The holidays are near, and for many people that means holiday travel is right around the corner. Thankfully, with the help of a smartphone equipped with a few handy travel apps, you can book, manage and navigate your trip from anywhere, even while you are on the go.
Each of these recommended holiday travel apps are available for both iOS and Android phones, and they are all FREE. A few of the apps even offer paid upgrade versions that remove ads and unlock additional features.
Kayak Free and Kayak Pro
With a 4.5 out of 5 rating from a combined 60,000+ Android and iOS reviewers, it’s no doubt that Kayak is a favorite among mobile travel apps. With Kayak you can compare flight, hotel and rental car costs, as well as track flights and view and manage your travel itinerary. You can even book your travel right inside the app. Need airport maps and additional information? Upgrade to the Pro version for only $1. Existing users love the sleek interface, and many won’t travel without this app.
Trip Advisor
With almost 150,000 reviews averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars, Trip Advisor is another fan favorite. Like Kayak, Trip Advisor allows you to search and compare prices for flights and hotels, but also includes restaurants and activities. Don’t just take Trip Advisor’s word for it, read the thousands of traveler reviews to get the best recommendations. Use the built-in “Near Me Now” feature to find restaurants and attractions, read the reviews and even post your own when you are back home.
TripIt Travel Organizer
We all know that managing our travel documents can be a headache. Between flight, rental car, hotel and restaurant confirmations, you almost need to carry a filing cabinet to keep track of all the paperwork. Enter TripIt Organizer. TripIt stores all of your travel confirmations on your smartphone. Simply forward your email confirmation to plans@tripit.com, and the app handles the rest. TripIt recognizes confirmation emails from over 3,000 booking sites. The app even allows you to share your travel plans with friends and family or via social media. For frequent travelers, the $49/year Pro account removes ads, monitors your flights for additional savings and keeps you up-to-date with travel status alerts.
GateGuru
It’s no secret that airports are big and difficult to navigate. This is where GateGuru comes in. Named a “Top Travel App” by CNN, GateGuru has information on over 120 airports worldwide. View airport maps, monitor security checkpoint wait times and locate restaurants, shops and services. GateGuru even allows you to view your Kayak and TripIt itineraries.
Yelp
Once you get where you are going, use Yelp to find what’s worth experiencing while you are there. With Yelp’s advanced search features, you can find restaurants and local businesses by neighborhood, distance from your location, price and even what’s open right now. In many cases, Yelp even has restaurant menus so you can find the local favorite menu items before you sit down.
Wherever your travel takes you this holiday season, you can use these free holiday travel apps to help you manage your trip from start to finish. Your iOS or Android phone just became your new travel agent.
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