When it comes to traveling, getting from point A to point B without your better half giving you one of those Home Alone ‘KEVIN’ screams was difficult enough, and that was before all the COVID nonsense. Now that the world has basically re-opened for most travel, it’s time to think about the essentials you need for your next trip. Once you’re checked off everything from our best travel tips, it’s down to the 3-1-1, carry-on, and checked luggage. But what happens once you make it through security? You have nothing but what’s on your person and, more importantly, what’s loaded on your phone. That’s where this list of the best travel apps come in. We’re not going to tell you that these apps will prevent you from being a headline story on “Locked Up Abroad,” but you have a much better chance of avoiding that spotlight with them installed. Plus, it’s just a great collection of apps to have regardless of where you’re traveling.
MyTSA
Traveling in the post-apocalypse world is significantly more headache-inducing than it was previously, but the official TSA app provides a number of useful features that make it work downloading. You can quickly search allowed/banned items. Access delay information at your favorite airports nationwide. Check airport business based on day and time of travel based on historical data, along with TSA Pre✓® information and live assistance from the TSA. It’s one of those apps you won’t use all the time (hopefully), but you’ll be glad you had it pre-installed if you ever run into any issues at the airport–especially if you’re a TSA Pre✓® member. iOS Android
SkipLagged
In case SkipLagged is one of those apps you’ve never heard of, this incredible piece of tech will open the world to you on the cheap by giving you access to so-called “hidden city” flights. As we understand it, Skiplagged uses the “Hidden City” flights to book your final destination as part of a layover trip that can save you beaucoup bucks in the long-run. There’s nothing wrong with booking yourself on an EasyJet across Europe, but if you can get the same trip at a fraction of the cost through SkipLagged, why wouldn’t you go that route? iOS Android
Hotel Tonight
Locking down last minute sleeping accommodations used to require calling around with the phone book. Now–since phone books are a thing a past and no one would know how to use them anyway–we’re left with the internet and great travel apps like Hotel Tonight. Hotel Tonight offers you last-minute discounts on vacancies and accommodations from even the highest-caliber, unbooked hotels/resorts, so you’re always getting a deal on your excursion whether you’re looking for a day away or a weekend getaway. iOS Android
Hopper
Given the informed nature of all of you reading this, we expect you’re well aware of Hopper and their whole “spend less, travel better” that regularly results in flights and hotels with deep discounts up to 40% off. While most of us are using them pre-travel when we can lock in those deep discounts for sure, it’s a good idea to have the app installed as a backup in case other plans fall through so you can lock in flights/hotels/cars–while also saving some bucks in the process. The ease of use makes it one of our favorite travel apps to keep downloaded. iOS Android
Google Maps
How do you get your directions? How do you save all the addresses for your friends/family/favorite places? How do you find out if Uber/Lyft will be cheaper to your destination? What about finding points of interest, public transportation stops, shopping destinations, restaurants, gas stations, and the like? The answer to all of those questions is Google Maps, one of the most used travel apps any of us has on our phones. It’s even more important when you’re abroad so you can get from home base to your destination with ease–even if you don’t have Internet access all the time because maps are downloadable now. Plus, if you want to keep track of all your destinations, you can sign-in and save locations so you don’t have to remember the name of that coffee shop you meant to check out. iOS Android
Google Translate
We spent most of high school studying a foreign language and the better part of our adult lives learning a different one. If you don’t want to be the person in a bar across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower that fumbles and orders beers in 3 different languages, install Google Translate on your phone. Google Translate tackles 108 different languages by typing (59 without Internet!), 90+ languages with instant camera translation or imported photos, and can even do 71 different bilingual conversation types on the fly. Unless you can speak/read/write the native language of everywhere you’re visiting, this free travel app is a no-brainer. iOS Android
Online Document Storage
One of the best travel tips you’ll ever hear from us is to store copies of your documents online. You should obviously do it as securely as possible, but it doesn’t matter what kind of phone you’re using or what app is your favorite. With digital scans or photos of all your important documentation readily available from your phone–worst comes to worst, through an online web portal–you significantly reduce the risk of becoming one of those cautionary tales that ends up on what passes for a History Channel show these days. There are plenty of great options, but our favorites are Google Drive/Dropbox/iCloud which are all linked below (but we’re willing to bet you have accounts with all of them already). Google Drive Dropbox iCloud
Airbnb
While you could easily book yourself a hotel with points or through Hopper–and you should absolutely do that occasionally–you should also aim to spend at least a few days during your abroad excursions in an Airbnb. Why? It will connect you with the locals and the neighborhoods they live in, you might make some friends, you’ll definitely get more cultural exposure, and just as importantly, there’s a 99% chance that the WiFi will be free. So download the free Airbnb travel app and take a look at accommodations in your destination of choice. iOS Android
Merck Manual Professional
Ages ago, we put together a list of Apps That Could Save Your Life, and while many of them are no longer relevant, the Merck Manual App–specifically the professional version–remains relevant to this day. Widely considered the most comprehensive medical text on the market, the Merck Manuals–aka MSD–cover a wide range of medical topics, including disorders, tests, diagnoses, and drugs. The free professional version in the app has useful medical references, along with options for evaluation and treatment within all major medical and surgical specialties. Short of traveling with an actual doctor, this is the best option you have. iOS Android
Nike Training Club
If you’re anything like us, as soon as you set foot in the airplane you’re thinking about far-off lands, vacations, and everything you do NOT have to do when you’re away from home. We get it. But that mindset is never going to help you keep the gains you’ve been working so hard for, which is where the Nike Training Club app comes in. Whether you’re looking for guided workouts, coaching and wellness, or “celebrity intervention”, this app has everything you need to keep you on track with your goals. (Bonus points because it also has SNKRS integration so you won’t miss any fire drops in the process). iOS Android
