We Use Lots Of Travel Apps
We wrote before about the travel apps we used. When it was time for an operating system upgrade on my phone, I deleted apps I was not using. I was surprised to see how few of the travel apps got deleted. Most apps we like just got better!
We travel for almost 6 months a year, so we spend a lot of time using our apps. We are both using Apple iPhones. But most of these apps are available for other phones too. I use most of the apps on my iPad as well. Sometimes I just need that bigger screen!
When I looked at the travel apps, here are the ones we used the most during this busy travel year.
1) Planning
Most of the time, we are at home when we plan our next trip. So a lot of the hard work planning a trip is done on our computers. I might use hotel, airline or review apps to look up information. But I usually want to use web sites when I am chasing down many different possibilities at the planning stage.
But when it is early and I am still plotting the itinerary, my favourite app is RomeToRio. RomeToRio helps us to understand the options for moving around between places. The time and transportation options help us to plan the sequence and timing of stops on our land travels. We knew we could easily get around Switzerland by train. But we would need a car rental to tour the Utah National Parks.
We try to travel with everything stored electronically. And with as little paper backup as possible. We tried different ways to store all the information and most failed. And even though David and I can’t ever seem to agree on a way to organize the information, it all ends up in a Microsoft OneNote book for each trip.
The nice thing is that MS OneNote is always with us on our computers, phones and iPads. And we were surprised how many times we used the data. We organized the notebooks so that we moved information that is relevant from trip to trip (e.g. immunizations, airport lounge info, etc.). We have all the data we need in our MS OneNote files. But we often need just summary information in quick and easy to find ways.
2) Organizing Travel Information
Once a travel element was booked, we put it into TripIt. It was as easy as emailing the reservation. The app was great at accepting travel reservations, even complicated cruising itineraries. Once I thought I had everything booked, I used TripIt as my cross check. It was great at identifying if I missed something like a hotel for a day of our trip. And a great place for me to send David when he looked for a travel detail.
Since we started our quest to build points and loyalty, we generally fly with Air Canada. After check in, we got boarding passes electronically. And immediately transferred them to Apple Wallet. We often wanted paper boarding passes to move through the airport. But a backup in the Apple Wallet meant we never got stuck. We also had all of our loyalty cards in the Apple Wallet.
The other app we used for our loyalty cards was Award Wallet. This app kept track of all of our loyalty programs. It periodically downloaded points and expiration dates. Since we started to consolidate our travel, keeping track of points became easier. But we still have points scattered about that we don’t want to lose.
I will admit that there was overlap in some of the apps we used for planning and to organize our travel information. But the information in built-to-purpose apps was usually perfect for very specific needs. I really didn’t want to open my MS OneNote to get a copy of my boarding pass! And I could never store all the reference material from my MS OneNote in other apps and still know where all the pieces are!
3) Navigating In A New Place
The absolute top travel app we used once we hit a new place was our off-line map app CityMaps2Go. I wish I got a commission for every time we recommended this to other travellers.
We used CityMaps2Go before we travelled to download all the maps for places we visited so we could use them offline. All of the points of interest were marked on the map with different icons to easily identify locations. Not surprisingly, David and I used different categories and icons. And David always made sure he had a full range of coffee and chocolate shops marked on his maps. So we didn’t share maps!
CityMaps2Go included guides which helped us to plan activities when we travelled. We used CityMaps2Go to plan our routes and took it out to help us when we walked. Our travel GPS was packed when we rented a car. But often we found that navigating with CityMaps2Go worked much better.
We never worried about how to navigate a new place when we had CityMaps2Go on our phones. It was absolutely one of the travel apps we used all the time.
4) Getting Around
If we didn’t walk, we often looked for public transit when we travel. It was usually faster and much cheaper than a car rental. We were pretty good at navigating once we had a transit map. So we usually did not download the apps for local public transit. We usually started with the AllSubway app. It had pretty good coverage for subways and trams. If we needed a bus map, we usually found a PDF to download and kept it on the phone.
If we didn’t want to walk, the first thing we checked was whether Uber was available. At home in Toronto, the local taxis are in such horrid shape that we only use Uber. If a city supported Uber, we found that it was generally easy and cheap to get around. When we visited Washington DC for cherry blossom season, the Uber app made it cheap and fast. We never used anything else.
I tried weather app after weather app to find one that I like. And one that seemed remotely reliable. Right now I have AccuWeather on my devices. The nice thing about AccuWeather was that I loaded it up with all the places we visited on a trip and I had a weather plan available – at least for a few days out.
On our recent trip to the big five Utah National Parks, I added two new apps. We spent a lot of time in large parks. And often scouted for the best photography spots. So I added the Apple Compass app to my travel screen. We also spent much of that trip above 4000’ in altitude. So I got an altimeter app too. We will see whether these have value and remain.
I used my Apple Watch to track my steps and exercise. David did this on his Garmin watch. But he just loved to turn the GPS tracker on when we went for a long hike. Or out for an adventure. It was always fun to see the maps that showed where we went.
Tools to help us get around are travel apps we used all the time.
5) Keeping In Touch With Friends And Family
We had varying success keeping in touch with our 3 kids when we travel. Often the communication came in fits and spurts. And each of them liked a different way to “chat”. So we used iMessages, Facebook Messenger and email apps. Sometimes all three if we had not heard from a kid in a while!
We generally didn’t try to do video conferencing with friends or family when we travelled. Often time zones were an issue. Sometimes connectivity did not make it practical. But we used the Skype app for emergency phone calls on more than one occasion.
We booked Afternoon Tea in Cape Town for Christmas Day. And they needed a phone call to finalize a reservation. On our visit to Sydney, we screwed up our arrival date and needed to call family waiting to pick us up. And we needed to do this as we ran through the Hong Kong Airport between connecting flights. When we had problems with our rental car in Page, Arizona, we spent over an hour on Skype calls with the insurance and rental car companies.
As long as we got a good wifi or data connection, Skype phone calls never failed us. And they were dirt cheap!
6) Staying Connected
We wrote before about how we stay connected when we travel. Our main international SIM is a KnowRoaming SIM. It proved seamless in so many countries. We had the choice to pay as we used services or buy data plans for full days. So much cheaper than using Roaming on our Canada cell phone plans!
We also travelled with a TEP Wireless hot spot. The KnowRoaming SIM gave us data and phone capability. But using my iPhone as a hotspot was hit or miss in many countries due to local limitations. So when we needed internet for more than one device, we used the TEP Wireless hot spot. The billing was per 24 hours of usage.
The KnowRoaming app provided everything needed to start up the SIM, select the package we wanted and pay. It was one of the travel apps we used all the time. The TEP Wireless device had a small screen and did not have a cell phone app. But it was easy to turn it on and to start service for a day.
7) Security When Travelling
Since I had my purse stolen in Madrid, I am very conscious about losing my iPhone. Or any other devices we travelled with. We have FindMyPhone turned on for every Apple device we own. It was a good safeguard if we lost a device and needed to wipe it. Even if it did not help to recover the lost device.
We paid for a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service and there was an app on every device. The VPN provided a secure and private channel when we worked on the internet. Especially valuable when the wifi was totally open. If you are not using a VPN, read the blog post to see why you should use a VPN when travelling.
We have Apple Keychain turned on. This ensured that our passwords were stored for many web sites (and some apps). And the passwords were easily accessible between devices.
But we also used a password keeper app called eWallet. We initially set up eWallet to store passwords. But over time Apple Keychain took over many of these logins. But eWallet had the ability to store much more than just passwords.
We stored identity information like passports and drivers license in eWallet. There was a section that we used for asset information like serial numbers for things we travelled with. We carried several different credit cards and these were stored in eWallet too. Since David and I organize totally differently, we can’t share one eWallet file. We both have our own, perfectly organized to our own needs. And I have a section in mine with key data I need for David (e.g. his passport info).
Keeping data safe and secure when we travelled was essential. There were travel apps that we used all the time to help with this.
8) Entertainment On The Go
My iPad was my device of choice for consuming content. Even with a larger iPhone, I didn’t look at the smaller screen for any length of time. And everything I needed for entertainment or education was on my iPad.
I use the RBDigital app from my local library to download a long list of magazines. They were free and there was no expiry date. My Apple Books library always got stocked with dozens of books when I travelled. There were a wide variety of books for every mood on the iPad. And if we downloaded PDF files, they were easily filed in Apple Books.
Video files were also downloaded to my iPad. I always made sure that any rented or purchased videos were loaded when I had fast internet at home. We recently signed up for Amazon Prime. And before we travelled the last time, I downloaded a bunch of new movies and tv shows to the Amazon Prime app.
I have Feedly loaded as a blog post reader. This ensured that I always saw the newest posts from bloggers I followed. But I also had my FlipBoard app pulling in from a large selection of FlipBoard sources. These two sources kept me up to date. And usually started my morning. If I had good internet connectivity to use them!
There were games, colouring books, puzzles and a host of other entertainment on my iPad. When I found time to relax, I knew my iPad had something for me to do. These are apps I wish I used more when travelling!
And All The Other Apps We Use When Travelling
Our devices had far more apps on them than we use every day. But many of them had very specific uses. The Clock app was great when we travelled through multiple time zones. And to know what time it was for kids who all lived in different time zones.
The Currency app helped when we needed to understand the cost of something. We had language apps that helped with common terms. And Google Translate helped if we had internet connectivity.
And of course, there are social media apps that we use far too frequently when we travel. We tried to post regularly during our travels to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But after posting 500 travel blogs, we learned it was hard to have a lot of interaction when we tried to stay focused in the moment.
There Are Many Travel Apps We Used All The Time
We have a large number of travel apps we use all the time. Many of our favourites have not changed over the years. The apps just seemed to get better.
We love apps that are great for a specific purpose. And don’t try to do everything. Even if it means some overlap at times in functionality.
Are the travel apps we used all the time some of your favourites too? Do you have an app suggestion for us?
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That’s a super cool list. I love Rome2Rio too, that’s always my first stop when I look into a new place.
Microsoft Onenote sounds like a cool idea. I’ll try that next time.
CityMaps2go also sounds good. We usually use Google Maps itself and download the offline of the area and use starred places. want to go, fav places options for differentiating icons and mark the places.
Bhushavali, I must admit I am very reticent about giving Google any more info than they already have about me. So won’t be using their map app. Although I am sure it might be a bit more up to date than CityMaps2Go in some places. I just wish Apple Maps had an offline capability. Linda
Fantastic list here guys. I have used (or still currently use) most of these apps but the one I dont use often is RometoRio, probably used that three times in the last five years. However the one which has got me out of trouble a lot is having a VPN, as I do a lot of traveling to China. How I was thankful to access Google Maps whilst out and about on the streets of Beijing. 😀
Danik, We have some favourite apps we use over and over again. The VPN saved us in China too. Otherwise we would have gone dark for a month!!! Linda
You have listed some wonderful Travel Apps which I have never used. I generally use Google Maps, Google translator and local apps. But I loved the Microsoft Onenote as it looks easy to organize all travel information. Also Rome2Rio App is super useful as it gives idea of distance by many means of transport. Know Roaming is highly essential for getting connected as I take international roaming which I found it very expensive option. Thanks for sharing some unique ideas.
Yukti, I am glad we were able to share some new travel apps with you. I must admit I don’t like to give Google too much information, so I often shy away from those apps. Linda
Wow you use so many apps! Quite impressive that they have useful features. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of these. I am an ardent fan of Google maps, inspite of the irritating fact that it keeps popping up for reviews of the places I have visited 😀 Will seriously consider switching to CityMaps2Go. Rome2Rio App too sounds useful. We got pickpocketed in Lisbon, never knew of VPN then. Very informative post.
Indrani, I hope a few of these travel apps prove useful to you. I have a hate on for Google and try not to give them any more info than I have to. Linda
I always try a lot of different apps for travel and I did not like a lot of them. I have always been searching for great travel apps, thank you for sharing this, this is really helpful. I use rometorio, it has been a huge help whenever I travel. Microsoft one note sounds great, need to try this out
Fae, I hope this list of apps proves helpful to you. We too have tried and discarded many that really did not work well. Linda
Well, these are some cool apps that we can use to help our travel planning. Like everyine, I am also a fan of Rometorio. MS OneNote looks like a good thing to use for planning. I might start using it. Thanks for suggesting an alternative of Google Maps. Though I always use G-Maps, but having an alternative is better. I had not known about using a VPN while travelling. I will surely look up on this.
Amrita, I am glad we provided a few new travel apps for you to look at. I am delighted to have an option to Google Maps. Linda
ok…you had me hooked and a little frenzied too. So many apps to try out now. And they all seem so useful. I largely use Google maps but now you have given me an alternative. Also, I am sure to check out rome2rio when planning. I hope they cover a lot of Asian destinations. Thanks for this useful post.
Ami, we used most of these when we travelled in Asia and SE Asia. So hopefully they will work tor you. Linda
Thats quite an exhaustive list of travel app that u r using . I dont know whether all of them will be currently available in India or not as i belong from there but each has amazing helpful features . For me i use an offline maps of Google or mapsme when travelling abroad and for booking i use skyscanner , layak extensively. I am not an apple device user except my MacBook or else would be keen on using the one’s u have recommended ..great post
Debjani, I am glad to provide some new ones to check out. I too use my Mac for most of our planning. But when we are travelling it is good to have some things on my phone for easy access. But I have had to whip out my Mac once or twice. Linda
Wow! I have never thought that are now a lot of travel apps. I only have the booking apps installed on my phone but I certainly need help in organizing travel information. Can’t wait to try TripIt. Very timely since I started booking hotels already for next year. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
Clarice, I am glad this blog post introduced some new travel apps to you. I hope TripIt helps you to keep track of your travel. Linda
This post is really helpful because so many of these apps I have never heard of. City Maps 2 Go sounds like a great app. I’m always traveling without data so the ability to download a map ahead of time would definitely come in handy. Do you ever use WhatsApp for staying in touch with friends and family? It’s free and you can text, call and video call as long as you have wifi. Doesn’t work in an emergency, but I love it!
Elizabeth, I am glad to introduce you to some new travel apps. We used WhatsApp a few times with our kids. It worked well too. Linda
Great list of travel apps. I like RomeToRio too. It’s so handy and make planning easier.I haven’t heard of CityMaps2Go but will check them out. I have a TEP but haven’t used it in years since I know have Tmobile.
Debra, I am glad this post introduced some new apps to you. CityMaps2Go has been our go-to navigation app for years. Linda
I use Evernote for storing information about a place when I travel. I load the info via my laptop but it’s also available via the app on my mobile which is great for travel. Must take a re-look at RomeToRio, I have it but haven’t used it!
Annette, We started with Evernote but gave it up for MSOneNote for the tab like interface. Rome2Rio is great for looking at travel times and options. Linda
I seriously don’t know what I did before Tripit. What amazing capability for free!
I do use Rome2Rio quite a bit as well but from time to time it does struggle with ferry connections in Europe ( probably because the time tables are rarely released before summer).
Sandra, I don’t often use Rome2Rio to get down to the schedule level – just to see what options there are. But still really useful. I have never upgraded TripIt and use the base capability too. Glad these are good picks for you too. Linda
This post made me wonder why I still carry all my bookings and travel itineraries on paper… I’ve just started using Evernote so I’ll see if it serves a purpose for travel. And I will get around to using a VPN!
Delphine, We do carry some of our travel data in several places to have some redundancy. But try to carry as little in paper as possible. Hope some of these prove helpful. Linda
I’m also a big fan of TripIt. It makes it so easy to keep track of all of the details I need at my fingertips. I’d never heard of RomeToRio before reading this article. Now I’m excited to check it out!
Sage, I hope you find Rome2Rio helpful. It is great for planning your trip. Or figuring out how to get around when travelling. Linda
Such a good list and so important for travel! I just got myself a VPN and am wondering why I hadn’t earlier. Thats my number one must have for when I travel.
Samantha, I am glad you found the list helpful. And great that you are travelling with a VPN. So many ways to get hacked these days. Linda
Great list! We use some of these and some are new to us. We used Maps.me for our offline maps and it’s really come in handy. We also use an app based bank too and things like watsapp to stay connected. We love downloading films and tv shows on netflix too.
We had several people recommend Maps.me to us. Will need to check it out. Also a lot of people using watsapp. Good to see some new suggestions. Linda
I love learning new tips and tricks! I am definitely going to check out RomeToRio and Tripit. Right now my main source of planning and tracking is OneNote. Great info shared, now I need to use it!
Renee, I am glad this post provided you with some ideas for new apps for travel planning and during travelling. Linda
I always love hearing about which apps travellers use. I have only used a few of these such as VPN and Skype with its super cheap calls. Definitely going to look into KnowRoaming and the Tep Wireless Device. Thanks for the tips!
Alison, I am always glad to share our travel tips. Linda
Call me old school but I still write down most of the info in a dairy. But the suggested apps and their uses do look super interesting and I would love to check out some of them! Thanks for this amazing compilation.
Ketki, I hope you find some of these apps useful. We still use a bit of paper. But so much easier to have the information electronically. And be able to see it across devices. Linda
Adding Rome2Rio and OneNote to apps to try. I’ve not been a fan of TripIt but maybe you need the paid version to really enjoy it. I would never travel without my VPN and you’ve reminded me to always have Find my Phone on! Thanks!
Annick, Glad to have provided some new travel app suggestions for you. Linda
Wow! That’s a lot of travel app and I haven’t heard most of them. I heard about VPN though and how more and more people use it lately. I used to use skype but now I moved to whatsapp. You can do video call as well with it. But I still use a book for our itinerary. Haha…
Umiko, Always happy to share our travel tips. Lots of people still seem to relay on paper. Linda
CityMaps2Go is our go-to mapping app and we use it to make notes of places we have seen, like and want to remember — street art for example. We use WhatApp to stay in touch around the world. For communication, we rely on a T-Mobile global plan so we have no need of country SIMS — a blessing. And for security, I still can’t believe how many people have not heard of and still do not use a VPN!!! We’ve used one for years and it is essential digital security!
Michael, I too don’t understand why so many people travel without a VPN. We sure wish we Canadians could get a T-Mobile global plan! Linda
Great post!! Sorry to hear that you have lost your valuables in Madrid, I mean losing my phone in a foreign country is an absolute night mare I have loved apps that make my journey relatively easier and thanks to your post I have learned some really great ones too. I would love to try out some that will help to move around while I am in a different country.
Daniel, It certainly did freak me out to lose my purse and my phone. So many apps I rely on. Luckily many of them are available on other platforms and the data is seamless. Hope some of these apps prove helpful. Linda