Best Travel Apps Every Smart Traveler Needs · Compass and Coastline

What’s the best app for planning a trip? Are there any travel apps that work offline? Which travel apps are free??? For the answer to these questions and more, keep reading so you never waste time looking for the best travel apps. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside: the 4 best travel apps to download, great free options, and helpful resources for trip planning!

Have you ever purchased something and later thought to yourself, I wish someone would’ve told me not to get this?

I recently got this (supposedly really awesome) ponytail holder that everyone was raving about. I was pumped to try it out because it was supposed to make your ponytail look amazing and stay in place really well.

But once I tried it out, I was disappointed because it was just okay. And I couldn’t help but think, man I wish I knew these weren’t any good! I never would have got them in the first place.

Travel apps are no different. It’s really important to gather info and do your research before making decisions. No matter if that means reading hotel reviews online or simply asking a friend about her trip to Mexico, you gotta do your research or you risk being let down!

Choosing The Best Travel Apps

Have you seen how many are out there??? We’re talking hundreds of travel apps to choose from.

And honestly, lots of them are good. In this post, we’ll explore the best travel apps (and which to avoid). That way you can simplify the search, find out what travel apps to use for yourself, and download only the best travel apps out there. Let’s get started!

Making The Cut

All of the apps below are FREE!

I’ve personally used and tested each of these apps on my iPhone, and am sharing my opinion on which ones are the best. Here’s what I considered when choosing the best travel apps:

A quality app (works consistently, not glitchy, etc.)
Value (aka FREE in this case)
Ease of use (nice interface, user friendly, easy to navigate)

1. Best For Travel Planning = TripIt

When you’re planning a trip, it’s so helpful to have an app that keeps all your reservations in one place. That way you don’t have to switch back and forth between multiple apps to pull up the directions to your hotel or find out what time you need to drop off the rental car.

A great app for planning your trip is the TripIt app. It puts all your reservations in one place, and you can sync it with your email address so travel plans are added automatically.

It basically compiles everything and creates an itinerary! You can set up alerts, keep track of travel stats, and even use the app offline. It’s very user-friendly!

tripit is the best travel app for planning

Check My Trip is another trip planning app, but in my experience is slow to load and the accuracy is hit and miss. For example, when trying to add both a hotel and rental car for a recent trip I took, it only loaded part of the itinerary (and the other part was missing). The app is also a bit cluttered, which doesn’t appeal to me.

Avoid: Check My Trip (loads slower, is less accurate, and has limited features)

2. Best For Packing = Packr

There are lots of different travel apps that help you pack for your trip. The good ones integrate with other travel apps, have lots of options for customization, and include extra features like a weather forecast.

The Packr app is a great option. It’s clean and visually appealing, quicker and easier to use, and free. If you want to upgrade, Packr has a relatively cheap premium version for $1.99 that allows for multi-destination trips.

Don’t count on any of these features if you use Packing List Checklist. The app is very basic and not very user-friendly. You have to build your packing list from the ground up and select each item you need. In a nutshell, it takes longer to create your list.

Avoid: Packing List Checklist (basic user interface, not easy to navigate, more time-consuming)

Pssst…. want to hear about the best packing tips for saving space? Read more about What To Pack For A Trip: the genius method you need to try.

3. Best For Navigation = Google Maps

When you’re traveling, having a navigation app you can rely on is pretty important. The last thing you want is to waste time driving in the wrong direction or end up in a sketchy part of town. Luckily, there are much better (and free!) map apps.

Google Maps is reliable and the app is constantly being improved. If you haven’t used the app before, it’s super simple to get started and has nice features like street view and the ability to add multiple stops.

use google maps when traveling to help navigate

I’ve been using it for years for work and personal travel and have been super pleased with its consistency in both big cities and small towns. No wifi? No problem. When traveling abroad is that you can download a map ahead of time and save it for offline use. Awesome, right?

Have you ever gotten lost using Apple Maps? Yep, me too. This app is one of the worst offenders on the list.

Avoid: Apple Maps (less reliable, not updated frequently, accuracy is questionable)

4. Best For Reviews = Yelp

When I’m traveling, I tend to rely a lot on reviews of other people when looking for a hotel or restaurant. After all, I’m usually exploring an area I’ve never been to before.

Reviews apps are really helpful to get a sense of what businesses to choose. But all apps aren’t created equal!

Yelp is an add-free and comprehensive reviews app to try. Not only is it free of annoying ads, it’s a comprehensive app. Yelp gives website info, pictures, more reviews, and even coupons and special offers. It’s incredibly helpful and easy to use.

yelp is an app that's helpful when traveling

The Around Me app, on the other hand, is not as great. While it does have a variety of categories to choose from (banks, hospitals, movie theaters, etc.) the app provides limited information to help you choose. The free version of the app also has annoying ads.

Avoid: Around Me (annoying ads, less comprehensive information)

Travel App Recap

So there you have it: the BEST travel apps every smart traveler needs! Having great travel apps on your phone will make any trip better because you have easy access to information. So remember…