Top 5 Best Trip planning apps (2022 Travel app guide)

Planning an international vacation takes a lot of time and can turn into a logistical nightmare for the unseasoned traveller. There have been many horror stories of travellers arriving in a big city like New York or London thinking that concrete plans have been made only to arrive to a nasty surprise.

This does not need to be the case if you make use of a top trip planning app.

Staying connected during your international travels is important. Make sure that you make use of an International prepaid SIM card.

What is a trip planning app

In a world where the world s at your fingertips, man travellers are opting to plan their own vacations so that they can tailor their experiences.

A trip planning app is an application that is accessible on a smart device that  offers travellers the opportunity to plan every part of their trip. From hotel accommodation, to booking experiences and much more, these apps are proving to be popular.

Planning an international vacation? Make sure that you are using a top travel app.

Further reading: Top 110 Best travel apps (2022 International tourist guide).

Benefits of trip planning apps

1. Useful Safety Information. Trip planning apps help us get the important notices on strikes or weather-related disturbances and give us 24-hour emergency service, so we can have a safe vacation with our friends and family;
2. Instant Hotel and Ticket Booking. There are many apps that can help you find hotels. They provide details such as the rates, distance to the tourism site, and much other information;
3. 24/7 Accessibility. The need for travel apps is eminent because of their features and functions. Travel apps are always there to provide any kind of information useful to travellers at their convenience and at the right time;
4. Networking and Sharing. Travelling is all about sharing and networking. You cannot travel alone these days, thanks to apps. With numerous travel apps and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), you are always connected to your dear ones;
5. IoT based Decisions. Getting lost in a new city isn’t fun in general and can be hard when you are a tourist. That is where IoT-based decisions such as geolocation come into play.  IoT-based solutions play a vital role in travel apps to provide suggestions and guides according to users’ choices;
6. Travel Cashless. Thanks to travel tech and the use of apps, it has become pretty easy to book a flight, buy your tickets, book hotels, and even order food while traveling without any need of carrying cash;
7. Special Services. Travel mobile apps are beneficial for both business owners and users. The most popular features of such apps are the capabilities they have to record and store the data of users; and
8. Customized Apps. When a travel mobile app development company offers a customized, user-friendly app, it becomes popular and gains a competitive advantage over its rivals. However, the most effective apps can be customized according to the front-end and the back-end requirements.

Want to know how many times your favourite app is downloaded?

Further reading: Top 10 most downloaded travel apps (2022 Tourist guide).

TripIt

TripIt is a usefull app that helps you plan all of the elements of your vaccation in one place.

Best Features:

• Tripit is straightforward in its execution. All you have to do is forward your travel confirmation emails to the service, and the app instantly creates a travel schedule for you.
• No more having to piece things together yourself. It’ll tell you exactly when you need to be at your flight gate, when the car is ready to pick up from the rental place, and when you’re good to check in at your hotel. It even keeps on top of your restaurant reservations.

Pricing: Free

Download: Tripit: Travel Planner (iOS) 4.8 star rating | Tripit Travel Planner (Android) 4.6 star rating, over 5 million downloads.

Ever wondered why you need a travel app?

Further reading: What are travel apps & why every tourist needs them.

Sygic Travel Trip Planner

Sygic is a perfect GPS and navigation app for travellers on vacation.

Best Features:

• Sygic Travel Trip Planner is focused on the vacationer market, but it’s also great for business users.
• It offers information on over 20 million places from famous sights and museums, to parks, cafes, restaurants, and beaches. In each case, photos, operating hours, and other pertinent pieces of information are included.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Sygic GPS Navigation & Maps (iOS) 4.6 star rating | Sygic Travel Maps Trip Planner (Android) 4.1 star rating, over 1 million downloads.

Want to avoid international roaming charges?

Further reading: How to avoid roaming charges (2022 Travellers guide)

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is another useful GPS and navigation app that is perfect for the open road

Best Features:

• Roadtrippers is focused on the journey, not just the destination. If you’re driving across the country for a while, odds are you want to stop and smell the roses every once in a while (or maybe smell the World’s Biggest Ball of Twine).
• That’s the thinking behind the Roadtrippers app, which is all too eager to tell you what’s nearby. As you plot out your itinerary, more suggestions come up so you can find the perfect diner on your drive.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Roadtrippers – Trip Planner (iOS) 4.7 star rating | Roadtrippers – Trip Planner (Android) 3.5 star rating, over 1 million downloads.

Want to find out more about international roaming?

Further reading: What is international roaming & how it works.

TripAdvisor

Like Tripit, TripAdvisor helps you plan all of the elements of your vaccation in one place.

Best Features:

• TripAdvisor favours vacations over business travel in its app, and it’s all the more useful for it.
• The app’s homepage features all kinds of awesome hotels and other vacation rentals, and offers plentiful suggestions for popular destinations, weekend getaways, and everything in between.
• It also offers dedicated areas for browsing things to do, reserving a table at a restaurant, finding places to shop, and cruises, rental cars, and vacation packages.

Prricing: Free

Downloads: Tripadvisor: Plan & Book Trips (iOS) 4.8 star rating | Tripadvisor: Plan & Book Trips (Android) 4.5 star rating, over 100 million downloads.

There are benefits when using a travel SIM card.

Further reading: Benefits of a travel SIM card (2022 International tourist guide).

Kayak

Kayak is an online travel agency and it excels in finding you great deals on all modes of transportation, though it can also find deals on stays, activities, and travel packages.

Best Features:

• Simply tell Kayak your preferred modes of transportation—like riding trains, flying or driving a car—and it comes up with all of your options, regardless of where you are, when you want to travel, or what your budget is.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: KAYAK: Flights, Hotels & Cars (iOS) 4.8 star rating | KAYAK Flights, Hotels & Cars (Android) 4.6 star rating, 10 million downlaods.

Do you know what a travel SIM card is?

Further reading: What is a travel SIM card? (2022 international travellers guide).

Types of trips

There are a number of reasons why a person would want to plan an international vacation.

These include:

• Travelling for business;
• Travelling for leisure;
• Going on a spiritual journey;
• Travelling to further ones education; and
• Travelling for health reasons.

Did you know that there are benefits to travelling abroad?

Further reading: 20 Benefits of travelling abroad (2022 International tourist guide).

5 Steps on how to plan an international trip

While some of us may be seasoned travellers, many of us will not know how to go about planning an international trip.

Common sense says that one should take a pragmatic will thought out approach. Below are the best steps that one can take when planning their international getaway.

1. Pick your destination. Your vacation will probably emanate from either some stunning pics that have gone viral on social media or an irresistible story of a friend’s last trip abroad. Having a location in mind is a good place to start;
2. Decide the duration of your trip. There is a fine line between getting bored and enjoying every moment at a destination. All good things need to be done in moderation;
3. Book flights, train, or bus tickets, and accommodation. After steps one and two are complete, booking tickets for your flight, train or bus transfer well in advance is an important step in tailoring your travel experience;
4. Plan the day-wise activities and course of action. There is nothing wrong with planning a trip or activity on a sudden impulse or gut feel. However, the downside of going on such trips is that there could be many days where the scheduling can go haywire because of last minute planning. Be meticulous; and
5. Pack diligently. After the bookings are done, it is always advisable for your trip planning to pack your stuff keeping in mind the destination and the influence of external factors on it.

Finally, don’t forget to let your friends and family members know about your trip and your itinerary in case there is an emergency situation while you are travelling.

5 Steps on how to plan a road trip

There is something appealing about the open road and adventure that allures many of us to embark on a well deserved road trip. There are some helpful tips to plan the ideal getaway.

1. Decide on a destination. It is a good idea to choose a destination that is not too far away for your first road trip. As you become more experienced, you can plan longer road trips;
2. Choose a route. Many people who take road trips like to take the scenic route to their chosen destination;
3. Consider your vehicle. Some vehicles simply are not made for long trips;
4. Make sure that your vehicle is mechanically sound before embarking on a road trip; and
5. Plan for stops. It is reasonable to estimate that you will need to take a break from travelling every two or three hours.

5 Best trip planning websites

While using a trip planning app is advisable because of the convenience of its availability, there are some trip planning websites that are worth looking into when planning your next international vacation.

1. TripIt. TripIt offers travellers an amazing opportunity to combine all of their travel planning information in one simple view. It will not suggest you any destinations or tourists attractions, but it will keep all of your itineraries, travel confirmations, tickets, hotel bookings, reservations and the rest in your personal hub for all of your travel needs;
2. PackPoint.  PackPoint lets you create custom packing lists and build them accordingly to the type for your trip;
3. Trip.com. This travel-themed social network is the perfect place for travellers to share their tips and access advice of other travellers;
4. Rome2rio. Rome2rio offers multi-modal travel search engine that can help users find itineraries for air, train, ferry, coach, driving and mass transit option to and from any locations; and
5. Touristlink. This unique social network lets travellers create the best itinerary possible for their trips.

Trip planning app FAQ

• Why should I consider using a trip planning app?

Most trip planning apps are designed to allow users to plan their whole trip using one app. This includes accommodation, food, experiences, and transportation.

• What happens if there is no network coverage at my destination?

While most apps do require a stable network connection, some apps do have offline capabilities which will ensure that you are always in touch with your travel plans.

• Will my app be available in my app store?

Most popular travel apps appear on both iOS and Android. If you are using another platform, a substitute for your app will be available.

• Are trip planning apps safe?

All top travel apps have to adhere to strict security protocols that govern the country that you live in.

• Will the app that I want to use be available in my language of choice?

Most apps are developed in English. However, some of the most popular apps provide you with the opportunity to change the language of the app to the language of your choice.