Travel Apps You Need To Know

From booking flights to planning activities to exchanging money, working out the finer details of traveling can be a time-consuming process. Thankfully, there are literally hundreds of travel apps that can help out.

From apps you need before you leave to apps that can help you once you arrive, here are some great travel apps to help you travel like a pro.

Planning and Booking Apps

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Lonely Planet

It’s a big world out there and Lonely Planet can help you narrow down just the right destination for you. Whether you know exactly what country or continent you want to travel to or whether you want to find the best surf spots or ski resorts during your vacation time, Lonely Planet can help.

Kayak

While there are a huge number of booking apps available today, Kayak has the advantage of being one of the originals. Rather than being old and outdated, however, Kayak has gone the distance by staying competitive in an increasingly tough market. Kayak will compare a number of different booking sites to give you the most comprehensive information available when planning your trip. You can even set alerts and use their price forecast tool to tell you if you are most likely getting the best price now or if a better one is likely to come along if you wait a bit.

Airbnb

Some people may love staying in a hotel with room and maid service, but some people love the privacy of having an entire house all to themselves. You may also like the opportunity to stay with an actual local who can direct you to the best places that most tourists never find out about. Families may also benefit from being able to rent an entire house or apartment rather than several separate hotel rooms. Whatever your needs, Airbnb can help. You can find all Airbnb’s close to festivals on Rad Season’s upcoming events around the world.

Google Trips

Travel requires a vast amount of information ranging from confirmation numbers to check-in and flight times to tour itineraries. Google Trips can take all of the information directly from confirmation e-mails and sort it all into one easy-to-navigate location. You can even manually enter information so you have all your trip details in one place.

Packing Travel Apps

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Travel List

Travel list doesn’t just help you create a packing list to make sure you have everything, it will also allow you to set reminders for things you need to pack at the last minute. If you need to leave at 5:30 and want to remember to pack your charger just before you leave, travel list can make sure it goes with you.

Packing Pro

If you are packing for multiple people or even for more than one trip at a time, the Packing Pro app might be just what you need. Packing Pro offers color coded lists so you can make sure every member of the family has exactly what they need or you can make sure when hubby needs to take an overnight trip to France on business, he takes everything he needs with him while the family stays behind in London to tour Big Ben.

Apps to Get Around

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Google Maps

The Google maps app is one of the most invaluable tools you can load onto your phone. From walking directions to turn-by-turn driving directions to detailed public transportation options, Google maps is worth its weight in gold. Google maps can even tell you what ride services operate in the area and give you an estimate of how much your trip will be right in the app.

Uber

Uber has become a global phenomenon and one app can get you transportation almost around the globe. Uber now operates in dozens of countries and more than 600 cities. While there may be a number of similar services wherever you travel, why not download one app and sign up for one service that gives you almost global access.

Payment Apps

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XE Currency Converter

The XE Currency Converter may not offer the fanciest user interface, but what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in features. The XE Currency Converter offers live exchange rates for every world currency and can even store the latest rates so you can pull them up even if your device goes offline.

Allpoint ATM Locator

One of the very best ways to get cash when traveling overseas is through an ATM. You want to be careful which ATM’s you use, however, because many ATM’s located in airports and train stations are not owned by a “big bank” but by smaller independent companies that realize travelers use these ATM’s most and offer high fees and terrible exchange rates. Allpoint ATM’s are fee free and are located throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and the UK.

Security Apps

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Find Your Embassy

Any time you are traveling outside of the US, you may find yourself in need of an American Embassy for any number of reasons. Hopefully, it’s not an emergency and you have time to find an embassy, but you may find yourself immediately in need of one. The Find Your Embassy app is offered by the US Government and can help you locate embassies anywhere around the world.

TunnelBear

In addition to keeping your person safe, you also want to keep your data safe. TunnelBear creates a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for all communications, which will keep your data safe from hackers and thieves. This is particularly important when traveling and potentially needing to use public Wi-Fi.

StaySafe

StaySafe is a GPS tracker app that will automatically e-mail or text your GPS coordinates to your emergency contacts if you don’t check in by a certain time. This can be invaluable if you get split up or even go your separate ways for a time.

Travel Away!

No matter where you roam, travel apps can help keep you safe, provide a wealth of information and just help you have a better trip. Apps can even help you connect better with locals or even meet fellow travelers. When you meet new people, apps can even help you stay in contact with potentially lifelong friends.