Traveling is meant to be fun. Unfortunately, stress takes the fun out of traveling. Here are five apps that help you make the most out of your travel.
1. Tripit is your personal travel assistant. Once you book your airline ticket, hotel, car rental or even restaurant reservations online forward the confirmation email to plans@tripit.com. In a matter of seconds, Tripit creates your travel itinerary including maps, so all of your travel information is easily accessible in one place. The Pro version alerts you to possible ticket refunds for price drops, travel delays, and many other features. Available for Android and iOS smartphones. For more information visit: www.tripit.com. Standard version: Free. Pro version: 49.95 per year.
2. Waze, a community-based free mapping and directions application helps you get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. The mapping app avoids heavy traffic in real time with the help of other Waze users who report traffic, accidents, construction and police traps. Available for Android and iOS smartphones.
3. Hopper assists travelers select the lowest airfare available from your home airport to any destination. Travelers with flexible dates can use Hopper’s color-coded calendar to spot the cheapest dates to fly. Not sure if you are ready to purchase your ticket? The Hopper includes a “Watch a Flight,” feature that sends a push notification when the price of a given route has reached its lowest price point. Available for iOS. An Android version of the app is coming soon.
4. PackPoint produces the perfect packing list for any trip based on the number of days, activities and other factors. The app creates an individualized packing list based on your answers to questions regarding your trip such as do you plan to hike or run? Is this trip for business? PackPoint even looks up the weather so that users won’t forget a jacket or an umbrella. For more information visit: www.packpnt.com. Standard version: Free. Pro version: $1.99.
5. Postagram: You have taken that perfect selfie in front of the Seattle Space Needle. You want to send it as a physical postcard to your friends and family who still check their mailboxes for something other than junk mail. Upload your favorite vacation photo to Postagram, type in a greeting, and Postagram will print out the card and send it through snail mail for 99 cents in the U.S. and $1.99 worldwide.