Travel smarter with your smartphone

Know why I love travel apps? They make my life simpler – and travel more fun. Whether my fave apps cut down travel times, point me in a delish direction or the nearest gas station, they’ve earned their place in my heart by being quirky, innovative, quirky and (sometimes) downright space age.

But I’m always curious what everyone else is using to make their travel better. So I asked my social media friends which travel apps rock their world. And because my globetrotting friends love to share as much as they love to travel, they supplied a list of apps that fit neatly into my pocket. Feel free to steal what you need…

Go ahead, organize your travel

My friend, @Sieguzi, said Her Wardrobe allows her take photos of clothes, organize them into outfits with shoes and accessories by date for day and evening and create a packing list. “It helps me mix and match and reduce unnecessary clothing items!”

@sethsthoughts, a truck driver and a twitter friend of mine, shared his favorite apps. “The Toronto PATH app is a must as it maps out the underground pathway from Union Station all the way to the Bus Terminal.”

To stay abreast of changing weather when he’s on the road, he connects to the Weather Network App for weather updates and MYRadar to get more detailed, immediate weather.

To keep his caffeine needs satisfied, he belly’s up to the bar of Tim Horton’s Timmy Me app.

@Dscooped, says he’s religiously connected to his Delta app to alert him instantly to flight times – and potential delays. Chickymara navigates her on-the-town dining with Open Table but found out she’s not using it nearly enough. Dscooped told her, “you get gift certificates for every 2000 points accrued via OpenTable.” Guess she needs to up her game. Mara’s also a big-time user of the Air Canada app because, like me, she’s disorganized and loses everything.

I’m a big fan of flipfloplisa and she’s a big fan of Flight Stats: “It has saved me so many times.” I agree, Lisa, I agree.

Tracy Hudson trusts Border Buddy to get her to the US/Canada bridge with the shortest wait time when she’s traveling between countries. “The 3 bridges going into NY from Niagara can have far different wait times,” she said. “The only issue is when you come back into Canada, you need data or wifi.”

When in Toronto, @mommy2sassykids trusts the GO mobile app to view and bookmark schedules, see service interruptions and alerts.   

@mylifeinthesun keeps the magic at her fingertips when she travels to Disney with WDW app. “Who wants to walk all over the park to find out wait times!” She also recommends GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas when she’s on a road trip. “It’s saved us a lot of money, especially in the US.”

What are my favorite travel apps?

I thought you’d never ask. And yes, feel free to steal these as well:

• Booking.com – I normally book accommodation from home but sometimes I need to make adjustments on the road. This handy little app has saved my life more than once.
• FlightAware – Whether I’m tracking a connecting flight or watching when a co-worker will land, this app lets me relax without worry of missing a flight.
• Hootsuite – I’m always connected. Always. Hootsuite is my saving grace when there’s social media news I need to connect to immediately.
• JetlagGenie – I cross far too many time zones some weeks and this app helps me start adjusting my sleep routine before I leave home and provides a gentle alarm so I don’t have to rely on a hotel wake-up call.
• Foodspotting – Based on user-generated reviews of local restaurants, I can follow my taste buds, wherever the locals lead me.
• SnapSeed – Hands down, the best app to help you adjust, filter and generally spruce up your pictures. Love, love, love the vintage filters.

It’s your turn to share. What travel apps do you love? Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook – and let’s continue the conversation!

This post is part of an ongoing relationship GoGirlfriend has with Booking.com. Commentary and perspectives are those of Julia Rosien, Chief GoGirlfriend.