10 Holiday Travel Apps that Deserve App-laud
by Joanna Clark
Nov 11, 2011 9:04 AM –
The holidays should be all about family, friends, food, and fun – don’t let unnecessary travel frustrations spoil the spirit.
How many pairs of socks will I need? What will the weather be like Friday? What time will my flight get in? Where’s the closest gas station?
For many, the holidays are a time of traveling. Whether visiting family and friends or utilizing the time off to explore new places, it’s a hectic time to travel. And during the holidays, the typical travel stresses – like packing, flight delays and weather– are coupled with heighten airport security, congested highways, and unfamiliar locales.
When these inconveniences begin to mount, you can fight back with apps. Whether you’ll be on the ground or in the air – here are 10 apps the will help simplify your holiday travels. We’ve included quick & convenient download links below:
1. Packing List – Do you struggle to pack your bags as well as mom did? Never fear – Packing List helps you organize your items by bag and automatically sets how many of each item you will need based on the length of your trip. By emailing or sharing the list, you’ll also have a record of your belongings in case your luggage is lost or stolen.
Packing List
Free, $1.50
Packing List helps you to create and maintain packing lists. It not only lets user to create a list from scratch, but also allows you to generate lists from an existing one. This application comes with a pre-loaded packing master list. You can simply check the categories/ items for their trip, click on “Generate List” menu item and you will have a packing list ready in no time.
2. The Weather Channel – Not sure what to throw in the suitcase? See weather forecasts as far ahead as 10 days with the weather channel app. Be sure to plan your next week, next day or even next hour appropriately.
The Weather Channel
Free, $1.50
Animated radar & more! Download the power of The Weather Channel to your phone. The Weather Channel’s staff of 200+ meteorologists, along with our patented ultra-local TruPoint(sm) technology, allow us to provide you with the weather tools you need to plan your day, week, or even the next hour.
3. FlightView – For tracking your own flights or timing airport pickups – FlightView is the ultimate app for real-time flight information. The FlightView app will automatically update you if your flight plans change and will provide insight into which airports are experiencing the heaviest delays. And its social media, email, and text integration allows travelers to easily share trip itineraries and flight status information. If you or a loved one is in the air this holiday season, be sure FlightView is in your pocket.
FlightView Elite FlightTracker
Free, $0.99, $3.99
Flight tracking app from the leaders in real-time flight information. Real-time flight tracking from industry leaders. Track flights live & save to My Trips. View Arrivals & Departures Boards for US & Canada’s largest airports. See gates, delays & cancellations. Instant flight status change alerts. Send trip itinerary or flight status to others or calendar. View airport delay map + weather.
4. Trip Advisor – One of the best trip planners out there, TripAdvisor gives you access to millions of real travelers’ reviews and opinions of hotels, restaurants and attractions. Check out the community forums to read tips from travelers about the destination you’re visiting. The user friendly interface and built in maps makes TripAdvisor a must have download.
Trip Advisor
Free
TripAdvisor is a detailed and comprehensive travel companion app with lots of information about restaurants, places of interest, hotels, flights and more. The app is the Android portal to the popular and busy website of the same name, and it allows you to access the forums, reviews and guides right on your Android device.
5. OpenTable – With access to over 15,000 restaurants in the US, Canada, and the U.K., OpenTable makes booking online reservations easy – no matter what type of device you have. Simply search for a restaurant by name or location, filter responses (by price, reservation time, cuisine and location), make the reservation, and voila! A confirmation email will be sent right to you. In addition, customer reviews and ratings are built right into the app along with menus and restaurant summaries.
OpenTable
Free
Free reservations at 15,000+ restaurants in the US, Canada, Mexico and UK Restaurant Reservations – Free, Instant, Confirmed. With OpenTable for Android you can make free restaurant reservations at more than 15,000 OpenTable-enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Plus, OpenTable members earn valuable Dining Rewards Points redeemable for Dining Cheques good at any OpenTable restaurant.
6. GasBuddy – Cheap gas? Yes please. Use the search bar or choose “find gas near me” to use your current location. Bookmark favorite stations, set up a profile, and set your default fuel type and preferred travel distance. BONUS: the more gas prices you submit, the more points you get, as you reach certain point levels you are entered to win free gas. Every week a $250 gas card is given away!
GasBuddy - Find Cheap Gas
Free
GasBuddy helps you find the cheapest gas prices in your area. Find the cheapest gas on the go – for free! Gas prices for USA and Canada only. In one click, locate gas stations near you and see their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again.
7. iExit – Exit signs have limited space and no room for details. With the iExit app, highway travelers can see what attractions are coming up in real time. Search by favorite chain, find cheap hotels, and know where to find the nearest rest areas – if you’re on the road trip of a life time or travelling to grandma’s house, every highway journey has its pit stops – plan yours more easily!
iExit Interstate Exit Guide
Free
FREE for a limited time! iExit tells you what’s coming up in real time when driving on the interstate. Select your favorite chains and it will tell you which upcoming exits have them. Ever been on a road trip and craved certain fast food? Ever needed to find a cheap hotel from the road? Ever wondered where the next rest area is? Are you a truck driver? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, iExit needs to be on your phone.
8. Trover – If your itinerary usually includes the word “explore” and that’s it, Trover is the app for you. As you stroll around town, images are presented in a tumble-like style so you know when you’re coming up on something another traveler found interesting or fun. Make your own contributions to the app by posting discoveries you make with the snap of a photo.
Trover
Free
Find and share remarkable things nearby. Trover is a mobile discovery network that lets you share remarkable places and things in a fun, visual way – all based on your location. – Visually explore interesting things to see and do nearby – Post your own discoveries by snapping a photo – Celebrate when friends encounter your discoveries
9. WiFi Finder – The name says it all. The newest version features over 550,000 free and paid locations in 144 countries worldwide. The app works online or offline so you always know where to go to get connected.
WiFi Finder
Free
Wi-Fi Finder for Android Now for both phones and tablets!!! (Phone users: Wi-Fi Finder requires phone call permission on the phone version as an easy way to call the public Wi-Fi location when viewing the detail view of a Wi-Fi hotspot. The app will NEVER make calls unless you explicitly click on the phone icon and confirm that you would like to call the Wi-Fi location.)
10. Trip Journal – Record your journey! Trip Journal tracks your route, records photos and videos you take, saves notes you write and exports the full memory right to Google Earth or Facebook. Pin the places you stop along the way and leave photos and videos of the things you came across. It’s a digital scrapbook you can share to friends and family at the push of a button.
Trip Journal
Free, $2.99
Record your trips and share them with your friends on Facebook, Earth and more. Use Trip Journal to document your vacation experiences and share them with your friends and family.
Do you have any good Android apps for holiday travel to recommend? If so, drop them in the comments below!