Best Travel Apps (Updated for 2023)

Booking Flights & Accommodation

Buying the least expensive flights and accommodation is a dark art in this day and age, but luckily there are some apps that make it easier. Have a look at our best flight deals and accommodation booking apps that’ll ensure you’re getting the best price for travel needs.

Not only do they help on price but also with ensuring you find the right place and flight for your wants and needs.

Hopper

If all you want is a bargain flight then the award-winning app Hopper is right up your street. Available on both iOS and Android, it’s similar to both Kayak and Skyscanner in that you can see the cheapest dates to fly on, but the difference is that Hopper will tell you when to buy your tickets by sending you a notification.

Hopper analyzes billions of flights, watching the price changes, and then informs you when to buy in order to get a deal. The app claims to be able to help you save money. You save 40% on your next booking, so it’s well worth a shot.

The user interface is clean and easy to use, and it only takes 60 seconds to book a flight.

They have now started doing hotel bookings too, and you can set up a tracker for a specific hotel instead of the whole city it’s in.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is almost an all-in-one travel agent app that’s available on both iOS and Android. You can book flights, hotels, and rent a car from the palm of your hand using this app.

The app works by searching for the cheapest deals and best options through all its travel partners. It shows you the cheapest dates to book, you can set price alerts and if you’re not sure where to go, you can put in your departing airport and search “Anywhere” or “Top Deals” to give you a list of the most affordable destinations available.

Once booked, it’ll update your flight status as need and give you all your info in one place.

Want to know if Skyscanner is legit? Check out this detailed guide.

Kayak

Kayak is another all in one travel app for travel agents similar to Skyscanner. They often, in our experience have better deals, but its best to check both.

Kayak searches for the best deal they can find through all their travel partners, whether it’s flights, accommodation, or car hire, they have got you covered. They often have exclusive deals too, that aren’t available anywhere else.

You can set price alerts for your intended trip, use the forecasting tool to see whether it’s worth buying now or if the price may go down, plus it’s a trip planner too.

Kayak’s trip planner gives you important details quickly, like a reservation number or your departure gate, in real-time, even on your Apples Watch.

It’s an awesome all in one travel agent that’s available on both iOS and Android.

ALSO READ: IS KAYAK LEGIT? 

HotelTonight

We all know the headache and expenses involved when you experience long flight delays or if you lose your accommodation at a moment’s notice. Anything can happen when jet setting around the world and Hotel Tonight is one of those helpful travel apps that makes things a bit easier when it all goes wrong.

Available on both iOS and Android, Hotel Tonight is one of the best travel apps to find you a quick last-minute deal on your accommodation. They have partnered with hundreds of hotels to fill their empty rooms. It works for the hotels and gets you a great deal too.

You can book a room in seconds and you also have the added benefit of Hotel Tonight’s 24/7 customer service that helps fix anything that might have gone wrong. The app now includes a Daily Drop feature offering you the best deal for the day.

Using the travel app, you can book multiple rooms and then share the info into a group chap, making it easy as pie.

Airbnb

We have all heard of Airbnb and its model is one we all wish we had thought of. The app allows people to rent out their homes to travelers like us, giving us a sense of a home away from home. It’s often a bit less expensive than a hotel too and is available on both iOS and Android.

Not only can you rent an entire house for your stay, but you can also opt to rent a room giving you a local experience and the chance to get to know some people in the area. There’s also an option to book experiences which are events or activities that are available in your chosen destination.

Once you have found what you’re looking for, you can check hundreds of reviews about your intended booking to make sure it meets your standards. The interface is very easy to use, you can search based on all your requirements, and it displays it on a map for you, so you can see exactly where you might be staying.

Booking.com

Booking.com is available on both iOS and Android and is one of the best travel apps for finding deals on your accommodation.

You can search around your intended area and see the best deals available in seconds. It works for advance bookings and last-minute ones too.

They have thousands of hotels, B&B’s, motels, and hostels linked to their app, and the comparison feature shows you the prices, reviews, amenities, and rating of all the accommodation options near where you want to stay.

The app has over 130 million reviews, so you’ll know exactly what to expect from each establishment to make your decision about whether it’s the place for you or not.

It’s an easy app to use, you can book in seconds without any fees, plus there is 24/7 customer support available too.

RELATED POST: If you are looking for alternatives to Booking.com to book your hotel or vacation property, check out this guide.

Getting Around

When you arrive at a new place you’ve never been before, there’s always that daunting feeling about getting lost. You naturally want to explore but you have to find out how to get from A to B, whether you can walk there, use public transport, do you need a taxi and so on. Luckily, there are some great apps to help you out.

Citymapper

Citymapper, available on both iOS and Android, is one of the best travel apps you can use to find and use public transport. It currently covers 41 cities worldwide and the list is ever-growing.

It’ll find your location if you let it, and then you simply add your destination into the search tool to find all you transportation options. You can even search by arrival time for your destination, showing you when you need to leave by so you’ll never be late.

The app lists the search results by journey time, departing time, cost, and includes public transport, walking, taxis, and floating brands like bicycles, moped, and car-sharing. You can even search for wheelchair-accessible options too.

If you’re on the bus, the Citymapper travel app will tell you when to get off, so you don’t miss your spot. This is really useful when riding around an area you don’t know.

Google Maps

Google Maps is one of the best map apps around. And its one of those must-have free travel apps too!

Available on both the iOS and Android app store, there is a never-ending list of things it can do and tell you about any given area on the planet.

The travel app will give you directions for car travel, walking, cycling, and public transport. While walking, cycling, or driving, it acts as a GPS, telling you when to turn and guiding you to your destination on the fastest route available. It even shows you high traffic areas and helps you avoid them.

When using public transport, the Google Maps app offers up departure times, costs, journey times, and a taxi option too. It’s a pretty reliable worldwide.

If you’re worried about data costs when abroad, you can also download offline maps for specific areas for use when you have no internet connection. So, you don’t have to rely on an internet connection to know where you are or what’s around you.

Not only can you search for how to get from A to B on Google Maps, but also find restaurants, bars, museums, hotels, attractions, and more. The app will also let you know how busy each place is in real-time, so you can wait for the crowds to leave before you get there.

There is now a Your Places page, which allows you to add, view and manage all your favorite places in one place.

Uber

If you’re in need of a taxi, Uber is the most convenient app to use. Available on both the iOS and Android app store, it works in 65 countries and over 600 cities to bring reliable taxi services direct to your location.

The travel app saves you have to stand in the rain at a taxi rank or search for a reliable taxi service. All the drivers are rated by other users, so you can guarantee you’re in safe hands and you can share your trip, with all vehicle and driver information with a loved one.

You can request a car within minutes after knowing the rates, time of arrival, and choosing your desired vehicle and driver.

Once booked, you can track your car until it arrives and Uber will let you know when it’s outside. You can trip share or book your own private car, or split the fare with friends, all in the app.

This is a cashless service and everything is paid either via debit or credit card within the app, you can even leave a tip too.

Planning & Organisation

In this busy day and age, there is always something we forget when trying to get on the road for a vacation. It might be your snorkel gear, sun cream, or forgetting to download that book you wanted to read. These apps help you stay organized.

There are also travel apps to show you fun things to do at your destination. If you’re looking for a nice place to eat, some interesting activities to do, or simply want to know all your options so you can make a plan, these apps have you covered.

Packpoint

Life’s so busy that making lists has become the norm to ensure nothing is forgotten. The notes section of our phones are jam-packed with everything from shopping lists to to-do lists, and most likely your vacation packing list. But, what if your list was made for you?

Packpoint, a travel  app available on iOs and Android, takes the headache out of remembering everything. It looks at the weather for your dates and destination, asks you what activities you might be doing (like snorkeling), and then creates a packing list for you based on all this info.

You’ll end up with a list of everything you need to pack, along with general holiday items, which you can then edit. You can remove the things you don’t need, add extras, re-order items, and share your list with others.

Triplt

TripIt, available on both iOS and Android, takes all your travel plans and puts them in one place to give you a master itinerary for your entire trip.

Simply send all your email confirmations to the app and they put together a full itinerary for you that syncs to your calendar and can be shared with your travel partners. You can also store all your travel documents in the atravel pp, so you have everything in one place.

Gone are the days of remembering 8 different connections or looking in your email for multiple confirmations and travel details, Tiplt puts it all together for you in one place.

There is also an option to upgrade to the pro version for $49 per year, and it’s worth it if you fly a lot. The pro version gives you extra features like flight alerts, terminal info, security wait times, airport maps, directions, and a seat tracker that lets you know when better seats are available.

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor, available on iOS and Android, is THE travel app when it comes to information on what’s around you, travel tips, and independent reviews of everything from bars to airlines. The best thing about it is that it works in every country in the world, and it should be on every traveler’s smartphone.

You can search through millions of reviews, pictures, and videos about everything you might use or like to visit. The cover most things from hotels, activities, restaurants, bars, and more.

You can use the Near Me search to find the top reviewed establishments close by, ask travel questions to people who have already been there, and add your own photos and reviews.

It also allows you to access your own travel feed, get ideas for travel, request expert advice, and find friends.

Learning Languages

There is no better way to enjoy your travels than being able to speak to the locals. Whether it is just ordering at a restaurant, or making new friends in your accommodation, it always pays to learn as much as you can.

Babbel

Babbel is one of the leaders in online language learning, and a great way to immerse yourself in a new language before or during your travels.

The Babbel App is actually just a way to access language courses on your phone. They also provide access online, if you prefer to do it that way.

Their lessons are very practical and immersive and not heavy on the grammar or other things that typically turn us off (or bore us) when learning a language.

If you want to learn a new language for your next trip, this is a great way to do it.

Google Translate

The Google Translate app is one of the most helpful travel apps when you are in a foreign country and have no clue how to speak the local language.

So, if you are talking to a local and need a translation, just allow Google Translate to listen in and tell you what they are saying. It can do the opposite as well, so you can get a two-way conversation going.

It provides a huge range of helpful services. Starting with the ability to literally translate people’s speech (over 100 languages) as well as scanning documents, menus and images.

You can download it on the app store either for your iPhone or Android phone.