As someone who has been an avid planner their whole life, it’s no surprise that I need to have all of my trips perfectly planned out as well. I’ve found that having access to the details of my trips on my phone can be incredibly beneficial, especially if there’s something last minute I need to check. Having been traveling for a few years now I’ve found a few apps that I feel are beneficial to planning your next trip!
If you don’t have a cell plan on your trip, these apps are also useful for preplanning as well. Through my travels, I’ve narrowed down my most used apps to these 5. In today’s post, I’ll be outlining which apps I use while traveling and why they’re helpful!
Airline Apps
I like to have three options to access my tickets; paper, apple wallet, and in an email. I can be an anxious person when traveling so having access to my ticket at all times is preferable. What I’ve come to find I prefer most though is downloading the airline’s app. From the app, you can check in, get information on your flight, and save your tickets to your phone’s wallet. This is great because even if you don’t have cell service your ticket will always be on your phone.
The app is great for getting updated flight information and you can get notifications when there are any changes to your flight. Even if it’s not your own flight, you can look up a friend’s information as well to check their status.
Using airline apps has saved me so much time. Last month I was about to leave my house for the airport when I got a notification that my flight was delayed an extra two hours! Getting the notification meant I could spend more time at home rather than be stuck in the airport.
Maps.Me
During my semester abroad, a professor recommended an app to use that ensured no matter where you are you wouldn’t get lost. Maps
With this app, you can download detailed maps to specific areas you’re visiting. Most map apps don’t have detailed surroundings for some countries and they may also require data or wifi for an accurate location. This app helps ensure you know where you are regardless of cell service.
I used this app when I was visiting Switzerland and it was helpful to see a detailed location of the areas I was in with my minimal cell service. About a year before this, during my first trip to Paris, I had attempted to use my regular map app and it was difficult to navigate. Having a detailed map like this has definitely helped my trips since!
Duolingo
Duolingo is a language app that is designed to help you learn a new language. Whenever I flew to countries that spoke different languages I tried to make an effort to understand as much as I could. When I visited Amsterdam, I was pretty hopeless when it came to understanding Dutch but spending some time on Duolingo helped me to understand some signs that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. (Also it
If you already understand parts of a language you can test out of lessons and find a start point that’s tailored to your level of knowledge. I’ve been studying French for a long time but I like to use the app before I visit France to brush up on my skills. It can get annoying sometimes because it will often notify you if you ‘miss’ a day of using it but I tend to only leave the app on my phone when I’m actively learning a
When I’m planning a trip, I always look through Pinterest to find inspiration. Reading other’s posts about their trips is always helpful in finding places that I want to visit. I like to check out what everyone’s must-sees are to help form my own itinerary. I’ve found that this is a great way to find good food spots and interesting places to visit that aren’t typically showcased within a regular tour guide. If you’re into photography this can also be a good way to check out spots that influencers often visit!
This was actually how I planned my entire trip to Amsterdam. I used my free time to check out what people wrote on Pinterest and planned each day of my trip. You can check out my Pinterest to see what I’ve saved on Amsterdam!
Weather Apps
This is very simple but something I cannot stress enough is checking the weather for your trip! Make sure you know if there are any storms or changes in weather so that you can pack accordingly. I personally use the app included on my phone but there are plenty of others available in the app store too!
When I interned with Disney, there was one weekend where we had an unusually cold few days and many visiting families were not prepared for it. As a Merchandising Intern, this became a big issue for us as we didn’t have a large selection of Winter clothes due to the change in seasonal wear. It’s always best to never assume what the weather will be like where you are traveling so that you can be prepared!
Happy Traveling
I hope you found some of these apps helpful! If you have any others I didn’t mention let me know so I can try them out too. As always, good luck on your travels!