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List of Helpful Smartphone Apps for Travelling

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List of Helpful Smartphone Apps for Travelling

I searched and tried to find a thread that had a list of the best apps to use when travelling, but there were too many threads split up into different categories. So I'm hoping maybe we can collectively get your opinions and add them to this main post to make it easier for future travelers!

I've listed some apps below in a few categories, but please suggest more as we can grow this list into a resource for others.


Trip Planning
TripIt - TripIt organizes your travel plans in one place. Finds alternative flights. Sends real-time alerts. Snags the best seat. We have something for every traveler.

Travefy - Create customer itineraries and proposals, or integrate Travefy's customer engagement platform and white-labeled trip planner into your travel business.

TripCase - Connected to powerful technology & travel companies, TripCase delivers the right information at the right time to any device.

Google Trips Now available to the public! I used it on my trip to Spain, it wasn't 100% but it did have some good functionality (especially the integration with your email itineraries and pulling the information nicely). Read more here

KAYAK - The best way to plan and manage your travel on the go. Search hundreds of other travel sites at once, plan your trip across multiple devices, access mobile-only deals.

VistaCity - Visit A City is all about the fun of planning the details of your trip. We believe that your own personal trip requires you to have your own personal travel guide.

Mobile Passport - Stores all passport info for your party which you then send to USBP upon arrival in US airports which allows you to bypass customs lines when arriving by air. You basically fill out your customs cards electronically and they send you a confirmation code saying your approved to enter.

Mr Border - Mr. Border is a mobile App that provides the most current wait times for the USA/Canada and USA/Mexico border crossings.

Wiki Voyage - The FREE worldwide travel guide that anyone can edit.

CBSA CanBorder (Android) - (iOS) - The CanBorder app provides estimated wait times at select ports of entry in Canada and the United States. Short on time? Use the trip planner function to generate an estimated best day, time and port of entry at which to cross the border, along with turn by turn directions to get you there. The CanBorder app is a free service provided by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Flights - Pricing and Information

Hopper - Know when to fly and buy. Score the lowest fares.

Skyscanner - Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site, a place where people are inspired to plan and book direct from millions of travel options at the best prices.

Google Flights - Find cheap flights in seconds, explore destinations on a map, and sign up for fare alerts on Google Flights.

FlightRadar24 - Flightradar24 is the best live flight tracker that shows air traffic in real time. Best coverage and cool features!

Flightview - Look up the flight status info of any flight in North America and see live flight tracking maps with FlightView's real time flight tracker.

Flight Companion (Android only) - Flight Companion is your ultimate air travel companion! All functionalities in one single app! Track all available flights worldwide in real-time and display them in one intuitive interface. Weather, airport flight boards, airline information and many more features!

SeatGuru - Provides information on the best seats on an aircraft


Maps/GPS
Google Maps - Offers 30 days of free offline map data. Works best if your device has offline GPS capabilities (like the Nexus 7) - Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Maps.ME - Completely free, offline maps that require no data

HERE WeGo Maps - A free app that makes city navigation effortless. With detailed routes, turn-by-turn guidance and information about every way of getting around, it’s the only app you need to get through the city.

Galileo - No matter where you go, feel safe and confident while traveling with Galileo Offline Maps app.

CityMaps2Go - Your reliable and easy-to-use global travel companion. Find directions with detailed offline maps, in-depth travel content, popular attractions and insider tips.

Osmand - Works totally offline (no roaming charges when you are abroad) but also has a (fast) online option

Sygic - Rely on world-class GPS Navigation trusted by 150 000 000 drivers. Navigate with or without internet connection with high-quality maps for over 200 countries. Sygic offers superior Traffic information, powered by TomTom Connected Cars & Mobile Operators with data collected from 400 million drivers. Daily warnings for over 30 000 speed cameras and speed limits. Project navigation on the windshield of your car at night.

Waze - Waze is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.

GyPSy Guide - GyPsy Guide uses GPS location aware technology to trigger commentary points along the route. GPS signal is free, so no connection to cellular, data or wifi is required while touring.




Transit
City Mapper - Making cities easier to use. We're reinventing the urban transportation app, built for commuters and their daily needs.

Transit - Get upcoming departure times for all nearby transit lines in big text and bright colours — no taps required

Uber - Submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars

Lyft - Rideshare with Lyft. Lyft is your friend with a car, whenever you need one.

Trafi - World’s most accurate public transport app. Public transport app designed to plan journeys using real time data, scientific algorithms and machine learning.

Gas Buddy - Report prices, leave and read station reviews, complete fun challenges and win gas cards in our giveaways. All in one convenient app.

Moovit - Get directions with Moovit & find how to get to any place with public transit. Check bus arrival times, maps, service alerts & train schedules for your city.

Rome2Rio - Discover how to get anywhere by plane, train, bus, ferry & car

Grab (Asia) - From fast packages to faster payments. Streetside pick-ups to street food deliveries. Morning commutes to midnight food cravings. We’re here to help you do it all, and more.


Local Guides and Tools
Google Translate - You can download language packs before hand and use the Instant Translate using your phone's camera. There are currently 27 languages available for download

Say Hi Translate - Have a conversation in two languages and easily understand each other. With our growing list of languages and dialects you can talk with almost anyone in the world.

Trip Advisor Travel Guide - Allows you to download information for each city you visit on things to do, eat, sleep, play, etc. for free. No data connection required either

WikiTravel - Community driven travel guide that offers a plethora of information

Foodspotting - Find whatever you're craving, see what's good at any restaurant and learn what foodspotters, friends and experts love wherever you go.

Tripso - Your smart travel guide - it’s free and works offline! Our awesome algorithms crunch through millions of websites and reviews to deliver unique recommendations across 50,000 destinations worldwide!

Rick Steves Audio Europe™ Travel App - The app organizes Rick's vast library of self-guided walking tours and radio interviews into geographic playlists covering Europe's top sights, travel tips and cultural insights.

FLIO - The global airport app. More than 300 airports with deep content, more than 3,000 airports covered. Your one stop source for all your airport needs

XE Currency - Need to calculate currencies on-the-go? With the XE Currency App, you can access live exchange rates, view historical charts, and calculate prices on your smartphone or tablet. With over 65 million downloads worldwide, this FREE app is available for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows devices.

Messaging / Voice / Data

Airalo - eSIM data packs at local rates for instant connectivity

Roaming SIMs for Travelers - A thread that might also be useful for travellers wanting phone/data access.

WhatsApp Messenger : More than 1 billion people in over 180 countries use WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family, anytime and anywhere.

Facebook Messenger - Instantly reach the people in your life—for free. Messenger is just like texting, but you don't have to pay for every message (it works with your data plan).

Google Hangouts - Free North America wide phone calls to any number, also cross-platform.

Talkatone - Talkatone is the best option for replacing your native phone to call and text for free without using cell minutes
Skype - The godfather of video calling, cross-platform video and VoIP calls.

Line - LINE is a new communication app which allows you to make FREE voice calls and send FREE messages whenever and wherever you are, 24 hours a day!

Viber - An instant messaging and VoIP app for various mobile operating systems. Users can also exchange images, video and audio media messages.

Accommodations
AirBnB - Rent unique accommodations from local hosts in 191+ countries. Feel at home anywhere you go in the world with Airbnb.

VRBO - VRBO is Vacation Rentals by Owner – Book over 1 million listings across our family of brands. Perfect for Family Vacations, Reunions & Group Travel.

Couchsurfing - Couchsurfers share their homes, cities and lives in profound in meaningful ways, making travel anywhere in the world a truly social experience.

Hostelworld - Search and book more than 33,000 properties in over 170 countries, from anywhere.

Hotels.com - A simple, fast and secure way to book your perfect hotel. Easily discover a great range of hotels that suit you with our in-depth sort and filter options. Need a hotel last minute? Get exclusive deals for hotels in your area by using our ‘Deals for tonight’ feature. Securely store your payment details for faster, easier and safer bookings.

HotelTonight - Great hotels. Amazing last-minute deals. Book wherever, whenever on your mobile device for tonight, tomorrow and next week.


Leisure/Productivity

Kodi (for Android devices) - I've found Kodi plays EVERYTHING whereas I have had issues with MX Player on videos but Kodi has handled it with no problem

VLC (all devices supported) - VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. Can also play wifi files when connect to a nas.

MX Player (for Android only) - A popular video player that handles videos in many codecs. Also allows for volume boost and subtitles. I have noticed it does not handle every codec whereas Kodi and VLC do.

Kindle - for eBooks

Local library apps - OverDrive and Hoopla are popular ones. Ask your local library what eBook and audiobook apps they have available. Completely free, all you need is a library card (having fun isn't hard, if you've got a library card).

Zinio - Access 5,500 magazines on any device (free and paid magazines). Check out the free digital magazine subscriptions thread posted in Freebies as well.

Google Play Books - Upload any Epub or PDF, the app will convert the files and display online or download to your device for offline reading.

Air Video Server (iOS only) - Stream or download videos from your running Mac device to watch videos on the go.

Cinema HD (Android only) - Watch TV and movies on the go, built in Chromecast connectivity as well

Evernote - Inspiration strikes anywhere. Evernote lets you capture, nurture, and share your ideas across any device.

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are.

Google Keep - Quickly capture what’s on your mind and get a reminder later at the right place or time. Speak a voice memo on the go and have it automatically transcribed. Grab a photo of a poster, receipt or document and easily organize or find it later in search. Google Keep makes it easy to capture a thought or list for yourself, and share it with friends and family.

Dropbox - Dropbox simplifies the way you create, share and collaborate. Bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and keep your files safe.

Google Drive - Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

OneDrive - Get to your files from anywhere, on any device, with Microsoft OneDrive. Share and work together with anyone in your work and life.

OpenVPN - Your private path to access network resources and services securely

OperaVPN - With Opera VPN you can block ads, change your virtual location and stop sites from tracking you around the web.

WinZip - Unzip files via your mobile device

Adobe Reader (Android only) - The free Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app makes it easy for you to take your work with you. So you can stay connected — and stay productive — with the PDF viewer that’s made for your Android device.
Last edited by NoSoup4You on Jan 13th, 2020 3:44 pm, edited 40 times in total.
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For you leisure section, add VLC for video play back. Works on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. Can also play wifi files when connect to a nas.
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l69norm wrote: For you leisure section, add VLC for video play back. Works on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. Can also play wifi files when connect to a nas.
Thanks mate, added a link to VLC.
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For trip planning, I use the Kayak app. It has many of TripIt's premium features without cost. Check-in reminders, pre-departure flight status updates, boarding gate updates, and my favourite (for when you have data after landing)- baggage claim gate numbers!

Transit is the greatest local transport app bar none, imo. It's incredible that they made it free as I paid a subscription fee for it back in the day. Transit, car sharing, uber AND bike share...

I also use Hostelworld app as it's quite easy to use to find a book a hostel while backpacking.

Plenty of leisure apps out there but I think Zinio for magazines is quite popular. I use RDP (or equivalent remote desktop apps) to connect to my home computer to do anything from updating my resume in InDesign (i've done this before in an airport on my iPad) to downloading a TV show that I'll download to my iPad later. For videos, I like using Air Video Server, either to stream (assuming capable enough connection) or to download for future offline viewing.
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lhsonic wrote: For trip planning, I use the Kayak app. It has many of TripIt's premium features without cost. Check-in reminders, pre-departure flight status updates, boarding gate updates, and my favourite (for when you have data after landing)- baggage claim gate numbers!

Transit is the greatest local transport app bar none, imo. It's incredible that they made it free as I paid a subscription fee for it back in the day. Transit, car sharing, uber AND bike share...

I also use Hostelworld app as it's quite easy to use to find a book a hostel while backpacking.

Plenty of leisure apps out there but I think Zinio for magazines is quite popular. I use RDP (or equivalent remote desktop apps) to connect to my home computer to do anything from updating my resume in InDesign (i've done this before in an airport on my iPad) to downloading a TV show that I'll download to my iPad later. For videos, I like using Air Video Server, either to stream (assuming capable enough connection) or to download for future offline viewing.
Thanks for the suggestions, I will be adding these shortly!
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Good thread, perhaps this is worthy of a sticky?

I may add a few that many already know about: Uber, Lyft for transportation and Line and Kakaotalk for instant messaging.
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This gave me an idea on what kind of mobile app service to design, thanks for sharing :)
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Google Play Books is a good reader as well. You can upload any Epub or PDF to it, it'll then convert them for you and display online or download to your device for offline reading. It works seamlessly across devices and browsers like all the other Google apps do, so you can hand off a tablet and keep reading right where you left off on a computer if you have to.
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canabiz wrote:Good thread, perhaps this is worthy of a sticky?

I may add a few that many already know about: Uber, Lyft for transportation and Line and Kakaotalk for instant messaging.
Thanks for the suggestions! I have added both Uber and Lyft under transportation. I think a sticky would be nice to have too as this list will definitely grow.
Piro21 wrote:Google Play Books is a good reader as well. You can upload any Epub or PDF to it, it'll then convert them for you and display online or download to your device for offline reading. It works seamlessly across devices and browsers like all the other Google apps do, so you can hand off a tablet and keep reading right where you left off on a computer if you have to.
Completely forgot about Google Play Books. An amazing app for sure, I downloaded the Hunger Games trilogy and set it on "night mode". It worked flawlessly. It also has an audio-read back function but it sounds too monotone for my liking. Added it to the list :).
trashysay wrote: This gave me an idea on what kind of mobile app service to design, thanks for sharing :)
No problem, great idea to get an app to combine other travel apps. Let me know if you need help or feedback.
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Thread has now been stickied courtesy of Tom Smiling Face With Open Mouth
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Great list!

I personally find the need to convert and download youtube music to MP3 and the videos to MP4 to put on my mobile device.
Theres tonnes of sites out there, heres one: http://www.clipconverter.cc/

for price comparison on flights, on desktop i use http://www.hipmunk.com
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Trafi is a fantastic transit trip planning app that can work completely offline, which does so by caching bus/trolley/train/metro/tram routes of a selected city.
Right now it is focused on markets that are underserved by larger developers, so good for anyone heading to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Brazil, Taiwan, India, Turkey.

Edit: looks like they just announced expansion into USA for Chicago, New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Houston. Hopefully Canada next.
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I'd say OpenVPN as it's always helpful to be able to VPN and protect your open wifi connections when you're aboard. I just set up OpenVPN server on my Asus router
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Besides the apps already mentioned, I like to used Sygic, Hotels.com and Flight Companion. I've used Sygic on road trips from Vancouver to San Francisco a couple of times, it's worked great because it's an offline GPS. It however is not a free app. Hotels.com is convenient for booking hotel rooms and checking out reviews. Flight Companion is a good way of tracking your flights to see if they're on time. It's been pretty accurate on all of the flights I've flown to date.
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I would like to propose a new category called Productivity or perhaps the following apps can be added to the Leisure one? I recently had to look up some info from home, while overseas, and luckily Evernote came to the rescue as I previously scanned what I was looking for and saved to Evernote

- Evernote
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- OpenVPN (as previously mentioned)
- OperaVPN
- WinZip
- Adobe Reader
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Great suggestions everyone, I will add them shortly.
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Mobil Passport is a great app that stores all passport info for your party which you then send to USBP upon arrival in US airports which allows you to bypass customs lines when arriving by air. You basically fill out your customs cards electronically and they send you a confirmation code saying your approved to enter.
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Been a while since I have updated the list, will have the new suggestions added this week.

Also great news, Google Trips is now available to use for the general public!

https://get.google.com/trips/
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