeway exit guide, listing nearby highway exits, as well as the kind of businesses and amenities there are nearby. Need to gas up or find some good food or a place to stay for the night? iExit’s search tools come to the rescue, showing you nearby gas stations (with price data powered by GasBuddy), motels, and even deals and discounts from nearby businesses.

Download iExit: Android , iOS

6. Waze (Android; iOS)

Nothing gets a vacation off on the wrong foot like getting stuck in traffic. Waze can't eliminate the traffic, but it can help you get around any jams, especially if you're in an unfamiliar city. 

The navigation app feeds your smartphone real-time traffic information, based on reports from other Waze users. That data includes accidents, speed traps and other hazards that might keep you from getting to your destination in a timely fashion. 

Other features sure to impress travelers include automatic rerouting, cheap gas alerts and the ability to send your ETA to anyone waiting at your final stop.

Download Waze: Android , iOS

7. Skiplagged (Android, iOS: Free)

If you're traveling light and looking to save a few bucks, check out Skiplagged. It's a neat app that can keep your travel costs down by taking advantage of "hidden city flights", where flyers get off at a layover, instead of at the final destination. 

Enter your origin and destination, and Skiplagged will show you the cost of a direct flight, as well as any cheaper "hidden city" flights that have your intended destination as a layover. The caveat? Stick to carry-on luggage, as any checked-in bags will go all the way to the flight's final destination. 

Skiplagged also allows you to book hotels, including last-minute deals and special offers.

Download Skiplagged: Android , iOS

8. Flio (Android, iOS: Free)

Flio aims to be the all-in-one companion app for harried travelers making their way through airports worldwide. An official partner of 300 airports, Flio also has info on thousands more. That lets the app feature terminal maps, a boarding pass scanner, a flight tracker and directions to shuttle buses and booking options for everything from parking to lounge access. 

The app's sheer variety of services and features make it a great addition to the app toolkit of frequent fliers and vacationers alike.

Download Flio: Android , iOS

9. AtYourGate (Android, iOS: Free)

AtYourGate is another helpful airport companion that focuses more about retail opportunities while you're killing time waiting at the airport. If you need food, supplies (like say a phone charger to replace the one you forgot to pack), or last-minute gifts, you can browse the AtYourGate app for nearby shops and restaurants instead of having to wander around the airport. 

AtYourGate users can order food or other items, pay through the app, and even arrange for the item to be delivered to them right at their gate, lounge, or other location. AtYourGate currently operates in a select number of major airports, including JFK, La Guardia, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Portland, San Diego, and Newark.

Download AtYourGate: Android , iOS

10. Mobile Passport (Android, iOS: Free)

Mobile Passport is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection-approved app that helps speed you through lengthy immigration lines. It allows anyone with U.S. or Canadian passports to submit their passport control and customs declarations through the app, replacing paper forms and providing faster processing in a number of major US airports where the Mobile Passport service is supported. 

The app will save you a good amount of time in line, but it’s no reason to leave your physical passport at home. Mobile Passport is a companion app, not a replacement.

Download Mobile Passport: Android , iOS

11. TripIt (Android, iOS: Free)

TripIt promises to cut back on the travel hassle by consolidating your travel plans into a simple, convenient itinerary. Viewable online and synced to your cell phone, you can also share itineraries with your contacts. 

You just link your email account to TripIt, and the service will automatically dig through your inbox for reservation confirmations and other forms. Using that data, TripIt builds an organized itinerary of your flight boarding times, hotel check-ins and more. While TripIt is a free download, a $48.99 annual subscription gets you features like real-time flight alerts and updates on how long airport lines are.

Download TripIt: Android , iOS

12. App In The Air (Android, iOS: Free)

App In The Air is designed to help you through the entire process of your airplane flight, serving as a booking assistant that reminds you of your gate, ETA, check-in requirements, baggage tips, and more. 

The app condenses all of this important information so that it's easy to refer to at a glance, while also providing handy extras. You can view a summary of your airline's baggage rules (or even have an augmented reality overlay that you can use to measure your baggage to see if it will fit for carry-on or overhead guidelines). 

Travelers can integrate the app with TripIt, track loyalty rewards, view airplane amenities and even forward their details to their Apple Watch or Android Wear device. A premium subscription ($29.99 per year) includes real-time flight status updates, automated check-ins, and more.

Download App In The Air: Android , iOS

13. GasBuddy (Android, iOS: Free)

If road trips are more your thing, consider GasBuddy, a mobile app that helps users track down the cheapest gas in their region. Users can tap into their GPS location through their phone, or search by address or zip code to find the nearby gas prices.

As many of the prices are based on user reports, GasBuddy rewards users with points for reporting and updating a station's prices, with points making you eligible for regular raffles of prizes like free gas.

Download GasBuddy: Android , iOS

14. Roadtrippers (Android, iOS: Free)

Another handy travel companion when you hit the road is the aptly named Roadtrippers, a trip planning and itinerary app that lets you plot your next road trip, and helps you discover destinations, attractions, and useful stops along the way. 

With Roadtrippers, you can share your route and schedule with friends and family. The app helps users find everything from diners and dives to hotels, restaurants, national parks, roadside attractions and other scenic points of interest. 

If doing that research on a small phone screen stresses you out, you can plan trips in the Roadtrippers web portal if you prefer, saving locations and stops into a trip plan which you can sync across multiple devices for easy reference.

Download Roadtrippers: Android , iOS

15. PackPoint (Android, iOS: Free)

PackPoint is a travel packing wizard that provides a checklist of travel essentials that you'll need to pack, depending on the nature of your trip. 

Simply create a trip profile with your destination, length of stay and purpose of travel. PackPoint then creates a customized packing and luggage checklist that takes into account whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, the type and amount of clothing to pack based on the weather forecast and other factors. 

The app also comes with a variety of premium features, such as TripIt integration for automatic packing list creation.

Download PackPoint: Android , iOS

16. TripAdvisor (Android, iOS: Free)

TripAdvisor is your crowd-sourced guide to hotels, restaurants and attractions worldwide. The app allows you to browse through plenty of reviews, images and videos featuring various establishments worldwide to get a better idea of what awaits you at your destination. 

You can also access contact details; search for nearby establishments; explore restaurants by food type, price range or rating; check out air fares; and even add to the knowledge base by posting your own reviews, images and entries for the places you visit. There are even some handy "Near Me Now" features to alert you of nearby points of interest once you're on the scene.

Download TripAdvisor: Android , iOS

17. Airbnb (Android, iOS: Free)

Airbnb is a marketplace app that allows users to search for and find unique accommodations across the world, from mom-and-pop B&Bs for a night, to a small apartment for a week, or even a castle for a month. There's no shortage of quirky and unique establishments. Airbnb covers a range of prices in more than 34,000 cities across almost 200 countries, which means the adventurous or flexible traveler has some interesting choices for accommodations on their next trip.

Download Airbnb: Android , iOS

18. Vrbo (Android, iOS: Free)

Vrbo's mobile app is another option for finding places to stay on your next trip. At Vrbo, the emphasis is on vacation rentals, and with 2 million unique places to stay in 190-plus countries, you've got plenty of options. 

Use the Vrbo app to search for vacation homes, plan your trip and book your lodging. The app also gives you access to key booking details — what is the Wi-Fi password at your rental property, anyway? — and lets you share your itinerary with friends and family.

Download Vrbo: Android , iOS

19. Hotel Tonight (Android, iOS: Free)

If you unexpectedly need to look for last minute hotel rooms, check out  HotelTonight. It offers last-minute discounts on vacancies and same-night accommodations from top-rated hotels. Users can search by category and quality such as Basic, Hip or Luxe; view information on nearby hotels; and quickly book accommodations from within the app.

Download HotelTonight: Android , iOS

20. GlobeTips (iOS: Free)

How much should you tip? GlobeTips is a handy app that can tell you how much gratuity is customary wherever you are in the world. In addition to global tipping guides, GlobeTips includes a calculator for automatically calculating the tip, splitting the bill, and handling sales tax.

Download GlobeTips: iOS

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What are you looking for?

35 best travel apps [the definitive 2024 guide].

Traveling is one of the best things in the world, but the fact is that it can be difficult to plan a trip , especially when you’re on a budget or you’re just not sure where to start.

Luckily, there are plenty of fantastic apps out there that can help you with so many things! 

Whether you’re looking to …

• Organize a trip
• Find travel inspiration
• Book accommodation
• Or keep entertained on the go

There really are endless options when it comes to apps for travel. 

Some of them will allow you to benefit from in-app discounts, others will help you find the best tours in the area, and many of them are simply there for inspiration! 

Wherever you’re planning to travel, there are some applications out there that will help you along the way and make your life so much easier.

Although the majority of apps in this guide have a desktop version too, it’s often much handier to have the platform right at your fingertips! 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best travel apps (in our opinion at least …).

Travellerspoint

The best apps for organizing your trip

1. wanderlog.

Cost: Freemium: Free, Pro Monthly: $16.99 per month, Pro Annual: $49.99

Device: Android / iPhone

Review score: Google Play: 4.7/5, Apple Store: 4.9/5

Best feature: You can collaborate with friends and family if you’re traveling as a group 

Wanderlog is a travel itinerary and trip planner that allows you to create the trip of your dreams without hassle. 

You can create a fully mapped-out itinerary of your travels, take inspiration from free guides, and put a budget together for your trip. 

However, one of the best things about Wanderlog is that you can collaborate on a trip itinerary together. This makes traveling as a group super easy!

Wanderlog is undoubtedly one of the best travel planning apps out there, and has so much to offer.

The free version is incredible, but if you’re looking for enhanced features such as being able to use the service offline or exporting information to Google Maps, then you can pay a subscription fee. 

2. Get Your Guide

Review score: Google Play: 4.7/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: Get Your Guide has a very flexible free cancellation policy

We always use Get Your Guide when we travel as it’s one of the best ways to search for experiences and tours in your chosen destination. 

All you have to do is type in your city or place, and there will be a wide variety of activities available. This can include safaris, city tours, theme parks, and cruises, so there’s something for everyone! 

You can even purchase city passes like this New York City Pass which can save you up to 40% off attractions.

Booking activities and tours through Get Your Guide allows you to look at reviews, book attractions in advance, and compare prices!

They also have a very flexible cancellation policy, no booking fees, and mobile-friendly tickets so you won’t need to print anything out.

Best feature: 24/7 award-winning support so there’s always someone available to help you

Like Get Your Guide, Viator is one of the best travel apps out there for booking activities, experiences, and tours. It’s owned by Tripadvisor and has a fantastic reputation!

There are plenty of reasons to book your activities with Viator including their award-winning support, free cancellation, variety of payment options, and high-quality standards.

There are over 300,000 experiences available to book on their website and app, and this includes destinations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia among others! 

Just type in the place you’re visiting, and you’ll be shown a variety of activities ranging from helicopter tours to hiking. No matter what you’re interested in you’ll find something to your liking.

If you're still in the process of planning a trip and you're unsure of where to choose then check out our guide on the best places to travel to ! 

Cost: Standard: Free, TripIt Pro: $49 per year

Best feature: Being able to sync confirmation emails to your itinerary

TripIt is another highly-rated trip planner if you hadn’t guessed by the name, and it’s a fantastic app for putting together a detailed itinerary. 

The app allows you to sync flight and accommodation confirmations from your email, access the latest travel guidance, and add documents to your travel plans!

There’s a free version that does pretty much everything you need to or you can opt for TripIt Pro which is a paid service. This will allow you to access interactive maps, your flight status, and a fare tracker among other features.

Either way, this is a great travel app for organizing your trip as you can keep everything in one place!

5. Roadtrippers

Cost: Standard: Free, Road Trippers Plus: $29.99 per year

Review score: Google Play: 3.9/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: Roadtrippers Plus allows you to add up to 150 stops on your itinerary

This is one of the best apps for travelers as you’ll get to put together the ultimate road trip itinerary! This includes sights and attractions, places to camp, and activities. 

With Roadtrippers , you can even add fuel and rest stops to your map/itinerary, as well as bars, restaurants, and shops! What more could you need? 

Not only is this app super easy to use, but you’ll have access to a wide range of articles and guides detailing interesting places to visit. 

Driving around the world is our favorite thing to do, and we’ve road-tripped endless countries including Norway , Ireland , Portugal , and Alaska . 

This nifty app makes it so easy to plan the perfect route, so make sure you give it a go! 

The best apps for accommodation

6. booking.com.

Review score: Google Play: 4.6/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: You’ll find plenty of in-app only deals

Booking.com is one of the best vacation rental sites out there and is a fantastic option if you’re looking for accommodation. 

Although there’s a desktop version, having this app at your fingertips will come in handy. In fact, you’ll be able to find plenty of in-app deals which are often cheaper!

We've also got an in-depth guide on how to get cheap hotel rooms if you're interested in further discounts...

If you’re still not convinced, then you can even find cheap flights, rental car deals, and taxis on the app. 

Not only that but you’ll have your booking information (or bookings) in one place, and having the app is a great way to show your hotel address to taxi drivers.

This is undoubtedly one of the best apps for travel so make sure you download it before your trip!

Review score: Google Play: 4.5/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: There are over 5.5 million listings to choose from!

Everyone has heard of Airbnb as it’s revolutionized the accommodation industry since it was founded in 2008. It’s one of the best free travel apps out there so we couldn’t leave it off this list. 

Boasting over 5.5 million accommodation listings worldwide, you’ll find tons of places to stay on this app. Many of the listings are self-contained holiday homes and apartments so you’ll have plenty of space. 

However, you’ll also find a variety of unique accommodation options on Airbnb including cabins, igloos, treehouses, and boats!

This app offers some of the most affordable accommodation options in the world and is a must-have if you’re traveling on a budget.

However, if you’ve got plenty of cash to splash don’t worry as there are lots of luxury stays available too! 

8. Hostelworld

Review score: Google Play: 4.8/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5 

Best feature: 24/7 customer service so there’s always someone there to help

Speaking of traveling on a budget, have you tried Hostelworld ?

Whether you’re looking to visit Rome , Thailand , or New Zealand, this fantastic travel app has over 36,000 budget-friendly listings in over 170 countries.

Offering both dorm beds and private rooms, this is the app you’ll want to download if you’re looking for a bargain. Many of the properties also feature plenty of awesome facilities. 

This ranges from an onsite restaurant to a rooftop area, and some of the hostels even offer free walking tours.

Not only does Hostelworld offer ‘ROAMIE’s which are awesome budget travel tours, but they’re also currently working on a ‘common room’ feature where you’ll be able to connect with other travelers!

Best feature: Kayak offers price alerts for accommodation to help you get the best deals! 

Next up on this list is Kayak which is a comparison platform that compares accommodation, car rentals, transport, and more. It's also a great platform for finding cheap flights.

It’s one of the best all-rounded travel apps, and it even lets you set up a price alert system. This means you’ll be notified when the price drops, and you can sometimes save up to 35% off hotels.

Showing results from over 2 million properties, boasting endless verified reviews, and featuring an easy-to-use layout, it’s no wonder that Kayak is such a big hit.

If you’re still not convinced to download this app from the app store, then they also have a rewards system where you can rack up points to redeem against hotel stays!

10. iOverlander

Review score: Google Play: 3.8/5, Apple Store: 3.5/5

Best feature: Offers an endless list of amenities and camping locations to help you with your road trip

There are plenty of fantastic travel apps out there if you’re looking for cheap hotel rooms, but what about if you’re road-tripping?

That’s where iOverlander comes in! 

iOverlander is a nonprofit project that’s run mostly by volunteers, and it’s one of the best apps for travelers if you’re driving a car or motorhome.

Featuring incredible wild camping locations, petrol stations, hostels/hotels, and mechanics in case you run into a snag, this fantastic app has so much to offer. 

This app also allows users to add locations and amenities, so there are always new places being added.

You’ve also got Park4Night which is one of the best travel apps for Europe road trips! 

If you're planning to convert a campervan and hit the road, then honestly we can't recommend this way of exploring enough. However, just keep in mind that van life isn't for everyone.

The best apps for transportation

11. skyscanner.

Review score: Google Play: 4.7/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: You can compare a variety of airlines, flight times, and prices 

Skyscanner is currently one of the best flight apps on the market as it’s a metasearch engine that searches high and low for the cheapest airline prices.

All you need to do is enter your departure airport, destination, and the date you want to fly. You can then filter out the results by the number of stops, duration, and airline.

Skyscanner also has a handy ‘everywhere’ option so you can just enter your departure airport, and find the cheapest flights on offer! 

If you're looking to travel cheaply , then I 100% recommend downloading this app as you'll benefit from some great flight prices.

The one thing to keep in mind is that you won’t be booking your flight directly through Skyscanner, instead, you’ll be taken to a third-party website. 

Always check that website on Trustpilot before booking your flight - we can’t stress this enough! 

There's no denying that Skyscanner is one of the best travel apps for flights so make sure you download it.

Review score: Google Play: 4.8/5, Apple Store: 4.9/5

Best feature: The app is very easy to use, and you just scan the QR code to unlock your e-scooter or e-bike.

Lime is a micro-mobility app that allows you to use e-scooters and e-bikes without having to rent them. You simply have to download the Lime app, and then use it to locate a ‘vehicle’.

All you have to do then is scan the QR code to unlock your e-scooter or e-bike and you’re good to go. Not only is it a great way to get around, but it’s more environmentally friendly too!

Lime is our favorite e-scooter app, although they’re all typically very similar. The exact app you download will depend on the country you’re in so make sure you do your research first. 

For example, Lime is available in certain areas of Australia, Canada , Europe , the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Best feature: Being able to see the price upfront and ETA

Uber has been given some stick over the years (and understandably so) but today, it’s one of the best ways to get around if you’re planning to use taxis.

It’s a ride-hailing service that allows you to book a taxi where you’ll get to see the price upfront, and the estimated time of arrival (ETA). 

For starters, this stops you from getting ripped off and you won’t need to haggle a price if there aren’t any meter-ran taxis in the area. You can even reserve a ride in advance which is always handy! 

There are plenty of other ride-hailing apps to choose from aside from Uber but it all depends on the location you’re planning to visit. Other options include Grab , Lyft , InDrive , and Bolt . 

14. Airline app

Device: Depends on the airline, but the majority of them operate on Android and iPhone

Review score: N/A

Best feature: Many of the airline apps allow you to check in, in advance 

One of our top travel tips is to have the airline app downloaded onto your phone for whoever you’re flying with. 

For example, I always have Ryannair downloaded on my phone as we fly with them a lot when we’re in Europe. If you fly with various airlines, then you can just download and delete airline apps as needed. 

There are plenty of reasons to download an airline app, but the main reason is that they’re more convenient for checking in. 

You no longer have to queue for hours at the airport desk, and you’ll have easy access to your boarding passes! Many of them offer you the chance to purchase add-ons too! 

Review score: Google Play 4.2/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: Busbud offers a rewards program so you can save money every time you use it

Busbud is one of the best tourist apps out there if you’re looking to book transport! Although its name may not suggest it, you can actually use it to book buses, trains, and hotels. 

This app is partnered with some of the world’s best transport providers including Flixbus , Greyhound , Amtrak , and National Express , so it’s a great option if you’re looking to compare prices.

All you have to do is type in your departure point, your destination, and the date of travel and you’ll be offered several options - some for as little as $3!

Other fantastic transport apps include Check My Bus and 12Go Asia with the latter being great for traveling through Southeast Asia.

The best apps for easy travel in your destination

16. google maps.

Review score: Google Play: 4.1/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: You can download offline maps that have your ‘points of interest’ on 

Google Maps is undeniably one of the best apps for traveling! Whether you’re looking to find local businesses, get driving directions, or explore the area, this app has it all. 

Offering maps of over 220 countries and territories, you’ll have no problems getting around your chosen destination with this app. Most of the amenities listed on these maps have reviews and images too! 

However, one of my favorite things about Google Maps is its ‘Your Places’ feature where you can create your own lists and maps! 

In these lists, you can create the ultimate itinerary by bookmarking popular tourist attractions and restaurants, before downloading your map. You can then use your map offline whilst you’re on the go. 

17. Maps.me

Review score: Google Play 4.1/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: Maps.me offers a bookmark collection so you can create your ultimate trip!

Maps.me is very similar to Google Maps and covers six of the seven continents. So, why will you need this one you ask?

Well, Maps.me is very handy for countries that are a bit more rugged. The reason I say this is because these apps are mapped out by photography from cars. 

Unfortunately, there are some areas where Google Maps cars are yet to venture which is where this app comes in…

We actually needed this app quite a lot in Eastern Europe as we traveled through some more off-the-beaten-track locations. In fact, the road markings were much clearer here too! 

So what are you waiting for? Make sure you check out this travel app! 

18. Google Lens

Review score: Google Play: 4.6/5, no specific Google Lens app on the Apple Store

Best feature: Can translate documents for you such as menus and brochures

We’ve all been there, you’re in a foreign country and you’ve sat down at a restaurant. You get excited to try some local cuisine and then you take a look at the menu, and you’ve got no idea what it says…

Luckily, Google Lens is here to help!

All you have to do is take a picture of your intended document, and then the app will translate the text to your preferred language.  

How handy is that!?

It’s a game changer for menus in particular.

Google Lens can also find clothes online from a picture, solve problems, and help you identify a species of flower, I mean it can pretty much do everything! 

Just keep in mind that the only way to access this app on iPhone is to first download the Google app, and then you’ll have to use it through that. 

19. Google Translate

Review score: Google Play: 4.4/5, Apple Store: 4.3/5

Best feature: You’ll have the power of language right at your fingertips!

Google Translate is AMAZING and we’ve used it in nearly every country that we’ve traveled to. 

Many people choose to just google “translate [Language] to English” but it’s handy to have the app installed as it’s often much quicker!

You can translate over 100 different languages with this app, and it’s a great way to interact with the locals if they don’t understand your language. 

If you’re a keen traveler then you’re likely to need Google Translate plenty of times throughout your lifetime. Whether that be translating a road sign, speaking to your taxi driver, or haggling a deal! 

Google Translate is one of my top recommendations when it comes to travel apps as it’s helped us out a lot over the years!

20. Revolut

Review score: Google Play 4.5/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: Allows you to save money on ATM withdrawals whilst abroad 

Using a traditional bank account can get expensive if you’re a long-term traveler or digital nomad , which is why many people apply for a card from Revolut .

This travel card offers fantastic exchange rates, helps you save money on transfer fees, and gives you an allowance of up to $240 for no-fee ATM withdrawals.

Revolut offers a free account and paid plans, with the latter allowing you access to a variety of awesome features including travel insurance, cashback options, and airport lounge access. 

We've actually written an in-depth Revolut review if you're interested in learning more...

Aside from Revolut, there are plenty of other banking apps that you can use including Monzo and Wise ! Before you decide which one to use, do some research and see which company is more suited to you. 

21. NHS App

Review score: Google Play: 3.1/5, Apple Store: 2.9/5

Best feature: You can easily access your health records 

The NHS App is UK-specific, but perhaps your country offers something similar so make sure you do a bit of research before your trip.

The great thing about this app is that it gives you access to the newest version of your health records, your vaccinations, and Covid passes (if they’re required). 

This is vital during today's climate, especially as the pandemic has altered the entry requirements for a variety of countries! 

You’ll also be able to access services online which is always handy, but of course, this will be limited if you’re abroad. 

If your country doesn’t have something similar, then make sure you download a general health app that can give you guidelines. An example of this is My Travel Health ! 

22. Priority Pass

Cost: Standard: $99, Standard Plus: $329, Prestige: $469

Review score: Google Play: 3.8/5, Apple Store: 4.6/5

Best feature: Offers you free (or discounted) access to 1,300+ airport lounges

Priority Pass is an airport lounge access program that requires you to have a membership. 

There are three options; Standard, Standard Plus, and Prestige, and each one has an annual fee. 

However, once you’ve paid the fee you’ll get free (or discounted) access to airport lounges all around the world. This is perfect if you’re traveling a lot or you’re a digital nomad so you work on the go! 

We usually sign up around Black Friday for the cheapest rate, and then use the QR code on the app for access.

Although this may seem like more of a niche travel app, it’s a great one to have if you spend a lot of time traveling! 

The best apps for entertainment purposes 

23. spotify.

Cost: Spotify Free: free, Spotify Premium: $4.99-$15.99 per month

Review score: Google Play: 4.4/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: Allows you to download music and listen offline whilst you’re traveling 

Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to over 50 million songs ranging from the likes of Queen to local artists that are a little less well-known!

You can download albums, make your own playlists, listen to other users’ playlists, or listen to songs that the app recommends based on your music style. Spotify also has plenty of podcasts that you can listen to!

Although Spotify is one of the most popular music apps, you’ve also got the likes of Amazon Music , YouTube Music , and Apple Music . 

Whichever one you go for, I’d recommend going for a plan that allows you to download songs for offline use! 

24. Audible

Cost: $9.50 per month 

Review score: Google Play: 4.6/5, Apple Store: 4.9/5

Best feature: Amazon Prime members get exclusive offers!

I love listening to audiobooks, especially on long drives as it’s a great way to zone out and learn something new. Either that or I listen to a fiction book which is something I don’t usually have the time to do! 

Audible is the best option for this as it offers unlimited listening time when it comes to podcasts, audiobooks, and audibles! 

Although you have to pay for the service it’s totally worth it in my opinion, as you’ll have access to thousands of options.

So if you’re looking for an app for your vacation then I highly recommend downloading this one! There’s even a free 30-day trial if you’d prefer to try it out first before you commit to it.

25. Netflix

Cost: Basic: $6, Standard: $13, Premium: $19 per month

Review score: Google Play: 4.4/5, Apple Store: 4/5

Best feature: Being able to download movies and watch them online!

Everyone is likely to know Netflix and although it’s not a travel app, it’s very handy whilst you’re on the go. 

It’s one of the best apps for trips, especially if you’re going to have long journeys and flights, or spend a lot of time at the airport. 

There are three plans to choose from, and each one offers unlimited access to thousands of films and tv programs. 

The highlight of Netflix is being able to download your favorite movies and tv shows, and then watch them later offline - just keep in mind that the basic plan doesn’t offer this. 

Disney Plus and Amazon Prime also offers you the chance to download offline movies if you’d prefer to go for something else! 

Cost: Kindle Unlimited: $9.50 per month

Best feature: You’ll have access to millions of books on the go

Kindle is undoubtedly one of the best apps for travelers, especially if you’re a keen reader. 

Unfortunately, when we travel we’re subject to strict luggage allowance which means you can’t take a ton of books with you on holiday. 

This is where a kindle comes in handy, as you can purchase books online and then read them digitally on your device. 

Although you can simply download books to read, you’ve also got Kindle Unlimited which is a subscription service. This service allows you access to select magazine subscriptions, millions of books, and thousands of audiobooks! 

There’s so much choice, and you won’t be short of books to read by the pool!

27. Surfshark

Cost: $2-$13 a month depending on whether you choose to pay monthly, yearly, or every 24 months 

Review score: Google Play: 4.2/5, Apple Store: 4.9/5

Best feature: Allows you to access websites and TV series that would otherwise be inaccessible abroad

Surfshark is the VPN of our choice, and a VPN essentially means ‘Virtual Private Network’. 

It technically works by encrypting communications so you’ll have an anonymous IP address. Not only does this help keep your connection secure, but it’s got plenty of other fantastic features too.

For starters, Surf Shark (or any VPN) allows you to access websites that are inaccessible abroad, so for us a lot of .co.uk websites don’t seem to work overseas. 

You’ll also be able to watch TV shows and films that aren’t available in certain countries , as a VPN essentially changes your IP location. 

Having a VPN is also a great option for digital nomads or those with travel jobs as your connection will always be secure.

The best apps for travel inspiration

28. instagram.

Review score: Google Play: 4/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: Allows you to find some awesome travel destinations 

Instagram is one of the most popular apps in the world as it allows you to keep connected with friends and family, whilst showing off your photography skills.

Although social media can often feel draining, this app has so much to offer if you’re a keen traveler!

Instagram allows you to connect with like-minded travelers, inspire your travels, and find fantastic ‘Instagrammable’ locations that you wouldn’t otherwise know about. 

We follow hundreds of our favorite travel photographers, vloggers, and bloggers, and we’re inundated with new places to add to our bucket list on a daily basis! 

Not only will you get to view new destinations through images and reels, but you’ll often get a more realistic experience through stories too. There’s nothing better than that! 

29. Pinterest

Best feature: Can create your own boards and save ideas to them! 

Next up on this list is Pinterest , which isn’t a travel application but it’s got a lot to offer. 

Pinterest works almost like a huge mood board where you can find inspiration on just about anything, and that goes for fashion, recipes, and home decor. 

The best thing about Pinterest is that you can create boards dedicated to your interests, so in this case, it would be travel! 

This is great for travelers, as you can create a variety of awesome boards on ‘bucket list’ experiences, specific countries, budget travel, etc. Then, all you need to do is save those pins and you can come back to them later! 

Pinterest is a very visual platform, and if you want more information you’ll be directed to the pin’s website.

Best feature: You can favorite videos and add them to your own ‘collections’

Although TikTok may not be for everyone, there’s no denying that it’s a fantastic app for travel inspiration! 

TikTok is essentially a video-sharing app and it’s one of the best apps for tourists who are choosing their destination or looking for places to visit after booking a holiday. 

Many travel bloggers, vloggers, and photographers have started to understand the importance of this app as a marketing tool , and that means lots of travel content!

You can favorite the videos that you like and create your own collections e.g. United States, bucket list, Wildlife, etc., and then you can watch them back whenever you like. 

There’s no limit to the number of videos you can save, and you’ll find some great travel tips along the way! 

31. Polar Steps

Review score: Google Play: 4.8/5, Apple Store: 4.8/5

Best feature: The App can physically track your travels whilst you’re on the move

Polar Steps is technically a travel planner and tracker, however, it’s a great app for travel inspiration as you’ll have access to a variety of guides. 

There are plenty of travel guides to read, and all you need to do is search for your destination! From there, you’ll get to see images, attractions in that area, recommended accommodation options, and restaurants. 

Another fantastic feature of Polar Steps is that it can physically track your travels as you go along. Not only will you get to see your travel route, but you can even create a cool travel book with the information! 

You can also add on past trips if you can remember the route, so you’ll have all your travels in the one app.

32. Locationscout

Review score: Google Play: 2.9/5, Apple Store: 3.8/5

Best feature: All the ‘photo spots’ are uploaded onto a map which you’ll have access to

For this travel app guide, I had to include Locationscout ! 

Although it’s not one of the more popular apps, it’s fantastic for those who are looking for some travel inspiration - especially keen photographers. 

Locationscout essentially works by showing ‘photo spots’ in a variety of cities and countries across the world. 

You can then click into each destination (say London for example), and you’ll be given an overview of that place, a grid of ‘photo spots’, and a map that has them all included!

The app then goes further into detail about each photo spot, including information on the best time to visit, tips to get the best photographs, and how to get there. 

If you're a keen photographer looking to improve your skills then why not check out these fantastic online photography classes too!

The best apps for keeping connected with home

Cost: Free (but there’s a cost to ring from landlines or mobiles) 

Review score: Google Play: 4.1/5, Apple Store: 4.5/5

Best feature: Can make free video calls to anywhere in the world! 

Although Skype isn’t considered to be a ‘travel app’ it’s a great way to keep connected with your friends and family back home. 

It allows you to make free video calls worldwide if you’re using skype-to-skype, or you can call from a landline or mobile for a fee. 

If you’re calling from a mobile or landline, then you just need to top up your credit every now and then. As long as you have a WiFi signal, you can call any number in the world and the bill will be extremely cheap! 

Skype is also a great app to have for digital nomads and business owners who are always on the move, in case you need to jump on a work call! Although Zoom is often the more popular option for this! 

34. Whatsapp

Review score: Google Play 4.3/5, Apple Store: 4.7/5

Best feature: Being able to message, call, and video call other numbers for free as long as you’ve got WiFi

Another great app to have if you’re wanting to stay connected to people is Whatsapp !

It's a messaging app that allows you to message, call, and video call other Whatsapp users for free, as long as you’re connected to WiFi.

Not only is Whatsapp useful when it comes to contacting friends and family, but it’s also a great way to keep in contact with people in the region you’re traveling.

Many tour operators, hotels, and companies have Whatsapp, which means you can contact them with any queries and you won’t need to spend money to text or call from your phone. 

If you’re only able to download a couple of apps during your travels, then make sure Whatsapp is one of them!

35. Moonpig

Best feature: You’ll often get in-app discounts 

If you travel a lot, then unfortunately you’re going to miss a lot of birthdays!

Luckily, there are apps out there where you can send birthday cards back home for friends and family members. 

Our favorite is Moonpig as it’s super easy to use, and you can set reminders for birthdays so you don’t forget. 

Not only can you send cards, but Moonpig also has a wide variety of presents, birthday balloons, and flowers available among other items.

They even offer personalized gifts for that someone special , and there are a variety of shipping options to make sure it gets there in time! 

There is a desktop version of Moonpig, but if you download the app you’ll often have access to specific in-app discounts.

Which travel apps will you use?

As you can see, there are so many fantastic apps for traveling. The question is, which ones should you download?

This all depends on what you’re looking to do; book accommodation, find travel inspiration, look for discounts, or keep yourself connected with home! 

Now, everyone knows that phones all have limited memory so it’s not viable to download every single app in this guide. Just make sure you prioritize the ones you think will help the most!

A few of our favorites include Booking.com, Skyscanner, Get Your Guide, Google Maps, and Instagram of course! 

Now you've got an idea of the best tourism apps out there, it's time to start planning your trip.

Here are some guides for inspiration:

• The Best Cheap Places To Travel
• The Best Backpacking Destinations Around the World
• The Cheapest Countries To Visit In Europe

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22 Best Travel Apps Every Traveler Should Know About

From tracking flight delays, finding last-minute accommodations, and even locating the nearest public restroom, these are the most helpful travel apps to download before you travel.

Using the right travel apps can help you save both time and money , while making the journey much less stressful . Many of these apps also provide local recommendations and hidden gems tourists don't often get to see — and some are completely free.

Whether you're looking for an app that will give you discounts for popular local events, offer a last-minute booking at a fraction of the price, or help you breeze through the airport , these are the 22 best travel apps to download before your next trip.

Citymapper helps travelers find the speediest route to their destination, providing step-by-step instructions on where to find the nearest bus and train stations. You'll be able to see when the next arrivals are, and real-time routing means you'll get updates every minute. The app also has a chat feature that allows you to update friends and family on your E.T.A. wherever you are.

Available on iOS and Android .

PackPoint takes the hassle out of packing by creating a customized list of what you'll need for your getaway. Enter your destination, travel dates, length of stay, and activities that might require special gear, like hiking or swimming, and the app will create a custom packing list you can save for future use. Besides checking weather conditions for you, the app also allows users to share their packing lists with fellow travelers.

The beauty of Rebtel is you don't need an internet connection to call friends and family back home. The app connects to local phone lines to provide you with cheap calls in 51 countries around the world without having to deal with the hassle of getting a local SIM card or racking up your phone bill.

If you're looking to get outdoors, this app will provide you with the area's best hiking, biking, and running trails. In addition to details on length, starting location, and trail quality, AllTrails includes reviews and photos from a community of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. You'll find useful information like what to pack, obstacles you'll find along the route, and the best scenic spots to check out.

If you find yourself in the middle of a long layover, Dayuse can get you into a hotel room for a few hours for up to 75 percent less than what the typical overnight rate would be. The app features 5,000 hotels in 23 countries, and allows you to make free cancellations at the last minute, in case you manage to catch an earlier flight.

Selections include everything from business hotels to wellness accommodations, with payments made directly when you arrive. You also get full use of the hotel's amenities for the duration of your stay.

The prices of flights can fluctuate, making it tricky to decide if you should book right away or hold off. That's where Hopper comes in, predicting the best time to find the cheapest fares, saving up to 40 percent. The app also has a price-monitoring feature so that you can select a particular flight and receive alerts if the price drops. Through Hopper, users can also compare the prices and amenities of more than 250 airlines and get alerts about airfare flash sales.

RV Parks & Campgrounds

This camping app helps you locate prime RV parks, campgrounds, rest areas, and gas stations across North America. With more than 40,000 facilities, the app sorts locations based on ratings and includes both privately-owned RV parks and public parks to choose from.

Nike Training Club

Hitting the gym while you're traveling can be tough, but with Nike Training Club , you'll feel like you have a personal trainer right in your pocket. That's because you can access hundreds of free workouts from Nike Master Trainers and celebrities like Kevin Hart, Serena Williams, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Audio and video clips help you make sure you're on top of your technique, while personalized training plans will keep you on track.

If you don't have much time to spare at the airport, Grab allows you to check out what food selections are near your gate, and gives you the option to pre-order your meal so you can pick it up on the way. The app currently operates at over 60 airports worldwide, giving you plenty of bites to choose from on your next trip.

GasBuddy is the app you'll want if you're taking a road trip. GasBuddy tracks down where to find the cheapest gas prices, allowing you to filter by price, location, brand, and amenities. It also provides you with deals at nearby convenience stores and price hike alerts so you can nail down the best prices every time.

Want to know what local events are taking place at your destination? Headout will show you the top attractions, shows, tours, and experiences in popular cities like New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando, Hawaii, Dubai, and more.

Activities range from catching a Broadway show, yoga in the hills, or taking a helicopter tour, with exclusive last-minute offers that can be up to 80 percent off.

If you need to access the internet during your travels, chances are you'll have to connect to public Wi-Fi, which can be sketchy. TunnelBear allows you to connect privately and securely by providing you a VPN (virtual private network) that will encrypt your browsing data to keep your information hidden from hackers and advertisers. The app comes with 500MB of free browsing data each month, or you can opt for unlimited data at a low monthly rate.

Hostelworld

Hostelworld is where you'll find more than 17,000 hostels, hotels, B&B's, and communal spaces in 178 countries. The app is great for solo travelers looking to meet fellow vacationers during their trip, including a Noticeboard that highlights events and meetups, and a translator that will help you communicate in up to 43 languages.

WeatherBug provides forecasts for millions of locations around the world, with current, hourly, and even 10-day options. The app also has specific weather maps to track everything from lightning and wind to pressure and humidity, and makes staying on top of changes to the weather easy with instant alerts.

Eatwith allows you to dine with locals, in their homes, all over the world. Menus are posted for you to see, while hosts will typically list what they cook, the languages they speak, and any alcohol pairings they'll be serving. Not only does the app give you a chance to meet locals and get superb dining recommendations, but it also allows you to enjoy a high-quality meal for less than what you'd typically pay at a restaurant.

Available on iOS and Android.

Trying to locate a public restroom can be tricky, especially in a new destination. That's where Flush comes in. The app has a database of more than 200,000 toilets, and quickly provides travelers with nearby bathrooms. You can search without an internet connection, and the app will also notify you if a restroom requires a fee.

While banks may charge you a fee for transferring money abroad, Wise allows you to make a transfer based on real-time currency exchanges, so you can send money at rates the company says are up to eight times cheaper than what you'd find at traditional banks.

TripIt makes it easy to put together a cohesive travel itinerary. Simply forward your confirmation emails, like your hotel and flight reservations, or your rental car reservation, and TripIt will build a full itinerary to help you stay organized with all of your plans.

With real-time alerts, you'll know if your flight is delayed or canceled, while the flight finder can help you book a new option should a cancellation occur.

Another good app for the road, Waze gives you community-based data about traffic jams, and information to locate points of interest like the cheapest gas stations and the fastest routes to your destination. Live maps include voice-guided navigation to easily guide you.

Xe provides live exchange rates and charts to keep you on top of money matters during your travels, easily allowing you to choose between different currencies you'd like to convert. It also has a rate alert so that you can monitor your favorite currencies — and it can be used offline.

Timeshifter

If you're sick of the jet lag battle that inevitably comes with travel, check out Timeshifter , an app that helps you to avoid jet lag long before your flight departs. Thanks to neuroscience research on circadian rhythms and sleep, the app provides personalized recommendations that take into account your age, gender, typical sleep patterns, and specifics about your trip. The app will tell you when you should avoid or seek daylight, and when you should stay awake or take a nap. The result? A gentle jet lag experience, which translates to more time exploring your destination.

FlightAware

If you have a tight connection or are picking up friends or family from the airport, look to FlightAware for help. The app tracks flights in real time, so you can see exactly where the aircraft is at any given moment. In addition to providing arrivals and delays, you can also see if weather will have any affect on certain locations.

Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel.

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8 of the best travel apps that travel editors can't live without

By Charlotte Davey

The best travel apps, when used to your advantage, can be the most indispensable companion for a trip. Not only can they save you time and money, but they can also reduce any journey-induced stress. Need to work out costs on a group trip , translate a menu, or get from A to B when you don’t speak the language? There’s an App for that. But just as you don’t need a suitcase laden with unworn clothing, no one needs a phone clogged with gimmicky or useless apps. We asked our jet-setting editors to share the apps they genuinely use while travelling and the lesser-known gems that have saved a holiday. So while the BA App, Rome2Rio, or Monzo might be stalwarts of the frequent flyer’s home screen, here are the clever, hardworking Apps our travel insiders swear by.

Cost: Free to use (Wanderlog Pro includes additional features and costs around £40 per year)

USP: One of the best travel apps for planning every kind of trip, including road trips and group travel: create a trip itinerary, budget costs, organise flights and hotel reservations, and collaborate with friends. After your trip, share a travel guide to inspire other travellers.

Wanderlog brings everything you need to plan your trips into one seamless app experience. Its user-friendly, web-scanning database contains a huge wealth of information about sights, attractions and places to eat and drink. Not only can you find recommended hotspots through the app and add these to a map view, but you can also import reservation and flight details from your emails. Wanderlog is especially ideal for group trips. Your customised itineraries and lists can be edited by multiple people in real time, and users can leave notes for fellow travellers – such as a reminder of the must-have dish or dress code at a restaurant. Smart AI functionality means that the app can offer (editable) auto-generated itineraries as well. And if that isn’t enough, you can track expenses and cost-splitting too, indispensable for larger groups and squabble-prone families. Toyo Odetunde

Cost: Free to download.

USP: Request a chauffeur-driven, class-leading car on-demand or in advance for yourself or on behalf of others.

Wheely is a seriously plush chauffeur service within an easy-to-use app, currently operating in London, Paris , Dubai, and Moscow. What makes this ideal for the frequent flyer is that you can add in your flight details when booking an airport pick-up, so the driver knows exactly what time you’ll be landing (so no risk of them driving off if you’ve been delayed), and they’ll be ready and waiting for you (with your name on a sign) at arrivals. For any other queries, you can live chat with a real person (no bot responses here) – for example, if they can provide a baby seat (which they happily did for a recent family holiday ). Cars come with water and chargers as standard, and drivers are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Peace of mind at the click of a button. Charlotte Davey

Hong Kong Taxi Cards

Cost: £1.99

USP: With over 9,000 Hong Kong addresses translated into written Chinese and Cantonese, equipped with a function to request additional addresses and get feedback quickly, this is not an ordinary dictionary-type translator app.

This is indispensable for travelling around Hong Kong if you’re not fluent in Cantonese. The App has pretty much every address ready in Chinese and Cantonese, so you can show your taxi driver where you want to go without getting lost in translation. It also has a speaking option which delivers the address fluently, which is really helpful if you have zero grasp of the language. Another handy feature is that the App will show you the journey time and estimate fare – something to remember is that not all taxis have card machines so you’ll need to make sure you have enough cash on you before you hail a cab. Matt Buck

Cost: Free to download (Splitwise Pro costs £2.79)

Connor Sturges

Lauren Burvill

CNT Editors

María Casbas

USP: Splitwise is the easiest way to share expenses with friends and family and stop stressing about “who owes who”.

This is a game changer for working out costs on group trips. Everyone in the party signs up, and then you simply enter your expenses as you go – with a description of what it was (flights, accommodation, food, etc) and who it needs to be split between (i.e. the whole group or just those who were in the taxi, for example). It’s a great way to stay on top of costs, from larger expenses to smaller spending, like a round at the bar. At the end of the trip, click ‘simplify debts’, and you should be left with just one transaction each to ensure everyone has paid the same amount. You can label each trip and see who has settled up, and if someone doesn’t pay the App will send them helpful reminders (saving pennies and friendships). Charlotte Davey

Google Translate

USP: Translate between up to 133 languages with instant camera translation.

Google Translate is nothing new, but if you download the app, you can use the camera on your phone to upload signs, labels, or menus for an instant translation. This is a lifesaver for travelling in a country that doesn’t use the English alphabet or a language you’re unsure how to pronounce. The platform is currently proficient in 133 languages, so this is a great one wherever you are in the world. The App also works offline so you don’t need to worry about data roaming charges. Another function that is noteworthy is the speaker option – not only can you point your phone at a sign for a translation, but it will then speak in your chosen language, which is particularly helpful for those who are visually impaired. Charlotte Davey

USP: Find wheelchair-accessible restaurants, cafes, toilets, shops, cinemas, parking lots, bus stops and much more.

Developed by a not-for-profit company based in Germany , this is a great app for wheelchair users, families travelling with prams, or even for those with heavy suitcases navigating public transport. Operating in over 30 countries, a vast number of restaurants, stations, shops, and more are shown on an interactive map with a traffic light system for whether it is fully accessible (green), part accessible (yellow), or not accessible (red). The App replies to users rating places they have visited, so less touristy areas won’t have as much information. Charlotte Davey

Cost: Free to download

USP: Stay connected in over 200 countries and regions. Install an eSIM and get online in minutes with no roaming fees.

Especially handy if you’re travelling through different countries, Airalo allows you to use different eSim cards to keep your data roaming costs down. The App is free to download, and then simply choose the country you’re in, and select a data plan depending on how long you're there and how much you’ll be using your phone. You can often save around £10 for a week's holiday which is worth it if you’re a frequent flyer or watching the pennies while travelling. Sophie Knight

Cost: Free to use. In-app purchases.

USP: Whering is the digital wardrobe and styling app where you can curate, organise, style and plan your outfits.

Whering is essentially a portable digital wardrobe – a ‘Clueless’ style outfit planner on your mobile phone. Fill your in-app wardrobe by uploading photos of your clothes, or by importing images from the app’s cosmic database or your favourite online retailers. Whering will then process these images into sleek, combinable ‘cut-outs’, allowing you to put together countless outfits, looks and mood boards, which can also be organised by occasion. If you’re short on time, or feeling either uninspired or spontaneous, Whering’s AI can deliver outfit suggestions in seconds – even taking into account the weather forecast, ideal when travelling a country you’re not familiar with (or just braving London’s erratic climes). The Planner function is especially great for trips, storing your outfit ideas for specific dates and events. Also great for travel planning is the packing list feature; you can add items to a packing list for a particular destination, and Whering can suggest items you may have forgotten. Toyo Odetunde

Android Police

The best travel apps you need to use in 2024.

Cut down the time and stress of planning a trip

As you're scoping out your next vacation destination, all that wanderlust can romanticize the realities of travel. This means you need to plan an itinerary, pack a bag, have access to a navigation system, and plan out all those Instagram-worthy snapshots you want to show off at your next family reunion. Sometimes the prep leading up to a vacation can bring on some stress, but keep your eyes on that change of scenery, that beach day with your favorite Bluetooth speaker , and all those sightseeing excursions you planned via Google's toolkit . Don't get too overwhelmed—once you've picked the duration and destination of your getaway, you can use a few helpful apps to help you sort out the rest.

No matter how long your trip, you'll have peace of mind knowing you're totally prepared and can focus on being present in all those memory-making experiences. Ready to start planning? These apps will help you with all the prep you can think of.

1 Wanderlog - Trip Planner App

Planning out every aspect of your trip is easy with Wanderlog, and you can add as many tripmates as needed. Even though the app doesn’t allow you to book flights or make reservations, you can forward the information to the app and save it for reference. A free account offers everything you need to plan the perfect trip, but you can upgrade to an annual Pro account ($49.99/year) to unlock advanced features.

The app lets you create an itinerary by adding specific locations to each day. Plus, you can add accompanying notes and checklists, which is handy for tips, reminders, and keeping track of people you want to visit. Wanderlog might be the perfect travel app because it also helps you stay on budget, lets you split costs, and offers suggestions for new places to explore.

2 TripIt: Travel Planner

Like Wanderlog, TripIt helps you build an itinerary, but you can safely keep all necessary information in a single place. Manually add transportation, navigation, lodging, and other notable details, and, to make things easier, you can connect and sync your Inbox to import emails or forward them to TripIt. If needed, you can invite tripmates and let them edit your trip. The app is free, but you can subscribe to Pro for $48.99 per year to access real-time alerts, notifications, and other advanced features that will come in handy if you’re a frequent flyer.

TripIt gives you a safe space to save all types of travel documents and important contacts that are accessible even when you’re offline. Additionally, in partnership with Riskline, the app includes COVID-19 travel guidelines to advise you about the requirements and restrictions for your destination. What a great way to stay informed, so there are no surprises upon arrival!

How would you like to travel and discover new places all from the comfort of your home? If you're looking for your next dream destination or are already there and want to find nearby attractions, this app can help with both. It has made traveling and discovering new places easier than ever with a user-friendly interface. Framey also allows you to share photos from your travels for others to see and get ideas for their own future trips.

Once you find people to follow, you'll be able to see their posts on your home feed. Here, you can like, bookmark, and comment on posts. The ability to see more information about the location, such as its hours, directions, and nearby attractions, is a very useful feature. This can help you decide if it's a place you'd like to visit. Finally, you can use the search function to look for destinations and attractions all over the world, and you're sure to be impressed by the stunning images you'll find here.

Not everyone wants to stay in a hotel or with friends and family when they travel. Sometimes, you want something that is more affordable, has room for the entire family, and feels like home. Airbnb lets verified users rent out their space (usually a house, cabin, or condo) to travelers. You can explore Stays and Experiences based on location, date, and number of guests (including pets). Plus, many filters are available to help you narrow down your results. In addition, each listing has a photo gallery, and you can add listings to your wishlist for later reference.

While Stays are for those planning their own trips, Experiences are in-person and online activities hosted by local experts that let you learn or try something new. You can customize your budget and even book an experience for a private group. For Stays, you can learn more about the host and included amenities, read reviews from past guests, and contact the host if you have more questions. You can even become a host and rent out your personal space if you’re looking to make some extra income.

5 Polarsteps - Travel Planner & Tracker

This free app lets you plan your trips city by city and keeps track of every place you’ve visited with its optional “Travel Tracker” feature. Polarsteps will automatically track your routes and create a digital travel diary, giving you more time to enjoy your trip. Best of all, enabling this feature won’t kill your battery as it only uses about 4% daily.

For each trip, you’ll get a unique link that you can share with family and friends; they’ll be able to view your trip details but won’t have edit access. The digital maps are where Polarsteps shines — you can switch between Satellite and Street view. Once you’ve added all your planned stops, it will show the best routes and approximate travel time. The app also offers destination guides outlining the best places to visit, stay, and eat in a beautiful slideshow format.

6 AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run

Trails aren’t just for hiking; they’re excellent for biking, running, backpacking, camping, bird-watching, fishing, and more. No matter your preference, this app will show you information and images of trails near and far. You can also use multiple filters and sorting options to find trails that suit your needs. While AllTrails is free and ad-supported, you can upgrade to AllTrails+ for $35.99/year. If you do upgrade, you can print or download maps, get alerts for wrong turns, find trails by distance from you, and view trail elevation in 3D.

The “Navigate” feature shows you a live map as you journey; it ensures you don’t get lost and keeps track of your activities in the app. You can choose a nearby route or start without one if you want to do your own thing. It also keeps track of time, distance, elevation gain, pace, and speed. As you’re journeying, you can add photos, see how many calories you’ve burned, add a waypoint, change routes, and see detailed navigation info . Lastly, you can connect with friends and other members to see and interact with their activities and discover new trails.

7 Tripadvisor: Plan & Book Trips

This app has a lot to offer, and it’s pretty easy to lose track of time as you discover new places locally or around the world and read helpful reviews from other users. In addition, you can plan trips alone or with a tripmate, save places you want to visit, view your saved places on a map, book hotels and experiences, view your bookings, and leave reviews for places you’ve visited. Tripadvisor is free and ad-supported; however, you can join Tripadvisor Plus for member-only pricing and perks at $99/year.

You can add notes and external links to your trips and see an overview of each city featuring a map, tons of local images, hotels, things to do, restaurants, and nearby popular destinations. Booking hotels is done on Expedia, using the in-app browser, letting you compare rates so you don’t overspend. With hotel booking and trip planning in one app, Tripadvisor gives you the best of both worlds.

8 MAPS.ME: Offline maps GPS Nav

Navigation is a huge part of planning a trip, and that’s where this free, ad-supported app comes to the rescue. You can look up any location and download maps for offline navigation to always have access. If needed, you can add terrain and subway layers to maps. To see additional information about a location, either tap a spot on the map or do a search, and it will show the address, coordinates, and distance away from your current location. Using the ruler feature, you can mark multiple points on a map to find the distance between them, which is excellent for planning daily activities.

You can create routes and choose which type of roads you’d like to avoid, like unpaved roads. If you’re traveling across states or countries, MAPS.ME will give you the option to download additional maps for each area so that it can create the best route for you to navigate ( similar to Google Maps ). Downloading multiple maps can be time-consuming but worth it to get the most out of the app. The power-saving mode is handy and can be set to off, automatic, or maximum. With automatic mode, the app will disable battery-draining features as needed.

Have you ever wondered how long the estimated wait time is at an airport, if there are any flight delays, or what items are allowed in your carry-on and checked baggage? MyTSA puts all the information you need to pack, prepare, and travel in one place. It will show you the closest airports to your current location to help you choose the best one and see important details. You can also add airports to your favorites for easy access. You'll also find an "AskTSA" section where you can get live assistance via Messenger and Twitter.

The "Can I Bring" tab has a full breakdown of the most popular items people may want to bring with them, like alcoholic beverages, bottled water, bug repellent, deodorant, electronic toothbrushes, golf clubs, vaping devices, and much more. MyTSA lets you know if you can have the item in your carry-on and checked bags. Some items have special instructions, which you'll see by tapping "see more details." This is extremely helpful to ensure that none of your items have to be left behind.

10 PackPoint travel packing list

Packing is another essential part of traveling; you want to ensure you have everything you need and appropriate clothing for where you’re going. With this app, packing will be the least of your worries. First, you’ll need to enter a little information about your trip: when and where you’re going, the duration, and the intended activities. PackPoint will then generate a packing list based on the expected weather and chosen activities, and you can check them off the list as you pack. New items can be manually added if needed, and you can swipe to remove items you don’t need.

While PackPoint is free, you can upgrade to Premium for a one-time payment of $2.99. Upgrading removes ads and unlocks custom packing templates, custom activities, TripIt integration, and Evernote integration. PackPoint practically does all the thinking for you when it comes to packing, plus it’s incredibly user-friendly, so you can’t beat the price.

It's the perfect time to start planning a trip

From packing apps to apps that help you find hiking and biking trails, the details of your next trip will all fall into place. Forget the travel agency and plan your lodging, activities, and navigation on your smartphone. While it can seem stressful to plan out every detail of your trip, you'll save money doing so, plus have the apps at your fingertips the entire duration of your journey. If you're really trying to stick to a budget, complement your travel planning with these apps for cheap travel .

Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

The 9 Best Travel Apps

These days, everyone travels with a smartphone. Beyond the ability to take endless selfies and keep in touch with family back home, they provide us with a never-ending stream of tools and apps to help us plan our travels and deal with any hiccups we encounter on the road.

Unfortunately, while there’s no shortage of travel apps, most of them are terrible.

To help you avoid downloading (and maybe even paying for) apps that aren’t worth your time, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite travel apps. These apps will save you time, money, and help you make the most of your travels. They’re the apps I think every traveler should have on their phone before they leave home.

Table of Contents

1. GetYourGuide

2. loungebuddy, 3. hostelworld, 4. skyscanner, 6. xe currency converter, 7. google translate, 8. happycow, 9. gasbuddy.

Whether you’re in the planning stages and looking for things to fill out your upcoming itinerary or you’re already in a new country and want something to do later that day, GetYourGuide can help. I’ve used them a bunch and always have a great time!

LoungeBuddy takes the pain out of the process. After entering your credit card, airline status, and lounge memberships, the app tells you which lounges you can access at any given airport. It makes even the longest layover tolerable so you can relax and enjoy your travels. And if you don’t have status, you can book lounge access directly through the app. It’s easy to use, and free to download.  

You can also use the app to see who else is staying at the hostel. You can join a group chat for the hostel and connect with travelers to make plans before you arrive. In short, it’s a must-download app for backpackers and solo travelers. The app is free to download.  

The best feature of the app, however, is the ability to search for flights to everywhere . You simply input your departure airport and the dates you want to travel, and it will bring up all the potential options — from cheapest to most expensive — so you can browse for ideas without needing to check each one manually.

If you want to save money on flights, this app is a must. The app is free too.  

The basic version is free while the pro version is $49 USD per year.  

If you have to stay on budget (and don’t want to get ripped off), download this app. It’s free.  

The app can read out your text too so you can hear how it is properly pronounced, and you can also use your camera to take photos of text that it can translate too (which is helpful if you need to read ingredients while shopping, for example). The app is free.  

The app is free but for $9.99 USD per month, you can upgrade to premium, which saves you 20 cents a gallon (up to 50 gallons) and provides 24/7 roadside assistance.

While it’s important to not spend your entire trip on your phone or social media, there are times when using your smartphone can easily improve the quality of your trip, keep you safe, and save you money. By downloading the apps above, you’ll be able to have a much smoother trip, giving you more time, energy, and money to invest in your next adventure.  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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The best travel apps for iOS and Android

The smartphone is the modern-day travel agent. From the palm of your hand, you can book flights, plan accommodations, and even reserve a seat at a seaside restaurant using nothing more than your phone.

Finding the most affordable flight and hotel and making sure you’ll have plenty of cash to spend during your trip can be challenging. Check out these travel-booking apps to be a master planner. Once your trip is booked, you can use the best flight-tracking apps to make sure traveling is as seamless as possible. You’ll also need some directions once you’ve arrived to make sure you get to your hotel and see everything that you want to see, so we’ve included apps for that too.

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Planning your itinerary

While many of us have canceled travel plans this past year due to restrictions on travel, there’s no time like the present to plan your next vacation. Our favorite travel apps for iOS and Android can help you enjoy a stress-free vacation where all you should be thinking about is having an amazing time.

Airport travel, especially in the United States, can be a confusing and daunting experience. MyTSA, a U.S. government-sponsored app, demystifies all the rules you need to follow in order to avoid a stare down and possible delays by security agents who are trying to do their jobs. Discover which items you can bring with you through the security checkpoint and onto the aircraft, request live assistance from the Transportation Safety Administration, check how historically busy your chosen airport will be on a given day, check crowd-sourced security wait times and offer your own estimates, check for delays and current weather conditions, and find out how to access and sign up for TSA PreCheck to get you through security in a jiffy. New updates customize the Dashboard, let you view airports in a map, and get directions to the airport.

iOS   Android

Flights, hotels, rental cars — Skyscanner has got you covered. The app searches for the most affordable and best options via its travel partners. Similar to Google Flights , you can see the cheapest dates to fly, and you can also get alerts when prices change. If you’re not sure where exactly you want to go, Skyscanner offers a category that lets you explore Top Deals from your nearest airport as well as a curated list of destinations at affordable prices. You can now monitor your bookings with status updates in Trips and move booked flights from one trip to another. This lets you move things around without losing your saved details. New versions let you discover which countries have low entry restrictions and no quarantine regulations. With flexible booking and free cancellation options, you won’t lose money if your plans change.

For many, Kayak is the go-to trip planning destination — and for good reason. Like Skyscanner, Kayak searches across various travel sites for rental cars, hotels, and flights. Kayak often has exclusive deals, and you can set price alerts and use Price Forecast to see whether you should buy now or wait. Kayak also acts as a trip planner, offering important details at a glance, like your hotel confirmation number or gate number. You can also access these details in real time and on devices such as the Apple Watch. The app now suggests hotels at launch and can even pinpoint results if you’re traveling with kids, while the car search now supports addresses. From hotels to guest houses, the app displays different categories of accommodation to help you narrow down where you’re spending the night, complete with sleeping arrangements so you can plan and book your next stay.

If you’re looking for the cheapest possible price for a plane ticket, you need to download Hopper. Like Kayak and Skyscanner, you can look at the cheapest dates to fly, but Hopper prides itself on telling you when to buy your tickets via push notifications. The company says it can save you up to 40% on your next flight by analyzing and tracking billions of flights. The user interface is simple, and Hopper says you can book a flight in 60 seconds or less. You can now set a watch for a specific hotel you want to stay in instead of setting a watch for the entire city where it’s located.

Whether it’s legal in the city you’re visiting or not, Airbnb is a household name. The app undercuts hotels by offering far cheaper prices and a more authentic experience by allowing you to stay with a local, or in their home. The app also offers a feature called Trips , which offers Experiences to choose from during your stay — these are curated events you can partake in with local guides. Eventually, the app will become an all-in-one travel app that lets you plan your day, book a car, and more. The latest update includes improvements to the browsing functionality for a new way of searching.

Hotel Tonight

Did your Airbnb plans fall through? Did your flights get delayed at your layover? You never know what will happen with your booking, and Hotel Tonight is a reliable service that thrives on last-minute deals. The company partners with hotels to offer discounts on empty rooms, and you’ll be able to book one in under 10 seconds. You also get 24/7 customer service from the Hotel Tonight team in case something goes awry. The app has launched a Daily Drop feature that offers a super-economical deal for the day. You can also book multiple rooms in a single go and broadcast that info via group chat. The new Local Getaways is available at a glance from the new Hotel Tonight widget to show you the best deals nearby.

Booking.com

With Booking.com, you can find the best hotel deals at a moment’s notice, or in advance. The handy hotel comparison feature lets you compare features and prices, with over 135 million reviews from other users to help you choose your accommodation. Hotels, motels, B&Bs, and luxury apartments for your next trip are all bookable in seconds, with paperless confirmation, no booking or credit card fees, and 24/7 support from the Booking.com team.

Get a ride from 600-plus airports in more than 10,000 cities worldwide, Uber is the global king of ridesharing apps . The app pioneered on-demand services, and it can be particularly handy when you’re abroad. You can quickly request a car within the app after perusing an assortment of differing vehicle rates and fare quotes. Afterward, you can connect with your personal driver, track the approaching car’s location, and securely pay your fare using a credit card — no cash needed. Rather than trying to find a taxi or a taxi stand, just bring one straight to you. Uber is constantly updating its app to improve features like trip sharing, ride selection, and tipping. Updates improve localization across the app.

Google Maps

Google Maps is an essential travel app to have. It offers directions for travel by car, on public transit, on foot, by cab, or by bicycle. You’ll find it fairly reliable in offering up local public transportation options in many countries, and you can also download specific areas for offline use. You can also use Maps to find out when places like museums or restaurants close and check to see how busy a place is in real time along with using the app to find local restaurants, bars, and attractions. You can even search for hotels by features like free Wi-Fi, pet friendliness, or air conditioning, for example. You can now view and manage all your favorite places from the Your Places page. You can also use Google Assistant while driving, so you can focus on the road and quickly get estimated arrival times and step-by-step directions to destinations you’ve saved.

With a growing list of countries, Citymapper is one of the best tools to find and use public transportation. It connects with a few ridesharing services, offers the fastest way to arrive at your destination, and best of all, lets you check out subway and train times offline for a number of cities. You can subscribe to specific train or bus lines, and the app can even alert you when you need to get off the bus, which is handy when you’re riding for the first time in a new country. The app now features a SuperRouter that lets you view floating brands like cycles, scooters, mopeds, car sharing with full travel times — including walking and availability. A wheelchair-accessible section is now available for some locations. The newest version features new Routing Powers: Fast for the fastest route, with routes updated and re-ranked every 60 seconds, and Price, which compares fares to find the cheapest route.

Preparation and finding places

There’s always something we forget to do before a trip, whether it’s failing to pack sunscreen or change some currency. Take a look at these apps to keep you on track. Looking for a spot for lunch? Have some extra time and want to check out another museum? Scroll down for apps that offer up things to do and the best-rated places to eat during your stay.

Making a checklist of everything you need to pack can be useful, but what if one’s already made for you? PackPoint looks at the weather forecast for the dates and location of your trip. It will also ask you to select activities you may participate in during your trip, like a meeting for business, a swim at a pool, or a fancy dinner. It will then offer up a list of items you should pack based on these activities, along with general items you’d need on any trip. You can remove items you don’t think are necessary as well as share lists with others in case your friends need some help, too. You can now hide or tap and hold to reorder items on your list.

Xe Currency

While it’s not the prettiest app, Xe Currency is one of the more robust currency converter apps available for both iOS and Android . It’s constantly being updated and offers live exchange rates for every world currency and precious metals. What’s neat is that it can store the most recent rates, so you can access them if your device is offline. Also neat is support for Siri Shortcuts . You can now monitor up to 20 currencies at the same time.

Mobile Passport

Traveling to the U.S.? Mobile Passport lets you skip the regular line to enter the country and is officially authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. All you need to do to skip long lines is download this app and add your passport information — you can do this quickly by scanning it with your phone’s camera. Mobile Passport is accepted at more than two dozen airports in the U.S., so check ahead of time to see if your airport supports the app. A premium version is available for $15 per year and offers the convenience of a digital scanner and secure storage of your passports.

TripIt organizes all your travel plans in one place — just email your confirmations to them and they’ll create a master itinerary that syncs to your calendar and can be shared with your travel buddies. You can even store your travel documents in the app. Upgrade to Pro for $49 per year and you’ll enjoy additional features like flight alerts, terminal notifications, and seat tracker, which notifies you if better seats become available, as well as updates on security wait times and searchable airport maps with walking directions. New updates let you find the latest information for airlines you’re travelling with, including food and drinks service, cleaning procedures, middle-seat policy, and more. If your reservations include PDF files, you can share the files you upload — right from the app.

Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor is a catch-all app when it comes to travel. You can quickly peruse millions of reviews, opinions, videos, and photos pertaining to just about anything related to your trip — bars, restaurants, hotels, airlines, and more. You can use Tripadvisor’s Near Me function to find well-reviewed places close by, but the best feature the app has to offer is the number of countries it supports — it’s just about everywhere, making it a necessary guide for every traveler. You can also ask specific travel questions in the app’s forums or add your own reviews in a similar fashion to Yelp. New updates let you access your personal travel feed, find friends and get expert advice, and save travel ideas for the future. Improvements to the app offer access to coronavirus health and safety information for hotels, restaurants and experiences, let you book reservations with free cancellation, and organize and share ideas.

Yelp has officially become the Yellow Pages of restaurants and bars, and its use extends not just to the U.S., but all around the world. Its most powerful feature is the sheer number of reviews housed in the Yelp app — it’s an excellent resource for when you’re looking to hit some of the best spots in the country you’re visiting. Yelp also offers hours of operation, a phone number for listings, and sometimes even a menu, so you can be as prepared as possible before heading out. Businesses have been adding more health and safety information all year.

Language and day-to-day apps

If you’re traveling to a country where your native tongue isn’t the official language, you may as well pack a few of the best language apps to translate on the go or brush up on your language skills. We also have a handful of miscellaneous apps you may find useful during your time abroad.

If you need to get online fast without an expensive cellular connection, WiFi Map is the place to go for worldwide information. This app shows you the nearest free hot spots, complete with passwords and user comments. The app offers full map navigation to get you to the right place and lets you filter your search and test for connection speed. A network scan checks for intruders. There are even offline maps for travelers and a VPN (with the pro version) for secure, anonymous connections. You can also add new Wi-Fi connections yourself to help other travelers in your location.

Google Translate

Google Translate provides translations, which are now more conversational thanks to machine learning , between more than 100 different languages, allowing you to listen to translations out loud and translate dictation and your own handwriting on the screen. You can star your favorite words or phrases for offline access, view dictionary results for a single word or phrase, or use Siri Shortcuts for bilingual conversations. Look for more regional options for speech in English (U.S., U.K., Australia, and India), Bengali (Bangladesh and India), French (France and Canada), and Spanish (Mexico and Spain). You can now continuously translate someone speaking a different language in near real time.

If you’ve booked your trip months ahead of time, try tackling the country’s language in Duolingo. It offers beginner-level courses, but it’s also a great tool for those looking to brush up on a language. You can also chat with bots in select languages, which can be particularly helpful when you’re trying to learn the phrases you’re likely to use the most abroad. You can take placement tests to move up to tougher sections. Leaderboards get you into that competitive spirit with fellow users.

Memrise has more languages than Duolingo, and the app also uses mnemonics to help you memorize words and phrases. You can view video clips of native speakers the first time you try a new word or phrase, which allows you to hear local pronunciation. Swipe to listen to more audio and compare different pronunciations. The company says the app adapts to your learning style over time, and there’s a pro version that lets you unlock even more features, such as an offline mode.

Changing time zones and battling jet lag can make your travels extremely confusing if you’re moving around a lot. Circa, which is iOS-only, helps travelers track the time in the destination they’re heading to and the location they’re currently in. You can set a clock to match the time in your home country or a place where your loved ones are. The app highlights times in both locations where both parties are likely awake. The calendar ring helps you see your current availability or continue swiping to find an available time slot. This app is also compatible with Apple Watch.

WhatsApp is now home to more than a billion users. The app is free, no matter where you are in the world, and operates over a Wi-Fi connection. Add some fun to your conversations by sending stickers, photos, or videos to your contacts. Enable extra security features, like a Face ID or Touch ID, to unlock the app. You need Wi-Fi or a data phone plan to send messages via WhatsApp, but there are no international calling charges. The only downside is that you can only communicate with people who have the app. The newest versions have updated image and video previews, so you can now see more of the media in chat, and all group participants can now change the Disappearing Messages setting by default.

If you’re using a specific app to stay in touch with your loved ones while you’re traveling, but that app isn’t available in certain countries like China , you’ll need to get creative to ensure you don’t fall off the map. We recommend skirting around this issue by using a virtual private network ( VPN ). VPNs keep your private information inaccessible to others who may be on the same network, making it safer to use public Wi-Fi. NordVPN is our favorite service, partially because it has thousands of servers across the planet. This service will cost you about $12 monthly, but you can test whether you’d like to use it in a free seven-day trial. Additionally, they constantly offer promotions for an even lower monthly subscription fee. The VPN is compatible with phones, tablets, or laptops , and you shouldn’t have any trouble with geo-restrictions as NordVPN has servers across the globe ready to adjust to what you need. Ensure you’ll always have a safe connection, no matter where you are in the world, with a VPN .

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and Google Pixel 8 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smartphones tend to have pretty good camera systems these days, whether you're talking about the very latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 14. But even the perfect photo can sometimes need a little additional pizazz. A little extra sparkle can come in the form of a simple color filter, artificially added background blur, or can extend as far as diving into an image's levels and other advanced features. Heck, now that we're in the AI era, it can also include using a tool to transpose yourself into a medieval setting or swapping a face with a friend.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start on Monday, June 10. During the conference keynote, the company is expected to unveil new software updates for its major products, including iOS 18 for iPhones.

iOS 18 is expected to be a major iPhone update, likely ushering in a new design and AI features. If you are wondering when you can get your hands on the latest software version, here's everything you need to know about iOS 18's release date. When will the iOS 18 beta be released?

While iOS 17 fell short on a visual overhaul, Apple is rumored to be working on an updated identity for its next iOS version. Previous reports have claimed that the upcoming iOS 18 will feature visionOS-like elements introduced on the Apple Vision Pro. A new report confirms this with a leaked image of the iOS 18 Camera app.

According to a report from MacRumors, the next version of the Camera app could feature visionOS-style design elements. It is based on an iPhone frame template that the publication received from an anonymous source who claimed to have received it from an iOS engineer. It is said to have been included as part of the Apple Design Resources for iOS 18.

GetYourGuide: Travel & Tickets

About this app

Data safety.

Ratings and reviews

• Flag inappropriate
• Show review history

What's new

App support, similar apps.

SmartGuide travel guide & map 4+

All you need to prep your trip, smartguide s.r.o., designed for ipad.

• 4.6 • 370 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

Smart Guide – Where All Journeys Begin You Explore, We’ll Guide SmartGuide is your personal tour guide to the world. Turn your phone into a personal audio tour guide to accompany you on your travel adventures. Whether you are looking for a self-guided tour, audio traveler guide, city offline maps or you just want to know all the best sightseeing spots, fun activities, and authentic experiences for your travel destination, SmartGuide is the perfect choice for your travel guide needs. ONE DIGITAL GUIDE APP FOR THE WHOLE WORLD This personal guide app offers travel guides for over 1000 popular destinations around the world. Wherever your journey may take you, SmartGuide tours will meet you there! You explore. We’ll guide. SAFE CONTACT-LESS TOUR GUIDE Crowded tour groups from all around the world are a prime breeding ground for respiratory viruses and similar bugs. This is not a souvenir you want to bring from your trip. Our virtual tour guide recommends different places to each tourist based on their individual interests and guides you safely outside of the crowds. Stay safe with a self-guided tour. AUDIO GUIDE The personal travel planner app is your audio guide to the world that lets you conveniently listen to a travel guide with interesting narratives from local guides that play automatically when you reach an interesting sight. Just let your phone talk to you and enjoy the scenery! FREE SELF-GUIDED TOURS SmartGuide won’t let you get lost and you won't miss any must-see sights. City-guide app uses GPS navigation to guide you around the city at your convenience at your own pace, for free. Gone are the days when you had to follow the crowd. Now you can use SmartGuide and travel whenever you want, however you want. Sightseeing guide for the modern tripwolf on the hunt for undiscovered wonders of nature! FIND HIDDEN GEMS AND ESCAPE TOURIST TRAPS With extra local secrets, our guides provide you with inside information about the best spots off the beaten path. Escape the traps when you visit a city and immerse yourself in the culture trip. Get around like a local and discover the actual culture and heritage of any locality! EVERYTHING IS OFFLINE. Download your city guide and get the offline maps and guide with our premium option so you have the freedom to roam and discover the world like the tripwolf that you are, without worrying one bit about finding an internet connection. Your travel guide will be available offline in the form of verbal instructions from natives and if you are someone that prefers reading over listening, the transcripts of the audio guides are also available. Get the most out of your world travel experience by exploring with SmartGuide: Your Personal Travel Audio Guide!

Version 8.5512

Thanks for updating SmartGuide! What's new in this version: Various improvements & fixes - Not very noticeable but make the app more useful :)

Ratings and Reviews

370 Ratings

Sorry to see Tripwolf end

I purchased the unlimited Tripwolf and have enjoyed using the guides for my travels. I just received an email that you are discontinuing support due to COVID-19 and that you’re closing the doors, so to speak. Sorry to hear that. I just attempted to download a guide for an upcoming trip, but it failed. Will access to the latest guides disappear as well?

More about buying tickets than helping me plan

I was hoping for more info and more photos. I was also looking to plan my trip schedule, but this didn’t help. To build your schedule you have to choose specific tickets and attractions from their list. Specific tours. Rather than giving a bunch of pictures for a site, they show one, list some info, and offer to sell you a ticket. I ended up browsing it casually and using google sheets to make my schedule with exact reservations and links. The purchasing options were insanely confusing, as well. Would I rather pay one price for one location or the same price for unlimited locations? Huh?

Developer Response ,

Hi there! We are sorry you feel this way. We offer Unlimited for people that travel a lot and you get a better deal, but it's not the same price as our guides. Our guides are usually 0.99 up to 6.99, Unlimited is 19.99. We'd love to hear more feedback regarding the trip planner via e-mail ([email protected]). Could you please let us know how you would have preferred the trip planner to look like? What exactly did you miss? We are always keen on improving our features constantly, so this feedback is very important to us. Thank you!

I really wanted to like this app - the concept is great. But the product is boring and underwhelming. I tried two different tours in Norway - both looked promising with the included stops. Neither delivered with any depth of detail for the individual sites. It was essentially 2 factual historical sentences read by an AI voice with no story, humor or anything to make it interesting. No walking directions either, although the map was helpful but it means you have to keep the phone out & looking at it the whole time. Didn’t even finish the trial period.

We're sorry to hear about your experience. While we aim to provide engaging tours, we understand your frustration. Remember, you can also create your own tours! We'll work on enhancing the depth and engagement of our content. If you have specific suggestions or destinations in mind, feel free to share them with us at [email protected].

App Privacy

The developer, SmartGuide s.r.o. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

• Identifiers

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, Catalan, Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish

• tripwolf Unlimited $17.99
• SmartGuide Premium $9.99
• Unlimited Package 3 $8.99
• Paris Travel Guide $1.99
• Rome Travel Guide $1.99
• London Travel Guide $1.99
• New York City Travel Guide $1.99
• Package Travel Guide $13.99
• Barcelona Travel Guide $1.99
• Venice Travel Guide $1.99
• Developer Website
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

Get all of your passes, tickets, cards, and more in one place.

Family Sharing

Some in‑app purchases, including subscriptions, may be shareable with your family group when family sharing is enabled., more by this developer.

Angkor Wat SmartGuide

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What Are the Best City Guide Apps for my Phone?

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Once upon a time, there were things called travel guidebooks. They were heavy and made out of paper—a material that came from dead trees. The information inside them always became out-of-date very quickly.

Today we have city guide apps that offer instant, and constantly updated, information on what to see and do in foreign lands, along with where the hottest restaurants are, and how to find the best budget hotels. These five are the handiest.

TripAdvisor City Guides

City Guides app , you can take advantage of the volumes of user-generated rankings and content from the TripAdvisor web site to create your own itinerary. Download the offline content for a specific city, and you get a detailed walking map and highlights of highly-rated hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, and nightlife. It also provides suggested tour ideas, and will point you to the nearest subway station. Its one drawback is scope: Only 80 cities around the world are available on the app.

Type a destination into Gogobot 's search bar, and the impressively easy user interface will display pictures of restaurants, hotels, and attractions in that location. This app features thousands of locations—type in the word “Cape,” for instance and you get 20 options, from Cape Cod to Cape Reinga, New Zealand. But the user-generated rankings and reviews aren't nearly as extensive as you'll find on TripAdvisor.

This app is included in the list as much for its cool factor as for its utility. Select “sights,” and it lists Wikipedia entries for the nearby tourist attractions and provides a map of where they're located. Turn on the camera option, and as you pan across your field of view, icons will pop up highlighting the attractions in that specific direction. You can do the same pop-up camera search for hotels, bars, and restaurants.

Tripomatic is a must-have for anyone who likes to keep to a structured schedule. With it, you select the city and dates for your trip, and then choose activities, sites, restaurants and hotels to slide into each specific day on your itinerary. It's easiest to create your trip plan on your computer online at tripomatic.com, and then download it on your phone through the app later.

The home screen on the Minube app asks “Where'd you like to go?” Type your answer into the search bar, and you're off. It's part social platform and part city guide, offering pictures, videos and reviews, posted by hundreds of thousands of users, of the best local places to eat, sleep, and have fun. Because Minube is Spanish-based, its coverage of European destinations is broader than of North American ones. 

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Ultimate Guide: How To Check Weather For Travel And Ensure Smooth Journey

• Last updated May 11, 2024
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Travel

Planning a trip can be exciting, but one thing that can throw a wrench in your travel plans is bad weather. Whether it's a rainstorm, a blizzard, or extreme heat, unexpected weather conditions can disrupt your itinerary and ruin your vacation. That's why it's crucial to check the weather before you embark on your journey. In this ultimate guide, we will explore various methods to check the weather for travel and ensure a smooth and hassle-free trip. From trusted websites and mobile apps to old-fashioned techniques, we've got you covered with all the essential tools and tips to stay ahead of Mother Nature. So, buckle up and prepare yourself for an adventure without any weather-related surprises!

What You'll Learn

Finding the best weather websites for travel planning, step-by-step guide to checking weather forecasts for travel, tips and tricks for interpreting weather information for travel, utilizing mobile apps for easy access to travel weather updates.

Are you planning a trip and want to know what the weather will be like at your destination? Checking the weather forecast before you travel is essential to make sure you pack the right clothes and plan your activities accordingly. But with so many weather websites out there, it can be overwhelming to find the best one for your needs. To help you out, we have compiled a list of the top weather websites for travel planning.

National Weather Service (NWS)

The National Weather Service is the official source of weather information in the United States. Their website provides detailed forecasts, radar images, weather warnings, and climate data. It is a reliable and comprehensive resource for travelers who want accurate and up-to-date weather information.

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is one of the most popular weather websites around the world. It offers an interactive map with current conditions, hourly and 10-day forecasts, and a variety of weather videos. It also has a mobile app that allows you to check the weather on the go.

AccuWeather

AccuWeather is known for its highly accurate forecasts. It provides detailed hourly, daily, and 15-day forecasts, along with radar and satellite images. AccuWeather also offers a range of specialized forecasts, such as allergy forecasts and UV index forecasts, which can be helpful for travelers with specific needs.

Weather Underground

Weather Underground is a community-driven weather website that combines data from multiple sources to provide highly localized forecasts. It offers a variety of features, including interactive maps, weather alerts, and user-submitted weather reports. Weather Underground also has a mobile app that allows you to track the weather wherever you go.

Weather.com

Weather.com, also known as Weather Channel, provides a user-friendly interface with easy access to current conditions, hourly and 10-day forecasts, and radar images. It also offers a range of useful tools, such as a trip planner, which helps you plan your activities based on the weather forecast.

BBC Weather

BBC Weather provides reliable and accurate weather forecasts for locations around the world. It offers detailed hourly, 10-day, and monthly forecasts, as well as weather alerts and radar images. BBC Weather is known for its user-friendly interface and simple design.

WeatherBug is a popular weather website and mobile app that provides real-time weather conditions, hourly and 10-day forecasts, and radar images. It also offers a range of additional features, such as live weather cameras and severe weather alerts.

Dark Sky is a hyperlocal weather website and app that focuses on providing highly accurate minute-by-minute weather forecasts. It uses advanced algorithms to predict weather conditions based on the latest data. Dark Sky is particularly useful for travelers who want to know the exact time it will start raining or snowing at their destination.

When planning your trip, it is a good idea to check multiple weather websites to compare the forecasts and get a more accurate picture of the weather conditions. Additionally, consider downloading the mobile apps for these websites to have access to the weather forecast on the go. With these reliable weather websites at your fingertips, you can ensure that your travel plans are not spoiled by unexpected weather conditions.

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Planning a trip involves a lot of logistical considerations, and one essential aspect is checking the weather forecast. Knowing the weather conditions at your destination can help you pack appropriately, plan activities, and anticipate any potential disruptions. With the plethora of weather apps and websites available today, finding accurate and reliable forecasts has never been easier. In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of checking the weather forecast for travel.

Step 1: Determine your destination

Before you start looking up weather forecasts, it is crucial to determine your travel destination. Knowing the specific location will allow you to find the most accurate forecast possible. Keep in mind that weather conditions can vary significantly within a region, so it's essential to be as specific as possible.

Step 2: Research weather patterns

Understanding the typical weather patterns at your destination can help you gain insights into what to expect. Does the location have a rainy season? Is it known for extreme temperatures during certain months? Familiarize yourself with the general weather patterns so that you can better interpret the forecast.

Step 3: Choose a reliable weather source

With numerous weather websites and mobile apps available, it is crucial to select a reliable source for accurate forecasts. Opt for well-known and trusted platforms like Weather.com, AccuWeather, or the National Weather Service. These sources often provide up-to-date and comprehensive forecasts backed by reliable data.

Step 4: Enter your destination

Once you have chosen a reliable weather source, enter your destination into the search bar or location settings. Some platforms offer auto-suggestions, making it easier to select your desired location accurately. Be as specific as possible when entering your destination – city names are usually sufficient, but if you're visiting a remote area or national park, try entering nearby landmarks for more accurate results.

Step 5: View the forecast summary

After entering your destination, the weather website or app will typically display a forecast summary. This summary will provide an overview of the expected weather conditions for the upcoming days. The summary may include information such as temperature, precipitation chances, wind speed, and general weather conditions (e.g., sunny, cloudy, or rainy).

Step 6: Explore the detailed forecast

To get a more comprehensive understanding of the weather, explore the detailed forecast section. This section often provides hourly breakdowns or forecasts for each day, allowing you to plan your activities more effectively. Pay attention to temperature fluctuations throughout the day, as they can affect your clothing choices and plans.

Step 7: Check for severe weather alerts

While exploring the detailed forecast, be sure to check for any severe weather alerts or warnings. These alerts are crucial for ensuring your safety during your travels. If you come across any alerts, take them seriously and make the necessary adjustments to your plans.

Step 8: Monitor the forecast leading up to your trip

Weather conditions can change, so it's essential to continuously monitor the forecast leading up to your trip. Check the forecast periodically, especially in the days leading up to your departure. By doing so, you can stay informed about any possible changes and make any necessary adjustments to your plans or packing.

Step 9: Pack accordingly

Armed with the knowledge of the weather forecast, you can now pack your bags appropriately. Consider the expected conditions and pack appropriate clothing, footwear, and accessories to ensure your comfort. If rain is expected, don't forget to bring an umbrella or rain jacket. If you're traveling to a destination with extreme temperatures, pack enough layers to stay warm or cool.

By following this step-by-step guide, you can check the weather forecast for your travel destination and make informed decisions about your trip. Remember, reliable weather information is key to ensuring a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.

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When planning a trip, understanding the weather conditions is crucial for a smooth and enjoyable journey. Being prepared can help you pack appropriate clothing, plan outdoor activities, and ensure that your travel arrangements are not disrupted due to inclement weather. In this article, we will provide you with useful tips and tricks for interpreting weather information to help you plan your travel effectively.

Start with reliable sources:

• Use reputable weather websites or mobile apps such as AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, or the National Weather Service. These platforms typically provide accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts.
• Check the local meteorological agency or weather service of your destination. They often have the most precise information for specific regions.

Understand weather terminology:

• Familiarize yourself with common weather terms to better interpret forecasts. Terms like "partly cloudy," "showers," "thunderstorms," or "sunny intervals" can give you an idea of what to expect.
• Pay attention to weather conditions such as temperature, wind speed, air pressure, humidity, and precipitation chances. Understanding these elements will help you make informed decisions regarding your travel plans.

Check the forecast timeline:

• Weather forecasts are usually available for different timeframes, including hourly, daily, and weekly predictions. Start by checking the daily forecast, and as your travel date approaches, switch to the hourly forecast for more precise details.
• Be aware that long-term forecasts (beyond a week) may lack accuracy, so focus on the short-to-medium term forecasts for better reliability.

Consider the location and season:

• Depending on your destination, different weather phenomena may be more prevalent. For example, coastal areas might experience more fog or strong winds, while mountainous regions can have rapidly changing weather conditions.
• Take into account the local climate and weather patterns for the time of year you plan to travel. This will give you a general idea of what to expect.

Look at historical weather averages:

• Research the typical weather conditions during your travel dates in previous years. This information can help you understand the likelihood of specific weather patterns and plan accordingly.
• Keep in mind that climate change might be affecting weather patterns, so it's still important to check current forecasts for accurate and up-to-date information.

Pay attention to severe weather alerts:

Check for any severe weather alerts or warnings issued for your destination. These alerts will notify you of potential hazards, such as hurricanes, blizzards, or heatwaves, allowing you to adjust your plans accordingly and ensure your safety.

Use satellite and radar imagery:

Satellite images and radar can provide real-time visuals of cloud cover, storm systems, and atmospheric conditions. These tools can help you visualize the weather patterns and make more informed decisions.

Consider local factors:

• Some locations have microclimates, which means that weather conditions can vary significantly within relatively short distances. For example, mountainous areas may have different weather patterns at higher elevations compared to lower ones.
• Research any local climate factors that might affect the weather in your destination, such as prevailing winds, ocean currents, or geographical features.

Consult locals or travel forums:

If possible, reach out to locals or consult travel forums to gather first-hand information about the weather. Locals often have valuable insights and can provide tips on how to navigate the local weather conditions effectively.

Be prepared for unexpected changes:

• Even the most accurate forecasts can sometimes be inaccurate. Always pack essential items like a rain jacket, umbrella, sunscreen, or extra layers to be prepared for unexpected weather changes.
• Stay flexible with your plans. If the weather becomes unfavorable for outdoor activities, have backup options that can be enjoyed indoors.

By following these tips and tricks for interpreting weather information, you can plan your travel more effectively and make the most out of your trip. Remember to regularly check the forecast leading up to your departure, as weather conditions can change rapidly. With proper preparation, you can ensure a safe and enjoyable travel experience.

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When planning a trip, checking the weather forecast for your destination is an essential step. It helps you pack appropriate clothing, plan outdoor activities, and make necessary adjustments to your travel itinerary. In the past, people had to rely on traditional weather channels or websites to get this information. However, thanks to mobile apps, accessing travel weather updates has become easier and more convenient than ever before. In this article, we will guide you through the process of using mobile apps to check the weather for your travel.

Step 1: Choose a reliable weather app

There are numerous weather apps available for both iOS and Android devices. To make sure you get the most accurate information, choose a reliable app that has a good track record of providing precise forecasts. Some popular options include AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, and Dark Sky. These apps offer features such as hourly forecasts, severe weather alerts, and radar maps, which can be helpful when planning your travel.

Step 2: Install the weather app on your mobile device

Once you have selected the weather app you want to use, go to your device's app store and search for the app by its name. Download and install the app on your device like you would with any other app.

Step 3: Allow location access

To get location-specific weather updates, you need to grant the app access to your device's location services. When you open the app for the first time, it will prompt you to allow location access. Make sure to select "Allow" or "Enable" to ensure the app can provide accurate forecasts based on your current location.

Step 4: Set your travel destinations

After granting location access, you can now start customizing the weather app to suit your travel plans. Most weather apps allow you to add multiple locations, so you can easily check the weather for your travel destinations. Look for an option like "Add Location" or "Manage Locations" in the app's settings to add the cities or towns you will be visiting.

Step 5: View the weather forecast for your travel destinations

Once you have added the desired locations, you can now easily access the weather forecast for each destination. Simply open the weather app and navigate to the locations tab or menu. You should see a list of the cities or towns you added. Tap on a location to view the detailed weather forecast, including temperature, precipitation chances, wind speed, and more.

Step 6: Take advantage of additional features

Many weather apps offer additional features that can enhance your travel planning. For example, some apps provide a 10-day forecast, allowing you to see the weather trends for the duration of your trip. Others offer satellite imagery or live radar maps, so you can track storms and other weather patterns in real-time. Explore the app's settings and menus to discover these extra features and make the most of them for your travel preparations.

By following these instructions, you can easily utilize mobile apps to access travel weather updates. Whether you are planning a weekend getaway or a long vacation, staying informed about the weather conditions at your destination is crucial for a smooth and enjoyable trip. With the help of reliable weather apps, you can easily access detailed and up-to-date forecasts, ensuring that you are well-prepared for any potential weather challenges that may come your way.

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Frequently asked questions.

There are several ways to check the weather for your travel destination. You can use a weather website or app, check the local news station's website, or even use voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant to get current weather information.

The accuracy of weather websites and apps can vary, but some popular and reliable options include Weather.com, AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, and the National Weather Service's website. It's a good idea to compare information from multiple sources to get a comprehensive view of the weather.

Yes, most weather websites and apps allow you to check the weather for your travel destination several days in advance. This can help you plan and pack accordingly, especially for longer trips or trips to different climates.

Yes, most weather websites and apps have mobile versions or dedicated smartphone apps that allow you to check the weather on the go. You can simply download a weather app from your app store and search for your travel destination to get the latest weather information.

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The Trash and Treasures of Temu

How are these headphones $4.98 and every other question you have about the chaotic new everything store..

This article was featured in One Great Story , New York ’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly.

Maybe you first clocked it during the Super Bowl, when its “Shop Like a Billionaire” jingle aired not once, not twice, but six different times. Maybe the site has been haunting you on Facebook and Instagram with targeted ads for products that are implausibly priced (a six-pack of bras, $16.58) and at times delightfully niche (a silicone nose model for piercing practice, $3.98). Or maybe you went to visit your parents one day only to find their home and garage teeming with cheap gadgets from China that they bought from a fun new app. Temu, which is both an app and a website, launched Stateside in September 2022. As of December 2023, it serves approximately 30 million daily users in the U.S. and was the most downloaded free app of last year. But while Temu may feel like a new kind of retail experience, it’s really just a turbocharged amalgamation of things we’ve seen before: the scale of Amazon and vastness of its merchandise selection, the aggressive advertising of Wish, the treasure hunt of a Ross or Marshalls, and the mobile gamification of commerce à la Candy Crush. And in a time of high inflation — as venture-subsidized start-ups shutter and even dollar-stores prices rise — Temu can feel like the last affordable shopping destination left.

What exactly is it?

At its core, Temu is just a giant marketplace where manufacturers and suppliers — around 80,000 of them, mostly based in China — can showcase their goods and sell them directly to consumers abroad. It’s up to the vendors to list their inventory on Temu’s site, but Temu will manage almost everything else: setting the prices, customer service, dealing with Customs, and handling payments and returns.

So it’s just Amazon but based in China?

Many of the manufacturers that sell stuff on Temu also supply goods to Amazon (and stores like Target and Walmart). Still, there are a few key differences between the two businesses. While Amazon owns some of its inventory — maybe purchased from a wholesaler or stocked as part of the company’s private label — Temu doesn’t own the products it sells. Amazon has been optimized for fast delivery, erecting a vast infrastructure of trucks and warehouses. Temu has optimized for lower prices. Its delivery system, which relies mostly on third-party shipping services like USPS, typically takes a week or longer, but the prices on average are noticeably lower than Amazon’s. John Deighton, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies consumer behavior, believes Temu’s “long-term strategy is to really hurt Amazon.”

How does it make money if everything’s so cheap?

By cutting out the intermediary steps between factories and consumers, Temu claims it can price products lower than most retailers. But experts hypothesize that Temu is most likely subsidizing at least part of the cost of its products in order to gain market share. John Deighton, a professor of consumer behavior at Harvard Business School, says he has seen an analysis of Temu’s financials that suggests no matter how much stuff it’s selling, it can’t be making up for what it’s losing. “It’s not just a loss; it’s a hopeless loss,” he says. “It’s on a scale that no amount of volume is going to redeem.” China Merchants Securities, a brokerage firm, estimated in 2022 that Temu is losing between $588 million and $954 million a year. Juozas Kaziukėnas, founder of e-commerce intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse, calls the strategy a “shock-imposed buy”: When the price of something is so unbelievably low that customers have no choice but to hit “purchase.”  

Who is paying for this, then?

One reason Temu can afford to lose so much money is that its parent company, PDD Holdings, is a Chinese e-commerce giant whose revenue for the fiscal year 2023 was $34.88 billion. PDD Holdings is notorious for its brutal “996” work culture, in which employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days per week. According to the newspaper Nikkei Asia, PDD employees use pseudonyms at work and are discouraged from socializing with one another. The company has a strict clock-in, clock-out system, in which being even one minute late results in the deduction of one hour’s pay. PDD’s work culture was particularly scrutinized after the deaths of two of its employees. The first, in 2020, involved a 22-year-old who suddenly died while walking home at 1:30 a.m. after working late; the other, in January 2021, occurred when an engineer on leave jumped off the 27th story of an apartment building. An anonymous venture capitalist in San Francisco says of PDD, “It’s just one of the most insanely hardworking, brutal cultures, even in China. The intensity is unparalleled.” (When asked about the PDD work culture, a Temu spokesperson said, “We take pride in our energetic and creative team.”)

Is the website supposed to give me a headache?

Temu’s app and website feel like a cross between a carnival and a Pennysaver catalogue on steroids: There are lightning deals and limited-time offers, countdown timers and random-prize draws, all of them dangling the possibility of a rebate or discount (many of which expire after 60 minutes). You can play games like Fishland, in which feeding a certain number of fish wins you a free product, and Lucky Flip, in which you can earn rewards by matching symbols on cards. Occasionally, a picker wheel will pop up, tempting you to spin to win a discount. But as novel as this may seem to Americans, this chaotic, arcadelike shopping experience is not new to Chinese e-commerce — AliExpress has been using similar tactics for nearly a decade.

Is any of this stuff good?

Temu is dizzying: more than 3 million product listings, divided into 33 categories further split into dozens of subcategories. To figure out what people are buying, I reached out to both avid consumers and professional product reviewers. Many use the site as a place to buy unglamorous sundries they’d normally get from Amazon. One 20-something Goldman Sachs analyst uses it to purchase items for her pet: enrichment toys, treat dispensers, and water bottles. A venture capitalist says he ordered blackout curtains on the app when he realized they were far cheaper on Temu ($10) than on Amazon ($20).

Dorothy, a Chicago-based lawyer, first heard about Temu at her favorite dollar store when buying craft supplies. “I overheard some of the crafty mavens in the aisle talking. ‘Girl, you got to go on Temu,’” she says. She has spent $5,643.27 on Temu since January 2023 and found success in a few categories. “The jewelry is fantastic,” Dorothy says. She recently bought her daughter a customized 925-sterling-silver necklace (“A Sex and the City necklace like Carrie had”), which was received enthusiastically. She has also been pleased with purchases that are functional but can be disposed of quickly, like press-on nails and silk flowers for crafts, and she’ll also buy things she wants to try once but doesn’t wish to spend a lot of money on: silver lamé leggings and 89-cent clip-on bangs she keeps around so that when she suddenly has the impulse to get bangs, she can “put those on and stop myself.”

What’s with all the knockoffs?

The site abounds with close and not-so-close replicas of beloved products: There are copies of the viral Bogg bag , Yeezy Runners , Crocs , the 40-ounce Stanley tumbler , and even the Apple Watch . The site is also saturated with facsimiles of popular makeup and skin-care products, like a Tarte Shape Tape look-alike ($1.79) and something that resembles the Dior Lip Glow Oil ($2.69). The quality of the knockoffs can be a toss-up, though; Dorothy, for instance, is partial to a pair of $20 fake Ferragamo shoes that she calls her “fake-a-gamos,” but had to give away an Izod-polo-shirt look-alike because the logo looked like a “drunk alligator.”

Do I really dare use Temu lip oil?

“Once you start testing the formula, the texture, I would say it’s very different from the original product,” says TikTok influencer Demi Ngai , who has tried many of Temu’s beauty offerings. The most noticeable difference, she says, is the “overwhelming fragrance” of the Temu version. Dorothy’s review is a bit more blunt; Temu’s makeup, in her experience, is “garbage.”

Are any of the knockoffs actually good dupes?

Austin Evans, who reviews gadgets on his YouTube channel , says if he could recommend one tech accessory on Temu, it would be the Razer-mouse dupe, which often costs less than $20 (the price of a real one ranges from $30 to $180). Evans has also found that Temu’s cheap Bluetooth earbuds, the ones that look like AirPods, are “surprisingly good.”

Are the electronics safe?

There have been reports of Temu-related electrical snafus. In early 2024, a Swiss daily newspaper found that local police had received several reports of cheap electrical goods, such as chargers and batteries, that had caused major fires. Although the origin for these items is unclear, an officer on the Aargau police department’s TikTok account later named Temu as a “cheap platform” whose electrical goods may not adhere to certain standards and certifications. And earlier this year, a consumer-watchdog group in the U.K. tested eight heaters — three from Temu and five from TikTok Shop — and found that six were unsafe and posed fire hazards and explosion threats. Shortly after the report was released, Temu removed the heaters from its site. “We expect our sellers to meet the standards required by the markets they sell to,” a spokesperson said. “We adopt a comprehensive approach to vetting the merchants who sell products through our platform.”

Didn’t I just see some of this stuff on Etsy?

Many artists and small-business owners have found copies of their work being sold on the website. Jessi Roberts, founder of a Texas-based accessory and apparel business called Cheekys, hadn’t heard of Temu until her customers began sending her screenshots of the site, which listed counterfeit versions of her earrings — and even used her own product images. “They will pull every picture off our website,” she says. Even now, her customers will tag her in a Temu ad or comment on Temu’s Instagram post when they spot counterfeits, but their loyalty can backfire: “The problem is that the second they start talking about Temu or commenting on their post, Temu’s ads start coming to them hot and heavy.” Roberts and her lawyer, Andrea Sager, say they have submitted takedown requests for copied products dozens of times, most of which have been futile — only after Time published an article about her stolen designs did Roberts receive a message from a Temu employee letting her know that they had removed the counterfeit products. Sager, who represents small-business owners, says she is constantly on Temu’s website looking for her clients’ work. (“Temu has strict policies against sellers who infringe on intellectual-property rights,” a spokesperson said. “When we receive reports of infringement, we promptly investigate each case and take appropriate action.”)

What are the weirdest things Temu sells?

Many of the oddest wares I came across on Temu call to mind the Japanese term chindōgu , which literally translates to “unusual tool” and denotes a bewildering but impressive Japanese invention that solves an ultraspecific problem: butter in the form of a glue stick, a fan attachment for chopsticks to cool down noodles, a toilet-roll dispenser affixed to a headband for chronic nose-blowers. One day, on a whim, I typed the word silicone into the search bar, which yielded a seven-piece set of soft silicone body parts for piercing practice , silicone foot models, a silicone back-scrubber belt , sex dolls that looked like AI avatars in three dimensions , and an “artificial booty shaper” that was basically a pair of flesh-colored underwear made of silicone with extra padding on the butt (and a butt crack to make it look more realistic).

What happens when you buy something?

To find out, I placed two orders. My total haul, which was 29 items chosen through a mix of recommendations, curiosity, and personal need, came out to $120.08. From the moment I hit “purchase” to when the packages arrived from China, I received 12 emails updating me on their every move. Each order came in a large white plastic mailing bag. Inside, many of the items appeared to be in their original factory packaging, labeled with the manufacturer’s name, address, and batch number.

Is there anything a buyer should be wary of?

We asked people to share their biggest Temu flops. If there’s anything to stay away from, Evans says, it’s video games, especially those for the Nintendo Switch. Even if they look very realistic, there’s a chance that they could be counterfeit. Installing them, he has heard, can get your Switch console banned. Dorothy’s Temu fail was a nearly five-foot-tall stuffed giraffe she bought for her grandson — it was also one of the more expensive items she has ever bought on the site, at $63. When the giraffe arrived, it wouldn’t stand on its legs, so her grandson had no choice but to play with what resembled a wounded animal.

My own experience confirmed that no matter what category you’re looking at, Temu can be hit or miss. The first order, which took seven days to arrive, contained wireless earbuds, a compact desktop vacuum cleaner, ear-protection covers, silicone socks, white foam slippers, a neck fan, a gooseneck phone holder, and a Montessori tooth model, which I had hoped would convince my toddler to brush his own teeth. The silicone socks were covered in a fine white powder; the neck fan’s cooling power was weak. While Evans had spoken highly of the electronics, the wireless earbuds simply refused to connect to my phone, and I could not figure out how to use the vacuum cleaner.

But when my second package came, ten days after the order date, I was pleasantly surprised. There were still some duds, like a heated eyelash curler that performed worse than the non-heated ones that I already own and a pair of silicone stick-on nipple covers that were not as sticky as I would have liked. Still, I was satisfied with the quality of the wet bag for diapers and clothes, the tabi socks , a pair of grippy socks that can be used for Pilates , and this precision pin-tail comb with a stainless-steel tip , which has a substantial weight to it and is very similar to this Y.S. Park one I have that costs ten times more.

Okay, but was anything you ordered actually good ?

YouTuber Matt Shaver told me he’d had good luck with Temu’s jeans, which inspired me to try some for myself. After some browsing, I landed on this $19.11 pair — both because I liked their baggy shape and contrast stitching, and also because they had the highest percentage of cotton (95 percent cotton, 5 percent polyester). These jeans ended up being my most shocking discovery: comfortable, snug around the waist but baggy through the legs (which is how I like jeans to fit), and remarkably reminiscent of the much beloved Rudy Jude utility jeans and these double-knee painter pants by Stan Ray . Upon closer examination, some of the seamwork reveals the lower quality, but the jeans are no worse than what you would buy at any other apparel chain that makes its clothes in China (like Gap or Zara). My other Temu win was this two-in-one box cutter and thermal-paper corrector , which works a bit like magic: You swipe it across a label taped to a box that you want to reuse and the label’s text disappears.

Is there any way to decrease my odds of buying pure junk?

On a Reddit thread , one user shared a hack for finding quality products on Temu: Simply locate an item with excellent reviews on Amazon, upload the image to Google Lens, and “you will almost always find links to the exact same item on Temu for a much lower price.” If you’re looking at a Temu listing that doesn’t have quite enough information, you can do the same trick in reverse to read the product’s Amazon reviews.

How much Temu are Americans buying?

In December, research firm Cargo Facts Consulting aggregated data showing that Temu shipped around 4,000 tons of goods per day. In the same way that Temu has bypassed typical wholesalers to work directly with factories, the company has also done something unprecedented in the air-cargo industry: working directly with commercial airlines themselves rather than exclusively through freight forwarders, which it’s able to do because of its massive volume of goods. Sunandan Ray, CEO of freight-forwarding company Unique Logistics International, claims that, to expand shipping capacity, Temu has even gone directly to charter-flight operators — which would mean the company is effectively hiring an entire plane for its own purposes. “The airlines themselves cannot cope with this traffic, so Temu needs other options,” says Ray. Temu is shipping such an enormous volume of goods to the U.S. that it has helped spur the recovery of the air-cargo industry, which had flagged during the pandemic. Niall van de Wouw, the Chief Airfreight Officer at freight analytics company Xeneta , compares Temu’s effect on the air-cargo industry to the role PPE like N95 masks played at the start of the pandemic in 2020. “It’s nearly impossible to have a conversation about air freight in Asia-Pacific and not mention Temu or Shein,” he says.   

How are USPS drivers feeling about Temu?

Sean Fogelson, a former USPS delivery person in Cincinnati who works as a comedian, heard about Temu in June 2023 after orders started taking over his delivery load: “It just kept coming, and I’m like, What the hell is this shit, man? ” He coined the term Temu tired, which was the basis of a TikTok video that went viral.

Fogelson was especially frustrated with Temu’s packaging — the way the company would put an entire order’s worth of items in a single bag (as opposed to a sturdier box). On the USPS sub-Reddit, others agreed, harping especially on the “shrink wrap”–like packaging that often turns the parcel into an unwieldy, irregularly shaped object. Schlepping several of these packages around can be particularly burdensome for carriers because they can’t always fit them into their satchels.

Is the company spending a fortune on import taxes?

No. In fact, it’s spending very little by taking advantage of a consumer loophole known as the de minimis value, which applies to shipments so small they don’t warrant taxes or duty. In the U.S., shipments that contain merchandise with a value under $800 do not need to pay duties. The average Temu order size is $25, according to a Wired report , so the majority fall under the exemption.

According to a May 2023 report delivered to Congress, Temu and Shein were likely responsible for more than 30 percent of incoming international shipments falling under the de minimis provision. In 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cleared 685 million de minimis shipments. The report points out that Temu’s business model relies on this provision, which allows the company to circumvent compliance with forced-labor restrictions, customs duties, and facing “the same level of customs scrutiny that other retailers might face” since de minimis shipments also bypass inspection. In 2022, Gap, for instance, paid $700 million in import taxes, H&M paid $205 million, and Shein and Temu paid zero.

What about the labor conditions?

Because Temu does not own its products or operate its own factories, the origins of its goods can be difficult to trace. Still, both the U.S. government and experts have claimed that Temu is laissez-faire when it comes to keeping its supply chains free of slave labor. According to a report published by Congress in June 2023, Temu admitted that it does not prohibit third parties from selling products originating from Xinjiang, where Uyghurs have been abused. And the tech firm Ultra analyzed shipping data and concluded that many of the products listed on Temu’s sister platform, Pinduoduo, some of which were also listed on Temu, came from companies in Xinjiang. (“We strictly prohibit the use of involuntary labor and expect our business partners and sellers to ensure they are compliant with platform rules and the law,” a spokesperson said.)

Are Shein and Temu friends?

Even though their offerings are different, there is certainly some overlap in what the two companies sell — enough to fuel an acrimonious rivalry. In December 2022, just three months after Temu launched Stateside, Shein filed a lawsuit against Temu, accusing the company of paying social-media influencers to make “false and deceptive statements” about Shein and creating fake Shein accounts on Twitter that “[tricked] consumers into believing Temu [was] associated with the brand.” (Temu said it “strongly and categorically rejects all allegations.”) In July 2023, Temu hit back with its own suit against Shein, accusing the fast-fashion retailer of “[forcing] manufacturers to sign loyalty oaths certifying that they will not do business with Temu.” (Both lawsuits were dropped in October.)

On December 13, 2023, Temu filed another lawsuit against Shein. The 100-page complaint accused Shein of using “mafia-style intimidation” against suppliers who “[dared] to work with Temu,” which included “physical detention … personal threats, and illegal seizures of merchants’ personal devices” to access Temu’s confidential information and trade secrets. (One supplier’s representatives, according to the lawsuit, were held in a small room at Shein’s office for up to ten hours.) In pages of corporate trash talk, Temu alleges that Shein did this to persuade suppliers to sign exclusivity contracts and that Shein had illegally seized IP rights. The lawsuit also purports that Shein bombarded Temu with fake copyright takedown requests — 33,000 over ten months — and blatantly copied Temu’s games and “arcade-style” look by poaching its marketing employees. Read the entirety of the lawsuit here .

Is it tee-mo o or teh-moo ?

In its 2023 Super Bowl ad, the company referred to itself as tee-moo (allegedly derived from its motto, “Team up, price down”). Then, in the 2024 Super Bowl commercial, the pronunciation switched to teh-moo. Michael Gross, managing director of the agency hired to produce the ad’s music, said Temu gave them no explanation; the company’s only instruction was to make sure the new pronunciation was heard several times throughout the jingle.

“Team up, price down” — what does that mean?

Group buying, known as tuán gòu in Chinese, involves offering discounted rates for bulk purchases, a concept Temu employs to incentivize consumers’ buying behavior. This is a common practice in China, where community leaders such as grocery-store owners and housewives will gather groups of buyers (often through messenger services like WeChat) who want to go in on a wholesale order together — whether that be groceries or household items like toilet paper. Collective purchases like this give the group access to lower prices. More recently, Chinese e-commerce websites like Temu have applied group-buying tactics both by selling products in bulk at low prices and by offering referral programs through which customers can unlock discounts by sharing links with friends and family.

If I start shopping on Temu, will I be able to stop?

As far as we know, no formal studies have been conducted that showed a link between Temu and a shopping addiction. Still, there are several Facebook groups for “Temu addicts,” and Reddit posts abound with individuals complaining that their mother-in-law or husband — or even themselves — is addicted to Temu. Ngai, the TikTok influencer, describes the experience as being “led down this rabbit hole. It’s Amazon but on steroids. It was just this endless scroll that you could go on for days.” Part of the hook, several shoppers told us, is the sense of embarking on a treasure hunt. “Temu very much feels like the 2024 version of the dollar store when I want to walk around and buy a couple of random things. It’s fun. It’s a little problematic but, largely speaking, appears to be pretty solid,” says Evans, the gadget reviewer. Dorothy, the super-user, is a dedicated shopper of Ross and Primark but says that after a long day at work, there’s something particularly soothing about scrolling through Temu “to see if there’s anything special today.”

I heard Temu is especially popular among boomer women. Why?

The site’s most loyal shoppers are those in the 59-and-older demographic — which has provoked everything from disdain and alarm to pure exasperation from younger generations (a recent Business Insider headline: “Is Your Mom a ‘Temu Victim’?”). Several experts have attributed this to the site’s design, which looks more accessible than Amazon’s. Another has suggested that older shoppers, if they’re less tech-savvy, may be more vulnerable to the psychological manipulations of Temu’s casinolike design. Nostalgia may also be at play: One older shopper told Business Insider that Temu’s offerings remind him of what he used to find on late-night infomercials. Another shopper said the site echoes the now-extinct experience of coming across strange gadgets and knickknacks in the checkout line of Bed Bath & Beyond.

What is this Boston address that shows up when I Google Temu?

Most of the business, including the entire engineering team, is based in China. But Temu is also registered as WhaleCo, Inc., in Massachusetts and headquartered in Boston at 31 Saint James Avenue, Suite 355. Little is known about the operations of the American office. “Temu chose Boston for its office in the U.S. because it offers access to skilled talent and convenient global transportation links,” a company spokesperson said. Deighton’s hypothesis is that the office serves as “an advertising buying station,” i.e., a small team of people whose sole function is to bid on Google AdWords and the like — though this is only a guess. “Somebody has to be placing those orders, and someone’s negotiating quantity discounts with Yahoo and so on,” he says.

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• The 9 Best Must-Have RV Travel Apps for Planning Your Next Car or RV Road Trip

The 9 Best RV Travel Apps for Planning Your Next Car or RV Road Trip

When it comes to hitting the open road, having the best RV travel app at your fingertips can make all the difference. Enhancing your journey is just as important as finding the way from point A to B.  And if you’re a car driver rather than an RV driver, don’t worry!  These apps will work for you, too.

The top RV travel app will give you up-to-the-minute information on traffic and weather and data about nearby camping grounds, gas stations, and exciting places. But that’s not all!

This technology can help you plan each day of your trip in detail or even suggest spontaneous detours based on what’s around you. With an RV travel app in hand, exploring becomes a breeze. Whether you’re a seasoned RVer or planning your first adventure on wheels – choosing the right tool is key for effortless travel .

Table of Contents

Trip planning made simple, a friend to your wallet, your personal navigator on-the-go, maintenance – a breeze now, what is the best rv travel app, built-in value with rvlife, free features with togo, allstays has years of development.

•  The Gist: 

RVParky App

Tripadvisor, hotels dot com, roadside attractions, talking trail, identify your requirements, pore over user reviews and ratings, analyze features & usability, bonus tip: test drive before committing.

• FAQs in Relation to the Best Rv Travel App

Is there an app for RV routes?

Is rv trip wizard worth it, is there an app like airbnb for camping, how do i plan an rv trip around the us, wrapping it all up, benefits of using an rv travel app.

The joy and freedom of exploring the Midwest and beyond in your RV are much easier when using a travel app. These handy tools, specifically designed for full-time RVers or occasional road trip enthusiasts, offer numerous benefits to women over 40 who love adventure.  Heck – they are great for everyone on the open road!  You don’t need an RV to enjoy these apps.

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Imagine having your favorite RV navigation apps that offer suggested routes and help you find state and national parks and public campgrounds along the way. That’s precisely what RV trip-planning apps do. With campground reviews from fellow travelers at hand, every decision becomes more manageable as it is based on real experiences.

A road trip doesn’t need to burn a hole in your pocket. The beauty of these awesome apps lies in their ability to guide users towards free camping sites or cheaper alternatives like public campgrounds compared to private RV parks for RV Camping only. Plus, they keep tabs on gas stations en route, ensuring fuel stops don’t become financial nightmares.

No more worrying about unexpected detours or sudden weather changes affecting your journey. With live updates via GPS-based directions right within these simple yet practical applications, a smooth ride throughout is almost guaranteed, irrespective of where you’re headed next – an overnight parking spot or a new city exploration.  RV-specific GPS is a plus for travelers who must avoid low clearances on overpasses or tight turns.

Last but certainly not least are those mundane maintenance tasks that come part and parcel with the fun-filled RV life pro experience. RV Trip Wizard , among other great apps, provides checklists for routine RV maintenance checks so nothing gets missed while living this exciting lifestyle on wheels.

The best RV travel app for your needs can differ based on what you’re looking for in an application. However, a few applications have become popular for their broad selection of features and user-friendly interfaces.  I’ve checked out three of them and studied reviews for you, so you don’t have to!

We’ll compare three widely-used options that make traveling by RV or car a breeze: RV Life Pro , Togo RV , and RV Trip Wizard .

RV Life Trip Wizard – RV GPS and Campgrounds

A favorite among full-time RVers, RV Life , provides an all-in-one solution for planning your RV trip. It offers RV Safe GPS, which means the best route suggestions tailored to the size and weight of your vehicle, ensuring safe travels no matter where you go.  With this app, you won’t have to worry about your route or the time to arrive at your destination.

This handy app covers everything from finding RV parks and gas stations to locating nearby RV dump sites.  No more worrying about whether you fit under that highway overpass!  RV Life handles that!

RV Trip Wizard isn’t just an RV navigation map, either.  One of the reasons it is much loved among full-time RVers is that it has so many features beyond just the map.  One of the most popular features is the Points of Interest Map which includes over 57,000 points of interest for you to scope out before adding them to your route.

One of my favorite features of this app is that it even helps you keep track of maintenance schedules for your vehicle.  We can all use a little help with that fun chore!

And finally, you can find ideal RV parks and campgrounds as you travel.  With over 20,000 campgrounds in the app and the ability to rank your memberships in travel clubs, you’ll know which park will give you the best value after a quick look into the app.  In addition, it conveniently locates dump sites, gas stations, and prices en route.

RVLife comes with a 7-day trial to give you ample opportunity to decide if it’s the right fit for you.  After seven days, the cost is approximately $60 per year.  A few nights at a lower-cost camping sight will quickly take care of that $60, making this a great value if you travel often enough.

A demo version comes with more limited capabilities for those who need more than seven days to decide if this is the right app.

Next up?   Togo RV !  This handy app receives high praise from fellow RVers.  It not only aids with trip planning but also includes maintenance reminders and checklists, ensuring that you are road ready at all times!

Togo also has an Overnight RV Parking app, so if you love the RV app, you may just love the Overnight Parking app as well.  Take note that Togo RV is not a free app, but it does offer a free 7-day trial, so if you don’t love it, it won’t cost you a penny!

I love that this app provides access to reviews from fellow travelers on various campgrounds, making it easier to choose the right campground for you when you’re busy living out the dream of being a full-time traveler or an “RV life pro.”

Some of the free features included with Togo are  Movile RV Repair Directory, which will help you find someone to repair your RV or car while you travel.  The Tire Finder lets you enter your tire specs and find the best replacements for your budget.  Pre-made RV checklists are available to get you safely on the road without forgetting any vital details!

You can also enter your vehicle specs and receive recall alerts, and maybe my favorite feature and the best part of this app is the Roadpass University, which is excellent for a new RV owner!

Togo RV is an excellent tool with high ratings among travelers.  Of course, besides the above options, it offers a campground search feature, which includes information about state parks and free camping sites throughout North America.

AllStays Camp & RV App

Last but certainly not least is AllStays Camp & RV , known for its comprehensive database covering everything from public campgrounds with RV sites to overnight parking lots for smaller vehicles.  This robust tool becomes indispensable whether one plans to stay at a state park or search out free camping sites and parking lots (Hello Cracker Barrel!) during road trips across the Midwest.

I feel safe in saying that AllStays is worth your time.  This app has been the #1 Selling, #1 Ranked, and #1 Reviewed Camping App for over 144 Months, with 4.5k reviews in the iOS app store and an overall ranking of 4.6 out of 5.

AllStays Camp & RV App is one of my favorite apps because, although it is simple, it is effective.  I love that it allows searches based on specific requirements like pet-friendly sites or overnight parking facilities.

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After 13 years of use and development, AllStays has the most campgrounds listed (37,000 in the United States and Canada) and includes FREE overnight parking options.  The filters on this app are excellent.  You can filter sites fairly easily by features such as pet-friendly sites, laundry availability, boat launch, toilet styles, swimming pool, and so on!

But my favorite feature of this app is that some of the data is stored on your phone, making it useable even when driving in and out of wifi or service areas.  Nothing is more frustrating than driving out of signal, losing your internet connection, and the ability to search as you travel.

Notice to Android users:  Allstays Camp and RV does not have an app for you.  However, you can open your browser and log in to use the same features, which is a bit of a drawback if you have your heart set on an app. However, it makes this app useable on any device, including your tablet, computer, or laptop!

Consider Your Cost

When considering cost, RV Life Trip Wizard offers a limited-feature free version and a premium subscription. Togo RV comes with an annual fee. Allstays Pro is the least expensive of the three we’ve discussed here at 34.99 per year or 4.99 per month.

Any way you look at it, the ease these apps bring into your car or RV traveling experience often justifies their price tag.

Remember, no single application will meet every need perfectly. So, please look at each app’s features and consider the most important features before purchasing your perfect companion app.

  The Gist: 

Awesome RV travel apps like RV Life Trip Wizard, Togo RV, and Allstays Camp & RV Road Maps offer unique features tailored to your road trip needs. From campground searches to maintenance reminders and route planning, these tools simplify the journey. Consider cost and personal preferences when choosing your perfect digital companion.

Add-on Popular RV Travel Apps

Now that we’ve talked about adding a GPS and Trip planning app, let’s talk about a few apps that don’t do it “all” but do their own thing really well! Here are my favorite stand-alone apps that I wouldn’t travel without!

The user-friendly RV Parky app assists in locating RV dump stations and potential roadside attractions.  It’s FREE, making it a great starter app!

Before I travel, and sometimes even after, you’ll find me cruising through TripAdvisor .  You’ll find places to go, things to do, and places to eat and stay in this handy free app.

TripAdvisor is location-specific, so enter your destination and see lists of all of the great things a destination has to offer and honest, up-to-date user reviews from people who have been there!   TripAdvisor is a great way to get genuine reviews from real people before wasting your time and efforts.

When I need a place to stay, and the car or the RV just isn’t going to cut it, I use Hotels.com .  You can search along your route and see prices at a glance, discounted from the walk-in rate.  This app has come in incredibly handy when I need a room at the last minute.

Be aware, though, if you make a reservation through this app and, for some reason, change your mind on arrival, refunds are not easy.  The hotel will immediately tell you to take it up with Hotels.com, and you may wait more than a week for your refund.

This handy little app called Roadside Attractions is my personal favorite app for finding quirky roadside stops!  I have used it for everything from finding a spooky shoe tree on a back country road to finding the EPIC Headquarters, the most fantastic work campus that seems more like a theme park than a business.

I truly love this great app!  It can turn your RV road trip from meh to magnificent! There is a small one-time cost to use the app, but it has been more than worth it for me!

iExit is a nifty little app and just the thing to help you find a bite to eat, a gallon of gas, or a restroom as you travel.  Simply open the iExit app, which will use GPS to locate you on the Interstate, then give you a list of the upcoming exits and what you’ll find there, including fuel prices, truck stops, rest areas, and fast food restaurants!  I love this little app!

If you like to hear the story behind a story, this app is for you. Download the Talking Trail App , and when you are within a specified distance of a Talking Point, the app will notify you. A quick click on the map will give you a narrated story of the landmark you’re visiting. If you are a leisure traveler with time to learn and hear stories, you’ll LOVE Talking Trail.

Tips for Choosing an RV Travel App

Embarking on your next RV trip with the right app can transform your travel experience. Consider what you want when choosing the perfect app to accompany your RV journey.

The first step is recognizing what you need from an RV travel app. Are you seeking a straightforward navigation tool like Google Maps , or do you require more specific features such as finding RV parks, planning safe routes, locating gas stations, and even providing handy checklists? Knowing what’s essential will help streamline your choices.

User reviews and ratings provide invaluable insights into how well each option performs.  I certainly don’t know it all, and although I have used all of these apps, many others have also and may be able to answer your specific questions in a review.  Quickly browsing feedback on platforms like Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store will give you a balanced perspective.

RV apps come in different pricing models: free versions with optional paid upgrades (like Togo RV), full-featured premium ones (such as RV Trip Wizard), and freemiums that offer limited functionalities unless upgraded – select one that fits your budget constraints and ensures value for what you spend.

Of course, I recommend you try different options and compare their features whenever possible. Many of these apps offer free trial periods that will let you get a hands-on feel for their offerings firsthand and commitment-free. This practical exposure helps determine if a particular software ticks all of your boxes effectively, saving you time and effort.

 When choosing the best RV travel app, identify your needs first. Consider user reviews and ratings for insight into performance. Analyze features and usability to ensure it caters to all aspects of RV life within your budget. Don’t forget a test drive before committing.

FAQs in Relation to Best Rv Travel App

Absolutely! Apps like Roadtrippers and RV Trip Wizard are explicitly designed to help plan your RV route, including stops at campgrounds and attractions.

Yes, the comprehensive features of RV Trip Wizard, such as custom routing, campground information, and cost estimation, make it a valuable tool for any RVer.

Surely. Hipcamp is similar to Airbnb but focuses on unique camping experiences. It lists thousands of campsites across the US.

You can use travel planning apps like The Dyrt or AllStays that provide details about campgrounds, gas stations, and rest stops, along with user reviews to help you plan your journey efficiently.

Exploring the Midwest in an RV just got easier.  As a matter of fact, it just got easier if you travel in a car, too!  Whichever way you travel, the best RV travel app can transform your travels from stressful to effortless.

Comparing different apps helps you find the perfect match for your needs. And once you choose, mastering its use ensures smooth sailing (or driving).

Ready to hit the open road with confidence? Dive deeper into this topic and discover how these best apps can guide you through choosing and using the best RV travel app for unforgettable adventures on the road.

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Best Room At...21 Nettleton

With only six rooms, the hotel is Cape Town’s answer to the quaint bed & breakfast. Except it's luxe. Super luxe.

The large terrace overlooks the Atlantic Ocean with an uninterrupted view as far as the horizon. Needless to say, it was spectacular. We had sunset drinks with the owner, Hugo Jankowitz, who occasionally still stays at the home, in the penthouse suite. He delighted us with stories of the home and the back story for each of the pieces of art and unique furniture. If you are looking for uninterrupted privacy, romance, and a bespoke experience this is your hotel. Here, general manager Dirk Jacobs answers all your pressing questions about the property.

What is the starting cost for the Emperor Suite?

Thirteen thousand South African rands, or $699.50 at the current exchange, a night per room for two guests.

What is the property's history, and what is one feature first-time visitors will find surprising?

Twenty one Nettleton was the owner’s private residence for 10 years before converting it into a boutique hotel and luxury villa. The location is surprising. We are very much in a residential suburb, located on Nettleton Road, one of the most desirable streets on the continent, yet we are 10 min away from the city. Unique indeed. Each room reflects something personal, from the art on the walls, the tapestries, the rugs, and each curated piece of furniture.

How would you describe the vibe of the hotel?

We are not open to the public, which means we can place our focus on our in-house guests, who in turn feel like friends visiting. They can feel as if they are staying in their own home. We offer a serene oasis for those seeking privacy and a bespoke experience.

Are there any other special experiences guests should ask her for when they arrive?

We offer a full spa with a 60 minute hydrating facial and Kalahari Spa products, which are unique to South Africa. We can also organize kickboxing, yoga, flora hikes and much more.

Tell me about the dining experiences available at the property.

Our meals are unique, from a traditional Kaapse Tafel to a South African Braai. We call our kitchen the “home kitchen,” uncomplicated delicious meals often served as sharing plates. The chef prepares the menu using seasonal ingredients and locally sourced food for a farm-to-table experience. Our butler team can set up private dinner settings anywhere on the property.

What about the secret gems of Cape Town?

The must-see experiences are Beta Beach, lunch at a deli in Bo Kaap, and secret mountain picnics reached by helicopter.

What feeling about South Africa do you hope to impart to guests?

Our natural hospitality and open nature. I think it is unique to us.

What do you think sets 21Nettleton apart from its peers in the area?

The peacefulness, and we offer the best views in Cape Town. Guaranteed.

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Your guide to the healthiest veggies: These are the best types to add to your diet

Are you eating your greens? Chances are, even if you get some veggies, you’re not consuming nearly enough. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 10% of Americans are meeting their daily vegetable intake.

But it's never too late to make a change .

We’ve reported on the healthiest type of lettuce , the most nutritious potato options and the bell pepper with the most antioxidants , but what reigns supreme when you look at the vegetables as a food group? Here are the best greens to include for health benefits.

Healthiest vegetables to include in your diet

Any vegetable will provide essential nutrients, so “don’t discriminate,” registered dietitian Danielle Crumble Smith previously told USA TODAY. But if you’re looking to increase your vegetable intake and diversify your options, here are some of the best varieties.

Darker leafy greens are rich in many vitamins, including vitamins K and C, calcium and a host of antioxidants, Crumble Smith says.

Vitamin K has cardiovascular and bone health benefits and vitamin C helps protect blood cells against disease and aids in the absorption and storage of iron. Calcium supports healthy bones , teeth, muscles, hormone production and other bodily functions. Spinach and kale also contain lutein and zeaxanthin , two antioxidants that benefit eye health.

Here are the best leafy green vegetables to include in your diet, according to Crumble Smith:

• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Beet greens

Cruciferous vegetables make a great addition to your diet because they contain fiber and phytonutrients, which help prevent cellular damage. They also contain indole-3-carbinol, a compound shown to reduce the risks of estrogen-related cancers as well as colon cancer, Crumble Smith says. 

Cruciferous vegetables are also rich in folate, a water-soluble nutrient that benefits the digestive system and may prevent common cancers, cardiovascular disease, infertility, stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. They also contain vitamin K and the dark green ones contain vitamins A and C, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Try adding these cruciferous veggies to your daily vegetable intake, Crumble Smith advises:

• Cauliflower
• Brussel sprouts

Why are vegetables good for you?

Eating a variety of vegetables ensures your body is getting the vitamins and nutrients it needs for daily function. , This is especially crucial for ones Americans don’t get enough of, like fiber and potassium. Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease , cancer and mortality, studies show.

Even frozen vegetables are a healthy option. They may even offer more nutrients than those bought at your local grocer because you don’t know how long it’s been since their harvest date, Crumble Smith previously told USA TODAY.

"They’re flash frozen at their peak stage of ripeness when all those nutrients are there and preserved," she said. "Frozen veggies are a great, very nutrient-dense option and they’re also really good for people who forget there are veggies in the fridge that might be going bad before they get to it."

How many servings of vegetables per day?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day for adult women and 3 to 4 cups for adult men. Here are a few examples of what counts as "one cup" of vegetables : 

• One cup of cooked dark green vegetables
• One cup of broccoli (fresh or frozen)
• Two cups of fresh raw leafy greens
• Two medium carrots or one cup of baby carrots
• One large bell pepper
• One large baked sweet potato or one cup mashed or sliced
• One avocado

Are avocados good for you? They may be worth the up-charge

Discover more health tips for your daily diet: 

• Healthiest beans: Options for protein, fiber, iron intake
• Healthiest grains: We compare whole, refined grain sources
• Healthiest apple: This kind has the most antioxidants
• Healthiest protein: Why this option may benefit long-term health
• Healthiest milk: This kind has more protein and less sugar

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "Is V8 juice good for you?" to "What is the healthiest salad dressing?" to "How long does weed stay in your system?" – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.