Smart Travel Apps for a Mobile Generation

The smartphone could have been builtspecifically for the travel industry. As a device that travels with useverywhere, helps us find hotel rooms, books flights, plan excursions, maps ourroutes, and inspires our future journeys, it's difficult to image travelingwithout a smartphone. This is before we even take a moment to consider how manydevices we no longer have to pack because of the smartphone — the camera, audioplayer, laptop, eBook reader are all consigned to history. Seriously, the onlything left to integrate with a smartphone that would make it the perfect travelcompanion is the hairdryer (although we may be some way away from thatinnovation just yet).

It's, therefore, no surprise that travelapps are big business on smartphones. With this in mind, the team at DigitalTurbine decided to collate a list of some of our favorite travel apps — thekind of thing that you really shouldn’t leave home without.

TheFull-Service Travel App

For some journeys, you just want all yourtravel arrangements to be managed in one place. The full-service travel app isthe smartphone equivalent of your old bricks ‘n’ mortar travel agency where youcould package up flights, accommodation, car rental, and a full range of othertravel-related services in a one-stop-shop type environment.

The vast majority of these apps are managedby big names in the online travel sector and will already be very familiar toboth frequent and occasional travelers alike. They include:

• Expedia: Hotels, flights, cars,activities, and bundled deals. Expediahelps you plan, book and manage your whole trip on one app.
• Priceline: Exclusive app-only travel deals. Pricelineis rated by Travel + Leisure magazineas a Best App for Travelers!

TravelPrice Comparison Apps

Offering a more flexible travel solutionfor more flexible travelers, travel price comparison apps enable users tocompare and contrast offers from hundreds of travel sites, helping them findthe best possible deal to suit their individual needs. If you are not tied to aspecific date or time, these apps can help you find some incredible deals:

• Kayak: Discovermobile-only deals, view your trip details on the go, and search hundreds oftravel sites with one tap on the Kayak app.
• Hotwire: The Hotwire app helps travelers save more byoffering unsold travel inventory atdiscounted prices.
• TripAdvisor: More than just a review service. Discover andbook amazing things to do while you travel, with recommendations fromTripAdvisor’s global community on the TripAdvisor app.
• WeGo: Compare travel options from hundredsof travel sites on one simple screen. A truly global service The WeGo appis available in a huge variety of languages.
• Hopper: Watch your next flight and get a notification as soon as theprice drops to its lowest point.Userssave on average $50 per flight by following the Hopper app’s advice.

Low-CostAirlines

Sometimes you just need a seat on a flightand the new breed of low-cost airlines have done more to make this asaffordable as possible to the widest range of travelers than anyone else. Byselling seats direct to the public (reducing agency commissions), introducingpaperless travel (e-Tickets and mobile boarding passes), and charging forextras on top of their no-frills service, low-cost airlines have completelydisrupted the aviation industry. Now with the right smartphone app, jumping ona flight can be as cheap and easy as taking a bus.

• JetBlue: Book flights, change seats,check-in and download your boarding pass with the JetBlue app.
• SouthWest: Book and manage your flightand car rental services, check your flight status and boarding info, accessreward points, view travel and weather alerts with the SouthWest app.

AccommodationOnly

So, you’ve booked your flight with alow-cost carrier? You’re going to need somewhere to stay. Accommodation only isan incredibly crowded sector of the app travel market. This is great news for thoseof us looking to save some money on hotel rooms, apartments, and guest housesbecause the availability of choice has never wider.

• Airbnb: Unforgettable travelexperiences start with the Airbnb app. Find traveladventures and new places to go far away or near to you, and access vacationhome rentals, new experiences, and places to visit all around the world.
• HomeAway: Find and book the perfect holidayrental in just a few taps. With the HomeAwayapp, you can quickly and easily access all the tools you need to plan, bookand manage your stay.
• Trivago: Compare hotels & find yourideal hotel at a great price before you book with the Trivagoapp.
• Booking.com: Check in with your digitalconfirmation, manage your bookings on the go and travel with ease with the Booking.com app.

AirportParking

Nobody in their right mind parks at theairport without pre-booking first. These apps will ensure that your cars stayat the airport isn’t as expensive as your vacation.

• ParkWhiz: Find parking anywhere, compareprices and pick the place that’s best for you, and save up to 50% off standardrates with the ParkWhiz app.
• WeSmartPark: A little local knowledgegoes a long way. The WeSmartParkapp can help you find the perfect parking spot in Barcelona and Madrid inSpain orSantiago in Chile.

CarRental

After clearing customs and collecting yourluggage, you can never underestimate the convenience of having a car waitingfor you at the airport. Thankfully, there are a number of apps available tomake sure that happens.

• Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Easily view ormodify upcoming reservations, get directions to a rental branch, call roadsideassistance or find a hire car for your next trip at one of 7,000+ worldwidelocations with the EnterpriseRent-a-Car app.
• Easyrentcars: No matter where you are,you can always rent a car with the Easyrentcars appuntil the last minute before pick-up. And you can manage your booking anywhere,anytime.

TravelInspiration and Management

If all of this talk about travel hasinspired you to hit the road, the following apps are available to help you planyour next trip.

• Roadtrippers: Billed as the only mapbuilt for travelers, the Roadtrippersapp helps you plan your summer road trip with friends or find an amazingplace nearby you never knew existed.
• Culture Trip: Get a feel for what makesa place special through local writers, filmmakers, and creatorswith the Culture Trip app.Discover everything from experiences,to hotels and restaurants and more.
• Tripit: It doesn’t matter where youbook, the TripIt app can manage it all. As soon as you book a flight, hotel,car or other reservation, simply forward it to plans@tripit.com and it'sinstantly added to your master itinerary.

MakeSure Your Travel App Goes Further

Could your app do with a break? AtDigitalTurbine we have availability on the hottest devices and most soughtafter networks. To learn how your travel app could fly first class and avoidall those nasty queues in the app store equivalent of departures, talk to oneof our pre-loading experts today.