Travel apps: The best apps for your holiday
If you follow our travel checklist, you will surely wonder which apps you can download. We’ll give you the answer in this article!
Why you should download apps before you go on holiday
The apps consume a lot of memory
Have you ever thought about how much storage space your social media app of choice needs? TikTok alone needs almost half a gigabyte of storage space, Instagram is over 250 MB, as is Twitter. Since we download the apps via Wi-Fi networks and have enough storage space on our phones, we don’t worry much about this. Some of the apps on this list need considerably more, and if you want to download offline maps, for example, several gigabytes accumulate quickly.
Wi-Fi networks are not always available or are very expensive
But what if the hotel has no or only a poor Wi-Fi network, which is also very expensive or limited? Then the only option is the mobile network, and here it can be very expensive. Since we Swiss, unlike our European neighbours, do not have free roaming, we can often expect high costs if we are not prepared. Although there is often more free roaming volume in the higher-priced mobile phone subscriptions, in view of the app sizes just mentioned, this is quickly used up if we only download the holiday apps on holiday.
The apps are not available in the destination country
Other countries, other laws, other apps: An app that you can download in Switzerland without any problems may not be available in your holiday country: Because with the hotel’s Wi-Fi you also surf under a different IP address, apps may not be downloadable depending on the country. The reverse is also true: you may find apps in the app stores of the holiday countries that are not available in Switzerland. We can therefore not guarantee that the apps on this page are also available in the holiday country.
About the following apps
There are hundreds of thousands of travel apps in the App Store and Google Play. The following list is therefore only intended to provide a small overview – if you are going on a city tour, you should look for city guides for the respective city. If you want to go on a road trip instead, you may need other apps. The following list is therefore only intended to provide a rough overview and cannot cover every single type of holiday, especially as the apps themselves often have very different focuses.
The best travel apps
Travel planning apps
Are you someone who prints everything out double and triple, meticulously plans your stay and packs your suitcase weeks in advance? A holiday is not only a holiday, but sometimes also a lot of stress, especially if you are travelling with children. Travel planner apps are indispensable so that you are well prepared and don’t forget anything. Here you have all your travel data, documents, reservations and much more in one place. There is no *one* travel planning app, because they are all fundamentally different in their approach. We recommend you try several and then settle on the one you find most useful.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Tripit | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Tripsy | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| Lambus | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Wanderlog | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Road trip apps
Instead of AirBnBs and hotels, many people opt for a road trip in a camping van. If you are one of these #vanlife people, you should download a road trip app. Depending on the app, you can find campsites and pitches, places of interest, toll booths, environmental zones or petrol stations along your route. Some apps even show you the current traffic situation. Since there are relatively few road trip apps, we recommend that you also take a look at the navigation apps.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Roadie – Road Trip Route Planner | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Roadtrippers (only for USA & Canada) | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| park4night.com | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| inRoute | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| RoadWarrior Route Planner | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Polarsteps Travel Tracker | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Green Zones | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Navigation apps
Google Maps and Co. have made navigation systems largely obsolete and are therefore indispensable for a road trip, but not everyone needs every feature it offers. A navigation and map app on your smartphone is also recommended for city holidays. Make sure that you can download the maps offline to save data volume and roaming charges.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Google Maps | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| HERE WeGo | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| TomTom GO Navigation | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| OsmAnd+ (Open Street Map) | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| MAPS.ME | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Trip, tour, guide and sightseeing apps
If you’re into city trips, the following apps are recommended for you. Apps like GetYourGuide, Viator or Tiqets allow you to book your ticket to the most popular tourist attractions such as museums, famous landmarks, or explore the city by bus or boat in just a few minutes. With GuruWalk or CityMaps2Go you can explore the city on your own – ideal for people on a budget!
Tip: Also check the app stores for local, city-specific apps.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| GetYourGuide | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Viator | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| CityMaps2Go | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Tropter | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
| Visit A City | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Tiqets – Museums & Attractions | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| GuruWalk | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Tripadvisor | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Transport and public transport apps
There are countless ways to get to your destination: While some people continue to fly on holiday, more and more people are switching to bus and train for ecological reasons. For reasons of space, we cannot list every single app here, but only give a rough overview. Look for transport apps specifically for your holiday country!
Bus and train
Buses and trains are the most environmentally friendly methods of travel, but sometimes take much longer than planes. Still, you’ll be surprised how comfortable travelling by train can be.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Rome2Rio | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| German railways | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Trainline | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| CityMapper | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Omio: Train, bus and plane tickets | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Taxis and rental cars
If you spend your holiday outside Europe, a good public transport network is often not available. To get to your destination anyway, taxi and car rental apps are useful.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Uber | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Bolt | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| inDrive | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Lyft | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Rentalcars.com | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Flights
Flight portals and providers are a dime a dozen, so we’ll focus on just 4 apps here: Rome2Rio, Skyscanner, Cheapflights and Omio. With all of them, you’re guaranteed to find the cheapest prices. However, we recommend that you also take a look at the airline’s website – Kayak, Opodo, Booking.com and others don’t always have the cheapest offers.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Rome2Rio | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Skyscanner | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Cheapflights | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Omio: Train, bus and plane tickets | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Photography apps
Sure, every smartphone – no matter how bad the camera – has a camera app on board by default. For many, this is enough, but if you know a bit about camera technology, you can get even more potential out of camera or photography apps. With photo apps, you can save your photos in the best RAW format, adjust things like white balance, focus or lighting and much, much more.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Halide Mark II | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| Open Camera | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
| ProCamera | Download for iOS | Not available for Android |
| Manual Camera Pro: DSLR Cam | Not available for iOS | Download for Android |
Review and rating apps
Many people use rating and review platforms such as Tripadvisor or Yelp to prevent their holiday from turning into a flop. Especially on holiday, such an app can reveal overpriced tourist traps, lousy restaurants or cultural institutions that are not worth the money.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Tripadvisor | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Foursquare | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Yelp | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| TheFork | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Hiking apps
If you are a nature lover and like to hike or discover hiking routes, hiking apps are ideal for you. In the following apps, the best hiking routes are presented to you, and with altitude lines and information you can also see how strenuous your hiking tour will be. Thanks to GPS, you’ll stay on the right path even in the deepest forest.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| CityMaps2Go | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Komoot | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| AllTrails | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Relive | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| Outdooractive | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Translation apps
How do I communicate on holiday? What do the terms on the menu mean? And how do I thank the hotel staff? Where our parents still had to carry thick dictionaries around, we can simply ask translation apps. Google Translate has been the top dog so far and is mainly suitable for individual terms. Anyone who needs to translate longer texts should take a look at DeepL.
Tip: You can have texts translated directly with the smartphone camera on both Android and iOS.
| App name | iOS | Android |
| Google Translate | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| DeepL | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| PONS translator | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
| iTranslate translator | Download for iOS | Download for Android |
Conclusion: Your smartphone makes your holiday even better – but put it aside sometimes!
With these apps, you can make your holiday an unforgettable experience. With travel planning apps like Tripsy or Tripit, you can save yourself the hassle of printing out and searching for travel documents. With review apps like Yelp or Foursquare, you can avoid expensive surprises, and with translation apps, you can also communicate with locals. Nevertheless, put your mobile phone aside and enjoy the moment. Your health will thank you!
Save up to 73% on roaming subscriptions
One way to avoid an unexpectedly high bill after your trip is to take out a suitable subscription. On our mobile phone subscription comparison page, you will find an overview of the most important Swiss providers and can choose your ideal subscription with just a few clicks. For many people, subscriptions with 1 or 3 GB of EU roaming are enough, but if you are a heavy user, you should choose a subscription with unlimited EU roaming. At alao, you are guaranteed to find the best prices on the market and save up to 73% on your next subscription.
You can take out your new subscription online with us in 5 minutes. We will cancel your old contract and port your old number free of charge. The contract is between you and your new provider, but you can always contact our support team if you have any questions or problems. We will be happy to provide you with comprehensive advice on all offers on the market.
This article was published on 3 April 2023 and updated on 14 December 2023.
