Nine Apps That May Change How You Travel

ExpertFlyer

Snagging a last-minute flight deal is cause for celebration—until you get to the seat-reservation page only to see nothing but middle seats available. Increase your odds of getting a better seat by downloading the ExpertFlyer app and setting up a Seat Alert. Pick your dream spot on the plane, and the app will alert you if your seat becomes available so you can jump in and snag it. ExpertFlyer lets you set up one seat alert at a time for free. Or, upgrade to a Basic Account for $4.99 per month and you can program up to four seat alerts at one time. Need even more alerts? The Premium Account lets you set up to 30 flight and seat alerts for $9.99 a month.

Free to $9.99/month (Premium account); Available on Apple and Android

Camera+

This camera app could change the way you travel—by letting you travel without a camera. Equipped with exposure and focus adjusters, a stabilizer setting, a burst feature to take rapid shots, a digital zoom, and much more, Camera+ turns your iPhone into a high-performing camera. Use it to edit, store, and share your pictures as well.

$0.99; Available on Apple

PocketEarth

Never get lost again thanks to PocketEarth. Chock full of interactive maps (over 100,000 places worldwide), detailed travel guides, bicyclist maps, and much more, the PocketEarth app will guide your way. Best of all, you can access your maps offline so you won't have to use data roaming to navigate.

$2.99; Available on Apple

Viber

How do you stay in touch when you're abroad without incurring massive roaming fees? Simple: Download the Viber app (and get your friends and family to download it too). Call and text other Viber users and it's completely free—no matter where you or your friends are. (You will have to be connected to Wi-Fi to make/receive free calls and texts without using data.) You don't even need to be using the same network provider as the people you're calling, just as long as you all have Viber.

Free; Available on Apple, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Bada.

BillPin

Tired of fighting over who owes what for hotel bills, shared meals, or taxi rides on vacation? Simply download the BillPin app and you can easily split expenses, whether you're with a group of two or 20. Just "pin" a bill and the app will email everyone in the group and let them know how much they owe. This will help you keep track of who paid for what on the road and eliminate making waiters split a bill five ways. Best of all, the app is free, so you won't have to split that bill!

Free; Available on Apple and Android

ITranslate

Never be thwarted by language barriers again. With the iTranslate app, you'll be able to "speak" any language instantly. The app translates words and phrases from 60-plus languages. iTranslate is equipped with voice recognition, so you can speak a sentence in your native language, and have it instantaneously translated into another tongue. Don't want to sound like a robot if you have to use your app's voice to translate for you? Use the Text-to-Speech feature, which lets you set dialects, choose a male or female voice, and even control the speaking rate. Or, simply use the app's dictionaries to look up a word.

Free (features such as voice recognition and yearly subscriptions range from $1.99 to $4.99); Available on Apple and Android

Picfari

How do people get that amazing (or cheesy) picture where it looks like they're holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Or that awesome sunset picture at just the right angle in front of the pyramids? Picfari has the answers. This app will show you the best photo ops in your destination and the exact spots to take the best shots. Not sure what you want to snap? Search by city or place name and browse others' photos for inspiration. Select photos you like the most, and create your own personalized Picfari itinerary.

Free; Available on Apple

Fly Delta

You'll never look at flying the same way again after getting the Fly Delta app. Sure, the app lets you search for flights, download entertainment, and read up on your destination, but its coolest feature by far is the Glass-Bottom Jet. This nifty feature can only be used if you're in the air on a Delta flight and connected to Wi-Fi; it lets you see pictures of what you're flying over and read about what's below you. (For example, if you're flying over New York City, you can read a Wikipedia article about it, view pictures, and see which of your Facebook friends are there.)

Free; Available on Android and Apple. Certain features (like the Glass-Bottom Jet) are only available on iPad.

Trail Wallet

Whether you're on a strict budget or just want to keep track of how much you're spending while on the road, Trail Wallet can help you out. Use the app to set a daily budget for your trip and then track your expenses as you go. No need to hang on to receipts or try to convert currencies every time. See how you're doing in pie chart or itemized form, and even organize your spending by category. The app even automatically updates with current exchange rates to keep your tracking accurate.

$1.99; Available on Apple

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