Must Have Travel Apps
There are endless travel apps out there trying to make your trips smoother, cheaper, and more enjoyable. But which ones are actually worth downloading? Here’s a list of my favorite travel apps that I know from experience can be of high value to any frequent traveler!
For finding flights…
Hopper is the perfect app for booking flights on a budget. Just plug in your destination and preferred dates and the app will watch prices for you. Make sure you turn on notifications because it will let you know when it’s the best time to buy!
*Note that you cannot filter by airline on the current version of this app. If the airline is important to you I recommend sticking to Google Flights.
Skyscanner, much like Hopper, is great for finding cheap flights. You can plug in your destination and dates and see what’s currently available OR you can just plug in the destination and view a calendar to see how prices vary throughout the year. I often use Skyscanner to cross-reference the prices I find on Hopper. Another cool feature is the ability to view the best deals around the world for the upcoming month and even the upcoming weekend. I’ve always thought it would be fun to block out a weekend for a trip and only decide on the destination the week before based on Skyscanner’s best deals.
Kayak is another flight and hotel deal-finding app that’s quite popular in the travel world. Between Hopper, Skyscanner, and Google Flights I can usually find what I need but it never hurts to have one more place to compare prices.
Bonus: Google Flights
Not an app, but since I mentioned it early and use it ALL the time I feel like I need to say a little bit more on it. Google Flights is usually where I start any of my flight searches. I can filter by specific airports and airlines, search multi-city routes, and view a calendar to see how prices vary if my dates are flexible.
*Note that if you search for a particular destination repeatedly on Google Flights it could cause the prices you are seeing to increase. I recommend doing your searches in a private or incognito window to avoid this.
For finding accommodations…
I can’t write about travel apps without mentioning Airbnb. More often than not my family relies on Airbnb to find our accommodations. There are so many beautiful spaces you can book around the world that often cost the same or less than a single hotel room. There are certainly some instances where a hotel makes more sense (1-2 night stays, business trips, etc) but on a trip that’s a week or longer the added space and freedom that you get with an Airbnb makes it the ideal choice.
In need of last minute accommodations? Find deals and availability on Hotel Tonight for booking and checking in on the same day.
For smooth travel…
I rarely fly anywhere without checking Flight Aware at least once. If you, like me, have an obsessive need to have the most up-to-date status on your aircraft, this is the app for you. Just plug in your flight number and track the aircraft long before you even get on board. You can track the inbound flight to prepare for any delays or to track delays that haven’t yet been announced by the gate agents. Alternatively, use it to track a loved-one’s fight and monitor the exact location of their plane throughout their flight.
*Note that I personally don’t use the app but rather just have the website bookmarked. I recommend trying both platforms and seeing what works best for you.
For keeping track of your travels…
This incredibly simple app is one of my favorites. I love keeping track of which countries I’ve been to and, of course, how many. Been gives me an easy way to do that on my phone. You can scroll through the world’s countries organized by continent and tick off which ones you’ve been to. The app will not only add them up for you but it will tell you what percentage of the world’s countries you have visited (seeing the percentage always motivates me to travel more because even after visiting 33 countries I’ve only been to 13% of them!). Anytime you want to be reminded of your global adventures just open the app to view a list of your countries or see them highlighted on a world map (see what mine looks like below).
What travel apps do you love and rely on? Let me know in the comments!
