Some of us love to travel. The adventure, the opportunity to see and taste and experience new things, the break from your everyday routine. Some of us… not so much. Sitting still in a plane or a car, surrounded by the unfamiliar, the loss of your everyday routine. Whether you relish it, or dread it, these four apps every traveler needs make managing your travel plans a whole lot simpler.
Airline✈️
Most every airline has an app these days and it is so worth downloading for several reasons.
1.PUSH NOTIFICATIONS.🚨
Planes get delayed. Gates change. If you have to check the board every twenty minutes to see if something has changed, that’s a hassle. And you may not notice in a timely manner, especially if you have to move to a distant gate. Push notifications alert you as soon as the airline computer changes. I’ve had an airline apps notify me minutes before board changes. And that nice ding or buzzing ensures you don’t miss anything.
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Access to flight information. Flight numbers – departure and arrival times – layover information – it’s all right there in the app for you to view any time you need it.
Entertainment.💓
Many airlines are now offering entertainment on your personal device rather than in a seatback. The catch is, you have to download their app. That’s a lot easier at home, connected to your wifi, than it is in the airport or in mid-flight.
Mobile boarding pass.📲
If you’ve got your phone then you’ve got your boarding pass. You can get it 24 hours before your flight, when you check in. You don’t need to worry about printing anything up (one less line to wait in). And you don’t have to carry several pieces of paper if you have layovers. You also don’t have to worry about losing your boarding pass. It’s all very simple and easy to manage.
Easy flight changes.⏱
If you have a significantly delayed flight or cancelled flight, you can get on a standby list for a different flight. Or view alternate departure times. Hopefully you won’t have any of these problems. But it’s great to manage these on your app rather than waiting on hold or standing in line.
In order to get the most out of the airline app, you may need to sign up for their rewards program. It’s not so bad since you’ll earn some miles (even if it’s not enough to do anything with). And you’ll easily be able to keep track of your reservations.
Hotel🏢
Like the airline app, having your hotel app will give you easy access to your reservation. Hotel name, address, check-in and out dates available whenever you need.
You can also check in ahead of time in the app. Choose your room. Even make a reservation through the app instead of the hotel’s website. Some hotel apps will also let you request amenities for your room (who ever actually wants a feather pillow?) or connect with concierge.
Uber🚘
If you rent a car, you may not need Uber. But if you’re not, Uber makes it easy to book either a taxi or a private driver. It emails receipts, making fewer little pieces of paper for you to keep track of. It makes tipping simple. And it’s even better if you’re traveling for work. It’s simple to have a work credit card and personal credit card and get receipts emailed to your work for expense reports.
The annoying thing is you have to rate every driver. Three stars feels mean but if they got you where you needed to ok and it was acceptable than that’s kind of the definition of average or acceptable or three stars. And if you have the Hilton app you can book Uber without an additional app.
Eat24🍚🍣
Yelp’s app makes it easy to find restaurants in a unfamiliar city. You can search by cuisine type. See ratings. Figure out how far it is from your hotel. Or even have food delivered to your hotel. Plus, use coupon code R9799 and get $5 off your first order! Which is cool if you’re paying for it and less fun if it’s going on your work credit card.