Traveling can be exhausting, especially when you are looking to make the most of your trip. From packing your suitcase, to choosing a hotel, and deciding on activities, sometimes it seems like the preparation never ends. But there are many travel apps that you can download to any smartphone that can make this process not only easier, but actually fun. Here are 10 of our favorite tried and tested travel apps.
PLANNING
With over 300 reviews worldwide of restaurants, hotels, and attractions, trip advisor has an incredible amount of information available for you to start planning your trip. You can find or search for reviews of restaurants, hotels, attractions, tour companies and more. A helpful option when planning a trip is to go to the page of the city you are visiting. There will be tons of detailed information on a specific destination. They also have discussion forums, and thousands of pictures, so you can better prioritize what you want to see in real life. TripAdvisor will even give you ideas for day trips, and popular neighborhoods to stay in or just to visit. And when you are on the go, in the app you can load places “near me”, so that you can always make informed travel decisions, making it one of the most versatile travel apps available.
Trip Case
will help you create beautiful and easy to read itineraries. It can be difficult to properly time your activities especially if you have significant travel times, but this app will organize everything in a timeline so you can visualize the structure of your days. To make it easy, you can even forward email confirmations for flights to trips@tripcase.com, and they will automatically input all of the relevant information to the app. You also have the option to add in information manually. Trip case will also include helpful information, such as the weather, a countdown until your trip, numbers of restaurants and directions, and you can even call an uber straight from the app.
will help you create beautiful and easy to read itineraries. It can be difficult to properly time your activities especially if you have significant travel times, but this app will organize everything in a timeline so you can visualize the structure of your days. To make it easy, you can even forward email confirmations for flights to trips@tripcase.com, and they will automatically input all of the relevant information to the app. You also have the option to add in information manually. Trip case will also include helpful information, such as the weather, a countdown until your trip, numbers of restaurants and directions, and you can even call an uber straight from the app. 
Sky Scanner will quickly and easily help you find and book the cheapest airfare possible. It ranks the results by price, and you can filter them so that you can easily search for the flights most relevant to your needs. For the spontaneous traveler, there is even a feature where you can find the cheapest flights to anywhere from a specific location.
Pinterest is one of the most commonly used travel apps for preparation and inspiration. Many Pinterest posts will link to helpful blog articles that are useful in deciding what to pack, helpful travel tips, and guides to restaurants. But the best feature of Pinterest is the ability to create inspiration boards, helping you to become excited about where you are going, and visualizing your trip goals. For a place to start, check out our LivItaly Pinterest page.
While You’re There
The Google translate app is simple to use, but will become indispensable if you are traveling to a place where you don’t speak the language. You can even scan words on a menu or signs and the app will automatically translate them for you.
In Italy, you should not try to hail a taxi off the street, but instead you have to find a taxi stand. My Taxi will remove this stress by using your location to find taxi drivers near you and call them for you. You can save your credit card information so payment is effortless. You are also provided with a map to show the drivers location before you’ve even gotten into the car, as well as once you are in it. Once you reach your destination, you will be asked if you would like to tip, which is not necessary in Italy, and if you would like to rate your driver.
Bangla di Roma is a simple app that only works in Rome as of now, but it allows you to see all of the mini markets located around you. These contain essential items, such as food, snacks, wine, beer, and more. There are many mini markets all through Rome, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the one closest to you that is actually open. Bangla di Roma will let you know which ones are open and where they are located, so that you never have to go without.
HERE maps is useful for those fearful of incurring severe data roaming charges. This app allows you to find routes and walking directions while offline. It works much like google and apple maps, but is designed for the traveller on the go, making it one of our favorite travel apps.
Its easy to forget that spending 20 euros is actually more than 20 dollars, and sometimes you don’t want to remind yourself of that. But for the times you do need to know, XE Currency is a simple app that will convert over 180 currencies worldwide.
After Your Trip
Stiya is probably one of my favorite travel apps. When you are non stop on your trip, its hard to take the time to document the name of the restaurants you visit and your favorite gelaterias. It can also be difficult to sort through all of your photos once you arrive home. Stiya will do all of that for you with its automatic journaling software. It will organize your photos by the date and then the location creating a timeline. It requires the use of GPA in the background, but is deliberately programmed to be light on your battery. Once your events are created, photos and places you have been are easily searchable. Its incredibly easy to share your journals with family and friends, as you can quickly share it via email, iMessage, Facebook, Twitter, or Facebook messenger. Its a convenient and beautiful way to share your experiences with people at home, as well as keep the memories that can all too often fade away quickly after a trip.
By: Julia Morton