With borders opening up all over the world, Canadians are hopeful to begin travelling throughout 2022. Of course, travelling requires loads of planning, calculating and foresight. After the past year and a half, planning a trip will feel even more overwhelming than usual. Fortunately, there are various free apps that make the process much easier. Rather than booking an expensive travel agent, one of these apps will ease your stress without a fee. Throughout this article, we will introduce and discuss some of the best travel apps Canadians should download before hopping on a plane. All the following applications are available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store at no extra charge. Without any further delay, here are some essential travel apps you ought to consider downloading:
Best Trip Manager App
When searching for the best trip manager app, there are many things you should consider. Do you want an app that allows you to directly book flights and hotels? Or simply something to help you plan your itinerary? Maybe you want something that does both! Apart from these two central features, travel apps may include a number of additional tips and tricks to make your vacation easier. Although our list will outline all the prominent features from every app on our list, make sure to keep your personal preferences in mind when reading. Even if one app seems like a greater choice on paper, none of that matters if its function has no use for you.
Even further, none of these apps will be useful if you don’t have a proper smartphone. In addition to a modern device, we would also recommend some useful smartphone accessories with a suitable mobile plan. If your mobile plan is lacking, you could end up abroad without the ability to contact your friends back home or use mobile data. Obviously, we don’t want this to happen to any of our readers. Fortunately, Planhub offers a valuable service to prevent something like this from ever happening. Our mobile plan searching tool makes finding the perfect phone plan a breeze. After answering a few basic questions, our website will pull up the greatest, most affordable phone plans that perfectly match your needs. Planhub will ensure that you are equipped with the best possible mobile plan, so you can rest easy during your vacation.
Top Travel Apps 2021
You should now be aware of what to pay attention to and prepare before you start planning your vacation. After downloading one of these apps, all your vacation ideas will quickly transform into realities. Here are the top travel apps 2021 has to offer, in no particular order:
Expedia
Chances are, you’ve probably heard of Expedia already. The online travel agency has been serving the world since 1996 through its website. If you’re familiar with Expedia’s desktop/laptop experience, you’ll enjoy the mobile experience just as much if not more. The app streamlines the Expedia experience, allowing you to access all their popular services in the palm of your hand. Expedia offers three central services: Flights, hotels and rental cars. Users are invited to use their service to find the best deals on these services and save big. With their travel app, users can book these important services much quicker and on the fly. Even if you did not use Expedia to book your trip, we highly suggest downloading it before departing on vacation. This way, you can easily pull it up and book something in case of an emergency. If your flight or hotel gets cancelled and you need a replacement, the Expedia app will help you find one quickly, while saving money. Overall, Expedia’s free app is one of the most essential travel apps that you should consider downloading before your vacation. Whether you use it to plan your trip or book last-minute essentials, their app is very useful for all kinds of travellers.
Download Expedia on the App Store
Download Expedia on the Google Play Store
Airbnb
Another essential travel app is Airbnb. If you don’t want to deal with hotels, Airbnb provides a great alternative. Residents rent out their apartments and houses through the service at a reduced fee. If you and your friends are planning a trip, finding a cozy Airbnb and splitting the cost is a great idea to make things easier for everyone. Further, the app can also be incredibly useful throughout your trip, so don’t uninstall it once your lodging is booked! If you ever have an issue with where you’re staying (Broken AC/Heating, WiFi not working, etc.) the app provides an easy way to contact the owner directly. Finally, it’s a great app to browse through to find inspiration. Looking through the latest offers can help you narrow down the location and kind of lodging you want for your next trip. These factors make Airbnb an essential travel app for all mobile users. With the ability to book temporary lodging at a reduced price and contact the owners directly, Airbnb can help make your next vacation one you’ll never forget.
Download Airbnb on the App Store
Download Airbnb on the Google Play Store
AtYourGate
AtYourGate is a new app with a promising concept. The app allows you to browse through all the food stalls, shops and boutiques in your airport. This way, you can quickly learn what kind of meals and gifts are available to you without having to wander around. If you tend to get lost, you could greatly benefit off this app. Fortunately, AtYourGate does more than just detail information about the airport. Users can order food, gifts, or whatever they please directly to their gate or lounge. Users never have to scramble or wait in a line for food before their flight, and ensure that they don’t embark on a long journey on an empty stomach. AtYourGate is a great application if you frequently have layovers, and prefer to sit and relax rather than explore. Currently, the app is available at several major airports in the United States including LAX, JFK and Seattle Tacoma International. As the app continues to rise in popularity, they hope to expand their services across the country. We would recommend reading their list of available airports before embarking on your next trip. If you know you’re going to be at one of these airports or frequently travel through one of them, download the app and try it out. However, once you start getting food delivered to your gate, it could be hard to ever go back!
Download AtYourGate on the App Store
Download AtYourGate on the Google Play Store
MyTSA
Similarly to AtYourGate, the MyTSA app can make your travels easier than ever. As the official TSA app, you’ll find all the information you need about airport security. Read up on which items you can and cannot bring on a flight, and contact agents directly with any questions. Overall, the most useful feature of MyTSA is their estimated wait time feature for major airports. Based on how long the line is, this feature delivers a live estimate on how long you will have to wait to enter airport security. Even if we try to calculate the wait time for TSA, we still end up waiting for much longer than we anticipated. On the other hand, we could end up breezing through TSA, and sitting at the gate with nothing to do. With MyTSA, these scenarios never need to take place. Simply check the app before your departure, and plan accordingly. MyTSA has the ability to make your life more convenient, and reduce your stress before an important flight. As a result, it is one of the best travel apps currently available for download.
Download MyTSA on the App Store
Download MyTSA on the Google Play Store
TripIt
Last but not least, we want to recommend TripIt. This app will keep you organized throughout your entire vacation. TripIt declutters your busy itinerary and presents it in an organized manner. Users can allow the app to scan their recent emails for events, flights, tours and more. Alternatively, users can set it so that all new events are automatically sent to the TripIt itinerary. In addition, you can easily share the generated itinerary with anyone on your contacts list. If you ever feel like you’re constantly scrambling between your email, camera roll and other apps during your trip, you should consider downloading TripIt instead. By streamlining every major event into a single concise place, you can take time to relax, which is what vacation is all about! With its ability to take the stress out of itinerary planning, TripIt is an essential download for all Canadians about to embark on vacation.
Download TripIt on the App Store
Download TripIt on the Google Play Store
Conclusion
Overall, there are all kinds of apps with different features that travellers should consider downloading. Although you may only download apps like Expedia to help you book important amenities, there are all kinds of apps that can make your lives much easier. We hope we introduced you to a few new apps that will reduce your stress next time you travel. In addition, we recommend downloading several apps to use during downtime, waiting in lines and during long flights. Anything from a mobile game to one of the best streaming services could end up being your most used app during your vacation. So, make sure to load up on sources of entertainment in addition to useful travel apps like the ones we suggested. With this combination, you’ll never be bored during your trip, no matter your destination. Good luck and safe travels!
