5 Travel Apps for Planning the Perfect Trip

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It’s a familiar situation. You’ve been working hard all year and are looking forward to those two weeks in the sun that are just around the corner. But when you get to the airport you realise you’ve forgotten your hotel details – and where’s that new digital camera you were going to christen? With the boom in smartphones and travel apps, you need never suffer these frustrations again. Here’s a rundown of our favourite apps for taking the sting out of your holiday preparation.

5. Packing Pro

iPhone only

Gone are the days of writing out a packing list by hand with the arrival of apps like Packing Pro. Tell it the number of people travelling, length of trip and expected weather conditions, and it’ll spit out a list of what to bring. You can then edit this list to your own specifications, adding or removing items as you please. It’ll even let you enter your own items if they aren’t already in the database, such as that electronic back scratcher you simply mustn’t forget. It may not be the most gorgeous app to look at, but Packing Pro more than makes up for that with great features such as the ability to sync to a partner’s phone. Our only criticism is that some of the sample lists are a bit male-oriented.

4. TripIt

iPhone or Android

The award-winning TripIt comes to the rescue in those common 21^st century situations of having far too many booking references to manage. We’re talking about confirmations of flights, hotels, cruises, concerts and car hire here. Simply send them all to a special TripIt email address and it’ll compile them into a handy itinerary, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world via your smartphone – sending you alerts whenever you need to be somewhere. Currently, TripIt recognises details from over 3,000 booking websites with an itinerary that can easily be shared via email, LinkedIn or Facebook.

3. HotelClub

iPhone only

Booking the right hotel can really make all the difference between having a good vacation and having the trip of a lifetime. Avoid making that schoolboy error of choosing a run-down dive in the middle of nowhere by using this fabulous new booking app from HotelClub.com. This slick little download lets you browse thousands of hotels worldwide, filtering them according to whether they have a gym, allow pets or have the maximum 5-star rating. You can also view plenty of high-res photos, and a simple user interface makes it possible to book a room in just a few taps of an iPhone. Result!

2. Mr Weather

iPhone only

For anyone wanting a glimpse of what the weather’s doing in their chosen destination, look no further than the unimaginatively-titled yet highly enjoyable Mr Weather. Mr Weather swaps the tedium of a written weather forecast for a cheeky frog whose chosen attire reflects current conditions. If it’s hot and sunny, he’ll be wearing a sombrero; if it’s chilly he might be decked out in a woolly hat. This app might be pretty limited in what it actually does (e.g. predictions about the future aren’t possible) but it’s great for daydreaming and gives you the most fundamental idea of what to bring.

1. TripLingo

Android or iPhone

Taking the time to plan your holiday properly is one thing, but learning some basic language skills could really take your trip to the next level. One of the lesser-appreciated benefits of the smartphone is that it can be used as a multimedia language learning device that you can take with you wherever you go. This is where TripLingo comes in, an app that lets you learn phrases, look up words and, handily, hear how they should be pronounced.

Besides being beautifully designed, TripLingo’s main selling point is a slider where you can choose how formal you wish to be. Set it to ‘crazy’ and you may end up getting into a fight; somewhere in the middle should ensure you come across as that cool foreigner who everyone wants to know. Download a free version containing the fundamentals of 11 languages, or splash out on a specific language pack for more advanced users.