Have you decided that it’s time to accept that the 21st Century is well underway? You don’t need to be fumbling with printed emails at an airport terminal or hotel desk. Android travel planner apps are the answer. You can upload your travel reservations to your smartphone and make everything happen through your mobile device.
Most any free travel planner app gives you access to flights, car rentals, and hotels so that you can find what you need and make bookings. In fact, this is how many of the apps earn revenue. They get a little share when you buy things through the app.
The apps store all of your reservation details and confirmation numbers in your phone.
Many Android travel planner apps also have “premium” or “pro” versions that you have to pay for. These upgrades increase your access to discounts, downloadable maps, and offline storage of your travel documents and itinerary.
That said, you should be able to find a free Android travel app with enough basic functionality for you to plan and manage your trip.
What Are the Best Android Travel Planner Apps?
Best can be quite subjective. Basically, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You’ll want to identify what you need from an app and then pick out the one with the functionality that meets your needs the best.
Generally, the best travel planner apps include user reviews for the restaurants and hotels that you plan to visit and the tours that you hope to take. The opinions shared by those who went before you can help you steer clear of overpriced tourist traps and lame destinations.
Shareable itineraries are great too if you need to keep other people informed of your whereabouts or are planning to meet friends or relatives during your trip. Some of the free travel planner apps include basic sharing, but others require a paid upgrade for sharing.
If you plan to blog about your trip, focus on the apps that cater to travel bloggers. Their systems allow you to save pictures and video and pin them to the locations on your itinerary. This eases publication because you’ll have all the location details connected to your content.
For those who’ll be driving instead of flying, you might want to consider the travel organizer apps designed specifically for motorists and RVers. These provide detailed road maps, traffic information, roadside attractions, hiking trails, and campgrounds.
Before selecting a travel app free download, study the reviews. Their content can clue you into very specific pros and cons that will help you find an ideal choice for organizing your trip on your smartphone.
1. TripIt
As flight and hotel bookings and other reservations hit your inbox, simply forward them to plans@tripit.com. The app then populates your itinerary with the pertinent details so that you can find the information quickly in your phone when you need it.
You can upload files, including PDFs, QR codes, and photos, to the app. If you want, transfer your itinerary to your calendar and share the details.
A nice feature of this app is the safety information provided for cities and neighborhoods around the world. Information is power, and location-specific safety ratings give you advance notice of threats to female travelers, political freedoms (or lack thereof), and medical facilities.
TripIt also offers a paid Pro version with enhanced sharing options, real-time alerts, and assistance with refunds.
2. Wanderlog
Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, this app organizes vehicle rentals and reservations for flights and hotels. As you assemble an itinerary you have access to Google Maps marked with local attractions.
You and your travel companions can discuss ideas in the app and select places to visit. Your choices are automatically pinned to Google Maps to help you navigate each day.
Travelers on a budget get to track their expenses in Wanderlog. This feature is also useful for travel groups so you can split your expenses accurately.
The paid Pro version saves your bacon if you enter an area without good wireless service by storing information offline.
3. Roadtrippers
Many mobile travel planners incorporate air travel, but, if you want an app dedicated to driving, then Roadtrippers excels in that role. RVers get content specific for planning RV trips.
The app’s database contains points of interest and even suggests trips. With the free download version, you can plan a driving itinerary with up to seven waypoints throughout the United States and Canada. To plan lengthier trips and see exclusive travel deals, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version.
4. Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is already a trusted name in travel as the operator of a major website for booking travel reservations.
Not only does this app organize your travel bookings so that you have handy access to them on your phone, you can use the app to plan trips. Tripadvisor contains information on flights, car rentals, hotels, restaurants, and points of interest along with customer reviews. Browse the app to discover new places to visit and put together your next vacation.
5. Polarsteps
What makes this free travel planner app stand out is its ability to gather and share your photos, videos, and comments about the places that you go. This is an excellent tool for travel bloggers who want to create and organize new travel content alongside the convenience of a mobile travel itinerary. Once you have an album of your latest trip organized, share it with the world on your preferred publishing platform or share it privately with select individuals.
6. Lambus
Advertised as an “all-in-one” travel app, Lambus organizes your bookings and itinerary as well as expenses and pictures. The app allows you to import .GPX files of your travel routes and build an itinerary around the mapped route. These files are generated by GPS mapping software such as in Garmin devices or Google Maps.
7. Itinerate
Among Android travel planner apps, Itinerate is versatile and can sync with Tripadvisor, Google Places, and Yelp. This gives you access to tons of information and reviews for restaurants and other businesses as you tour new destinations.
You can pin information on your travel timeline and save it for offline use. Sharing your plans with others is easy, and you can collaborate in the app with people who you plan to meet during your trip.
The app makes it easy to search for flights and hotels and book reservations.
8. Sygic
The free version of the travel organizer app includes standard itinerary tools that you use to plan your trip and save necessary information.
The premium version grants you more robust functionality. One great feature is the offline world maps. Losing a mobile internet connection will not leave you wondering how to get around.
An abundance of pictures and 360-degree video of popular destinations lets you get a feel for places as you plan your trip. When you see what you like, you can start booking flights, tours, and hotels.
9. Tripoto
Dive deep into the world of travel blogging by seeing the unique places and experiences shared by a community of travel writers. This is the mobile travel planner for discovering hidden destinations and planning trips based on the trails already blazed by previous travelers.
With Tripoto, you can organize your pictures and commentary and publish your own travel blog. As others interact with your travel content, you earn credits that you can put toward travel tours.
10. TripCase
Your choices in Android travel planner apps continue with TripCase. It features the usual organization of your flight, car rental, and hotel bookings. The app can notify you through your phone, tablet, or smartwatch of any changes to your flights and provide you with seating charts for your flight.
The app provides directions to help you go from place to place on your itinerary and integrates with Uber when you need to summon a ride. If a flight gets canceled, you can start searching for an alternative flight within the app.
11. Roadie
If you’re the type of traveler who prefers to avoid the torture of airports, use Roadie to plan your driving adventures. You can stay at motels and hotels and find RV parks and campgrounds.
There’s no limit on how many locations you can pin on the internal map. The app includes information on local attractions, hiking and biking trails, and national parks. As you visit the locations on your itinerary, save your comments about each place.
The app tracks your fuel consumption while estimating the travel time between your destinations.
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