The 11 Best Travel Apps You Should be Using
The world of travel has changed dramatically over the last years. Luxury travel used to mean months spent on first class luxury liners, with a steamer trunk of luggage in tow, sailing across the ocean. Early travelers used to travel the deserts of Africa with entire camel herds loaded down with every conceivable luxury item. No more. Travelers today are younger and more hip, constantly tied to their smart phones and interested in one click, state of the art information. That’s why travel apps have become more popular in recent years.
The technology of today certainly can make life far more streamlined making life in our busy society just a little bit easier to handle. iPhone travel apps are becoming increasingly popular and can handle everything from pre-ordering your complicated Starbucks order to booking an Uber to finding a new recipe for dinner.
Here are 11 of our favorite travel apps.
1. Grab
You have a close connection but you’re starving. You’re flying into an unfamiliar airport and know you simply won’t have time to find something better than cheese and crackers to eat. Enter Grab. This app show restaurant menus and locations in some 17 airports around the United States, allow you to order in advance, and pick up your food en route to your gate. Never starve on a plane again.
2. As You Stay
Nearly everyone has probably wished for a late check-out at a hotel before, only to be hit with an exorbitant fee for extending. This newish app allows travelers to exercise much more flexibility for arrival and departure times. Currently only available in New York and West Beach but San Francisco and Chicago are coming soon and this is sure to prove a very popular app as it extends it’s reach. Extra hotel fees have long been the nemesis of frequent travelers but perhaps some changes will be coming soon.
3. Roomer
If you dream of heading to New York City but are put-off by the high cost of hotels and are somewhat flexible make sure to check out the roomer app. Receive deep discounts, up to 80%, on rooms from people who have had to cancel their trips. Likewise, if you are the one with a necessary cancellation this app allows you to sell your room and recoup some of your money.
4. Cool Cousin
The best experiences when traveling rarely come from a guidebook. They come from the advice of locals or sheer serendipity. The Cool Cousin app takes this theory and puts it to the test, offering users off the beaten path finds from residents in the know. To find the best local club or secret restaurant, this is your app.
5. Sidekix
In the same vein, Sidekix offers up the best walking routes for over 100 major cities based on your preferences, not the shortest route. This app also has specially curated ideas and side stops based on the advice of in-the-know locals. Why lunch at a nondescript chain when you can find a cool local place just around the corner.
6. Rideways
While many embrace Uber as an alternative to taxis, for those preferring more options Rideways is for you. Owned by Priceline, this app can book reliable transportation in more than 500 cities around the world. One big plus is the number of options. It is possible to get a bus ticket for $5.30 or book a $160 chauffeured Mercedes. The option is yours.
7. Binaural
Jet lag is a very real thing and many travelers spend the first several days of a trip fighting the symptoms. Binaural beats are repetitive sounds that create a relaxed state of mind. In addition to helping combat jet lag and fatigue, the beats can also improve focus and reduce anxiety.
8. My Panda
Overall, most of the world is still a pretty safe place. However, in the interest of being on top of your own safety, My Panda alerts you to level of security in an area by GPS. There are features that show the fastest route to the nearest police station and an option to call authorities with the tap of a button.
9. AirHelp
Current airline behavior has further increased the popularity of this app, which assists disrupted travelers affected by canceled, delayed, or overbooked flights. The company does take 25% but average reimbursements are around $500 and they do the work for you.
10. Dufl
If overpacking is your issue, this app is for you. For a flat rate of $99 for round trip and a $9.95 monthly storage rate, Dufl will house, launder and ship a totally separate travel wardrobe and ship it to your destination. Perfect for someone with enough clothes to have a totally separate travel wardrobe.
11. Hotels.com
An app working with other travel apps. The very popular website hotels.com now partners with other companies such as Uber, OpenTable, and Groupon to book a room, request transportation, pick up dinner, and plan activities, all on one app. A great idea for the busy traveler who wants to only deal with one app.
Book Your Private Jet Charter
No longer just for the rich and famous, more and more business people and those that understand that time is also money are booking private jet charters. The added privacy, time savings, and flexibility are worth their weight in gold to business corporations and individuals on a time crunch. Several travel apps are creating a buzz for their ease of finding just the right charter for you.
A big plus for high profile clients is that by using an app they can make reservations without facing potentially higher price quotes simply due to their name. Add on the increased anonymity and privacy of jet charter in general and there is no doubt this will create ever increasing use of these types of apps.
The benefits of travel apps should be obvious. In this high-speed world we live in the ease of one click bookings are becoming more and more necessary. Whether traveling for work or pleasure, be sure to check out all of the options above to make your next trip even more enjoyable.