The quickest, easiest and most convenient way to research, plan, book and navigate a holiday is by using the best travel apps on the market.
Many travellers often underestimate the power of the humble smartphone. Thanks to the vast multitude of travel apps now available for download, these handheld computers can make life significantly easier while travelling. No matter what’s required, from finding the nearest restroom or the quickest route, to translating different languages or locating nearby vegan restaurants, there’s an app to do it for you. We’ve curated an extensive list of the best travel apps that are useful, intuitive and brimming with benefits.
The best travel apps for international travel
The best travel apps boast smart and intuitive functionality that makes travelling stress-free, exploring fun and navigating challenges easy. Whether maps, guidance, tours, advice, experiences or information aggregation is the goal, these are the best travel apps of 2023.
GlobeTips – Travel Tips
Tipping culture varies from country to country, and what applies in the USA may not translate to Europe and beyond. GlobeTips provides precise information on how to tip adequately in more than 240 countries and includes service tipping and sales tax.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases
LoungeBuddy
Make your airport experience more enjoyable by utilising LoungeBuddy, one of the most useful travel apps on the market. The program helps users find, book and access premium airport lounges throughout the world on the fly.
- Apple + Free
Flush – Toilet Finder & Map
All travellers have experienced the demanding call of nature at unfortunate times or locations. Flush is a quick and easy way to locate the nearest public restroom in a hurry.
- Apple + Free
Wifi Map
Connect to free WiFi in more than 200 countries around the world with the WiFi Map travel app, which also facilitates VPNs and eSim subscription plans.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases of $5.99-$39.99
Google Maps
Tried, tested and true, Google Maps is a stalwart travel app. While using it to identify the quickest and easiest way to get from point A to point B is the most-used function, users can also create their own maps and drop pins at points of interest, hotels, restaurants and attractions, and share maps with friends and family.
- Apple & Android + Free
HappyCow
Finding delicious vegan and vegetarian restaurants while abroad can be a challenge, but never fear – there’s an app for that! HappyCow helps users locate healthy, vegan and vegetarian dining options at 200,000 venues across more than 180 countries.
- Apple & Android + $5.99
Currency Converter Plus
Currency Converter Plus not only provides up-to-date currency exchange rates but also features a calculator function for working out tips, discounts and tax amounts in foreign currencies.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases
Timeshifter
Developed by a team of scientists, Timeshifter uses sleep and circadian neuroscience to create personalised sleep plans that alleviate the symptoms of jet lag for users.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases after the first jet lag plan
AllTrails
One of the best travel apps for hikers, bikers and climbers, AllTrails provides users with access to a database of trail maps, reviews and images across a huge selection of countries, all of which can be saved offline for reference when out of range. AllTrails is also a 1% for the Planet, Leave No Trace and OneTreePlanted company.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases of $35.99-$59.99
Google Translate
Navigating street signs, menus and maps in a different language can be easily done with Google Translate, which translates both speech and text into almost any preferred language – it’s one of the best travel apps to have on hand.
- Apple & Android + Free
Headout
Tours, transport and experiences come with 24/7 access to a help centre with Headout, a travel app that allows users to search for and book products in the app, on the go.
- Apple & Android + Free
Citymapper
This public transport travel app and mapping service provides users with a selection of transport options between any two locations in a supported city. Citymapper currently includes Europe, the USA, Canada, and cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Taiwan, Sydney, Melbourne, Sao Paulo and Mexico City.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is an everyday travel app with trustworthy reviews on anything and everything all across the world. It’s a fantastic resource for finding and booking flights, hotels and experiences at the best prices. Using this on the go can also save travellers from bunking down in a questionable hostel or eating at a sub-par restaurant.
- Apple & Android + Free
bSafe
Share your location with friends and family securely with the bSafe travel app, which allows users to enable a voice activation option for emergencies, utilise a fake call function, or set up alerts that trigger if users fail to check in on time.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases
GeoSure
GeoSure is one of the best travel apps when it comes to learning about how safe a particular location is at any given time. The program covers 65,000 cities and neighbourhoods around the world and provides information about threats and safety levels.
- Apple & Android + Free
FlightAware
Delayed flights with unknown departure times can be a source of anxiety for some travellers. The FlightAware app is a live flight tracking service that can keep you up to date on arrivals, departures, delays and airports at the touch of a button.
- Apple & Android + Free
Roadtrippers
Driving through the US and Canada is easier than ever before with maps and routes curated by the travel app, Roadtrippers. Diners, roadside attractions, viewpoints, national parks and hotels are all plotted along the way. Upgrading to Roadtrippers Plus allows users to download maps offline and add unlimited stops along a route, whereas only five are available with the free travel app download.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app purchases
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The best travel apps for planning a holiday
Keeping an eye on a variety of flight and accommodation metasearch websites is the key to securing products and services at the lowest prices. These are some of the best travel apps for researching, planning and booking domestic and international travel.
Kayak
Kayak is an all-in-one travel app that pulls data from hundreds of websites to delivers the best prices on flights, hotels and car hire to users. It has trip itinerary functionality, a price-tracking option and private deals for members. Be sure to check out the ‘Best Time To Travel’ tool.
- Apple & Android + Free
Hopper
From flights, hotels and hire cars to price predictions, price-freezing and member rewards, Hopper is an aggregate travel app that sources information from around the world to ensure users get the most bang for their buck. Hopper also tracks flight prices and provides advice on the best time to make purchases – including price drops and the dates prices will likely rise again.
- Apple & Android + Free
Airbnb
Staying in an Airbnb can be a more authentic way to experience a new location while providing access to basic amenities, such as laundry facilities and a kitchen, which is incredibly helpful for those on a budget, travelling for long periods of time, or families. Airbnb is one of the best travel apps for securing private stays.
- Apple & Android + Free
Hotels.com
A list of the best travel apps wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Hotels.com, a classic hotel aggregator that surfaces discounted accommodation and last-minute deals.
- Apple & Android + Free
PackPoint
Never under or overpack again with PackPoint, a travel app that creates a packing list based on information such as the length of the trip, the destination, the weather and planned activities.
- Apple & Android + $2.99
Viator
Search and book tours, day trips, experiences and tickets all in one place with Viator. Each listing is accompanied by genuine user reviews and images, there’s also a reserve now, pay later option.
- Apple & Android + Free
Booking.com
Book hotels, motels and holiday homes with the Booking.com app, which often has last-minute deals, member discounts and rewards for returning users.
- Apple & Android + Free
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a well-known and reliable metasearch engine that allows users to find and book travel options such as flights, hotels and car hire, with options to find the cheapest flight to ‘anywhere’ from a current location.
- Apple & Android + Free
Expedia
This online travel agency has a travel app that can be used to search for and book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and more. Expedia‘s in-app ChatGPT facility even provides insights and recommendations for travel-related queries.
- Apple & Android + Free
Roomer Travel
For those who have fallen victim to booking non-refundable stays and then been unable to attend, the Roomer Travel app is for you. This marketplace allows users to list hotel reservations for sale at discounted prices, allowing them to recoup some of the loss.
- Apple & Android + Free
Hipcamp
Campers, rejoice! Hipcamp works with landowners to bring a selection of camping, glamping, and caravan experiences to farms, stations, vineyards, bushlands and other properties across Australia, Canada, the US, New Zealand, the UK and France.
- Apple & Android + Free
TripIt: Travel Planner
Keep all your travel plans in one place with TripIt, which claims to be the world’s highest-rated travel planner app with 20 million users. Book a flight, hotel, rental car, ferry, restaurant or any other similar item and forward it to plans@tripit.com and the app will create a customised itinerary then sync the plans to a calendar.
- Apple & Android + Free with in-app upgrade to TripIt Pro $77.99 per year
What is the best travel app to download?
For holiday-planners and travellers-to-be, Google Maps and Translate, Currency Converter Plus and Tripadvisor are good starting points that will help you get around, and understand signs and currency conversions.
Which is the most downloaded travel app?
Data gathering business Statista reports that Google Maps mobile was the most downloaded travel app worldwide in 2022, recording around 113 million downloads across iOS and Google Play. Uber and Booking.com took out second and third place, with around 107 million and 80 million downloads respectively.
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