5 Travel Apps (and 1 Blog) That Make Trip Planning Painless
Beware, soggy room-service BLTs and overpriced middle seats: For smart travelers, your days are numbered.
We've all been there: eager to climb off the hamster wheel for a few days with a big trip—only to have it deflated by bad terminal food and a hotel room that doesn't remotely resemble its website photos. But believe us, hopping on a plane—even for a business trip to Tampa—can be a sweet retreat. All it takes is a little optimization, courtesy of your smartphone. These five apps (and one blog) will change the way you anticipate travel forever.
Hopper
This free, user-friendly app predicts the best time to hit "book" on a flight by scouring millions of daily airfares and finding the precise moment when a price drops below its average. If you're flexible with your departure and return dates, you can view the Hopper calendar and decide which are the cheapest and most convenient (calling in sick is optional).
Not quite ready to hand over your credit card? Sign up for the "Watch a Flight" function, which sends a push notification when the price of your chosen route hits rock bottom.
Get it on iTunes for Apple and Google Play for Android.
Gate Guru
This handy little app will tell you how much a room costs at the closest W Hotel and where to find the nearest Avis rental place (how it makes money). But what we love is its day-of guide to restaurants in your takeoff or layover terminal. (No more Panda Express.)
It will, for example, let you know that there is a great pub at Terminal 3 near Gate 70 at SFO, and where you can dine on fresh-shucked oysters at Newark. It also alerts you to flight delays and will ping you when it's time to leave the office for your flight, based on traffic and lines at TSA.
Get it on iTunes for Apple and on Google Play for Android.
Hipmunk
The geniuses behind this app realized that some people like to search flights based on cheapest price, others by departure or arrival times, others still by the length of the journey (aptly called "agony").
Since launching in 2010, the site with the rodent mascot has expanded to include hotel and car-rental bookings, as well as package deals. Don't know where you want to take the new girlfriend this weekend? Hipmunk knows that it's only $234 to fly from New York to Palm Beach, a deal that'll impress her more than roses.
Get it on iTunes for Apple and on Google Play for Android.
Hotel Tonight
So you're going to Palm Beach! Now where will you stay? Hotel Tonight searches the leftover rooms in the destination of your choice to find the best deal at the best location. (All you commitment phobes: This one's for you.)
The wizards behind the app handpick a small selection of properties so you're not scrolling through a bunch of reviews by know-nothing yahoos on Yelp. It's like Overstock.com for hotel rooms. And should you want to book a hotel for tomorrow, Hotel Tonight's cool with that—you can book up to seven nights out.
Get it on iTunes for Apple and on Google Play for Android.
Urban Daddy
We hate to admit it, but Urban Daddy rocks. It keeps its tips and tricks for sucking the lifeblood out of the nation's most-visited cities (plus international ones for the jet set) up to the nanosecond. Sometimes we even consult the app for the best dance club in Dallas. Or where to pick up the BikeBus in Boston.
The interface is fun: Enter the time, who you're with (buddy, girlfriend, colleague) and what you're after, then the tiles spin like an old-time train schedule to reveal a curated list of what to do with your spare time in a city. We've found ping-pong, burlesque shows, and Michelin-star restaurant reservations using this free game-like app. Not sure what you're after? Hit the "Surprise Me" tab.
Get it on iTunes for Apple and on Google Play for Android.
One Mile at a Time
True, it's not an app, and true, it's a little on the sloppy side, visually. But the intel here is invaluable. It was founded by a guy named Ben who convinced his parents—at the age of 14—he should spend a summer flying back and forth across the country so that the next trip to Europe would be on Lufthansa First Class. And it worked.
Now he flies some 400,000 miles a year—nearly always in business or first class—chronicling his insider info. Like: Which credit cards help you rack up mileage the fastest? How can you maximize hotel loyalty points and shunt them toward upgrades?
If you're on a budget but want to make the most of your precious vacation time, log on and read the blog. Ben goes by the handle Lucky, but he's really just savvy. Oh, and he uses the AwardWallet app to keep track of his millions and millions of miles.
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