The 10 Best travel apps

Whether you're looking for a cheap flight, planning what to pack, or worrying about jet lag, there's an app that can help you

Samuel Muston
Thursday 26 September 2013 16:45 BST
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1. Tripit

This clever little app turns your smartphone into a pocket-sized PA. Just forward all your flight, hotel and car rental reservations to Tripit and it creates a digital itinerary for your trip that you can print out for yourself or share. A must download for business travellers.

IOS and Android, free

2. FlightTrack

Follow the flight paths of thousands of international flights on a fully zoomable map with this app. It gives information on delays, cancellations and even airport departure gates. Useful if you’re waiting for the arrival of a loved one, or running a little late for your flight.

IOS, £2.99; Android, £3.20

3. XE Currency

A must for anyone travelling abroad for a prolonged period. This free app tracks live currency markets across the world to provide you with accurate up-to-the-minute conversion tables.

IOS and Android, free

4. Around Me

Going to a country far from home can sometimes be a disorientating experience. Where’s the best place to stay? How far is the nearest shop? Where can I go for dinner? This app answers those questions, and more. It detects your location and shows you how to find nearby points of interest.

IOS and Android, free

5. Foodspotting

One for the dedicated foodie, this app gives you user-generated restaurant recommendations for whichever city you touchdown in. Just open it up, search for whatever dish you fancy at that moment and it shows all the best places to find it within a certain radius.

iOS and Android, free

6. Skyscanner

Whether you are a business traveller, on a long trip or are just looking for a budget flight, you’ll want this on your smartphone. Skyscanner searches more than 1,000 airlines and 1 million routes to find the cheapest flights possible. There are no handling fees and the app allows you to book directly.

iOS and Android, free

7. Packing Pro

Thank the lord for Packing Pro. Just tell it where you’re going, how long for and who with and it creates lists of what you might need to pack. The lists are split up into essentials (passport, foreign currency and the like), gadgets, clothes and more. It even makes suggestions for other family members who are travelling with you, too.

iOS, £1.99

8. Hostelworld

No one should embark on a gap-year trip without downloading this. Hostelworld is a geo-tagged directory of around 25,000 cheap hotels around the world. It also gives you access to 3.5 million user reviews, so you can ensure that you avoid the dodgy fleapits.

iOS and Android, free.

9. JetLag Genie

Jet lag is the curse of the transatlantic traveller, but here’s a way to minimise its pernicious effects. Pop your travel dates, destination and usual bedtime into this app and it comes back with personalised alarm clocks to soften the time-lag blow.

IOS, £1.99

10. Sunscreen

If you don’t want to spend the winter of your days looking like an old handbag, it’s worth downloading. It detects the UVI rating at your current location and then sets a timer to tell you when you’re due your next slather of sun cream.

IOS, free

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