Favorite apps for travel 2024

More and more city public transportation systems have apps you can find schedules, purchase tickets, etc. Super convenient. But on my last trip the first I was really using them I did find that the purchase tickets feature a few didn't work if I hadn't put my credit card information in while I was still home in the USA. I think it was a credit card security issue rather than an app issue. But something to consider.

I have downloaded Rome2Rio, Traveline, Citymapper and of course Google maps for train and bus info. I am just hoping they are reliable as our trip will be totally dependent on public transport??

I keep all of our itineraries on TripIt.

I find Smartify and OpenTable useful.

Hi Ruth,

I use TripIt for my itinerary, Trenitalia for Italy train tickets & to purchase them while traveling, and Weather to know what to expect for temps or rain.

l love using the GetYourGuide app to keep track of all of my city tours and day trips. It's convenient to have them all in one place, sorted by city and date.

If you are traveling with a group you might look at Splitwise for splitting expenses. Used it on a girls' trip last fall, it was great. Does all the math for you and adjusts the totals as you enter more expenses, and you can adjust the split percentage as well (which might work well if you have a non-drinker in the group, etc). Going to NYC in a few weeks, and will be using Venmo's version of the the same concept. I'll have to report back!

Transportation: Another vote for CityMapper if you are going to a location they cover for both walking directions AND for city transit directions. G7 Taxi app for Paris.

Museums, etc: I also download museum apps for each trip. Some are better than others, lol. but I have them anyway. For Orkney last summer I also found the wonderful chambered cairn, Maeshowe, has an app.

General: People are sick of me mentioning this but I used the Timeshifter app last August to help change my circadian rhythm and avoid jet lag and it worked beautifully for me. I'll pay for the service next time!

Birding: I update my bird ID apps before I go to get the latest bird information.

Entertainment: Kindle app, up to date but I use it every day anyway. I try to make sure I've got any guidebooks or other books about a certain location moved to a "collection" so I can access easily.

Itinerary: I still use Googledocs for my itinerary but Jean and Mardee are about to convince me to try TripIt or Wanderlog, lol!! I'm easily swayed!

For anyone who would like to see Wanderlog and Tripit in action, please join us online this Saturday:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/san-francisco-east-bay-travel-group-mar-9-2024-online-everyone-welcome

Mardee and Jean have kindly agreed to share how they use these tools for travel!

Google Maps, Google Translate, Google Photos, Google Lens, etc. In Google we trust. Also, throw in WhatsApp for communication.

DropBox. I use this app every day, not just a couple of weeks that I go on vacation. With Dropbox I can store everything, itineraries, spreadsheets, tickets, receipts, photos, etc. They are stored locally on my phone or laptop and backed up in the cloud in case I lose my device. I also like that I can share a travel folder with my traveling companions.

Splid is free. If you buy it (the benefit is that you can use more than two groups and you can also download csv spreadsheet), there is only a small one-time fee of $4.39; I believe Splitwise requires a monthly fee if you want to continue to use the full version. We used this expense-sharing/tracking app for six people on our last trip to Portugal. We all took turns paying expenses (about €10,000) over 2 weeks, and viewing our respective contributions/balances. In the end, all we had to do was make a few payments of €30-60 to settle up.

Another vote for Splitwise - used the free version. I used it with my adult daughter in 2022, and it was so handy! I had purchased several on-line reservations ahead of time for activities, so she paid for meals in the first cities and then whoever paid. We would glance at Splitwise occasionally to see who might pay for the next city’s expenses, but I liked that it didn’t make us obsess with expenses on our trip.

A lot of my apps are country specific; for example, I always download the train and other public transport apps that I need. And apps for organizations like the National Trust (in the UK), specific hotels that I am staying at (if they have an app), and airports I am flying into or through.

I also always download the airline apps, Citimapper. And of course, lots of Google apps, like Google Maps and Google Docs.

I use Apple Wallet a lot, and wouldn't dream of traveling without it. I also use Wanderlog (and CWSocial mentioned above) to keep track of my itinerary, flights, rental cars, trains, hotels and just about everything to do with the trip.

Hi Ruth,
This may seem obvious, but—Whichever new apps you add, familiarize yourself with them, and load info as desired, before you need them.

For example, I just took Mardee’s advice and added the Wanderlog app. I just spent about 45 minutes loading info into it (easy to do, but everything takes time). This isn’t something I’d wait to do until I got to the airport. To get the most out of it, I will want a few hours to play with the app. But that one app is a wonderful place to keep my plans in order.

Not only is it good to add new apps to your device. You may wish to update apps you already use.

While retrieving my airline itinerary on the Delta app, the app prompted me to upload my passport data (scan the passport photo page). Going down that rabbit hole consumed 15 minutes, much more secure using my home WiFi than public WiFi. Much better than having to do it last minute.

Previous forum posts in other threads recommend getting used to Apple wallet (or Google Pay) in advance of your trip.

Or, open up apps you haven’t used since your last trip and see if they still seem useful. Has your info changed? Good to update that before you leave home.

DeepL for best translation quality.

Sygic GPS Navigation for navigation without mobile connection. Much more precisely than the real bad quality of Google Maps.

EasyPark for GPS based parking payment in public space in Europe.

Berlin History App for all history freaks travelling to Berlin.

For weather always use national or better regional forecasts.

I really dislike the bloat of apps, so I've managed to keep the phone stripped of what to me are useless apps.

For travel the apps I keep Amtrak, United, Mobile Passport Control and CityMapper. Also have LNER plus a few other UK TOCs. Apps I generally use, but also find useful for travel are Samsung Notes, Google Translate, Google Documents, and Google Maps. Various apps for museums I'll also download for the visit.

Google Apps are pretty good (maps, docs, translate). As someone already said Splitwise is showing itself really well. There are a lot of VPN apps, but I think this is really personal. And besides apps you can find a lot of websites surprisingly useful. For example I used this one at the beginning of my trip to check out my photo doc photo requirements. So there is big amount of different services that can help you on your trip, but do not overdo with picking up the best one. Leave some energy for your vacation))

I really love Tripit…I’ve had the pro version for quite a few years. I so appreciate it, not only for the way I can organize my travels, but I get schedule changes that it picked up from emails and especially gate change updates…often before they’re announced by the airline and usually in a very noisy airport. I also received an alert that our Alaska flights had dropped substantially in price and I was able to get a voucher (more € for gelato!).

Cathy, CWSocial is having an on-line meeting this Saturday where Mardee will be showing how she uses Wanderlog, and I will show how I integrate TripIt with two other planning tools. The post about it is in her reply above. I’d love if you want to attend and add more depth during the Q&A session since you’re well acquainted with TripIt, also! And, “yes” to cost savings going to a little more gelato! ; )

Check out these apps, you might find useful during your travels:

TripIt: Conveniently organize all your travel plans, including flights, accommodations, and activities, in one easily accessible itinerary.

Google Translate: A handy tool for translating signs, menus, and conversations in foreign languages, ensuring smoother communication in unfamiliar territories.

Weather Underground: Stay informed about the weather conditions at your destination, allowing you to plan your outdoor activities accordingly.

XE Currency: Simplify currency conversions with up-to-date exchange rates for various currencies, helping you manage your finances more effectively while abroad.

Citymapper: Navigate public transportation systems effortlessly in major cities worldwide, saving you time and hassle during your urban explorations.

Yelp: Discover local dining options, attractions, and services with user-generated reviews and ratings, ensuring memorable experiences wherever you go.

Duolingo: If you're interested in learning a new language or brushing up on your language skills, Duolingo offers engaging lessons tailored to your proficiency level.

WhatsApp: Stay connected with loved ones or coordinate with travel companions using this popular messaging app, even when you're miles away from home.

Airbnb: Explore unique accommodation options and connect with local hosts for authentic travel experiences beyond traditional hotels.

Trail Wallet: Keep track of your travel expenses and budgets to maintain financial discipline and avoid overspending while on the road.

Like many others, I download maps, train/bus apps and weather apps for the countries I'm going to visit. My other favorite (Android) apps for travel are:

Google Voice - I figure this as a backup way to make free phone call/texts if I need to. I say backup because I just switched over to Tmobile for my phone and will be using them for voice/text/data in whatever country I'm in (cheaper than AT&T, or Verizon). With Tmobile I can keep using my normal phone number that my friends and family know. If I have to have long conversations, I might use Google Voice.

Translator (by Microsoft) - I've tried a number of dictionaries, but this is so much better. I can photograph some German text and instantly see a translation. I can speak or type a German sentence and instantly see the translation. If I receive an email in German confirming my hotel, I can cut and paste all the text into a Translator window and see a translation. If I want to, I can "share" that translation by email or text. The app handles over 50 languages and downloads them to my phone so I don't need internet to use the app.

American Airlines app - works well, and gives me notifications of any changes.

Google Keep Notes - I keep a lot of notes with this. Easy to sync with laptop.

Overdrive (e-reader app) - this works well for reading books. I keep a lot of books on my phone.

Gallery (by simplemobiletools.com) - excellent photo browser/editor.

Here are some of the not so obvious ones that I like:
Wanderlog
Splitwise
Flush (find a toilet, lol)
xe (currency convertor)
global blue

Lots of various aurora and weather/road condition ones specific for Iceland as well as appy hour, hand picked, hreyfill taxi and parka.

For those of you who take videos on trips:

Video Compressor - by inverse.AI (Android or Apple)
This will compress, resize, cut, or trim videos so as to make the filesize small enough to email, or even to text (if you shrink it a lot). The app has annoying ads but for $10 you can remove all the adds and add features. It works very well and is very fast.