Latest "must have" travel apps

Hmmm, well, I'm not sure they are the newest but here's what I use:

• Airline apps

• Train apps for the countries I'm going to. I've got the France and Belgium train apps downloaded for my upcoming trip.

• Museum apps - You have to be careful with this as some are not from the official museums. I've got one for the Louvre that is not entirely successful. A few years ago I downloaded the apps from Rijksmusuem and Mauritshuis Museum and they were both fantastic.

• Googledocs - This is where I keep my itinerary. Jean's got a thread going on various ways to organize a trip and she uses TripIt.

• What's App to connect with anyone I'm meeting up with along the way.

• My regular yoga and meditation apps!

• You'll have a Notes app on your phone and I've been saving museum tickets/train tickets to both there and taking a screenshot of them so they are accessible offline if needed.

Interested in what others are using!

I like Wanderlog! It has the feature where you can just forward your confirmation email from hotels/flights to an address and it auto loads it into your itinerary. It also has suggestions for each city you visit, as well as travel time estimates between locations. I used to use google trips but hated that it wasn't fully shareable so this was a great replacement.

Also, google translate for menus etc., individual country transit apps (trenitalia for Italy, SBB for Switzerland), and sometimes specialty apps for certain attractions.

I reinstall the apps for airlines I will be using. Maybe a few more pertinent to where I am going like the local taxi app. If I am going to Amsterdam, for example, I would download museum guides for those there that I plan to visit.

Hotel and especially the sub app HotelTonight. Great for last minute hotel reservations.

I also use TripIt. I used TripWallet for the first time this past September. It lets you track your spending. You set up the categories and can have multi currency if not every place is on the euro.

CityMapper, if you're going to have data while away, for finding your way around foreign cities.

These are some of the ones I use:

Transport apps--airlines, trains, buses, rental cars of the companies I'm using

Hotel Apps

Flight Aware--to track the plane I'll be on to see if it's on schedule

Booking.com and Tripadvisor for last minute changes of plans. I can research hotels this way.

Google Translate--I used the voice translator recently in Manchester, England to tell my Czech maid I needed soap. She didn't speak any English.

Currrency converter

Tripit--to keep track of my bookings.

Weather

Google Docs--my detailed itinerary

Museum or site apps as needed.

I like getting some new good ideas! All my travel apps are gathered on one screen and I use mainly ones already mentioned. I do also have (in this location) Files (for my tickets, etc.), the RS Audio Europe, my airline apps, currency exchange, booking.com, TripIt, Skype, Google Translate, and any local transport apps. I ended up this trip also with Verifly and a unique one that will probably need to go away (DirectKey) specifically for entry to an apartment. My trip info is on Google Sheets.

It's not new, but now that I've started using OneNote for my trips, I wouldn't travel without it. It's my personal guide to my trip, including packing lists, todo lists, activities and itineraries, the photo showing where to meet the driver, metro map snippets, the map snippet showing how to get from the metro to my hotel (forgot that one once, never again!), reservations, key phrases in the local language, links to websites, insurance details, notes for reviews...

... basically, everything in an electronic notebook for each trip.

I have never figured out how to get the best out of OneNote. Your post makes me want to try again

Kim, I'm happy to answer any questions, or even get on a Zoom call to share how I use it and/or help you get started.

At the highest level, I create a OneNote Notebook for each major trip, with Sections for Packing Lists, TODO Lists, a section each for Transit, Hotels, Countries or Cities, and the newest for the times is the "COVID requirements" section.

The individual Pages within each Section keep all the little details that I want to remember or know I can't forget. I can add links, images, and "checkmark" tags to lists that allow me to tick things off as I pack or finish tasks.

And it can all be stored in the cloud, such that I can access it from my phone, tablet, laptop or (worst case) any public computer.

CWsocial if you set up a Zoom to show Kim about OneNote can you guys decide to include me in please? I've had OneNote for umpty years and don't have a clue what to do with it. I tried once and walked away...

I'd love to give it another go...

Nigel, I would be happy to do that! For that matter, I'd be happy to do a 1 on 1 with you. Tomorrow, my morning?

I'll send you a message....

Google Lens to scan and translate written foreign languages, such as a sign, plaque, or menu.

what's a good free? off line travel map app? I'll be walking around Milan, Florence, Venice, etc. and would like to downline those city maps beforehand...thanks everyone, Sandy

what's a good free? off line travel map app?

smartin927, I just use good old Google maps. You can download the areas you want to access and then pull them out when you are out and about. Some folks here are using maps.me, which is an another app. I wasn't crazy about it but YMMV.

As Pam mentioned, I really like TripIt. I have the pro version and am able to attach files to activities, etc. I do my initial planning on a large paper calendar I make with each day a normal size post-it. Once all of the planning and rearranging are complete, I load it into TripIt. I also like that it loads the details from any reservation I forward to it, so it’s a nice double-check for me that everything is correct.

I am using Splitwise with my daughter this year when we travel to even out the expenses we want to share.

But, I am one of those “old travelers” (LOL!) who love to have a screen print piece of paper I’ve printed of a map with the details written on it for each city with the hotel, the gelato shop, museum, point of interest, etc. I didn’t print them in 2019 - just did this on-line during my last trip to France and really missed them! There’s the fun of stopping into a shop and personally interacting (or charades) with someone if I happen to get lost that I missed with everything available on-line. And I guess that feels like more of a RS travel experience to me…purposely having a reason to interact.

I've just started using TripIt based on this thread. Loaded my flight/hotel/rental car emails into it. So far so good.

I’ve been using Tripit for years, pretty much ever since it was launched. I also have the Pro version. It makes my planning so much easier and I love that it automatically can add my confirmed plans or I can forward emails. It has improved and expanded in its capabilities since it was launched and I can’t imagine going on a trip without it. One of the things I like best is the ease with which I can share my trips and plans with my kids sadly staying home.😉

Something I end up using enough to value when traveling is a metric converter app.

Very helpful topic. Thanks to all. I'd add offline Google maps. We've used it a lot on the Camino as you can track your progress when out of range of...well, almost anything but especially cell towers.

And I will point out, as an aside, that there is internet service at the peak of the French Way Pyrenees crossing from France to Spain. Clearly for pilgrims stuck in difficult weather.

I used tripit and liked it a lot... especially the automatic updates when planes were delayed and such.

I was disappointed that the pro version still limited me on attached documents. I wanted to attach screenshots of directions from place to place in case I didn't have service in some areas, but I couldn't and had to use a second system when I was hoping to keep it contained in one.

a metric converter app.

My iPhone has one built in... "Hey, Siri, 234 kilometres in miles" or "Hey, Siri, half a cup in millilitres", and, poof!, out comes the answer, hands free....

There are a lot of applications dedicated to hikers and travelers on the market, but there isn't a single one, that would contain all the functionalities i'm interested in, i.e.:

• Exchange of information about interesting, less known, but noteworthy places that other users inform us about.
• Quick and easy finding camping spots, local accommodation and cabins hidden deep in the forest for travelers and nature lovers of all kinds. The entire search engine should be based on personalized display criteria.
• Instant browsing of personalized atlas of places of interest, based on our profile and activity.
• Promoting "forest etiquette" and nature conservation in places we all visit.
• Creation and popularization of games and travel challenges, enabling families or teams to compete, Enhancing Outdoor experience.

What are you missing in such applications? If you were to have one tool to help you travel, what features would it need to have?