Gone are the days when one needs maps and travel guide to visit foreign countries. Nowadays our smartphones have made planning trips easier and you can find apps that will serve as better travel guides. There are many travel apps that will help you find the most affordable flight and hotel while making sure you will have plenty of spending cash during your trip.

The iPhone and iPad are great travel companions, they are portable and thanks to the cellular models, they keep you connected anywhere, anytime! To aid your travel, the App Store features a number of quality travel apps for the iPad, that you are going to love if you are indeed a road warrior.

However, choosing the right app can be just as confusing as deciding where to stay or how to get there. So we have combed through dozens of the latest travel apps to determine which tools are the most useful for planning a trip, getting around, finding friends, and saving money along the way. Unless noted, all apps are free and available for both iPhone and iPad.

So without further ado, here are our list of 15 Best Travel Apps for iOS.

1. Google Maps

Getting lost is not much fun, and Google Maps makes losing your way pretty much impossible. If you have got a web connection, you will have maps, live transport information, Street View, and local information. In fact, Google Maps is widely-regarded as one of the best navigation apps around, and it has reigned king for quite a while. There is voice guided GPS navigation for walking, driving, and biking.

You can also use Maps to look at when places like museums or restaurants close, and as of a recent update, you can check to see how busy a place is in real time. For the bikers, there is elevation info as well. The app also brings you live traffic reports, automatic rerouting while navigating and a lot more. If you are in a new city, the transit directions and maps that Google Maps are a must have. Another standout feature is Offline maps. Tap Offline Areas in the main menu and you can store a large chunk of virtual territory on your phone. Turn-by-turn will even work without an internet connection.

2. CityMapper

This app is essential if you want to be able to move around like a local while abroad. Supporting many major cities worldwide, Citymapper is a map app that you can use to plan a route using any mode of transport the city offers. It gives live updates on delays and closures and is very intuitive to use.

You can save maps offline and can access the maps for transport services like Tube maps, so if you want to navigate your own way, you can do that too.

3. Hopper

If you are really looking to get the cheapest possible price for a plane ticket, you need to download Hopper. Like Kayak and Skyscanner, you can look at the cheapest dates to fly via a month-view calendar, but Hopper prides itself on telling you when to buy your tickets via push notifications. The company claims it can save you up to 40 percent on your next flight, and that is all done by analyzing and tracking billions of flights. The user interface is simple, and Hopper says you can book a flight in 60 seconds or less. Apple added it to the App Store’s Best of 2015 list, and Google made it a 2016 Google Play Award winner.

4. Google Trips

Are you the kind of person who prepares for every trip by getting a manila folder and filling it with every bit of your travel itinerary? Well, Google Trips is like that folder, but without the annoyance of maintaining a tatty pile of paper printouts; the app gathers all your travel information from Gmail and Inbox and organizes it automatically. It also maps out half-day or day itineraries, with suggestions of things to see or do. Best of all, it works entirely offline, so you do not need to worry about arriving in a new country and having to find a wifi spot before you can find out where you are going.

5. Skyscanner

Flights, hotels, rental cars – Skyscanner has got you covered. The app searches for the most affordable and best options via its travel partners. Like with Google Flights, you can see the cheapest dates to fly through a month view calendar, and you can also get alerts when prices change. If you are not sure where exactly you want to go, Skyscanner offers a category that lets you explore “Top Deals” from your nearest airport, as well as a curated list of destinations at affordable prices.

6. Google Translate

A golden oldie (in internet terms), Google Translate has an almost sci-fi feature: offline and real-time translation. Download the language you need, and aim the camera at the text you need translating. Boom – instant translation. It even works on ingredients for Spanish supermarket bread that is printed in absurdly tiny letters.

7. SAS Survival Guide

Know your Morse code? How about how to start a fire? With this app, you will. If you are venturing anywhere remotely off the beaten path, it is a must have. Written by a former SAS soldier and instructor, the app contains hundreds of survival skills that will help you both at home and away. Sure, you might be staying at a 5-star hotel in NYC’s Greenwich Village, but hey – better safe than sorry, right?

8. TripAdvisor Hotels Flights Restaurants

This is of one the best free travel apps for iPhone and iPad, the official TripAdvisor app. With this app, you can easily access all the TripAdvisor features on your iPhone and iPad. You can read other users reviews, see photos and download maps for free on your iOS devices.

9. KAYAK Flights, Hotels and Cars

The Kayak app is a great search app if you are traveling to a new place. The app lets you search for almost everything you need in a new city. You can go ahead and search for Hotels, flights. You can search and book cars, The app also brings a flight tracker and itinerary management.

The app works great and fast. You will be presented with various details while you search for something. For example, if you search for a hotel, you will get the various details such as the complete address, the distance from you, its ratings and the price rate.

The app is compatible with iOS 7 and later and it is available for free over at the App Store.

10. Airbnb

Airbnb is now a household name but it was not that long ago that it upturned the way people booked their accommodation on holiday. It used to be that if you were going away you pretty much stayed at a hotel. Or a hostel.

Then Airbnb came along and suddenly you could stay in a beautiful house in the center of a city, or a little cottage out in the middle of nowhere. The app makes booking your accommodation simple, and also has guides for local inspiration and a section for booking experiences.

11. Hotel Tonight

This is a reviews database of places to stay, but the quality of these reviews is what makes the app stand out. Hotel Tonight manage to be both insightful and comprehensive without being too long. The app also gives you access to last-minute discounts from hotels looking to fill vacancies.

12. Packpoint

Packpoint automatically generates a bespoke packing list for your trip: you just enter the destination, date of travel and length of stay along with some details about the activities you are planning. In the event that the app has misjudged your desire to have a different outfit for every evening, it is easiest to tweak the list once it has been generated.

13. XE Currency

While it is not the prettiest app, XE Currency is one of the more robust currency converter apps available for iOS. It is constantly being updated and offers live exchange rates for “every world currency and precious metals”. What is neat is that it can store the most recent rates so you can access them if your device is offline. You can also use the app on your Android Wear or Apple Watch device.

14. Yelp

Yelp is a very popular app and it is the local guide you would need on your iPad. The app is pretty great if you are into exploring new places. Yelp lets you search for great local businesses and you can find the best place to eat, shop and enjoy near your current location.

There is also ability filter your searches based on rating, prices, distance and more. You can also choose to filter places by what is open at that time. Along with the great discovery capabilities, the app brings you pictures of local places and rating, reviews from the locals, thus giving you a good and honest idea about a place. You can also check out the address of a place and get more details such as the phone number. You can add tips, pictures and more of your own for a place.

Yelp is compatible with iOS 6 or later and it is available for free, over at the App Store.

15. Uber

Active in about 77 countries and 527 cities, Uber is the global king of ride-sharing apps. The app pioneered on-demand services, and it can be particularly handy when you are abroad. You can quickly request a car directly within the app after perusing an assortment of differing vehicle rates and fare quotes. Afterward, you can connect with your personal driver, track the approaching car’s location, and securely pay your fair using a credit card – no cash needed. Rather than trying to find a taxi or a taxi stand, just bring one straight to you.

A few last words

Well, that is our list of the 15 Best Travel Apps for iPhone and iPad. What about you? Tell us your favorite travel apps for the iOS in the comments and do not forget to subscribe for more updates.

See Also

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