Travel apps you’ve gotta try
Globetrotters weigh in on ones they won’t leave home without
Show us your travel apps — that’s what we really want to see. With thousands of special tools on the market, and more flooding it every day, we wanted to find out which apps real travellers are using.
ROBERT REID
U.S. travel editor of Lonely Planet. XE Currency: Converts every world currency and calculates the most up-to-date rate. Free. FlightAware: Tracks flight info, including status of arriving and departing planes, gate/ terminal changes, delays, cancellations and connections. Free. Google Translate: Translates written and spoken words and phrases (64 and 17 languages, respectively) and speaks the translations of 24 languages aloud. Provides phonetic spellings for non-Latin languages. Free. Lonely Planet city and country guidebooks: The 70-plus free city guidebooks highlight attractions, restaurants, hotels and other touring essentials all vetted by the Lonely Planet experts. Free.
AMANDA HARARY COHEN
New York University senior majoring in hotel and tourism management. Groupon Getaways: Find and purchase flash-sale deals in hundreds of cities. Free. Jetsetter: Alerts members to daily sales and exclusive iPhone deals on high-end hotels, weekend trips, safaris and other excursions. Free. Hotel Tonight: Reserve last-minute deals on hotels around North America, including Toronto, Las Vegas, New York and Austin. Free.
KEITH BELLOWS
Editor of National Geographic Traveler. Travel app box: A collection of 15 tools, such as a tip calculator, currency and unit converter, phrase and pictography dictionary, and country calling codes. $1.99. National Parks: Offers trail maps for 20 national parks, including Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Death Valley. Also shows the distance to your destination, and marks your car or campsite for an easy return. $3.99. National Geographic Traveler: Displays the entire issue of the monthly magazine and special features, such as 360-degree panoramic photos. Free. World Atlas, by National Geographic Society: Three styles of world maps (classic, antique, satellite). $1.99.
NORM ROSE
Technology analyst for PhoCusWright. TripIt: Organizes all your reservations into one itinerary. Free. Viator: Sift through — then book — any of 9,000 tours and activities in destinations around the world. Search by location, date or activity. Free. TripAdvisor: Millions of consumer reviews for every segment of travel — hotels, restaurants, tours, etc. With the Near Me Now feature, locate nearby attractions.