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The best travel apps are the ones you can access quickly, find what you need, and get back to your day. Whether you’re looking for a cafe in Paris, or the closest gas station from your hotel, a good travel app is indispensable.
Because when you’re confident you can read signs on the Autobahn, order a meal in Bangkok or convert money anywhere, you just might be more likely to venture to parts unknown.
So we’ve found the 10 best apps that’ll help you to navigate better, see more, spend less and even save a record of your travels.
Check them out and let me know if you agree!
Table of Contents
10 Best Travel Apps for 2020
Flight Aware
On a flight from New Jersey to San Diego a few years back my 9-year-old daughter asked me about every eleven minutes, “Dad, how many more minutes?”
With Flight Aware, she’ll know exactly how many more minutes. And she’ll also know what altitude she’s at, what state she’s over, and the names and destinations of other flights in the area.
And our family at home using Flight Aware will also know exactly where we are.
Flight Aware uses air traffic control data from over 55 countries to give you up to the minute flight data for virtually any commercial flight in the sky.
Keep up to date about flight delays, weather, and even navigation charts.
Whether you’re a frequent traveler or a curious nine-year-old, Flight Aware is a great utility.
Get Flight Aware Free for Android or iOS .
Organize your trip with Tripit
If you’re planning a trip for the family, it should be a time to decompress. But keeping track of flight numbers and times, connecting flights, car and hotel reservations and confirmation numbers can add stress where you don’t need it.
Tripit can save you from juggling between multiple notes containing your trip details. It will pull together all the details for flights, hotels, rentals, and reservations and list them in one easy to reference itinerary.
Suppose you get separated from someone in your travel party? With Tripit you can share the entire itinerary so they’ll instantly know where everyone is headed.
You can also share your itinerary with a friend or family member at home. It’s like taking a personal travel agent along with you.
Get Tripit for Android or iOS.
AccuWeather
Whether you’re hiking, biking, hitting the beach or touring the city, unexpected weather can ruin your day. AccuWeather can quickly display anything from 15-day summaries, 5-day forecasts, to a local up-to-the-minute forecast
The up-to-the-minute forecast uses GPS to zero in on your location and provide accurate precipitation forecasts out to the next two hours. You may not be a weather junkie at home, but being prepared on the road can make or break your trip.
Get AccuWeather for Android or iOS
Communicate anywhere with Google Translate
What’s one of the main reasons people hesitate to travel outside the US?
You guessed it! The language barrier. Who wants to sit down to breakfast in Paris and order a shoe over easy?
But what if you could scan the menu and instantly see – in English, what you’re ordering? Or walk through Madrid and ‘read’ each sign along the way.
Just scan menus, signs or other text and Google Translate will show you the text in English.
Or type in what you want to say, and have Google Translate ensure that you’re not asking for directions to the bathrobe.
Get Google Translate for Android or iOS.
Capture your entire trip with LiveTrekker
I took a trip throughout the southern U.S. states, then onto the southwest, up to Colorado and all through the Rocky Mountains. There were so many small towns and great memories in each one.
If I had LiveTrekker I’d have a detailed journey of my exact route. I’d be able to look back and view the trip on an interactive map. And I’d be able to sync the photos or videos I took along the way.
And when I shared the trip with family and friends, I’d have a multimedia travel diary to show them.
Whether you’re hiking, biking or taking a family road trip, LiveTrekker is a great way to remember your trip.
Get LiveTrekker Free for Android or iOS
Find the cheapest available fuel with GasBuddy
Whether you’re commuting over the course of a year, or you’re traveling, gas is a big part of the cost. A difference of even 8-10 cents a gallon really adds up.
Gas Buddy will not only tell you immediately where the cheapest gas around is, it’ll come in handy when your tank is getting dangerously low, and you need to find the nearest station – like now.
Just enter your town or zip code, and GasBuddy instantly shows you a list of every station around with their current per gallon price.
Need to calculate the mileage for your next trip? GasBuddy can handle that too.
You can also report your local gas prices to GasBuddy. With 32 million users, GasBuddy is always up to date.
Get GasBuddy Free for Android or iOS or Windows.
Find the best attractions in a new city with Time Out
You know those big racks of sightseeing brochures that every hotel has in the lobby?
With Time Out, you can walk right past that rack. Don’t bother bringing a fist full of paper back to your room, and spending 30 minutes studying pamphlets that may have been printed two years ago.
Time Out is a great directory of things to do in cities around the world. It includes everything from restaurants, to bars, attractions, and events.
It also includes an event finder so you’ll be aware of any festivals, concerts, or other scheduled events.
See an event that’s selling tickets? Buy them right through Time Out. Notice a great looking restaurant across town? Book a table through the app. Done! Try doing that with a paper brochure.
Get Time Out Free for Android or iOS.
Want to map out a run in a new city? RunGo can help!
Running or jogging is a great exercise because all you need is a decent pair of shoes and a little motivation. One of the hardest parts about staying fit is just getting out the door. There’s always an excuse. Being on the road doesn’t need to be one anymore.
RunGo will tell you the best places to run in hundreds of different cities. The routes are created by local runners so they’re measured, scenic and safe.
Whether you’re looking for a scenic four-miler in Vancouver or a six-mile loop through Hoboken, RunGo can not only show you but guide you along the way. What a great way to explore a new city!
So, on your next trip don’t forget to throw your running shoes in the suitcase.
Get RunGo Free for Android or iOS.
Expensify is the best travel app to record your spending
Filing expense reports can be frustrating when you’re trying to locate and tally up receipts for multiple days.
Expensify can simplify the process by enabling you to photolog receipts, track expenses and import credit card info for your purchases.
The Smart Scan feature is especially handy. Being able to photograph a receipt, have it read and automatically added as an expense is definitely a time saver.
The ability to enter travel mileage, rate-based expenses and do currency conversion make Expensify the Swiss Army knife of expense reporting.
And if you’re trying to take a budget-conscious vacation, Expensify can help to make sure you don’t blow your budget at the halfway mark.
Get Expensify Free for Android or iOS.
Find the perfect place to stay with Airbnb
Hotels may be convenient to wherever you’re traveling, but an Airbnb can make more sense, depending on your needs.
- It’s likely that you’ll be able to rent a bigger space for less money.
- You won’t pay extra fees, like occupancy taxes and parking charges.
- You can save money by bringing in your own food to a full kitchen.
- If you have young children , it can be more relaxing letting them blow off steam when you’re not in a small room with thin walls.
Airbnb rents anything from a mom and pop B&B to a small apartment or even a castle. You can search through a range of prices for accommodations in 34,000 cities in close to 200 countries.
Get Airbnb here.
Convert any currency with Oanda Currency Converter
If you’re circumnavigating the globe you’ll never hesitate at paying for a river taxi in Bangkok or a cappuccino in Naples. Oanda converts amounts for over 190 currencies – and four metals. Keep frequently used currencies for quick access. And with a big-button keypad, it’s simple to quickly enter conversion amounts. This free converter uses OANDA Rate® data, which is the daily rates used by corporations, tax authorities, auditing firms, and financial institutions. Load Oanda and Google Translate, and it’s time to round up the passports!
Get Oanda Free for Android or iOS.
Final Points
There’s nothing like getting away from familiar surroundings to shake things up a bit. Hopefully you can use a few of these apps for traveling to your next destination. If they can make an unfamiliar city easier to navigate, you’ll experience more and may be be more likely to travel more.
What are your best apps to travel with?
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