There are hundreds, if not thousands of travel apps on your phone’s App Store.
Flight & accommodation booking apps, trip and itinerary planning apps, random trip generator apps; there’s an even an app that shows you where your nearest public toilet is for when you’re somewhere unfamiliar (don’t worry, I’ve included that one in the list).
But for all of the really good apps that you can download, there’s also a lot of shite…
So to save you hours of scrolling on your App Store looking through hundreds of samey apps, I’ve compiled a list of the best travel apps (updated for 2021) that you should go ahead and download right now.
Here they are…
Best Travel Apps
Best travel apps for trip planning and getting organised
Planning a trip or a holiday can be super complicated and super stressful.
You need to book flights, accommodation, transport, activities, remember what to pack, who to take, when to leave and then on top of that you need to piece it all together into an itinerary that actually makes sense.
But what if there were a few dedicated travel apps that made trip planning easier?
Well… 😉
Introducing the best travel apps for trip planning and getting organised:
Best travel app for itinerary and travel planning
1. TripIt
TripIt is honestly second to none when it comes to planning your trip and compiling your itinerary together.
The app is fully automated so that all you need to do is forward your flight bookings, hotel bookings and whatever else to plans@tripit.com and the app will automatically populate everything you need into an easy-to-read itinerary and help do away with the hundreds of flagged emails that you normally keep in your inbox.
You can also completely tailor the itinerary and add in extras like day plans, meetings etc. to custom-suit your needs.
TripIt is probably my favourite and most used app on this list and honestly, If you’re a serial travel planner like me, just go ahead and download it right now.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: TripIt offers a pro version that allows you to track flight delays, airport security queue’s, terminal and gate numbers and more.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for planning a roadtrip
2. Roadtrippers
Slightly controversial considering how much I’ve just tried to hard sell TripIt, but whilst that app is undoubtedly great for trip planning and then putting an itinerary together, Roadtrippers is awesome for, well, planning road trips…
The app allows you to easily plan your entire route and add pinpoints along the way for places that you want to see and stop at.
I especially like Roadtrippers because it will highlight points of interest along your route that it thinks might be worth your time checking out, meaning you’re unlikely to miss things that you otherwise might have.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: Roadtrippers also offers a plus membership for £25 / $29 per year which allows you to add multiple stops, use offline maps and allows for collaboration between you and your fellow roadtrippers (see what I did there?).
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for packing lists
3. PackPoint
Have you ever arrived at the airport only to realise that you’ve forgotten something at home?
Infuriating, isn’t it?
PackPoint is an app designed to stop that from happening again.
The app takes the traditional packing list one step further by building a custom packing list based on where you’re going, how long you’re going for and what you’re doing when you get there.
You can also integrate it with TripIt (premium version of PackPoint required) and it will automatically generate a packing list based on your itinerary plans, which makes it even cooler in my opinion.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: PackPoint offers a premium version for £2.99 / $2.99 lifetime which allows you to make custom packing lists, custom activities and integrate with TripIt.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel apps for flights, transport and getting around
Booking flights, transport and having a means of getting around for when you’re at your destination is probably the most important part of your travels because let’s face it, without flights and a means of transport, you’re not going to get very far…
Here’s the travel apps I use and recommend when it comes to booking your different types of transport:
Best travel app for booking flights
4. Momondo
I’ll be honest, it was a tough choice choosing between Momondo and SkyScanner, but I decided to go for the former.
Momondo edged it because you can do everything that the SkyScanner app does like browse flights across thousands of destinations and easily adjust the dates, time, length of stay etc., but the Momondo app goes a little further in displaying the dates when it’s cheapest to fly, which is awesome for budget travellers.
The app is super easy to use and if you travel often or you’re looking to find some great deals on flights, I’d 100% recommend installing it.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for finding cheap flights
5. Jack's Flight Club
Jack’s Flight Club is an app dedicated to finding cheap flights.
The app works by scanning Google flights and then sending its customers notifications and emails when its found a hot deal.
Jack’s Flight Club is especially suited for travellers who know that they want to go away, but aren’t too concerned with the destination and have flexibility with regards to when they travel.
The app helps travellers bag deals like £250 return flights from London to Tokyo, which is an absolute steal in case you didn’t know!
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: Jack’s Flight Club offers a premium version that sends travellers 4x more flight deals.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for booking a rental car
6. SkyScanner
The SkyScanner app is easily the best app for booking a rental car because it allows you to compare prices against the widest range of different car rental companies available.
You can also filter the results down to the type of car, mileage etc. and find the best and cheapest car for your needs.
If you’re under 25, I’ve written a short guide on how you can find cheap rental cars without the under 25 surcharge using SkyScanner and other websites.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for booking trains
7. Trainline
Trainline is the most popular train-booking app in Europe, so it’s hardly a surprise that I’ve placed it as the best travel app for booking your railway journeys.
The app allows you to book train tickets directly on your phone and store e-tickets, check train times, delayed trains and more so you can travel around easily via train.
There are also other train-booking apps like Amtrak in the USA and Asian equivalents if you’re not travelling in Europe.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for booking a taxi
8. Uber
You’re probably familiar with Uber by now because they’ve quite literally taken the taxi world by storm…
If you’re looking for a cheap-ish taxi ride (especially in a big central city like London, Rome, New York), download the Uber app on your phone and avoid over-paying on taxi’s ever again.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for planning a route
9. Google Maps
Whilst Google maps isn’t technically a dedicated travel app, it does definitely come in handy when you travel.
For example, if you’re stuck on how to navigate the London underground or you’re looking to find a way through the tight streets of Rome, Google maps is perfect for the job.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel apps for booking accommodation and activities
There’s no shortage of accommodation and activity booking apps on the App Store.
And it’s not only comparison apps; hotel chains have their own apps, tour companies have their own apps and then like I said, there’s the other comparison apps…
However, the travel apps I’ve listed below are easily the most popular on the App Store and have consistently given me the lowest price on the same accommodation and activities when compared to others…
With that said, here’s my pick of the best travel apps for booking accommodation and activities:
Best travel app for booking hotels
10. Booking.com
I find Booking.com to be the best hotel comparison app because it not only has the largest number of hotels on its platform, but it also offers a great mixture of hotels, holiday rentals and hostels; an option that other hotel comparison apps fail to offer.
Oh, wait… don’t want to see hostels in your search? That’s cool – just filter them out.
Going back to the hotel side of things, I’ve always found Booking.com to be cheaper than other alternatives like Expedia and Hotels.com, especially when you join their loyalty scheme which gives you things like:
- 10% and 20% discounts on stays
- Free room upgrades
- Free breakfast
- Free cancellation
Also, as it’s the most popular hotel booking app on the App Store, you won’t struggle to find reviews from other hotel guests – something that’s obviously key when looking for a great hotel.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for booking hostels
11. Hostelworld
If you’re looking to travel on a budget, Hostelworld’s app is going to be your new best friend.
You can browse and book thousands of hostels across the world and check out reviews from other budget-minded travellers, check pricing and find last minute deals to travel even cheaper.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for holiday rentals
12. Airbnb
The Airbnb travel app sits perfectly between Booking.com and Hostelworld.
If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, you can essentially rent a spare room in somebody’s house or you can rent an entire house for a great price.
You can find anything from bog standard rooms to exotic, luxury paradises (honestly, I’m not joking – I’ve found some incredible places on Airbnb).
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for finding cheap last minute hotel rooms
13. HotelTonight
The clue is in the name with this one…
HotelTonight is a travel app geared towards finding a hotel at short notice.
You can often find luxury hotels for a fairly modest price and modest hotels for a great price, which is what makes the app so popular amongst travellers looking to bag a last minute deal.
It’s worth mentioning that you can only book hotel rooms 100 nights in advance because anything after this time normally see’s the room sold at a premium.
Top tip: the best time to reserve a hotel room is on the same day, but it’s up to you whether you want to take that risk!
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for booking tours and activities
14. GetYourGuide
If you’re planning on visiting the big city and going on guided tours or booking any other kind of activity, download GetYourGuide.
I’ve found that the trips and tours are often cheaper on GetYourGuide compared to other travel apps like TripAdvisor or purchasing via the airline / at the hotel.
You can also find special activities like one-on-one tours of the colosseum that go into the underground and other cool activities that you can’t find elsewhere on other travel apps.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for finding local restaurants
15. Tripadvisor
I could hardly not include one of the world’s most popular travel apps in a guide that’s titled best travel apps of 2021, could I?
Whilst GetYourGuide is better for booking trips, Tripadvisor is awesome for finding restaurants in your local area.
You can read the thoughts of hundreds of other travellers that in the past have reviewed that same restaurant you’ve been eyeing up all week.
Also, for a lot of restaurants you can even make a reservation directly through Tripadvisor.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android
Best travel apps for airports
Airports are boring and stressful – fact.
They’re fun for about half an hour after you’ve arrived as the travel excitement sets in (unless you’re going home of course), but after that they’re about as fun as watching paint dry on a very large wall.
Here’s some apps to download that might make your trip to the airport just a tiny bit more fun and productive and a little less stressful:
Best travel app for finding airport lounges
16. LoungeBuddy
LoungBuddy helps travellers access exclusive airport lounges by notifying them of which lounges they can access based on their flight and ticket details.
You can also purchase access to airport lounges via the app to ensure your time at the airport is that little more relaxing, which let’s face it is a much better alternative than waiting for hours in the airport terminal with thousands of other travellers.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS.
Best travel app for jet lag adjustment
17. Timeshifter
Some of us get it, some of us don’t, but jet lag can put a real downer on the first couple of days of a trip.
If you suffer from jet lag, you should definitely setup Timeshifter whilst you wait at the airport.
Timeshifter uses circadian neuroscience (don’t worry, I have no idea what that means either) to tell you when to get some shut eye, when to drink caffeine, when to see bright lights etc.; all to get you ready for waking up in a brand new timezone.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional purchases: Your first jet lag plan is free. Thereafter individual plans cost £9.99 / $9.99 each or you can purchase an annual plan for £25 / $25.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for checking airport terminal and gates
18. FlightBoard
We all know the feeling of waiting for your gate to be announced whilst sat in the airport.
It goes something like this:
- Sit and chill for 15 minutes
- Get up and walk to the nearest screen to check to see if the gate has been announced
- It hasn’t – walk back to your seat
- Repeat dozens of times
And it’s fair to say that, that can get boring after a while.
FlightBoard is the perfect answer to this because it tells you which gate your plane is at and it’ll show you a full list of other arrivals and departures in case you’re waiting for a friend.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel apps for just about any occasion
And last but not least, it’s time for my pick of the best of the rest…
These apps won’t necessarily save you time or money (I’m really hard-selling these apps, as you can see), but they might come in handy depending on your circumstances…
Best travel app for finding a toilet
19. Flush
There’s no judging here – when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.
And what better way to find a free public toilet in a country or place you’re not familiar with than with an app specifically built for the job?
Flush has over 200,000 public toilets stored in its database and it allows you to pinpoint your nearest one (without an Internet connection) if you just can’t hold it in until you get back to your accommodation.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for finding free Wifi
20. WiFi Map
Wi-fi is one of the 5 basic human needs, right?!
If you’re accommodation hasn’t got wi-fi and you’re looking for the nearest public place that has it, use WiFi Map.
Pretty self-explanatory – it’ll show the nearest wi-fi to your location!
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: Wifi Map offers a pro version which allows for VPN access, offline maps, removes ads and adds a couple of other extras.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
Best travel app for finding luggage storage
21. Radical Storage
Hey, it’s not just you that want’s to go away, it’s your bag and suitcase too.
I’m joking (kind of).
With Radical Storage you can book a place to safely keep your belongings whilst you go out and explore. It’s super cheap too, with all day bookings around the £5 / $5 mark.
This app is especially useful if you have late flights and you’ve been kicked out of your accommodation early and have nowhere to keep it.
Cost to Download: Free
Additional Purchases: No paid purchases available – completely free.
Mobile Devices: Available on iOS and Android.
