14 top smartphone travel apps to help make travel easier

The smartphone travel apps are tools for travelers to maintain detailed itineraries, be a GPS on driving trips, keep tabs on TSA security at airports, track planes and cruise ships, etc.

The smartphone travel apps are important tools for travelers. They can help travelers both before and during their journeys. They can create detailed itineraries, be a GPS on driving trips and walking tours, determine how busy TSA airport security is, enroll in the U.S. State Department’s STEP program, track airplanes and cruise ships and keep you safely on hiking trails, etc.

Here are my top 14 smartphone travel apps for travelers.

14. Google Translate (iOS, Android – Free)
It’s the best translation app that I’ve found for text, speech and images. It’s camera translation feature is extremely useful. Take a photo of a sign, menu, etc. with your smartphone and the app will quickly translate it for you. It’s not perfect, but it’s helped me many times while traveling internationally.

Smartphones can be used for finding and booking tours, transportation and activities as well as tracking cruise ships, airplanes and staying safely on hiking trails.

13. Viator (iOS, Android – Free)
Viator, owned by Trip Advisor, specializes in helping you book transportation, tours and activities at destinations across the globe. I’ve personally used Viator to research and book tours in multiple countries. Prices vary according to the activity or tour, the destination, the complexity, the transportation involved, the length of the activity or tour, etc. Note that the quantity and quality of the Viator bookings can vary significantly by destination and other factors. Check reviews carefully.

12. CruiseMapper (iOS, Android – Free)
If you want to locate your cruise ship before you sail or during your cruise, the best app I’ve found is CruiseMapper. Click on the cruise ship icon on the lower right of the map to take you to a list of cruise lines. Find your cruise line, choose your ship and go to its position. It will show it to you on its map. There are many options to choose for the map display and you can get detailed information about your ship.

11. AllTrails (iOS, Android – Free, Plus version for $35.99/yr.)
If you hike regularly, or even hike periodically, this is a must-have app. It has lists of trails for hiking and walking around the world with pictures, maps, and directions to trailheads. The Plus version adds the ability to download trail maps offline and use them with your smartphone’s GPS. It’s saved me from getting lost several times and is a great hiking planning tool for new trails. I’m a Plus version user.

These airline-centric apps help when meeting travelers and with every facet of commercial air travel.

10. Flightradar24 (iOS, Android – Free, plus premium subscriptions up to $34.99/yr.) If you’re flying or waiting to pick up air travelers at airports, this is the flight tracking app for you. Put in the airline and flight number to track and get its real-time flight stats, including track, heading, speed and altitude, plus ETA and any delay information. The paid levels have no advertisements and give you extra features. I’m a gold member, as I both fly and pick up friends and family at the airport often.

9. Airline Apps (iOS, Android – Free)
You should have the airline app of each airline you’re flying installed on your smartphone. The airlines’ apps allow you to check in, get your boarding pass, and track the status of your flight. Many allow you to track your luggage. They’ll notify you of flight delays and cancellations and help you to rebook your flight, if necessary.

The US government has several apps to help travelers navigate TSA, enter the country via border entry points and preclearance locations, plus get and keep abreast of important international travel information.

8. Mobile Passport Control (iOS, Android – Free)
This is an official app of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to streamline your border entry at participating airports, preclearance locations and cruise ports. No pre-approval is necessary. Travelers input their profile, upload a selfie and answer a few CBP questions. You’ll still need your passport, but you’ll be directed to a dedicated line for streamlined processing. If you’re not a US Global Entry member and eligible for Mobile Passport, I strongly suggest using this app.

7. My TSA (iOS, Android – Free)
Getting through TSA (Transportation Security Administration) airport security can be frustrating and time consuming. This app will let you know about security checkpoint delays and if the TSA PreCheck lanes are open. The app has a comprehensive guide of permitted and banned items packed in checked and carry-on luggage.

6. Smart Traveler (iOS, Android – Free)
This is an official Department of State app for use by US citizens and nationals who travel internationally. The app gives you access to the State Department’s invaluable country information, US embassies and consulates information, entry, exit and visa requirements, safety and security information, health, local laws, etc. It gives users access to State Department travel advisories. In addition, the app allows users access to their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) accounts, which I highly recommend for citizens traveling internationally.

Smartphone apps can help you learn about what to do at destinations across the globe, get weather forecasts and calculate currency conversions.

5. Tripadvisor (iOS, Android – Free)
When I don’t know much about a destination or if I’m looking for fresh ideas for the destination, I regularly turn to Tripadvisor. It’s one of the most comprehensive online sources for travelers, with background information about different cities and regions, plus highlights of what to see and do. You can read reviews of hotels, restaurants, and activities, written by members of the Tripadvisor community (including me), as well as seeing photos they’ve uploaded, so you know what to expect before you arrive. You can use Tripadvisor to book, too.

4. AccuWeather (iOS, Android – Free, plus Premium subscriptions up to $24.99/yr.)
This is the best overall weather app I’ve found. Its data is accurate and its forecasts are as good or better than other weather apps. You can save your favorite locations for quick referrals.

3. XE Currency (iOS, Android – Free)
This is the best currency converter app I’ve found for international travel. The app gives you real-time currency rates, but requires an Internet connection for that. It shows the conversion rates, calculates the exact value of a purchase in other currencies and can monitor multiple currencies simultaneously.

For maps and navigation, Google tops the list, while TripIt can maintain your detailed itineraries and send you important travel information during your journey.

2. Google Maps (iOS, Android – Free)
For maps/navigation, there’s none better than Google Maps. Google Maps provides quality comprehensive maps for more than 200 countries. It has voice-guided GPS navigation, live traffic, and detailed information on more than 100 million places throughout the world. It permits you to download maps to your smartphone for offline use, which is especially helpful internationally when data costs are high.

1. TripIt (iOS, Android – Free, plus Pro version for $49/yr.)
This has been my top travel app for years and it keeps getting better. TripIt lets you create and share travel itineraries and sync them with your calendar. You can manually insert your reservations or import many automatically by emailing your airline, hotel, car rental, and other reservations to TripIt. If you upgrade to TripIt Pro, as I have, you can also get real-time flight alerts, a seat tracker, refund notifications, baggage claim location notifications, a point tracker and much more.

If you travel with a smartphone, these apps can make your journey easier. I personally use each one except for Mobile Passport Control, because I’m a Global Entry member.

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After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.