Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
We have tried a lot of travel apps. Most of them are bloated, buggy, or trying to sell you something. These are the ones we actually use on every trip.
Navigation & Getting Around
Google Maps (Free) — Still the best turn-by-turn navigation app. Download offline maps for your destination before you go — works without data in the car. The saved places feature is underrated for trip planning.
ParkMobile ($0.99/day or subscription) — For city trips where you are parking on the street. Way easier than feeding a meter and you get reminded before your time runs out.
Flights & Deals
Google Flights (Free) — The best flight search engine. Set price alerts, see a calendar of cheapest dates, and track specific routes. We check this before booking anything.
AirTreks (Free to search) — For multi-destination trips. If you are planning a big international trip with multiple stops, this is the only tool that actually shows you the cheapest routing across multiple airlines.
Skyscanner (Free) — Good for international flights specifically. Sometimes finds routes Google Flights misses.
Accommodation
Airbnb (Free) — Our go-to for stays longer than 3 nights. The app is well-designed and the map view makes it easy to find the right neighborhood.
HotelTonight (Free) — Last-minute hotel deals. We used this on a road trip when our Airbnb fell through and found a boutique hotel for $89 that was going for $170 on Booking.com.
Kiwi.com (Free) — Good for bundling flights + hotels. Their guarantee保护政策 is useful for complicated multi-leg trips.
Packing & Lists
PackPoint (Free) — Enter your destination, trip length, and planned activities. It builds a packing list for you. We do not use it religiously but it is useful for longer trips when you are likely to forget something.
TripIt (Free / $49/year Pro) — Forward every confirmation email to one address and TripIt builds your itinerary. Flights, hotels, car rentals, restaurant reservations — all in one place. The Pro version is worth it if you travel more than once a quarter.
Budget Tracking
Splitwise (Free) — For couples who split everything. Track shared expenses on a trip and settle up at the end. Better than keeping a mental note and arguing about it two weeks later.
Unas or Toshl (both free tiers available) — Personal finance tracking that works well for travel. Tag expenses by trip and see exactly where your money went.
Food & Restaurants
The Infatuation (Free) — Restaurant reviews from local food critics. Better than Yelp for actual food quality. Available in most major US cities.
GateGuru (Free) — Real reviews of airport restaurants and amenities. Useful for long layovers and knowing what food options you actually have in a terminal.
Safety & Communication
What3Words (Free) — If you ever need to describe your exact location to emergency services and cell signal is bad, this app divides the world into 3-word squares. Emergency services in many areas now use this system.
Bumble BFF (Free) — Not a travel app per se, but useful if you are going somewhere new and want to meet locals or find travel buddies in the same city.
Our Stack for Every Trip
These are the apps we open without thinking about it:
- Google Maps — always
- Google Flights — before booking
- Airbnb — for accommodation
- TripIt — for itinerary
- Splitwise — for tracking shared costs
- The Infatuation — for food
The rest are situational. Download them before you go, not when you are standing in an airport trying to figure out where to eat.
This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission on purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Leave a Reply