Top 8 Travel Apps You Need (But May Have Never Heard Of)

These eight travel apps are items I have found that could benefit in every step of traveling; from booking, to planning, to the actual travel.

Hey everyone! I don’t know if it is just me, but this week is going by really slow! I definitely participated in Amazon Prime Days the past couple days and got a few good deals! And maybe, possibly, sorta, already got some of my Christmas shopping done.. Okay, I will admit it, I am excited for Christmas!! Anywaysssss.... For this week’s travel tip, I wanted to write about some of the best free travel apps that are out there. I think all of these are super beneficial for the whole process of a trip, from booking to the actual traveling!

1. TripIt

TripIt is the ideal trip planning app. I was so amazed when I came across this super cool app. You can add in all your flight plans, car rental, event times/location, hotel information, and so much more. What I like most about it is that you get to see a visual representation of what your travel plans look like. I also like that all my information is in one central spot. I don’t have to go to my email and find my car rental reservation information or search online for my flight status. The last really cool thing I liked about the app is when you enter in an event it lets you know how safe the area was. I was testing the app for a trip to Mexico, because why not :) I entered in a “dinner reservation” and it told me it wasn’t very safe there. This could be so benefical when you are in a place you don‘t know anything about!

2. PackPoint

I came across PackPoint when I was doing research for this blog, so I haven’t had a whole lot of experience with it yet. However, it is really user friendly, and there isn’t much to it. It is an app that helps you pack for a trip! On the first slide you select where you are going and for how long. And then you select the activities you plan on doing there. So in my test Mexico trip, it told me to bring swim suits, sunglasses, and other items like that! And of course, all the necessities like a toothbrush and phone charger. I like that as you pack, you can check off the items you have packed to insure you don’t miss anything! The other part I really like about the app is that it has a weather forecast right in there to help plan accordingly!

3. Lounge Buddy

Vince has used Lounge Buddy in the past for when we are at the airport. It is an app that helps you find out what lounges are at each airport and where they are located. You can also buy a pass for the lounge right through there to save you time. I plan on writing a blog soon about what lounges are all about, so stay tuned :) We had a long time to wait at the airport for a trip last year, so we decided to find a lounge to get some free food and relax in the quiet. We plugged in the airport we were and it brought up the options. It was so simple! Vince was able to enter in all our information, we got a QR code, went to the lounge, and scanned in! Bada bing, Bada boom! We will definitely be using this app at all airports, even to just see the awesome options they offer :D

4. Splitwise

Splitwise is an app that I heard about a couple years back that would have been perfect for splitting costs with college housemates! But it is also such a great app if you are traveling with friends and are splitting costs. It did a fake scenario of traveling to Mexico (again of course) to see what the app was all about. It is so simple! You and the people you are with both have an account in the app and can enter in all costs; like plane tickets, Airbnb costs, Uber rides, etc. It keeps a running total for you of how much you owe each other! One thing that I think would be really cool is if they partnered with Venmo or PayPal, so it knew once you were settled with each other. Or you could hit a ”send request” button and it requests the money though these other apps! Maybe someday.. :)

5. Hopper

Hopper is an app that I found out about maybe a year and half ago, and have used it a few times now! It is an app that helps you find cheap flights. It takes all the possible flights and finds you the best and cheapest flight for you. They have also added in hotels, carts, and home rentals! The app has really evolved since I first heard about it and its really great to use! Another thing I really love about this app is that the interface for showing you what days are the cheapest vs most expensive is so easy to see. They are colored green for cheapest travel day, and red for most expensive travel day. If you have flexible dates, this is great to use because you can truly find the cheapest flight. One thing I would warn about this app is that if you book through it, it is a third party app so contacting customer service may not be the best. I recommend finding the cheapest flight on here, but then using the flight’s website to book!

6. Roadtrippers

I downloaded Roadtrippers this summer when we went on our road trip out to Wyoming. This app’s name is pretty self- explanatory in that it is used for road trips. You enter in your starting and ending locations and then select what you want to see along the way; points of interest, things to do, food & drink, or hotels. This is really valuable if you are looking to find something to eat along the way, especially driving through states that may not have more food options for miles. I also used it for finding fun things to see along the way. Road trips aren’t complete with out seeing a few unique things to the land you are driving through! The app showed us that the World’s largest buffalo statue was in North Dakota, so we had to stop!

7. AllTrails

AllTrails is another app that I found when doing research for this post. I had never of it, but I sure will be using it in the future! It is an app that shows you hiking/ biking trails, how difficult they are, and reviews about the hike. This would have been really beneficial for my last post about not being prepared for our hike to the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park! We also went on a hike last week in Minnesota, and I think just knowing some tips from previous hikers could have really been benefical for us. For example, we had trouble finding parking and reading the tips could have been helpful! Another thing I really like about this app is that it has the weather forecast built into it as well. When you click on a hike it tells you the tempature, UV index, and when the sun rises/sets. All really valuable information for a hike!! I will be looking up every trail we go on in the future!

8. Trecco (Coming Soon!)

The last app, Trecco, I think every traveler should have is an app that isn’t released yet, but you should keep an eye out for in the the future! The app is a platform that allows the travel community to share travel tips with each other!! So for example, I have been to a few breweries in Minneapolis now, I can share recommendations with my followers so they know the best information if they were to come to Minneapolis! I have had the ability to test out the app and I really think it is going to be something big! I will post more about this app in the future, so stay tuned :D

You may have heard of some, all, or none of these apps but I think they are all so great! Next time I go on a trip (maybe to Mexico someday!), I am going to use all of these apps! I love them each because they help with such different parts of a trip. Booking, planning, packing, and during the actual part of the traveling. And the best part? They are all free! :)