When it comes to travel there are a variety of apps designed to streamline the process of planning, help lower the cost of your tickets and help with navigation one you have begun your trip. But in the sea of apps it can quickly become overwhelming finding the ones which will best work for you personally and your adventure style.
In 3 years of travel, I have narrowed down the most helpful for my many versions of travel and which work best and least. For those who are seeking adventure in a more primitive way your apps will greatly vary from those who are looking to live in the lap of luxury. No two adventures or adventurers are the same, however I have selected some of the most helpful for your general travel style and incorporated them into a listing below.
PRIMITIVE TRAVEL
(camping, road trips, outdoor adventures)
Google Maps
While this might seem an obvious choice, the nice thing about using Google Maps, is their access to content when offline. If you are an adventurer which likes to travel off the beaten path and into the world of limited cell service, the offline maps feature provided by Google can not only help you to navigate to your chosen destination but also around the area if you are looking for something just outside of your original expectation for travel.
The DYRT
If you enjoy camping you need this app! The DYRT is an app designed for and by fellow campers which enjoy sharing their personal accounts of their adventures with others. This unique site allows users to review and add photos of their stay at campsites across the US and rate them on a variety of criteria.
This means you will not only be able to pull up campsites in your area, but likely will find the cost, pros and cons of any given site along with personal stories of road conditions, things to in the area and overall feeling of campsite size and location.
All Trails
Wanting to find the best places to hike when getting your outdoor fix? All Trails is the perfect app to help you find the best trail suited to your abilities in the area. Not only does it mark clearly where trails are in your area but it also allows you to download offline maps which have pointers for hiking in the area, landmarks to look for and instructions for finding the right turn in some of the more questionable areas. This app is great for trails far removed from civilization but also documents those which are within communities.
LUXURY TRAVEL
(flights, hotels, restaurants)
HOPPER
Hopper is a great app for those wanting to score flights at the rock bottom deal. Unlike many apps which track your searches and do not allow you to see the rock bottom without cleaning cookies or search results, HOPPER will track your query and send a notification when prices lower.
Using this app you can find great options for trips both domestic or abroad. This app also allows you to set your price point you are willing to spend and set a watch for option.
Uber & Lyft
While many will lean toward one app or the other, by downloading both of these apps you will be able to get the best deal in your city of choice. I have found that many cities there is a dramatic difference in prices between the two at any given time of day.
By having both you can compare prices before ordering a car service and make sure you are spending less on your car service and more on your adventures. Price comparisons can most commonly differ at places such as airports and train stops in major cities which allow commuters to the community to then move further into the metropolitan areas.
YELP
Looking for a great place to eat when traveling can be a bit difficult when you are not familiar with the city. If you download this app however you can find reviews and photos of things you might be interested in and see which best suits your taste for the day. I personally have found that I use this more for photo reference than reviews, because people can write some terrible things even when the service was good because they didn’t like the waiter or waitress, so use discretion and use the photos to be the judge.
In addition to these apps, always remember if you are traveling to download the rewards apps which correspond with your airline and where you will be staying. With these you will be surprised how quickly your points can add up simply for using and logging in the services you received. Some of these apps even allow additional rewards for referrals of friends or booking on certain days of the week.