The 7 Essential Apps You Need To Plan Your Next Vacation
/Are you ready to plan your next adventure? The recent saying "There's an app for that" rings true with me and my planning. With the right apps, you can easily plan and organize your next trip. Whether you're planning your dream vacation or just a weekend getaway, the 7 apps you need to plan your next trip will help to make the most of your journey. From booking flights and hotels to deciding where to eat, these apps will make planning your next trip the easiest one yet. Read on to find out which apps you need to make your next trip a success! Whether you are road trippers, jet setters, or a little of both these apps will help you plan the best trip possible!
I take vacation planning VERY seriously. Mostly because when I arrive at my destination I want to make sure I am enjoying every minute of it. Who wants to deal with spending time in the room scrambling trying to get those last-minute tickets, finding places to eat, or activities to do. Worrying you may miss out on something last second can cause you to miss more of your precious time than you thought. I usually plan one day at a time with a full itinerary of times and exactly how long it will take to get to each location. I also incorporate restaurant reservations and a backup list of places we can go in case something doesn’t work out. Now I know this is a little excessive, but I’ve got that type-A personality and am always planning life out. So let's make this all a little simpler and I’ll give you the 7 apps and travel planning websites I am always using and what I am using them for. This will help you more than you can imagine whether you are traveling internationally or right here domestically!
1st - Hotel App
If you travel often it's important to have a hotel chain you prefer, and one that is accessible almost anywhere, even if you venture out and stay elsewhere from time to time. Staying more frequently with one hotel company will help you gain points for free stays, get room upgrades and occasionally get extra benefits like free internet connection, dinner, drinks, and welcome amenities. I am currently an IHG user, primarily because I have been obsessed with Kimpton Hotels ever since the hubby and I stayed at one in Washington D.C. over 6 years ago. They went above and beyond for us and each hotel is so uniquely designed. There are many hotel companies to choose from, so I would pick the one you’ve had the best experience with and try and stick with it. You will benefit from this the most. Using your hotels app will help you find all the local hotels along with the amenities you want, pricing, location and much more!
2nd - Pinterest
This is probably a no-brainer! Let me tell you how I use it though to give you an added boost! I search the location I am going (for example lets say Chicago for the time being). I will search traveling to Chicago and scroll through the hundreds of blog posts that are telling me all the great attractions to see, eat, and stay. I will start compiling a list of the places they each write about as their favorites. As I go through each post you will start to see doubles, this is when I add stars on my little list next to each place that comes up multiple times. One star for each time I see it. You will start to see trends of the most popular places in each of the categories and what are the must-sees while you visit!
3 - Yelp
Next, I head over to Yelp. Here I will go from the top places to eat and see what lines up with the places that all my Pinterest peeps are saying to go along with the locations near our sightseeing. I may read a review or two but I won't waste too much time on it. Someone will always have a bad experience, no matter the place, and if there are too many bad ones they will be near the end of Yelp's list of hundreds of restaurants and I probably won't get that far anyway.
4 - TripAdvisor
Now I check TripAdvisor to cross reference my hotel choices, sightseeing places, and restaurants one more time. They will also have some articles you can read from local magazines, newspapers and big travel companies.
5 - Instagram
Now that you have a huge list of restaurants and sightseeing activities along with hotel choices likely picked out, make sure to hit the Gram. This is when I go through and search the vibe of the properties and what they look like aesthetically for photos along with upcoming events that may be coming up while I’m in town. I of course see if it will be a dressy location or if we're okay to go to dinner dressed in the same clothes we just toured the town with. Also as a blogger, I use this to see if I can find some great photo ops. I also use Instagram to save places I see and refer back to. So, sometimes I start in that saved folder on IG first before I even start at #2 on Pinterest and then come back to the checkout location and plan outfits. Both are great ways to plan and make this an invaluable app to use!
6. United App
Just like using a hotel company consistently, I like to use an airline consistently to have an ongoing membership that will rack up points. Other exclusive perks that come with using one airline and/or having a credit card with them are United club passes to the club lounge at the airports, upgraded seats, free check bags and many more perks! This also is the best way to carry your boarding pass and get your flight confirmations. As well as gives you options for alternative flights and for switching seats along with tons of additional information.
7. Maps
The last apps I use in my planning are MapQuest or Google Maps. I use these apps to look at the locations of where the restaurants, museums, event centers and everything else I am going to see is actually located. This helps me plan the restaurants I want to go to according to when we are in the area during our trip. One thing you never have enough of on vacation is time, so it's always best to plan things geographically together, especially if it's in really big countries or cities. You don’t want to see a museum uptown, head to lunch downtown, and then the next thing your seeing is back uptown. Planning one day all in the same location and the next day in the other helps save time so you can do more of what you love, seeing the beautiful places you are traveling. This also gives the length of transportation so I know if we will be needing a car on our trips, mostly walking, or using an Uber or cab.
I hope this list of fantastic apps/websites I use to plan my travels help you. My husband and I love to travel so much, and honestly planning before we go is one of my favorite parts. I love food, probably too much, so I always want to make sure we are having the most amazing and popular dishes when we travel. I also try to see as much as we possibly can because who knows if we will ever go back. Let me know if you use these Apps the next time you plan a trip. As always I love to hear from you and get your feedback and ideas. Be sure to sign up for my subscription to get the latest news on travel, recipes and all things from amandawarrenblog.com -here-
Here are some of my favorite travel itineraries from past trips for more inspiration:
Discovering the Best of Fort Worth: A Traveler's Guide
5 Essential Tips for an Unforgettable Visit to Magnolia Market
A Comprehensive Guide to Cambridge, Massachusetts
"Making the Most of 3 Days in NOLA - A Guide to Exploring New Orleans
