50+ Best Travel Apps & Resources to Use for Your Next Trip

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Are you entering your travel era and want to get the inside scoop on the best apps for your trips? Well, lucky you! You’re in the right spot.

When I started traveling on my own at 16 years old, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to book a flight, when to travel for the best weather and prices, and I certainly didn’t know what apps to use.

So, like any normal human being would, I went on Google and YouTube, and spent a TON of time researching all the basics.

Since then, I’ve become a little more of a seasoned traveler, and I’ve gathered a nice list of travel apps and resources to make my trips go smooth.

From apps for booking flights to apps for finding restaurant reviews, I’ve got resources for just about every single travel-related topic.

Without further ado, allow me to share with you what I believe are the 54 best travel apps and resources every solo traveler should have. By the end of this post, I hope you’ll have downloaded some of these apps and be super eager to use them for your next solo adventure.

Ready, friend? Let’s go!

THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT THE BEST TRAVEL APPS AND RESOURCES.

BEFORE WE CONTINUE

When thinking about which travel apps to download, I want you to focus on purpose instead of quantity. Don’t go and download 50+ apps just because you think it’ll automatically make you an expert traveler.

It’s more about how you use those apps rather than simply having them. Download apps that will genuinely make your trips better and serve a specific purpose.

In this post are my absolute favorite apps that I simply could not travel without. Use these as a few starter idea for some apps that you might want to download.

IN A NUTSHELL

• Reddit: for finding local-favorite restaurants, activities, hidden gems and attractions + budget tips and stories/advice from other travelers
• GetYourGuide: for finding and booking various tours, experiences, and attractions at discounted rates
• Skyscanner: for finding cheap flight deals
• CityPASS + Go City Pass: for discounted + bundled activities in a destination
• Omio: for determining the best way to travel between cities on a multi-city trip
• CityMapper: for accurate walking and public transit directions (much better than Apple Maps)
• Accuweather: for the most accurate weather predictions (helps determine what to pack)
• Flighty: for rapid updates on flights info (gate changes, delays, cancellations, etc.)
• Airline App (Delta, Southwest, etc.): for easy flight booking and updates
• Travel Blogs: for the perfect balance of local + touristy activities and restaurants

BEST TRAVEL APPS

MULTI-PURPOSE & UNCATEGORIZED

In the multi-purpose / uncategorized section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use multiple purposes or don’t belong in a specific category.

TRAVEL BLOGS

Let’s start strong (and a little biased) with travel blogs! In the travel industry and community, I believe travel blogs are special because us creators give you the perfect balance of touristy and local recommendations.

You likely won’t read a travel blog and find a roundup of all the most popular museums or hotels to stay at.

Instead, you’ll get recommendations and advice that are rooted in first-hand experience, sometimes from multiple visits or even locals who have lived there for years.

Travel blogs can help you with any stage of planning a trip, whether you’re finding somewhere to stay or are looking for some attractions worth visiting.

Some of my favorite travel blogs include:

• Practical Wanderlust
• Wheatless Wanderlust
• A Passion and a Passport
• Bon Traveler
• My Wanderlusty Life
• Happy to Wander
• Like Where You’re Going

…and obviously my very own, the one you’re currently reading: The Solo Solstice! I’m working on a post where I share ALL of my favorite travel content creators and why I love them so much.

Stay on the lookout for that post! It’ll either be on my main feed or inside TSS Freebie Library as an exclusive post.

POLARSTEPS

Polarsteps is a mobile app that lets you build itineraries, share your travel plans with other travelers, and track the destinations you’ve visited.

I actually discovered it as I was doing research for this post. Meaning I haven’t used it on a trip just yet, but I can already tell I’m going to love it based on the few minutes I spent playing around with it.

I really like the community aspect of it — sharing travel plans sounds like a fun way to meet with other travelers for a few hours, especially for us solo travelers.

REDDIT

I like to think of Reddit as the number-one resource that has information and advice for practically every problem and experience, no matter how niche or common.

I particularly love using it for a number of reasons, including:

• Finding restaurants that locals love to regularly eat at
• Finding activities that are touristy but 100% worth a visit at least once
• Finding hidden gems to make my trip more well-rounded and more unique
• Figuring out the cheapest, most efficient way to get around
• Getting budget tips to make my money stretch as far as possible, especially in more expensive destinations like Paris or NYC

Simply put, I use Reddit as the ultimate travel encyclopedia. It has all the best unfiltered travel advice, and I absolutely cannot plan or execute a trip without it.

Some of my favorite subreddits are r/SoloTravel, r/TravelHacks, and r/NeedTravelAdvice — all in which I’m an active participant!

YOUTUBE

Travel, by nature, is a very visual experience. So having videos to watch is imperative when planning a trip.

For me, YouTube plays a role in finding activities and restaurants, getting around, and just getting some general travel inspiration for whatever destination I’m headed to.

I love travel vlogs and those travel reviews you’ve likely stumbled across at some point. Seriously — I can binge those for HOURS. They’re so addicting!

Some of my favorite YouTube travel creators are:

• Jeb Brooks
• Sojournies
• Amy Smalls
• Christina Le
• She Run the World
• Happy to Wander (yes, Christina has a YouTube channel, too!)

TIKTOK

Believe it or not, TikTok is useful for a lot more than viral dances and silly videos. The travel community is quite large and diverse on there — and I can’t get enough of it.

Even with the frequent annoying over-hypeness of certain places, please don’t underestimate how great of a resource TikTok can be for planning a trip.

I think itinerary posts are really popular on there, but I also love watching public transportation guides to see how to get around a city.

FACEBOOK

At this point, I ONLY use Facebook to plan trips. I literally don’t use it for anything else — not even to stay in touch with my family.

There are countless general and city-specific travel groups to check out. It’s almost overwhelming when you discover the options.

I’m currently in a few (and always searching for more):

• San Francisco Travel Tips
• San Francisco Photography
• What to Do in Chicago

Hopefully you’re noticing a trend here… I use social media a lot to plan my trips. This may not be the most traditional research method, but it’s definitely becoming more common and popular.

I love these FB groups because us travelers come together to help each other plan the best trip possible. Whether that’s budget tips, accommodation recommendations, or simply sharing our experiences, we’re all here because we love traveling and want to have an unforgettable experience.

Similar to Reddit, you’ll usually find more honest and #unsponsored advice in these Facebook groups. Which is particularly helpful if you don’t like those travel influencers who get paid to promote things they don’t actually like (or have never even tried).

Even as a travel creator myself, I often prefer the raw and unfiltered advice from people who actually live there or spend their hard-earned money to visit these destinations.

TRIPADVISOR

TripAdvisor is an all-in-one travel site where you can find restaurants, hotels, activities, and more for your trip. I only recently started using it, but I’m quickly seeing why it’s the world’s largest travel site and why so many people use it to plan their trips.

From my experience using it so far, I can tell it’s really helpful for finding activities and hotels. As you’ll learn throughout this post, I search in multiple places for these things, so it’s nice to have a new resource to add to my already crazy-long list.

FLUSH

Flush is an app that shows you all of the public restrooms near you. It’s really useful when traveling because you’ll likely be away from your accommodation for hours, and can’t wait to get back to take care of your business.

I personally haven’t used it yet, but I definitely plan on using it anytime I travel to NYC. Because from what I’ve heard, finding a FREE public restroom there can be surprisingly and annoyingly difficult sometimes.

ALLTRAILS

AllTrails is widely considered the best app for hiking, biking, and running. I first used it when I hiked Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. And from my experience, I understand why it’s such a popular app.

Not only does it help you navigate trails, but it also tracks your activity and even gives you offline access for when you lose cell service.

I’ll 100% be using it any time I hike, which is actually an outdoor activity I’m slowly getting into. Stay tuned for more hiking content — that’ll be exciting!

ACCUWEATHER

Accuweather is one of the most accurate weather apps.

As you may already know, I profusely check the weather a few weeks leading to my trip. I mainly travel during the shoulder season, and the weather tends to be, um, predictably unpredictable.

So in order to pack correctly, I need a weather app that can give me the BEST predictions — and Accuweather does just that.

Sometimes I’ll use The Weather Channel to cross-check with Accuweather. But more often than not, I’ll use Accuweather since I’ve gotten into the habit of using it to determine what to pack.

APPLE NOTES

I use Apple Notes in a few phases of my trip-planning process. I really like it because it syncs across all of my devices and you don’t need an internet connection to access your notes.

This is extremely helpful when you’re on the plane and don’t want to pay $19 for internet on a two-hour flight.

Because, uh, who the heck would want to do that when you could put that money toward some scrumptious cannolis in Boston? Or a few slices of pizza in New York? Or a classic Chicago-style hot dog?

Hopefully you get what I’m trying to say…

Here’s what I mainly use Apple Notes for:

• Creating full itineraries. These include my budget, important things to know, how I plan to get around, and my day-by-day schedule.
• Creating travel vaults. These are mega travel collections I create, and they’re full of all the best restaurants, hotels, and activities in a destination. They’re basically my personal versions of the full travel guides I make for The Solo Solstice, which actually look pretty darn similar.
• Writing in my travel journal. I open a brand-new note for each trip I take. Throughout my trip, I’ll write anything that comes to mind — things like scenic views I love, a dish I devoured, or a walk I took in a quiet, serene neighborhood.
• My travel bucket list. This, as you’d assume, is a note full of all the destinations on my travel wishlist. Some destinations include Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Japan, and Australia (stay on the lookout — I plan on covering some of these here on my blog when I finally visit them).
• My capsule packing list. This is my personal version of the master packing list I’ve shared here on The Solo Solstice. It’s pretty similar. The only difference is that I removed the things that don’t pertain to me (basically all of the feminine products and clothes).

And that’s not even all of it! Apple Notes is essential for my trip-planning process and I can’t travel without it.

I’ve tried other apps like Notion and Google Docs, but Apple Notes just takes the cake for me!

ChatGPT

Now, now… before you get your panties in a bunch or boxers in a brief (did that work?), I try to use ChatGPT and any other AI tool as intentionally as possible.

That said, I like chatting with ChatGPT to ensure my itinerary looks efficient. Meaning there’s minimal backtracking and I’ve included enough buffer time in between each stop.

Because one thing I’ve learned from traveling is that you absolutely need to factor those into your itinerary — or else you’ll probably be a lot more stressed than you need to be.

Sometimes I’ll use different prompts for other stages of my trip-planning process. For example, let’s say I’m planning a trip to San Francisco and having a hard time deciding where to stay. I’ll ask ChatGPT something like:

I’m planning a five-day trip to San Francisco, California, in mid-October. While I’m there, I want to visit the Exploratorium, Pier 33, the Japanese Tea Garden, Chase Center for a concert, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Based on these activities, which would be the best neighborhood to stay in? Make sure they’re near public transit stations, and recommend a few budget-friendly properties.

ChatGPT suggested I stay in the SoMa/Yerba Buena area. At this point, I’d do some research the area to ensure it’s safe, affordable, and easily accessible by public transit.

I’m completely aware that you can do this on your own. And honestly, that’s what I do most of the time (along with reading travel blogs for full neighborhood breakdowns).

But sometimes if I can’t decide for whatever reason, ChatGPT can really help.

GOOGLE MAPS

Google Maps is a BEAST when it comes to traveling. With reviews, directions, and pinnable maps, it’s easy to understand why so many travelers love it.

Most travelers use it for directions and to plan their itineraries. They’ll pin everything on a map, then narrow it down based on their budget and the type of trip they want.

I think this is SO smart and convenient.

Another great thing about Google Maps is that it shows you pricing, routes, exact train names, wait times, and other practical details for public transportation.

For example, if you’re trying to get to downtown Chicago from O’Hare International Airport, simply put that into Google Maps and it’ll tell you everything you need to know.

I also like that, unlike Apple Maps, you can access Google Maps on any device and without internet.

So if I start planning my trip on my laptop and want to continue on my phone, but don’t have internet at the moment, I can totally do that.

This is especially helpful when I’m on the plane and want to make a few changes to my itinerary (similar to Apple Notes).

TRAVEL TIP: I highly suggest figuring out in advance how you’re getting from the airport to your accommodation. This way, you’re not scrambling trying to figure this out in a whole new environment that you aren’t familiar with. You’ll also already know exactly what to do and how much to budget for your journey, which I think is nice as a Type-A traveler who has to have everything planned everything in advance.

LOCAL CREATORS

Something I’ve recently discovered through my travels is local creators. I really like them because they can give you personal insight and advice for the destination you’re visiting.

Which for you, as someone who has far less experience there, is really helpful. There are local creators in basically anycity you can think of, whether it’s Los Angeles or Boise.

Now, how do you find them? It’s pretty easy: just add “local” to the end of whatever query you’re searching. It doesn’t matter what platform, so don’t worry about tweaking it for any specific app.

For instance, if I’m looking for the best local restaurants in New Orleans, here’s what I’d search on TikTok:

best New Orleans food local

And just like I expected, I found several local creators including Triece (@bukutriece), Destiny (@imperfectlydes), and NolagirlB (@nolagirlb).

You can usually tell they’re local creators by simply looking at their display name or bio. Look for something like “Hannah | NYC Creator,” “All Things New Orleans,” or “Portland Food Creator.”

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel insurance — especially nowadays with travel costing an arm, a leg, and then some — is non-negotiable. You absolutely need travel insurance no matter where you’re going, how you’re getting there, or how long you plan on staying.

You get up to 75% back on nonrefundable expenses (like airfare or accommodations) if you opt for the Cancel-For-No-Reason option. You’re also protected in case you have a medical emergency during your trip.

It may seem expensive upfront, but you’ll save a TON of money if something goes wrong.

Keep in mind that if you book things using a travel credit card (which I highly advise), you’re likely already getting some sort of coverage for your travel expenses.

Just research the exact protections your card offers — not every issuer or card has the same ones!

Compare those with external travel insurance to determine whether you need to get additional coverage.

GOOGLE

I like using Google as a very basic, bare-bones way to find some of the most popular tourist attractions and tours in a certain destination. This is usually earlier in my trip-planning process when I don’t know much about the place.

I’ll usually search something like, “best things to do in Las Vegas” and swipe through the carousel of activities. I’ll add those to my running list of things to do, and come back to them when I’m ready to build my itinerary.

I advise against using Google as your ONLY resource for finding these kinds of things, however.

Google tends to recommend the absolute most popular activities, and doesn’t really highlight the less-popular-but-still-worth-it experiences. That’s when Reddit threads, Facebook Groups, and (local) travel blogs come in to play.

Here are a few other things I use Google for:

• reading hotel reviews
• reading restaurant reviews
• getting a quick overview of a destination

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR FLIGHTS

In the flights section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use for finding and booking flights.

GOOGLE FLIGHTS

If you’re not already using Google Flights, what the heck are you doing? You see, when I first started traveling alone, I spent all this unnecessary time looking for flights on each airline’s website.

And while that was certainly one way to do it, it wasn’t the most efficient or logical.

After just a few flights, I discovered Google Flights. This is a website you can use as an aggregator to find the best flight deals and determine the best time to take your trip.

I especially like their feature where you can enter multiple airports in a destination and search for all kinds of inbound flights. This is an insanely useful travel hack, as you can often save money by flying out of or into a slightly less busy airport.

I’m so glad I discovered Google Flights because I no longer have to spend 30 minutes looking on Delta, American, or Southwest’s websites.

I can just enter some basic info like my dates and airports, and search numerous airlines and flight itineraries at once.

If you aren’t already hip on Google Flights, please check it out. It’ll save you a good amount of time and effort when searching for flights.

There are tons of tutorials and tips for using Google Flights. Chris at Yellow Productions on YouTube has a very informative tutorial, so feel free check that out once you finish reading this post.

TRAVEL TIP: Before you start browsing the results and making a shortlist of flight options, go to the fare type and switch it from Economy (include basic) to Economy (exclude basic). This way, you’ll have a much more realistic price expectation including seat selection and baggage allowances since the most basic fare is always the most restrictive, and often doesn’t earn any points or miles. That’s ridiculous if you ask me!

SKYSCANNER

Skyscanner is similar to Google Flights, but I use it for a different purpose. It’s a travel planning website (and mobile app) that lets you book and compare the cheapest flights from all major airlines, and find the best plane tickets to all your favorite destinations.

They have this awesome feature where you can do a really broad search and decide where to go based on the results rather than a specific destination you may have in mind.

It’s really nice if you’re early in the trip-planning process and either have no idea where to go, or your options are far too expensive.

Basically, you’ll enter something like your home airport as your origin and the United States as your destination. From there, you will have tons and tons of flight options.

This will allow you to plan your trip based on your budget instead of a specific city. You can even be flexible with your dates, allowing you to find the absolute best deals.

I find this to be extremely helpful when I don’t have $500+ to spend on a flight, but still need a quick getaway. While it isn’t the most realistic or accessible method for PTO or student travelers, I think it’s still worth checking out when possible.

HOPPER

Let’s say you already know where you’re going and exactly what flight your taking. But you still don’t know when you should actually book your flight.

That, my friend, is where Hopper comes in clutch. Hopper is very similar to Google Flights and Skyscanner, in the sense that you can find tons of flight options from one search. But I specifically like it because it can visually tell you the cheapest time to book your flight.

For instance, if I’m flying from STL to LGA from June 20-24 and don’t know when to book, I’ll put that in Hopper to find the answer.

You can also get push notifications that give you frequent pricing updates on your planned flight. This way, you don’t have to manually search all the time.

AIRLINE APP

Always, always, always download the mobile app for whatever airline you’re flying.

This will give you updates on important things such as delays, gate changes, and cancelations.

You’ll also be able to check in for your flight, choose your seat, change your seat, get boarding notifications and updates, and do a number of other things using the airline’s mobile app.

Obviously, there’s no such thing as the “best” airline app since that’ll solely depend on what airline you’re flying. However, I find that Delta has the cleanest, most visually appealing app (if that means anything).

MyTSA

MyTSA is an app that lets you check security line wait times before you arrive at the airport.

This is SO useful because it gives you an accurate idea of when you need to leave to get there on time.

Because even though the standard is two hours in advance for domestic travel, you might need to arrive earlier if the lines are long (usually due to shutdowns or peak travel times like summer or Christmas).

TRAVEL TIP: Please keep in mind that during government shutdowns, the MyTSA app typically does not work. When this happens, go to the airport’s official website to determine how early you should arrive. Do NOT fall victim to the fear-mongering that occurs online. You’ll likely stress yourself a lot more than you need to, and you don’t want that happening before walking into an already chaotic environment such as an airport.

FLIGHTY

Oh, how I love the Flighty app… This is an app that lets you track your flights and get real-time (often early) flight updates.

You’ll get the same updates that your airline app has and the flight screens in the airport announce. But you’ll usually get them noticeably quicker. I’m talking at least three minutes sooner. Which may not seem like a lot, but trust me: it’s nice to have these updates ASAP.

While they do offer a premium tier (and I think it’s totally worth it), you can still get by with the free option. If you have the means, however, consider upgrading for even more perks, such as:

• Live Activities
• 25Hr Where’s My Plane
• Late Inbound Aircraft Alerts
• Storm, Wind & Traffic Delays
• Arrival Forecast
• Calendar Sync
• Watch Widgets

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR ACTIVITIES, EXPERIENCES AND TOURS

In the activities section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use for finding and booking activities, experiences, and tours.

GET YOUR GUIDE

Get Your Guide is an online marketplace for tour guides, excursions, travel-related activities, and tickets to tourist attractions.

With more than than 150,000 offerings worldwide from more than 20,000 supply partners, Get Your Guide has something to offer for every kind of traveler. Whether you’re into group hikes, cooking classes, or world-famous art museums, you’ll be sure to find a nice selection of experiences on the platform.

I love this website because it gives me all kinds of ideas for experiences and tours in the destination I’m interested in visiting. Sometimes even when I’m not actively planning a trip, I’ll go on there and look for things to do in various places.

And of course, I bookmark them for when I am ready to plan another trip. Which, quite frankly, is all the time!

VIATOR

Similar to Get Your Guide (GYG), Viator is another online marketplace for countless activities, tours, and experiences around the world.

While I prefer GYG, I do like to check Viator to see if they offer anything that isn’t on GYG.

And sometimes they’ll have the same exact activities, but one might be slightly cheaper. So it doesn’t hurt to cross-check and ensure you’re getting the best deal.

MEETUP

Meetup is a New York-based online social platform and app that connects individuals with shared interests through local events. It isn’t specific to travel, but it’s still an awesome way to find local activities that are often free and low-effort.

Just like with Polarsteps, I discovered Meetup while I was doing research for this post. I took a few minutes to check out the app, and I can’t wait to use it on my next trip (which is Washington DC at the end of July).

I think Meetup is perfect for solo travelers since it serves as a way to people to meet and connect based on one (or more) shared interests.

And like I said, the activities are usually free, which is even better because us solo travelers don’t have anyone to split our travel expenses with, so we have to be really intentional with our budgets.

CityPASS

CityPASS is a company that produces and sells discounted ticket packages to top tourist attractions.

They serve various North American metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and other popular tourist destinations.

If you’re planning a trip to one of these cities, I highly recommend visiting CityPASS’s official website and checking out their attraction bundles. As long as you can make sense of what they’re offering, this can be a great deal.

For more information on deciding whether an attraction pass is worth it, check out Christina’s video explaining what they are and how to get the most value from them.

If you can’t tell by now, Christina at Happy to Wander is one of my favorite travel creators specializing in Europe travel. I watched her video and think it’s super helpful!

GO CITY

Go City is a travel company that offers discounted ticket packages to top tourist locations in 30+ cities. It’s similar to CityPASS. But I believe it’s often the better choice, as it offers many more destinations and attractions, as well as more flexibility with scheduling and pricing.

CityPASS only serves around 17 destinations, while Go City has packages for over 30 cities (and counting). Also, in terms of attractions, Go City usually offers a more well-rounded balance of touristy and slightly less popular experiences.

TRAVEL TIP: When buying a ticket package from a company like CityPASS or Go City Pass, make sure you’re genuinely interested in the activities that are offered. Consider pricing everything individually to ensure you’re getting a deal and not spending extra unnecessary money. Grab my attraction pass comparison tool in the TSS Freebie Library to help!

INSTAGRAM

I must admit, Instagram is probably my least favorite platform for trip-planning. It’s more for inspirational and social stuff which, umm, isn’t really all that useful for traveling. Besides the vacation photos that immediately make you want to plan a trip, of course…

The one thing I do really like using it for? To find local activities!

Anytime I’m visiting a destination for the very first time (which is basically all the time), I’ll check out a couple of accounts that are based there.

For example, ahead of my San Francisco trip in mid-October, I’m going to follow several SF-based accounts. This can include anything from local creators and tour groups, to restaurants and attractions.

As long as they’re based in SF, I’m most likely going to follow them. I really like doing this because I’m able to get news on some local activities and experiences I’d otherwise miss out on.

Here’s how I usually do this: I’ll start by following an SF-based creator. From there, I’ll see what other SF creators they follow, and basically go down this seemingly never-ending rabbit hole of finding all kinds of SF-based accounts to follow.

By the time I’m done, I’ve followed at least ten accounts. I’ll have a good mix of:

• local creators
• tourism boards
• attraction accounts
• restaurants
• shops
• markets
• public transit networks
• event venues

…and much more! Totally one of my favorite ways to find local experiences.

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR RESTAURANTS

In the restaurants section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use for finding, reserving, and reading reviews for restaurants.

OPENTABLE

It seems like just about every tourist destination is gaining more and more popularity and visibility as the years go on.

Which means it’s becoming increasingly difficult to just decide on a whim where you want to eat during your trip.

To solve this problem, you’ll need an app to book restaurant reservations. I love OpenTable because a large number of restaurants use it. I also like that you can usually view the restaurant’s menu within the app so you don’t have to spend extra time searching for it online.

Booking a reservation on OpenTable is very quick and straightforward: search for the restaurant you’re trying to reserve. If it’s on OpenTable, click on it and look for a time slot that fits your travel plans.

Enter some basic info like your name, email, and phone number. You should receive a confirmation email and/or text message afterwards.

Aside from actually reserving restaurants, I also think OpenTable is an excellent recourse for finding places to eat. When I reach the restaurant phase of my trip-planning process, I always check OpenTable to see if there are any restaurants worth giving a try.

Spoiler alert: there’s always some good ones!

YELP

Sometimes if I’m a bit hesitant about a restaurant, I’ll check Yelp for clarity. Yelp is the KING of restaurant reviews, if you didn’t know. I find it particularly useful for smaller, less popular restaurants since they sometimes don’t have as many reviews on other sites.

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR ACCOMMODATIONS

In the accommodations section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use for finding and booking hotels. To be clear, I almost exclusively use the following resources to find accommodations. Then, I’ll book directly to avoid potential mishaps.

HOTELS.COM

Just like with flights, I used to go on each individual hotel brand’s website and quickly become overwhelmed with all of the options. After a while, I figured there had to be a more efficient way to find hotels.

And sure enough, there was! Hotels.com is a company that belongs to the Expedia group, along with VRBO, Trivago, CarRentals.com, and more. It’s quickly grown to become my favorite websites for finding and comparing hotels.

TRAVEL TIP: If you don’t take anything else from this, please remember that using a search aggregator can save you so much time when planning a trip. You’ll have all of your options in one unified place so you don’t have to search multiple websites.

AIRBNB

Airbnb is an online marketplace for short- and long-term rentals. Recently, they’ve added services and experiences such as guided tours, cooking classes, photography sessions, fitness classes, and more.

I started traveling alone when I was 18, and if you weren’t aware, you usually have to be 21 years old to check in to a hotel on your own. Meaning I had to vet every hotel I wanted to stay at. And let me just say, there really aren’t that many hotels that allow 18-year-olds to check in alone.

So when my brother and I traveled to Houston for an event, I had to opt for an Airbnb. Turns out, it was a great idea because it was surprisingly close to the venue and we had a lot more space than your average hotel room. Ironically, it also felt more secure than a hotel because you had to use your digital key twice to access your unit.

You’ll want to be intentional when choosing and staying in an Airbnb, however. As the responsible traveler I’m trying to become, I’d suggest opting for a VRBO property instead.

Airbnb has had some rather questionable business practices and decisions in the recent past, making them a not-so-ethical company to support. Check out this post to learn more about whether Airbnb is ethical.

And continue reading to learn more about VRBO.

VRBO

VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) is an online marketplace connecting travelers with owners of vacation homes for short-term rental globally.

It’s similar to Airbnb, but slightly less popular and focuses more on entire homes, which is perfect for travelers who prioritize privacy and safety.

VRBO often tends to be more expensive than Airbnb due to higher cleaning fees, which is definitely something to consider when booking your stay.

I would still suggest, however, that you stay in a VRBO property instead of an Airbnb if you can’t stay in a hotel for whatever reason. Of course, above all, I recommend staying in a hotel for a multitude of reasons.

I discuss those reasons in my hotel vs. short-term rentals blog post. I’ll be sure to update this post once that guide goes live!

KAYAK

After using Hotels.com for a few months, I realized it was missing one critical feature: it doesn’t tell you the best time to book your stay. And since I’m a budget-conscious traveler, I absolutely need to ensure I’m getting the best bang for my buck.

That’s where Kayak comes in: not only does it serve as a search aggregator for hotels, but it’ll also tell you the best time to book a stay in a destination.

And I love that it tells you this BEFORE you start sifting through the results.

HOSTELWORLD

Hostelworld is the world’s leading travel app and trip planner for backpackers on a budget who want to stay in the best hostels, have fun experiences, and connect with like-minded adventurers.

Essentially, if you’re looking to travel on a tight budget and don’t care to stay in fancy five-star resorts, Hostelworld is the perfect option for you.

TRAVEL TIP: Unlike Hotels.com and Booking.com, Hostelworld is an online travel agency designed for you to book directly on the website. Most properties will expect you to book on Hostelworld’s website rather than their own. You usually won’t get any penalties for booking with Hostelworld.

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR TRANSPORTATION AND NAVIGATION

In the transportation/navigation section of the post, I’m sharing some travel apps and resources I use for getting around a city and traveling between multiple cities.

CITYMAPPER

Oh my freaking gosh, I seriously don’t know what I’d do without Citymapper. It’s a transport app designed for urban navigation. Meaning it’s perfect for large cities like Boston, NYC, Chicago, SF, and more.

It’s basically amazing for all the big cities I cover here on The Solo Solstice.

I find that Apple Maps’ walking directions almost always SUCK, and I end up walking five minutes in the wrong direction before realizing it. And even though I’m directionally challenged, I think Apple Maps is largely at fault.

Citymapper, though? Couldn’t travel without it!

APPLE MAPS

Okay, I know just shamed Apple Maps — and I partially apologize. I really like using it for public transportation directions because it very clearly tells me exactly what I need to know when using public transit. Even more straightforward than Google Maps, surprisingly!

TRANSIT

Transit is considered the world’s most accurate public transit app. It gives you real-time public transit data. I personally haven’t used it much, but when I first downloaded and tested it, it worked quite well!

I’ll be sure to update you once I have more experience using it.

UBER

When I don’t feel safe using public transportation or it just seems more efficient to choose something else, I’ll opt for an Uber. I actually have Uber One, which gives me discounts, rewards, and free ride upgrades.

It’s only $10 a month, which is absolutely worth it given how many Ubers I take throughout the year.

LYFT

As I’m sure you know, Lyft is pretty similar to Uber. The only major difference I’ve seen is that it’s often noticeably more expensive and not as widely available. And even when it is an option, the driver almost always takes longer to pick you up.

That said, I still think Lyft is a good option for getting around a city when riding public transportation isn’t the best choice in the moment.

Here’s how I always get the best deal: I open Apple Maps and enter my destination. I’ll head over to the ride-share tab and compare prices + wait times for Uber and Lyft. Uber is usually the better option overall, but I still like to check both to make sure I’m getting the best deal.

OMIO

Omio is an online travel comparison and booking website. They aim to simplify transportation booking by offering a single platform for trains, buses, flights, and ferries across Europe, the US, and Canada.

This website is perfect if you’re traveling between multiple countries on one trip. I usually use this when I’m planning a multi-city trip, but I also use it when traveling through the Midwest. It’s a lot quicker and easier than sorting through all of the options individually.

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR FINANCES

XE CURRENCY

If you’re traveling internationally, you’ll likely need a currency convertor to know the exchange rates of the destination you’re visiting. XE Currency is a great app for this. I personally haven’t used it yet, but I already have it downloaded for when I am ready to test it out!

GLOBE TIPS

Globe Tips is an app that lets you determine the most reasonable tip amount for your bill at a restaurant. You simply enter the the amount of money you spent and the tip percentage you want to give. Then, it will give you a good estimate of how much you should tip your waiter.

BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES FOR STAYING SAFE

NordVPN

Whether you’re waiting to board your flight or are enjoying a coffee date with someone you met on your solo trip, you need to stay digitally safe.

Hackers can get all kinds of sensitive information like your address, bank details, and more if you’re connected to public, unsecured internet.

This isn’t to scare you into avoiding those networks — you just need to connect to them intentionally. Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) like NordVPN any time you’re traveling to reduce the risk of your private information being stolen.

NOONLIGHT

Noonlight is a personal safety app that I always recommend to solo travelers (particularly female travelers).

It’s especially helpful when you’re in an Uber alone or are walking alone when the sun is down. With this app, you hold onto the screen until you safely reach your destination.

If you’re in danger, you can release your finger and allow the app to automatically call the local authorities.

LIFE360

Life360 is an app that allows you to track the location of anyone in your family. As a solo traveler, this app is imperative in letting my family know where I am at all times.

There are paid options, but I find that the free tier works just fine for most people.

BONUS TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES

I wanted to include a bonus section because even though I just shared a ton of my personal favorite travel apps, I know there’s quite a few popular ones that I didn’t mention.

If I didn’t mention them above, it’s because I personally haven’t used them enough to include in the main section. But I know it can be beneficial to at least try and see how you like them, so allow me to share some other travel apps and resources for solo travelers.

EXPEDIA

This is probably the KING of all third-party travel platforms. Like I said earlier, I don’t usually use Expedia or its other brands (besides Hotels.com — and even then, that’s only for finding hotels, not booking them) because it just makes more sense to book directly with the hotels or airlines.

I’m aware there’s a large audience who will ride or die about Expedia, so I had to include it in this post. You can find some pretty good flight + hotel combo deals on there, so those are worth checking out.

Please do your research before booking any of them!

WANDERLOG

Wanderlog is steadily growing in visibility and popularity. It’s an app that helps you plan your trips. The thing is, if I cared less about planning the trip and more about actually being on the trip, I’d probably root for this app a bit more.

But, as you know from my solo trip planning guide, I am super adamant about the rewarding experience that is finally going on a trip you spend hours planning.

Nothing beats that feeling, and using an app like Wanderlog can subtract from that.

If you aren’t a solo trip-planning fanatic like myself, I understand and respect that. I 100% encourage you to use Wanderlog (or a similar platform) to aid you in the trip planning process.

CAR RENTALS

I’m very aware that people like to rent cars during their travels. I didn’t put this in the main section of this post because I’ve personally never rented a car before for a few reasons:

• I’m currently focusing on more walkable cities
• I don’t want to spend money on a car rental
• I’m not old enough to rent a car
• I don’t have my license yet (oops!)

I know that Enterprise is a pretty popular option, but since I haven’t tested them out myself, I can’t give you my opinion.

Turo is another great option — especially for under-24 drivers — but once again, I can’t attest to that just yet.

Oh, and Discover Cars is a widely recommended car rental search aggregator by fellow travel bloggers, so don’t forget to look into that.

LENSBUDDY

Lensbuddy is an app that allows you to take photos of yourself without needing someone to hold your camera or phone for you.

This is a lifesaver for us solo travelers because sometimes we can’t muster enough courage or bravery (as dramatic as that sounds) to walk up to a stranger and ask them to photograph us.

You basically prop your phone up on something like a pole or tripod, set the timer, get in position, and wait for the timer to go off. I suggest using an Apple Watch or a device like this one to ensure you’re in frame and everything looks good.

I personally don’t use it because I don’t prioritize portrait photos on my solo endeavors, but I know most solo travelers DO like to have memories to look back on.

Read this post from Hey Ciara, one of my favorite POC solo female travel bloggers, to learn more about taking photos of yourself when traveling alone.

MOBILE PASSPORT CONTROL

Mobile Passport Control is a free alternative to Global Entry. It’s a free, official U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app that allows travelers to submit passport and customs declaration information via smartphone, reducing wait times at U.S. airports and seaports.

While it doesn’t omit the need to pass U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it speeds up the process and makes it much more streamlined. You skip paper forms and often get access to shorter, designated line.

I personally haven’t used it yet since I’ve only traveled domestically so far, but you better believe I already have it downloaded and ready for my first international trip.

INTERNATIONAL RIDE-SHARE APPS

I shared some of the more popular ride-share apps in the US, like Uber and Lyft. But overseas, there may be better options to consider.

Here are some international options that might be better depending on where you’re traveling and what your budget looks like:

• Bolt: a Europe-based mobility app known for ride-hailing, electric scooters, and food delivery. It’s especially popular in Europe, parts of Africa, and some cities in the Middle East. Think destinations like Paris, Lisbon, Warsaw, Nigeria, Kenya, Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Grab: Southeast Asia’s leading super-app, providing everyday services like food deliveries, package deliveries, transportation, financial services, and more. It’s extremely popular in destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Cambodia.

AIRALO

Airalo is an app that gives you an eSIM for international travel. It’s great because it’s often cheaper than the charges you’d usually get from a legacy carrier like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile.

Airalo has eSIMs for over 200 countries and regions. These destinations include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and more.

Durations last from seven to thirty days (with certain regional plans lasting up to 180 days), and prices range from $4.50 to $50+, depending on the country, data amount, and plan type.

FINAL THOUGHTS: BEST TRAVEL APPS & RESOURCES

In this post, I shared some of my favorite travel apps and resources that I use to plan the best trip possible. Please keep in mind that I don’t necessarily use every single app for every single trip. That’d be, um, insane!

If you’re just now entering your travel era and don’t have any of these apps, here are the five most important apps you should have:

• A navigation app like Google Maps
• An accommodation app like Hotels.com or VRBO
• A trip-planning resource like Reddit or a travel blog
• An itinerary resource like Apple Notes
• A solo traveler resource like Meetup or my Facebook group (coming soon)

This way, you’ll have at least one multi-purpose resource for every step of the trip-planning process. Then, along the way, you can make changes to your list as you see fit.

I hope you liked this list of travel apps and resources. Let me know in the comments which ones you already have, and which ones you plan to download after reading this post!

ABOUT DEMARCUS

DeMarcus is a Midwest-based travel content creator and the founder of the solo travel blog, The Solo Solstice. He began his solo travel journey in December 2025 and since has been creating practical, in-depth travel guides for a like-minded community of first-time solo adventurers.

Visit the About Page to learn more about DeMarcus, and visit the Ethical & Responsible Tourism Page to learn more about his efforts to promote responsible tourism.