9 Travel Apps to Download Before Your Holiday Vacation
The holiday season is the busiest travel time of the year, but there are ways to make it less stressful. There’s an app for almost every travel situation, and best yet is almost all of them work in real time. So whether you’re road tripping to the in-laws upstate or flying to a tropical locale with your significant other, these apps take the anxiety out of holiday excursions so all you have to do is enjoy.
Before you go:
Airbnb: If you want to rent a house, an apartment or even a boat—anything more unique than a hotel room, basically—download the Airbnb app to see all your options in hundreds of cities around the world.
Hopper: Type in your desired starting and destination airports and this baby will tell you if you should buy airline tickets now or wait for a better price—and when.
TripAdvisor: This app has in-depth reviews and photos of literally everything you’ll be doing on your travels, from hotels and restaurants to excursions and sightseeing.
While you’re on the road:
GasBuddy: Locate nearby gas stations by both location and price, a must if you’re driving to your destination.
Waze: This app gives you traffic and road conditions in real time and suggests alternate, less-congested routes to get you there.
FLIO: FLIO has the inside scoop on airports, from Wi-Fi hotspots to best restaurants and special amenities at each one, perfect if your flight is delayed or you’re on a layover.
When you arrive:
Lonely Planet: Expert advice, travel tips and stunning photographs of pretty much every country abound in this app based on the best-selling travel books.
Viator: Type in the city of your choice for a list of tours, excursions and activities offered there, plus ticketing and pricing info for each one.
TripIt: Once everything is booked, this handy app takes confirmations for flights, hotels, rental car reservations and restaurant bookings made via email, and organizes them into one itinerary to keep handy during your stay.