36 + Best Apps To Use When You Travel

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #DataAndAMovie #CollectiveBias

36 + Best Apps To Use When You Travel

In our continued partnership with Walmart and the Samsung Galaxy S5, I’m back to show you more ways to use your phone while you travel. Last month I talked about 12 smartphone travel hacks you need to know before traveling, and also showing how to make a travel tech box with all the essentials.  Today, I’m sharing some of the Best Apps To Use When You Travel! We love hitting the road for a getaway, and these Apps To Help You Save On Travel are some of our favorites to keep our budget intact. Travel can fit into any budget. You simply have to book wisely and make sure that you are accounting for the money spent in other ways in your budget. Giving up treats, cable or other regular expenses can easily save a nice amount toward your vacation. To make that vacation savings account go even further, you can use these awesome apps to save even more.

Planning Your Trip

TripAdvisor’s City Guides. This free app is a great resource for our destination. It gives you the ability to check out local hot spots, find out hours, prices and best things to see. It’s a great way to find fun free things to do with the family in your next destination.

TripIt. This app isn’t for savings, but it is for organizing your trip. You can log reservations, rental information, confirmation numbers and more into this app. Ultimately this will save you money by keeping everything you need together in one place.

Wunderlist. Are you traveling with your family or want a running list to stay organized? This app will not only help you stay organized while you plan and pack for your trip, but you can share it with others and sync it to work with your desktop, iPad, Android, etc.

PackPoint. Packpoint is another app to use to help you organize and pack for your trip. It will help you decide what to pack depending on your destination. Cool, right?

RoadTrippers. Planning a road trip? The Roadtrippers app is here to help you out. This is the go-to app for planning a road trip in the United States. This app will help you create a customized map, including finding cool spots along the way.

ShipMate. Planning a cruise? Then the ShipMate app is one to use while planning and going on your cruise. You can take a look at all of the different ports you will be docking at, and even finding out other passengers who will be on your cruise.

TripIt. This app will help you keep track of all of your travel plans. It will combine your flight, hotel, car rental, things to do, etc. into one master itinerary.

Booking Hotels/Airfare/Car Rental

Priceline. Yes, this site and app are used mostly for booking rooms, flights and cars – but it is great to have on hand should your plans change at the last minute. Sometimes it just takes more time than you expected and you need to stay an extra night along the way. Having a booking app at your fingertips is perfect for those last minute reservations you need to make.

Groupon. You think about this app for fun deals on random items, but one of the best things is when you can save on local entertainment. Being able to check prices at your destination and save on things like movies, restaurants or play centers is great and easy with this app. Every little bit of saving helps.

Hopper. I just started using hopper, but so far I like it. This app watches flight prices all day and can predict the right time book your flight, helping you save up to 40%.

Hotel Tonight. Looking for a last-minute hotel for the night? Hotel Tonight is the app you want to have on your phone, to help you not only save money but find the best hotel for you and your family.

SkyScanner. I started using this app (and desktop version) last year and love it. You can check prices for domestic and international flights to ensure you get the best deal!

Airbnb. I have yet to book an Airbnb, but I am planning a few upcoming trips, and having this app for easy access is important. You can search for accommodations, like a small apartment to a huge beach house.  Don’t sleep on Airbnb, many times they have better prices than a regular hotel.

I also recommend temporarily downloading the app for your airline. This will help you keep track of any gate changes or flight delays. And with some airlines, you can check in right from the app!

Transportation:

Uber: I just recently used Uber for the first time on a trip to Morey’s Pier. I am in LOVE with it. If you want to ditch the taxi cabs and get there faster for a lower price, try Uber.

Lyft: I haven’t personally tried Lyft yet, but a lot of people love it over Uber.

Gas Buddy. Nobody likes paying high gas prices on the road, and this is seriously the best app to check local gas and diesel prices. No matter where you are, you can open the app and find out the latest low priced gas in the area. It is my favorite app to help save money on travel.

Parkmobile. If you are driving around looking for a place to park, especially in the City, you need the parkmobile app. Once parked, you can pay right in the app. And if you’re one of those people who forget where you parked, never fear! This app will also tell you where you parked your car. Genius! {Dude Where’s My Car is another app to use to help you find your car!}

Finding Food Deals/Restaurants:

KidsMealsDeals.  This is a great app to check out if you want to find a local restaurant that is offering discounts or Free Kids Meals.

Yelp. This is one of my favorite apps to use when looking for food, things to do or places to stay. You can read the reviews others leave as well. This will help you determine if this restaurant is a good spot, or if you should spend your money on that particular attraction.

Instagram. Although this app is for posting pictures, you can also find things to do, places to eat, and the best hotels to stay in your destination city. I LOVE using Instagram to find good places to eat. Just search by the hashtag for that particular city or area. I am a visual person, so being able to see reviews from other foodies is how I choose our restaurant.

AroundMe.  This is a great FREE Travel app to download. It helps you find places around you. Especially if you need to find an ATM, grocery store. It will let you know all the stores, restaurants, attractions around the area you’re visiting.

OpenTable. This app comes in handy even at home. If you want to book a reservation or see the restaurants around you with open tables, just use this app.

Foodspotting.  Want the real reviews on the local restaurants and dives?  This is the place to go.  Not only will you find the best food in your vacation destination, but you’ll find great reviews or pans to help you know if it is a hit or miss for your family.

Chefs Feed. Get recommendations on where to eat in the United States from some of the top Chefs around the world. {Zagat is another app you can use for food reviews}

Favado App. This is a grocery matching app, which you can use when you’re at home or when traveling. When we travel and stay at a resort or vacation house, we save money by cooking many of our meals. I use this app to help me find the best deals at the grocery stores around me.

CoffeeGuru, Spro or CoffeeTalk. You can find some of the best coffee shops around by using one of these apps. If you’re brand picky, you can find apps for Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc. Be sure to check out my DIY Travel Coffee Kit, so you can take your favorite coffee with you!

Other Good Apps To Have:

Free WIFI Finder App. Saving my data is important. With the Walmart Family Mobile Plus Plan, you will have extra data to use while traveling. However, I still like to save my data and use free WIFI whenever I can. You can use this app to find free hotspots/WIFI in your area.

Disney World or Disneyland App. Planning a trip to Disney or Disney World? You must download their app. This will let you know the schedule for the day, wait time for the rides, where to find the bathrooms, where to meet characters and more. On our recent trip to Disneyland, this app was a life-saver for knowing the wait times for rides. If you’re planning to visit other amusement parks, such as Universal, Cedar Point, Six Flags, etc, be sure to download their apps as well. You can always delete them after your visit.

Goldstar. Using this app will help you save money on attractions. I also recommend using Groupon and Living Social to help you find things to do in your area. With Goldstar, you can find half-price tickets for live entertainment, basketball games, etc. On our recent trip to California, I was able to find tickets to the Clippers game for a good price!

BringFido: If you are planning on traveling with your pet(s), this app will help you determine which plates are pet-friendly.

HeadsUp. If you are standing in long lines at a theme park or another attraction, having this fun game to play with your family or friends is a life saver! We use this app whenever we are standing in a long line to keep the boys entertained.

Google Translate. If you’re planning an international trip, this app will help you translate the words (and speak them aloud).

Expensify. Want to keep track of your expenses? This is really important for me, since many of my trips are business related. Using this app will help you create an easy to under expense report while traveling.

Amazon Local. Similar to the app above, this is great for finding local deals on hotels, restaurants and entertainment.

XE Currency. If you are traveling outside the states you will want to make sure you aren’t being swindled out of more money than something is worth.  Grab this app to help you convert dollars to any other currency you might need to use.  Not only will it help you know the equivalences, but it is also perfect for those times when something sounds just a bit too pricey.
Perfect Alarm Clock. Whether you are traveling to Japan or just the West Coast this clock app will help you know exactly what time it is back home.  Ideal for those going across time zones, but needing to stay in contact with friends, family or work back home.

Foursquare. Fun social media check-in app is also an excellent way to learn about the best places to eat and when to arrive.  Great for events and venues too.  Tons of great live post tips on “line is long”, etc.

With all of these apps, you can go through a lot of data. Thankfully, with Walmart’s newly launched Walmart Family Mobile Plus Plan you can breathe a little easier knowing you have the extra data you need to while traveling. And when you pair the plan with the a Samsung Galaxy S5, you pretty much hit the data goldmine. While this is big news, that’s not all because it gets a whole lot better! For all of the extra data with the Walmart Family Mobile Plus Plan, you will pay just $49.88 per month!

Big News! For the first time, you can grab the Starter Kit (which is a requirement to activate your phone), at a rollback price for $19.88 (regularly $25 bucks, so cheaper than before).  This offer is valid till 7/7/2016. Walmart is here to help you save, so you will have more money to spend on your vacation!

And you also get a freebie every month! This particular plan includes one free movie on VUDU ($7 value), including new releases!

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to https://cbi.as/3edbq or your local Walmart for current pricing.

I picked up the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Starter Kit at my local Walmart store. My store does not have the new display showing the Family Mobile Plus Plan, but when you go to their website, you will see the plan. I activated my phone at home (it’s super easy), and was ready to start using it within ten minutes!

No matter where you plan to travel, by land, sea or air, these are some of the best apps to use. I’ve listed quite a few apps, but you can delete any apps you don’t need when you get home. When I think back, I don’t know how I traveled without a phone. Well, I do, but it took LONGER to find things to do, places to go. Having a smartphone to use while traveling is not only time and money savers, it’s been a life saver!

How do you use your phone when you travel? What apps do you use while traveling? What are some of your favorite apps to use? Leave me a comment below and let me know!