Smartphone apps are a great way to plan & enhance your travel. Below is a list of my favorite iPhone apps that I use while travelling. The best part? Most of these apps are free unless I’ve specified a cost.
1. Trip Planning
- Expedia‘s Trip Assist — Great way to book or manage trips via Expedia.
- Trip Advisor — I use Trip Advisor before booking any hotel because I find the reviews invaluable. Plus, users can post pictures of the hotels which gives you an honest look at the property instead of the “dressed up” photos from 15 years ago.
- Airbnb — This is the coolest app. It’s a booking tool that features unique places to rent. You can rent a luxury villa, an igloo or a house shaped like a boot!
- Jetsetter — It’s invitation-only & features flash travel sales to exotic destinations all over the world. This app features every kind of hotel you can think of – luxury properties, trendy hang-outs, or eco-conscious resorts – for discounts as high as 50% off! Love this app!!
- TripIt — Great app for managing your travel itinerary.
2. Logistics (Air, Train, etc)
- FlyDelta
- TripTracker — Keeps track of all your travel plans across different airlines. Will notify you of any changes to your reservations.
- GateGuru — Great app for identifying products & services in each terminal at the airport.
- Rail Europe — This is a must-have app for European train travel. You can easily check arrival/departure times and book tickets.
- Amtrak
- AllSubway HD — this is a WONDERFUL app! It features maps for 128 different cities around the world (i.e. Atlanta, Amsterdam, Chicago, Sydney, London, Paris, Cairo, Buenos Aires, etc.)
- Taxi Magic — Electronic taxi booking service. Great for finding out what rates should be.
3. Tours
- Viator — I’ve been using Viator for 2 years and love it! The app is super easy to use and great for showing you last-minute deals on tours.
- Rick Steves‘ Audio Europe – Free audio tours you can download from iTunes. Tour cover Paris (i.e. the Louvre), Rome, Florence, etc. It’s a great app if you don’t want to pay for an audio guide.
4. Food & Drinks
- Starbucks — In case you need your caffeine fix on the go.
- Zagat — Provides ratings and reviews for restaurants worldwide ($9.99)
- UrbanSpoon — You can find local restaurants by shaking your device and watching nearby restaurants slide up and down your screen like a slot machine. This app covers the U.S. Canada, UK and Australia.
- Foodspotting — Shows nearby restaurants and allows users to recommend specific dishes.
5. General
- Cultures — This is a great app to educate yourself on the local customs for each country you visit.
- Currency — I use this app ALL THE TIME! I absolutely love it. Enter in the amount in a particular currency and it will show you what it costs in U.S. dollars and vice versa.
- Google Translate — Great app for simple translations.
- Free Wi-Fi Finder
6. Country-specific apps
- London = London Tube Map; JourneyPro
- Paris = ParisMetro
Here are a few resources that can help you find travel apps for your device type.
International Travel Chick 
This is one of my favorite posts. It really was a great trip.