It’s that time of year again when airports around the world work at full capacity and train stations are buzzing as droves of travellers traverse the globe on their way to celebrate the holidays with friends and loved ones. If you’re planning a trip this holiday season, these handy apps can save you tons of time and stress.
Hotel Tonight
Travel doesn’t always go as planned, like when the hotel loses your reservation and happens to be booked full, or you arrive at what you thought was a sweet spot only to find out it’s a hole. It’s times like these when Hotel Tonight can save you a huge headache. Just enter your location and the app will pull up last-minute deals on tons of great places from basic accommodation to luxe digs. Tap on one that piques your interest, and you’ll see a slew of info about the hotel as well as the option to book nights directly through the app.
Available for iOS 8.0 or later and Android
Roadtrippers
If ground travel is more your style, Roadtrippers can help you find the best driving routes with interesting stops along the way. Simply enter in your start point and destination, and the app will plot out a route for you with suggestions for cool attractions, hotels and restaurants, as well as fun facts about the places along your journey. You can find and save the places you want to see, share your route with friends and family, and even book hotels directly through the app. In addition, you can sync your route with your favourite map app on your smartphone for easy navigation.
Available for iOS 7.0 or later and Android
Skyscanner
Tired of searching around for the best prices on air fares? Skyscanner makes it super easy by searching through millions of flights with hundreds of airlines including budget options. Enter your travel dates into the search menu and the app will pull up all the available options starting from the lowest fare. You can also modify your search by specifying whether you want a direct flight, what times you want to take off and land, and which airlines you want to fly with. You can also search for the best prices on hotels and car rentals and book everything directly through their website or app.
Available for iOS 7.0 or later and Android
Tripit
Forget scrounging around for tickets, reservation numbers and booking confirmations. Tripit takes all your travel plans and puts them in one convenient place. The process is easy—simply forward your confirmation emails to the Tripit email address or add in your details manually, and then you can access your master itinerary from any device even if you don’t have access to the Internet. You can also sync your itinerary with your calendar and share it with friends so they know when and where you’re going to be. As an added bonus, Tripit will also send you real-time flight alerts, locate alternate flights and better seats and give you directions to your hotel.
Available for iOS 8.0 or later and Android 4.0 and up