I might overpack clothes when I travel (yes, I definitely needed that extra pair of shoes), but I’m much pickier about the apps on my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty, but I’ve organised them into neat little folders, and I’ve especially curated the travel folder. Many travel apps have come and gone over the years (RIP, the currency converter that thought a Euro was worth two quid), but the survivors have all earned their place by getting me out of a pickle more than once.
This isn’t a definitive list of every travel app out there, but it is a collection of the 12 I use trip after trip, and why they don’t get deleted as soon as I get home. Most are free (holidays cost enough, after all), but a couple are so good they are worth paying for.
Google Maps
I know, I know, it’s far from original, but if you’re travelling and Google Maps isn’t on your phone, you’re missing out. It’s not only great for finding local restaurants and bars in whichever city you’re visiting, but it also makes discovering a new place without getting lost much easier. The trick is to download offline maps before you leave home, so you have turn-by-turn directions even without data or signal. It’s also worth keeping Google Maps up to date with the best restaurants and places you try in new cities, so when someone asks for recommendations, you’ve got an answer that doesn’t involve laminated photos of food.
Citymapper
For big cities, Citymapper beats Google Maps for getting around by public transport. I still use Google Maps for walking, but if you fancy trying Barcelona’s trams or Berlin’s U-Bahn, Citymapper is the app you’ll want. It’ll tell you all sorts of things, from the direction of travel to which part of the train to stand in so you’re next to the exit, sounds trivial until you’re dragging a suitcase through Châtelet at rush hour. The “Get off” alert has stopped me from sailing past my stop more times than I’d like to admit, while the clear instructions mean you’ll be able to navigate a new city’s trains, trams and buses like a local. Smaller towns aren’t covered, though, so this one is more for the larger cities.
Google Translate
I can speak Swedish, but my French is GCSE-grade at best, and my Japanese doesn’t exist, so Google Translate is particularly handy. I use the camera mode most: hold your phone over a menu, and the words swap into English in real time, so you can see what you’re ordering rather than guessing. Needless to say, it’s saved me several times. My best tip, as with Google Maps, is to download the language packs before you fly so it works offline. There’s also a Conversation Mode, though I prefer Live Translation on AirPods for spoken language.
Flighty
There are several types of travellers, from those who arrive at the airport four hours before a domestic flight to those who turn up at the gate as the information board changes to “flight closed.” I sit in between: I won’t be late, but I don’t like being at the airport before bag drop has even opened. For frequent travellers, Flighty is superb, especially for making sure you don’t leave the lounge or down your Wetherspoon’s pint until you really have to. It tracks your flight in serious detail, including where your incoming plane is, and often flags a delay before the airline tells you. Gate changes pop up on your phone’s lock screen, and while the good stuff needs a subscription, it’s bought me plenty of unhurried airport breakfasts.
TripIt
TripIt is a great app for anyone organised enough to book things in advance but too busy to keep track of them once they’re booked. The app lets you forward any booking email to an email address, then sorts everything for you. Flights, hotels, train tickets, the restaurant you booked three weeks ago and completely forgot about: it will all land in one timeline, in the order you’re supposed to do them. It means you won’t be scrolling through your inbox at the check-in desk while the queue behind you sighs and tuts. The free version will be enough for most people, while Pro adds flight alerts. There’s also Flighty for that, though, so you shouldn’t need both subscriptions.
Skyscanner
I use Skyscanner for a couple of things. First, to make sure I’m not being ripped off. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep as much spending money as I can rather than pay extra for a particular airline. Skyscanner compares hundreds of airlines and booking sites at once, so you can tell whether you’re getting a good deal or if there’s a better one out there. Second, the “Everywhere” search, which can be dangerous. Enter your home airport and the month you’d like to travel, and Skyscanner shows you the cheapest places you can fly to. A word of warning, though: a long weekend in Edinburgh can easily turn into a week in Albania before you know it.
Booking.com
I book most of my hotels and apartments through Booking.com, mainly because so many listings offer free cancellation, and I’m exceptionally fussy about hotels and very indecisive. After a few stays, you unlock Genius discounts and the occasional free breakfast. Use the filters properly: air con in southern Europe in August isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. I once stayed in a Berlin hotel with no air con in the height of summer, and I won’t make that mistake again. Do make sure you read recent reviews, too, because “cosy” can mean you’ll be able to touch both walls from the bed.
Rome2Rio
If you’ve ever considered a road trip through Europe, the US, or anywhere, really, Rome2Rio will take some of the legwork out of the process. Type in any two places – addresses, cities, or landmarks – and this app will show you every way to get from A to B, from trains and buses to ferries, flights, and driving, with rough times and costs. It really earns its keep on smaller journeys, like getting to a small Greek island that involves two ferries that run only once a day, but it helped me get from London to Gothenburg with a dog in tow. I use it for planning, then book elsewhere.
Uber
I’d rather not haggle with a taxi driver in a language I don’t speak, so I rely on Uber to avoid this at all costs. The app works the same almost everywhere, and you agree on the price before you get in, so you know how much your card will be charged. The app has plenty of safety features these days, and you can also split a fare with anyone you are travelling with, so you don’t need to start a kitty for taxis to and from the bars, just for the bars themselves. The best bit is never having to pronounce my hotel’s name or street.
GetYourGuide
Anything popular enough to sell out is worth booking on GetYourGuide. The skip-the-line tickets are the main draw: I’ve paid a few extra Euros to skip a queue that wrapped around the Vatican walls, and I’d do it again any day. If you’ve never been to Rome and want to visit the Vatican, trust me: downloading an app like this one is a decision you won’t regret. There are food tours, cooking classes, and day trips too, but check the reviews, because some “tours” are just a coach, a microphone, and a nap so do some research first.
OpenTable
Booking a table by phone abroad is my idea of hell, so I use OpenTable to do it for me. You can filter by area, cuisine, time and group size, see which restaurants have availability, and book in a couple of taps. It works best in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, where most decent restaurants seem to be on it. If you book but change your mind, you can usually cancel easily. There’s also something very satisfying about walking smugly past a queue after booking from bed earlier that morning.
TheFork
I use OpenTable (above) in the UK and when travelling to the US, but in mainland Europe I switch to TheFork, which has better coverage in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. There are over 60,000 restaurants to choose from and millions of customer reviews, but I keep it on my phone mainly for the discounts. Many restaurants on TheFork offer up to 50 per cent off the food bill if you book an off-peak slot, and you collect Yums loyalty points (100 per reservation) for more money off later. Eating dinner at 6pm, like a toddler, in Spain will never feel more financially responsible.
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