The Best Travel Apps You’re Not Using (But Should Be)
- Darian Abraham
- Sep 16, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 15
In today’s fast-paced world, planning your travels has never been easier—or more overwhelming. Whether booking a spontaneous trip, mapping out a road trip, or exploring a new city, there’s an app for everything. But are you using the best ones? While we all tend to stick to what we know, some underrated apps can completely change your travel game. These apps are designed to work seamlessly wherever you are, ensuring that no matter the destination, you’re just a few taps away from an epic, stress-free adventure.
Navigation & Transit
Waze (Best for Driving)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: Apple Maps, MapQuest, Here WeGo
Why It’s the Best: Waze stands out from Apple Maps by leveraging its real-time, community-powered updates to provide users with hyper-localized information on traffic, hazards, and speed traps, ensuring a more dynamic and responsive navigation experience. Compared to Google Maps, Waze excels in its proactive approach to rerouting, utilizing hyper-local data and interactive user reports to keep drivers informed and engaged, offering a truly customizable and time-saving journey.
Unique Features: Waze’s ability to provide instant updates on road hazards, as well as Spotify integration for seamless in-app music control, makes it an outstanding app for drivers.
Google Maps (Best for Walking/Navigating a City)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: MapQuest, Apple Maps, HERE WeGo
Why It’s the Best: When it comes to navigating a city on foot, Google Maps shines by delivering highly accurate walking routes, robust public transit options, and real-time updates that keep you informed at every turn. Unlike MapQuest, which falls short with limited public transit data and less precise directions, Google Maps ensures you have the best route and transit info at your fingertips. Plus, Google Maps takes the lead over Apple Maps and HERE WeGo by offering rich business details, such as user reviews, ratings, and nearby attractions, while its Street View feature gives you a visual of your surroundings, making urban navigation a breeze and more intuitive.
Unique Features: With features like offline maps, indoor maps for large buildings, and integration with local businesses, Google Maps is indispensable for urban navigation.
Flight & Travel Planning
Skyscanner (Best Flight App)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: Kayak, Hopper, Momondo
Why It’s the Best: Skyscanner stands out over Hopper, Kayak, and Momondo for booking flights thanks to its comprehensive global search capabilities, which pull deals from a wide variety of airlines and travel agencies. Unlike Hopper, which is great for price predictions but more limited in scope, Skyscanner offers flexible date searches and intuitive filtering options, allowing users to easily refine their search by flight duration, stops, and airlines. With a user-friendly interface and broader results than Kayak and Momondo, Skyscanner ensures a smoother, more efficient experience for travelers looking to secure the best flights with ease.
Unique Features: The “Everywhere” search lets you explore destinations based on your budget, making it ideal for spontaneous travelers. Skyscanner also offers price alerts and fare tracking.
Rome2Rio (Best for Multi-Modal Travel Planning)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: All Apps that only have one mode of transportation for travel planning.
Why It’s the Best: Rome2Rio shines as the ultimate app for multi-modal travel planning, offering a comprehensive overview of transportation options that let you seamlessly compare flights, trains, buses, ferries, and car rentals—all in one place. It excels in delivering cost comparisons and estimated travel times, giving you a clear, actionable view of the fastest and most budget-friendly routes available. Unlike other apps, Rome2Rio’s integration with booking platforms means you can book tickets directly, streamlining your entire travel planning process across multiple modes of transportation with ease
Unique Features: The ability to compare all transportation options—flights, trains, buses, ferries—with estimated costs and times, makes Rome2Rio a go-to for international travel planning.
Communication & Language
WhatsApp (Best for Messaging While Traveling)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: Telegram, Facebook Messenger, iMessage/Samsung’s Messages/Google Messages
Why It’s the Best: What makes WhatsApp a top choice for travelers is its global reach, ensuring you stay connected with international contacts in regions where apps like Telegram aren't widely used. Its end-to-end encryption by default provides a higher level of privacy compared to Facebook Messenger or many built-in messaging apps. Unlike Apple’s iMessage and Samsung’s Messages, which are platform-specific and only work seamlessly between their own devices, WhatsApp’s cross-platform compatibility allows you to communicate freely with anyone, no matter what phone they use.
Unique Features: It also offers location and document sharing, making it perfect for organizing meet-ups with friends while traveling.
Google Translate (Best for Translation)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: iTranslate, Microsoft Translator
Why It’s the Best: Google Translate stands out for travelers by offering support for over 100 languages, making it far more versatile than iTranslate and Microsoft Translator, especially when navigating diverse destinations. Its real-time conversation mode enables seamless back-and-forth translations, allowing travelers to engage effortlessly in foreign languages. Plus, the offline functionality lets you download language packs ahead of time, ensuring you stay connected even in areas with limited internet access—an invaluable feature for those exploring off-the-beaten-path locations.
Unique Features: The instant camera translation feature allows you to translate signs, menus, or labels just by pointing your camera, and the offline translation feature supports 59 languages.
Booking & Accommodation
Booking.com (Best for Finding Accommodations)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: Hotels.com, Agoda, Expedia
Why It’s the Best: Booking.com stands out for finding accommodations with the largest selection of properties worldwide, from hotels to vacation rentals and hostels, making it a versatile choice for all types of travelers. Its user-friendly interface and detailed filters allow for a highly personalized search experience, helping users easily match preferences like price, location, and amenities. Additionally, Booking.com offers a convenient all-in-one platform, bundling accommodations with flights, car rentals, and attractions—something Agoda doesn't offer as extensively—making trip planning seamless.
Unique Features: Booking.com’s Genius loyalty program offers discounts and perks like late check-out. Its detailed filters make finding the perfect stay easy, even for last-minute travel plans.
Omio (Best for Booking Trains, Buses, and Flights in Europe)
App Store Links: Apple App Store, Google Play Store
Apps You Should Ditch: Trainline, GoEuro
Why It’s the Best: Omio, formerly known as GoEuro, stands out by offering a comprehensive, all-in-one search for trains, buses, and flights, allowing travelers to effortlessly compare options across multiple transport modes. What really sets Omio apart is its global flexibility, with support for 26 currencies and 17 secure payment methods, making it incredibly convenient for international travelers. While both Omio and Trainline store tickets, Omio’s wider payment options and seamless integration of various travel modes make it a more versatile and traveler-friendly choice.
Unique Features: Omio is a dedicated mobile app, which allows users to store and manage all their tickets digitally, making travel more organized and convenient.
These travel apps are absolute game-changers for anyone looking to make their next adventure smoother and stress-free. Whether you're road-tripping with Waze, scoring last-minute deals on Skyscanner, or organizing a multi-stop trip through Europe with Omio, these apps have you covered. Designed to fit into your pocket and make travel easier, faster, and more fun, they’re perfect for helping you discover new places, stay connected, and save time and money. So, before you hit the road, make sure you've got these must-have travel apps downloaded and ready to go!
Trademark Notice: All app names, logos, and brands mentioned in this post are the property of their respective owners. They are used for identification purposes only, and their inclusion does not imply endorsement or affiliation.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only. While we strive to keep the content accurate and up-to-date, we make no warranties about the information's completeness, reliability, or suitability. Always verify details directly from the app providers or official sources before making decisions regarding travel plans or app downloads.
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