Apps to Check Out the Next Time You Travel

For Airports and Flights

1 LoungeBuddy
Luxurious and attractive, airport lounges offer a host of amenities for travellers. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an app that told us what each airport lounge has in store for us? Well, guess what? There is one and it’s called LoungeBuddy. This app helps you browse through lounges in different airports and gives you information about what each one has to offer. One can even look at the photos and reviews from other travellers.


2 Priority Pass
Wouldn’t it be nice to relax and enjoy a quick bite at the airport lounge before hopping on your next flight? Priority Pass provides information about 1300+ airport lounges. With indoor airport maps that can help you make your way through the airport, Priority Pass also has attractive offers for its users – right from discounts on airport dining and spas to even a free drink at many lounges.
 

3 Skyscanner
An extremely popular option for the booking of flights, Skyscanner takes flight details from as many as 300 websites across the world to give users the best costs, as well as shows the most inexpensive and shortest flight routes. It also gives information on hotels and cab rentals.


4 Kayak
Kayak is a one-stop-shop app for all travel enthusiasts. It gets information from hundreds of websites to give you the results that you are looking for – whether it’s cheap flights or car rentals. It even gives you price alerts so that you don’t miss out on good deals.


5 FlightAware Flight Tracker
Flight delays are common in the world of travel. However, thanks to the FlightAware Flight Tracker, you can now track real-time information on flights. Whether you are at home or the airport, this app gives you notification alerts on every little detail about a flight, the route that it’s on, and if it’s delayed.
 

During the Flight
 

1 Calm
If you wish to use your travel time to catch up on some rest, Calm is the app for you. As the name goes, Calm is a sleep and meditation app that helps you relax. During those long hours on a flight, you can use this app to rejuvenate before you head out for a meeting at your next destination.


2 Time Shifter
While travelling is something that everyone enjoys, the jet lag that comes along is not something that anyone looks forward to. Time Shifter, the jet lag app, helps travellers adjust to different time zones in a simple and organic way by telling them when to get sleep, look at light, and consume caffeine.


3 Netflix
Available in over 190 countries across the world, Netflix is a good companion for travellers as they can catch up on the latest shows and movies of their choice on a flight. With the ‘download’ option, they can watch their favourite content offline.
 

4 Spotify
A digital music, podcast, and video service that gives one access to millions of songs and other content from across the world, Spotify is a great app to use on a long flight. With some simple ways - like downloading the songs or opting for Spotify Premium - one can still use it on airplane mode.
 

For Stay
 

1 Airbnb
Tired of staying in hotels and instead looking for unique holiday homes? Airbnb helps you scan through millions of unique yet comfortable homes from local hosts as per your budget. It acts as a bridge between travellers looking for homes in specific locales and hosts in these locations looking to rent out their homes.
 

2 Booking.com
A small Dutch start-up in the 90s, booking.com is one of the world’s largest travel companies today. Millions of users rely on it to make their holiday a memorable one. From good deals on hotels to transportation options in the country of your choice, booking.com is one of the most preferred apps amongst travellers.


3 Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor needs no introduction as it is used by billions of travellers around the world. Debolina Ray, a popular food and travel influencer who runs the blog www.sheknowsgrub.com, considers Tripadvisor as her Bible when it comes to travel. “Although I like to break everything down and plan the trip myself, I refer to Tripadvisor when it comes to international travel. It has everything – hotels, tours, reviews, and it’s all honest unlike other platforms where people may get kickbacks from reviews. I also take inputs from Tripadvisor’s Viator app,” she says. 
 

4 TripIt
Love travelling but hate making itineraries? Not to worry, a travel planner called TripIt will do it all for you! All you need to do is enter the basic details about your trip like the hotel you will be staying at, the digital code on your passport, and even your cab details, and it syncs everything on your calendar to provide you with a comprehensive itinerary.
 

5 HotelTonight
Planning a holiday last minute and looking for good hotel deals? HotelTonight is an app that you should check out. This is one of the few travel apps that travel writer Ashwin Rajagopalan uses. “As a writer, I travel to write as opposed to travelling for travel. So I have my regular sources for everything. But HotelTonight is one app that has given me some great deals on hotels a number of times. Now with hotel rates being at an all-time high, this is an extremely helpful app,” he says.
 

At a New Destination
 

1 Google Translate
Travellers are often victims of the language barrier. However, with Google Translate, one can easily translate between several languages and even translate text from images. An extremely handy app especially during international travel, Google Translate has 133 languages that users can opt from. Phew, no more worrying about communicating with the locals during your travels anymore!
 

2 XE – Converter & Money Transfer App
Though there are a range of currency converter apps that are popular among travellers, digital creator Nivedith Gajapathy’s (www.macrotraveller.com) favourite is XE – Converter & Money Transfer App, which converts 180+ currencies and features up-to-the-minute exchange rates. “Not only do you get real-time conversions and current costs but you also get a graph of the previous months to tally with. Every traveller is always looking to get better exchange rates and this is one app that helps you do just that,” he says. 
 

3 Google Maps
One of the best apps to use while travelling is Google Maps. Not only does it show you the best route to a particular place, it also gives you real-time traffic updates and information on accidents and road closures.
 

4 WhatsApp
This app is probably used by almost every single person on the planet. A free and secure messaging app, WhatsApp has become an inevitable part of our lives as it’s easy-to-use and extremely quick. Whether you want to share photographs with your family back home or send a message to your travel agent from the airport, WhatsApp is always there.


5 Happy Cow
Vegetarians and vegans are often sceptical about international travel due to the limited food options. But with the Happy Cow app, one can easily find vegan/vegetarian restaurants and cafes across the world. Users can scan through more than 185,000 restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores in over 180 countries and discover fabulous vegetarian and vegan local cuisine wherever they go. Who said only meat lovers have all the fun?
 

To Stay Safe
 

1 Smart Traveler
The official State Department app for US travellers, Smart Traveler offers travel alerts, warnings, maps, locations of US embassies among other information, and provides you up-to-date information about the United States to help you organize your trips more efficiently.


2 Trip Whistle
Ever wondered what’s the emergency number of the country you are heading to? Although Google is always there for basic research, Trip Whistle gives you access to a comprehensive list of international emergency numbers from across the world to get help in a jiffy. Whether it’s the local fire department or police station, you can find all the numbers easily along with the necessary GPS coordinates.
 

3 Uber
We’ve all used Uber to take us to places near and far. The app, which is available in over 600 cities across the world, is extremely handy during travel especially in a new place where you may not know the routes. Whether you are going on a holiday or a business trip, Uber takes you easily to your destination and you can even schedule your ride to the airport as per your plans.