10 Apps to Make Travel Easier

If your phone is going to take up precious space in your luggage, make it earn its keep. Download these 10 great apps that will help make travel easier—from packing to picking a seat on the plane, and much more!

SeatGuru: Everyone’s favorite seating advice website (and one of our sister sites) has gone mobile. Access seat maps from more than 700 different types of planes to see which economy seats are the best and which have drawbacks, e.g., next to bathrooms. Available on Apple, free

Google Translate: Download this app if you’re going anywhere where you don’t speak the language. You can type or speak words and the app will translate the words (and speak them aloud). The app features 63 language options. Available on Apple and Android, free

Evi: An app that aims to be your personal assistant, Evi is gunning for Siri’s job. Evi’s advantage? It’s available on Android. Use the app to ask questions about local attractions, get directions, and more. Available on Apple, 99 cents; and Android, free

TripIt Pro: Yes, this app is pricey, but we think it’s worth it. You’ll get all the benefits of the trip-organizing website, plus privileges like a one-year VIP membership that will give you access to over 1,000 business lounges worldwide (a $660 value). Don’t want to shell out? You can get the regular TripIt app, which consolidates all your reservations, maps, and confirmation e-mails, for free. Available on Apple, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7 ($49 per year for TripIt Pro, free for regular TripIt)

Chefs Feed: Why are you taking advice from regular Joes on Yelp about which restaurant to eat in on the road, when you could be dining where the chefs do? This app features reviews from the country’s best chefs on where to eat in cities across the U.S. They’ll even tell you what the best local dish is—and where to find it. Available on Apple and Android, free

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Visual Travel Checklist: Always forgetting something when you pack? Not any more, with the Visual Travel Checklist. Choose from sample lists or create your own custom list, and drag items into the packing area, where it will be easier to see that you’ve packed way too many shoes. Available on Apple, $1.99

Frommer’s Day by Day: Ditch the clunky guide books and still have destination information at your fingertips with Frommer’s Day by Day guidebooks in iPad and iPhone format. Use the apps to plan your itinerary using interactive maps, check out photos of sights, and search for phone numbers of attractions and restaurants. Available on Apple, price varies by guide

ATM Hunter: Need cash, but have no idea where the nearest ATM is in a foreign city? MasterCard’s app will use your phone’s GPS to find the nearest ATM. Search for your own bank to avoid fees or sort by lowest surcharge fee for non-members. The app also lets you see where exactly the ATM is located, and what hours it’s accessible. Available on Apple and Android, free

iflybags: See if you’re going to get hit with baggage fees (and how much) with this handy app. Plug in your baggage and flight information, and the app will calculate how many bags you can check, and what you’ll pay for going over. You can also input frequent flyer/rewards and credit card info, to see if you get any extra baggage allowance that way. Available on Apple, $1.99

Postcard on the Run: Want to send postcards to loved ones back home, but don’t want to waste vacation time standing in line at the local post office? Use this app to snap your own custom photo, add a personal message, and pay for the postcard and mailing cost, and the service will print and mail your postcards! Postcard on the Run has partnered with Viceroy Hotel Group, so guests can snap a photo and have it sent with the hotel’s logo. Available on Apple and Android, free to download (but postcards are not free to send).

You Might Also Like:

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• 10 New Travel Apps You Need Right Now
• 5 Apps the Airlines Don’t Want You to Use