With so many apps to download for Apple and Android, how do you know which are the top travel apps?
Here are some ideas for the best travel apps.
The Basics
We like the basic travel apps for quick, easy airfare, hotel, and rental car searches:
- Kayak
- Travelocity
- Expedia
- Yapta
- Orbitz
- Your favorite airline, hotel, and rental car companies:
The Niche Apps
Then there are the niche ones that can come in really handy when you need them:
- TripCase: Lets you check other flights on your route the same day from the same airports. Use when bad weather or mechanical delays strike, or you want to get home early.
- FlightTracker: Sends you alerts on problems, gate assignments, changes and more—sometimes faster than the alerts from the airlines’ apps themselves.
- Flightradar24: Track the plane on its previous flight as it arrives in your departure city.
- ExpertFlyer: Sign up for alerts when a specific seat or category of seats (e.g. aisles, windows, etc) open up, when award space becomes available, or a myriad of other items to track from the airlines’ own inventory.
- HotelTonight: Last minute change of plans? Like to roll the dice? If you need a hotel at the last minute, this is the app for you.
More Options
- Skyscanner: Another search engine, which allows you to search via month view;
- Hopper: Sends you alerts when it calculates it’s the right time to buy airfare;
- Citymapper: Calls itself “the ultimate transit app.” Shows you how to use public transportation at your destination, even some international ones;
- Packpoint: Brags of being “an intelligent packing app.” Suggests items to bring, activities to do, and places to eat based on the weather forecast;
- Mobile passport: The official US Customs and Border Protection app lets you move to the front of the line upon re-entry into the US, if you’ve added your passport details. Read more about how it works here.
