The Top 5 Travel Apps for your Smartphone

Category: Travel Journal

Nowadays, traveling without your smartphone is like traveling naked. But did you know your smartphone is good for more than email-checking and words with friends while you’re killing time in the airport? Add these five apps to your phone and you'll become more organized, save time, and take great pictures.

You probably didn't know Lonely Planet has over 125 guides that are accessible from your Android or iPhone. That’s right, you can access the classic guidebooks without having to lug them around with you. With this app in your pocket, you'll be navigating London or Rome like a native in no time. Phrasebooks available as well. iPhone, Android, prices range from free to $7.99. 

Photography apps are ubiquitous these days (um, enough with the Instagram, people!), but Pano is one of the coolest ones we’ve seen. It allows you to take gorgeous panoramic images of your surroundings, so make all of your friends jealous with that photo text from the heights of Macchu Picchu. Or, you know, just snap an undercover image of the Zach Galifianakis doppleganger at Gate B12. iPhone, Android, Windows phone. $1.99

The incredible Americana roadtrip website, Roadside America, is now in app form! Use this as you’re driving along Route 66 and you won’t miss one taxidermy museum or one giant statue made of trash. Includes contact information of attractions, and is also available in an offline version. For iPhone, $2.99

These sharp tourists could really use some of these apps, agreed?


FlightTrack Pro is designed for keeping track of flights, either your own or those of friends and family. You can watch your flight travel across the continents, get instant updates on flight status, and more, including an inflight mode so you aren't forced to pull an Alec Baldwin with a flight attendant. The app also offers terminal maps, so you'll never get lost in crazy and confusing Newark airport ever again! $9.99 for iPhone, iPad and Android.

TripIt, which describes itself as “dragging travel kicking and screaming into the 21st century” is, in our opinion, the most vital travel app in terms of helping you get organized. The app takes all of your travel-related emails and turns them into an easy, searchable itinerary. It also syncs with your calendar and it's easy to share your flights and schedules through social media, too. Also available in TripItPro, which is a subscription-based service. Free, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows phone, Blackberry.