Whether it’s for business or leisure, travel is today much more comfortable than it was even a decade or so ago. There are cheaper flights and great deals that you can take advantage of, no matter your budget. Moreover, a wide variety of apps make things even simpler by giving you a convenient way to plan and organize your trip from the palm of your hand. So if the travel bug bites you, check out these best travel apps for iPhone and iPad.
- Google Maps
- Expedia
- Uber
- Booking.com
- Airbnb
- Hopper
- Skyscanner
- KAYAK
- TripIt
- TripAdvisor
- Google Translate
- Roadtrippers
- Moovit
- XE Currency
- Packr
- Wanderlog Trip Planner
1. Google Maps
No matter where you go, let Google Maps lead the way and ensure that you never get lost. It is an offline map app for over 220 countries and territories. It features hundreds of millions of businesses and places waiting to be discovered by you.
Not only does it help you navigate, but you can also find restaurants near you, make lists of notable places, share your location, and more. You can also check out recommendations from local area experts.
Price: Free
2. Expedia
This one is among the best travel planner apps for your iPhone and iPad. It lets you save on flights and hotels and also offers free cancellation for up to 24 hours. Further, you can learn about things to do at your destination and helpful trip reminders if you like.
Plus, you’ll earn double Expedia Rewards points every time you book through the app. Tickets are available for shows, tours, reserve airport shuttles, theme parks, and more. Through alerts, it keeps you updated about flight delays, hotel check-out time, etc.
Price: Free
3. Uber
With a presence at over 600 airports in 700+ cities around the world, Uber is your best friend when it comes to getting around locally in your destination. It allows you to get reasonably priced rides on bikes, cars, and other local transport such as tuk-tuks.
Furthermore, you can see a price estimate before booking and have multiple payment options such as cash or cards. Safety features only add to the convenience. For instance, you can quikcly share your trip status with any contact at any time.
Price: Free
4. Booking.com
No matter what your travel accommodation budget, you’ll find the best place to stay with Booking.com. It has listings for over 27 million hotels, homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay worldwide.
The clean and fast user-interface makes it a breeze to use and sort properties according to your priorities. Moreover, the best part is that you can often ‘book now and pay later.’ This lets you plan your trips even when you’re not absolutely sure about going.
Price: Free
5. Airbnb
Airbnb is one of the best iOS travel apps that has revolutionized the travel industry. It makes it easy to stay with locals and experience the distinct culture of any place. You can search from over 6 million vacation home rentals in over 191 countries.
Add unique experiences and events to your itinerary, led by native experts. You can also choose to be a host and make money by renting out spare space in your home to travelers. It also pays attention to safety, and all users have to verify their profiles by uploading identification documents.
Price: Free
6. Hopper
Hopper helps you out by recommending the best time to book a flight at the best price. You can opt to ‘watch’ trips for up to a year in advance, and the app will advise you if you should go ahead and book or wait for a bit.
This is extremely helpful to save on flight costs, given how airline prices change in unpredictable ways. It currently supports the major airlines in the US, Canada, and other popular destinations around the world. You can also book hotels and rental cars.
Price: Free
7. Skyscanner
Just as its name indicates, this free travel app scans the skies for the best possible flights you can take. No matter where you want to go, Skyscanner will find you the cheapest and fastest flight deals.
It is essentially an aggregator that saves you the tedious task of searching on multiple flight websites. Moreover, a notable feature is that when you’re not sure of where to go, it can find you the cheapest destinations from your starting country. Pretty cool.
Price: Free
8. KAYAK
This is another top travel app that searches tons of flights, hotels, and rental cars to find you the best deals. It also keeps all your travel plans organized in one place, including free flight status updates, airport terminal maps, and security wait times.
Further, you can pick a destination and choose flexible dates to find out when it’s best to get there. And when you’re planning a group trip, it lets you share search results and more info using iMessage so everyone can stay in the loop.
Price: Free
9. TripIt
When it comes to trip planner apps, Tripit is worth checking out. When you’ve got long travel itineraries, it can be challenging to keep track of things and remember when exactly you have to catch the next flight. Tripit makes this super easy by syncing travel plans to your calendar.
After you sign up, every time you book something – a flight, bus, train, hotel, etc. – just send the confirmation email to plans@tripit.com, and the app will take care of the rest. It creates a master itinerary that is super easy to reference and edit whenever you wish.
Price: Free (TripIt Pro 1 Year – $48.99)
10. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor has been one of the most trusted names in the travel industry for years. Their free travel app provides over 830 million reviews of flights, hotels, things to do, cafes, restaurants, and more across the globe.
You can save and organize your travel ideas and view them together on a map too. Further, it has the world’s most extensive collection of tours, attractions, and experiences. You can book using Apple Pay or PayPal and make free cancellations and modifications if needed.
Price: Free
11. Google Translate
Travel is fascinating, but language barriers can be frustrating and stressful. Google Translate comes to the rescue by making it easy to translate between 108 languages through typing. You can also download languages for offline translation.
Further, you can translate text in images for 90 languages and draw text characters instead of typing for 95 languages. Build up your foreign vocabulary by starring and saving translated words and phrases for future reference.
Price: Free
12. Roadtrippers
If you love road tripping, then check out this app that lets you find amazing spots nearby and plan your trips with friends. From local diners to national parks and quirky roadside attractions, it finds something for everyone.
You can get inspired by pre-made trip guides of the most exciting and must-see scenic routes in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The free version of the app lets you start planning with up to 7 waypoints.
Price: Free (Roadtrippers Plus Monthly – $6.99)
13. Moovit
If you’re anxious about finding your way around an unfamiliar city, Moovit will guide you from point A to B in the most convenient way. It features train and bus times, maps, and real-time instructions that will guide you to move around with confidence.
It currently supports over 3000 cities around the world. It’s almost like a personal transit assistant that gives you step-by-step directions for your chosen mode of transport such as bus, metro, scooter, walk, or even a combination of them.
Price: Free
14. XE Currency
If you’re a globetrotter, it can be challenging to keep up with the different currencies you’re dealing with. This app makes it easier by providing fast conversions in multiple currencies, so you always know how much you’re spending.
Moreover, when you’re exchanging currency, this app can help ensure that you get the best deal at the current rates. It also saves the last updated rates when offline, which is convenient when you don’t have reliable internet access when traveling.
Price: Free
15. Packr
Whether you love it or hate it, packing is something you cannot ignore, no matter what kind of trip you’re going on. Packr can help you out by creating a packing checklist for your suitcase based on 24 pre-defined activities.
Just input some criteria such as your length of stay, the weather conditions, etc., and your packing list will be generated in no time. Moreover, it learns from each trip you take and adjusts the items based on your preferences. Personal Packing Assistant? Check.
Price: Free (In-app Purchases start from $0.99)
16. Wanderlog Trip Planner
Wanderlog is curated from hundreds of travel guides, blogs, and maps to help you create the perfect travel itineraries. Save your plans offline for easy access and automatically import email confirmations to keep track of your reservations.
Further, you can collaborate with travel buddies to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Connect with other travelers through sharing your travel tips and stories. Best of all, you can store information about multiple trips, so it’s’s almost like a personal travel assistant.
Price: Free
Summing Up!
So, where is your wanderlust taking you next? And which of these great travel apps are you adding to your iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.
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