My Must Have FREE Travel Apps

When I travel, I make sure I have certain apps installed for my trip so that I always have access to information quickly and easily. For things I always need to hand, such as my itinerary, maps, flight alerts, translators, attraction tickets etc.
I have used these apps and sites over the last 20 years and here are my top picks! Did I mention that they are all FREE?

• Kayak
  Kayak is what I use to keep all my travel information such as flights, hotels and transport. It is free and even has free real time notifications of your flight, unlike things such as Tripit which has a paid for plan for real time alerts. I have tried them all and this is my favourite by far.
  It also lets you compare flights, hotels and car hire and find the best prices!
  I have had times where it doesn’t send notifications, so I use Flightaware in combination which this app, but even with this I think it is still the best free app for keeping all your travel information together in one place as well as having other useful features in-built.
  
  
• Wanderlog
  This is a travel itinerary planner and is the best out there now. Basic plan is free, but you can upgrade to pro if you want some of the pro features.
  
  
• Maps.me
  I use Maps.me for offline maps. Perfect for when you have no data and I always have a offline map as a backup as you never know when you will need it!
  I did used to use Here maps and preferred them by far, but they overhauled the app for the worst making it more of a GPS app rather than a offline map. They removed all the best features such as; being able to click on bus stops or subway stops to see next available services or being able to see businesses just by browsing the map. They have gone as well as many other features! Recommend Maps.me over Here now.
  You do only get 10 map downloads now with the free version.
  
  
• Google Maps
  I do have offline maps but I also use Google Maps for live searches as they are still really the leader for map information and accuracy.
  I am not a Google fan personally and I actively avoid Google products for multiple reasons, but Google Maps is the best online map app by far. You can download areas offline, but not the same as Maps.mr which is still my preferred offline map.
  
  
• Flightaware
  Flightaware lets you track your flights and get real time notifications about changes, gates and cancellations. I use this alongside Kayak.
  This is the most reliable flight information app I have used over the decades and it is free, offering much more than some similar apps such as Flightstats, which moved to a paid model which removed free real time alerts from the app.
  
  
• Tripadvisor
  Still the best site by far to find information on hotels anywhere in the world, with user reviews and photos. If you submit reviews too, you are helping others as well!
  
  
• Yelp
  This is the best app for reviews for restaurants, spas, hotels and other businesses. Used all over the world. I use this in combination with Tripadvisor.
  
  
• Microsoft Translator
  Must have if you are visiting a country that speaks a different language. As someone who prefers none-Google items, this is the best translator I have found and I think it is much better than Googles Translator! Try it out and see what you think.
  
  
• Skyscanner
  This lets you compare flights, hotels and car hire and find the best prices.
  
  
  
• Flush
  This is a free toilet finder app. You must have been out at some point and needed the toilet, with no idea where one is. This app lets you find them!
  
  
• Passenger Assistance
  Passenger Assistance is a UK based app that lets you arrange assistance for trains, free and quickly! This is a must have for disabled people in the UK that use trains!
  Saves calling to arrange assistance, which used to take a long time to book. Now it can take you 1 minute max to do it!
  
  
• AccessAble
  If you are disabled and in the UK, this is a great app that tells you what accessibility is like in a certain place. Sadly it has very limited places on it, but it is still great at what it does. Very detailed information.
  
  
• UVLens
  This great free app tells you the UV status so you know if you are at risk of sunburn. But not only that, it lets you personalise your own little “you” in the app, with your skin type, hair colour etc, so that the information is specific to you!
  You can even say when you last applied sunscreen so it will remind you to reapply it!
  This is a must have if you are travelling or even if you are not as UV is all over!
  
  
• Tiqets
  Tiqets lets you book tickets for attractions and museums all over the world. Used by over 3,000,000 users! No need to use multiple sites to book your tickets, just use this site/app and have them all in one place.

Last updated 30th November 2024