12 Best Trip Planning Apps – You Must Have in 2025

Last Updated: January 30th, 2025

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Let’s be honest, organizing trips and vacations can be stressful and tricky. Between transport and accommodation booking to finding the best restaurants to bridging the language barrier, there can be a lot to consider.

Never fear, I’m here to help with the best trip-planning apps to help you organize the perfect vacation or adventure. Whether you’re a newbie to the world of trip planning or you’re a seasoned pro, these trip planning apps are sure to make your life a lot easier!

So, without further ado, let’s dive in and find out more!

The 12 Best Trip-Planning Apps

1. Omio

Omio

Planning a vacation that’s going to need train or bus connections? The Omio app is great for booking bus or train tickets all around Europe. Whether you’re looking to go interrailing around the content and want to book tickets from your phone, or you’re just looking for the quickest or most cost-effective route from the airport into the city, Omio has you covered.

The Omio app also shows you live updates which is really great when you’re on the road and want to know what’s going on with your transport. They’ve also recently added ferries into the mix, so if you’re thinking of hitting the open water in Europe, this is a great app for showing you all the different routes from all the different operators.

2. TripIt

TripIt
TripIt works to collate all the confirmations and bookings in one place. Image by: TripIt

Okay, so when we’re booking a trip, we don’t always do it on one website or all at the same time. Maybe you buy your flights from the airline, add an Airbnb booking later, and add a tour or excursion closer to your departure date. All those confirmations get lost and muddled in your email inbox.

TripIt works really simply to collate all these confirmations and bookings in one place. As soon as you get your confirmation, forward the email to the dedicated TripIt email address, and once you log into the app you’ll find it organized and in there for you. The app will organize it into a full itinerary timeline, complete with alerts and notifications – even when your flight is delayed!

3. Hostelworld

Hostelworld

The Hostelworld app is probably one of my favorite travel apps because it’s so easy to use. You’ll get notifications as your trip gets closer, and you can book your next hostel room or dorm bed while you’re on the road, so if you’ve got a spontaneous vibe to your trip, it really helps with flexibility.

A cool thing that Hostelworld has recently added is group chat features for travelers heading to your specific location. This is grouped in two ways: by individual hostel and by city. It allows you to meet new people and organize nights out or days out ahead of time. As a frequent solo traveler, this is a really valuable feature!

4. Rome2Rio

Rome2Rio

Want to know the best way to get from point A to point B? Well then, you have to download the Rome2Rio app. Simply add in your desired locations and the app will show you the best and cheapest ways of getting there. The app includes buses, trams, trains, flights, taxis, and driving times with approximate car hire costs so that you can make an informed decision.

It also includes links out to the individual operator’s websites so you can book tickets directly or download more detailed timetables. If you’re trying to plan an itinerary using local public transport, Rome2Rio is a great option.

5. Wanderlog

Wanderlog
Wanderlog Itinerary & Road Trip Guide App Image by: Focal Foto / Flickr

If you’re a visual trip planner, you’re going to love this next app. Wanderlog is like a one-stop shop for collaborative trip planning. You can add all your itinerary details from online guides you’ve seen, import your hotel and flight reservations, and get personalized suggestions for things to do in each location.

One of the cool things about Wanderlog is that you can add your friends to your trip and you can live sync plans and itineraries. It’s a great feature if people are coming from all over or different people are planning different sections of your trip. Wanderlog also displays everything in map form so it can help you plan routes and even export to Google Maps when you’re offline.

6. Google Maps

Google-Maps

Okay, we pretty much all know about Google Maps, but it’s one of the most used apps on the planet for a reason. Whether you’re trying to work out which subway route to get or whether it’s quicker to walk than jump in a cab, or if you’re just trying to find your hotel, it’s an invaluable trip-planning app.

The “find a place to eat near me” search query has to be one of my most used Google Maps searches when I’ve had a long day of exploring a city. Food guides are all well and good, but sometimes you just want to find something close. Also, being able to download area maps for when you’re on the go can be a literal lifesaver, especially if you’re out hiking or adventuring!

7. Duolingo

Duolingo

If you’re going to a country where the language spoken isn’t your own, then you’re going to want to learn a few phrases to get by. Realistically, Duolingo is the most popular language-learning app on the market right now. With quick and easy-to-complete lessons, you can slowly improve your skills in a relatively fun way.

Even if you’re not fluent by the time the trip comes around, being able to cover the basics and be polite can definitely go a long way, especially if you’re traveling somewhere where English-speaking tourists aren’t a common occurrence.

8. Skyscanner

Skyscanner

Even though I’d recommend booking your flights directly through the airline in case they get canceled or anything goes wrong, I always check Skyscanner first. This app compares flights, hotels, and car hire prices from across the internet to show you the best possible rates for your time of year or destination.

If you’re a flexible traveler, the search “everywhere” feature is really cool. You can enter your local airport and see where you can go on your chosen dates. On the flip side, you can also view prices and routes by month rather than set dates. This is amazing for seeing which days are the cheapest to fly on so you can adjust your vacation days accordingly.

9. Viator

Viator
Viator is one of the most popular online tour platforms Image by: Focal Foto / Flickr

Looking for cool excursions and tours for when you’re away on holiday? Viator is one of the most popular online tour platforms, and for good reason. Whether you’re looking for full-day sightseeing tours, inner-city food walking tours, or just affordable airport transfers, you can find them all on this site.

You can easily narrow your search by date, budget, and theme to find the ideal tour for you. There are plenty of traveler reviews and ratings on each tour, so you know what to expect, and each listing is really explicit about what’s included in the tour price and what isn’t, so there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises!

10. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

Whether you’re looking for the best places to eat, excursions, destinations, or tour companies, someone has probably already rated it on TripAdvisor. In the mood for Chinese food but don’t know which is the best spot in your destination? Check out the Chinese food filter on TripAdvisor and see what comes up.

If you’re still in the planning stages, the forums on TripAdvisor can be really helpful. In the past, I’ve seen useful tips about how to get public transport in different areas, how far different places are from each other, and even how many days you actually need in certain places. It’s definitely saved me from spending way too many days in overhyped locations before!

11. PackingPro

PackingPro
PackingPro to make dedicated packing lists Image by: QuinnScape

Are you one of those people who always forgets at least one thing when you travel? Well, that’s a thing of the past with PackingPro. Currently only available on iOS, PackingPro allows you to make dedicated packing lists for your adventures and save them for future use. You can have a city break one, a beach vacation one, even a bachelorette one – you get the idea.

If you need a helping hand, you can always use lists from the PackingPro community. There are over 800 items in the Master Catalog, so if you’re struggling, have a read through that and add anything that might be of use on your next trip. You can also share your packing lists with friends and sub-divide lists for different people so you don’t all end up bringing the same gear!

12. Location Scout

Location-Scout
Location Scout is to search the world’s most beautiful destinations. Image by: Location Scout

Interested in seeing the world’s most beautiful places? Location Scout is going to be for you. Simply search your destination and you’ll get a grid of amazing photos uploaded by the Location Scout community of photographers. Click on the one you like and you’ll be given a full profile of the destination.

In addition to the all-important geolocation so you can visit yourself, you’ll also find a short blurb about the area, and shooting information like the best time to visit, how crowded it is, and the live sunrise and sunset times. If you’re into your photography or content creation, these can really help you find Instagram-worthy spots for your trip.

About The Author

Rebecca Crowe is a freelance content writer who specializes in writing about travel, food, drink, and adventure. She specializes in budget and adventure travel content and can usually be found climbing some rocks, eating some tacos, or waiting around at the nearest airport. Her best budget travel achievement was spending a weekend in Paris with Roland Garros tickets for under £150, although she's always on the lookout for even better adventure and travel deals! If you want to keep up with her next adventure, check out her website at Wandering and Wine.

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Picture of Rebecca Crowe

Rebecca Crowe

Rebecca Crowe is a freelance content writer who specializes in writing about travel, food, drink, and adventure. She specializes in budget and adventure travel content and can usually be found climbing some rocks, eating some tacos, or waiting around at the nearest airport.

Her best budget travel achievement was spending a weekend in Paris with Roland Garros tickets for under £150, although she's always on the lookout for even better adventure and travel deals!

If you want to keep up with her next adventure, check out her website at Wandering and Wine.

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