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Travelling? There’s an app for that! The digital age has certainly made travelling easier than ever, planting a wealth of information tools at our fingertips, making many elements of travelling far less stressful and even immersive. The galaxy of travel-related apps never stops expanding, but here’s a swag of my latest favourite apps to help tackle travel logistics, save you money and enrich your adventures. 

Maps. Yes, the big daddy, Google Maps has become a fixture in our lives. Google Maps also displays a ‘busyness’ indicator for popular landmarks and restaurants. Another savvy mapping tool that I actually prefer is CityMapper, optimising your journey to give you the quickest route from point A to point B, be it on foot, bike or by taxi. Just tap in where you are and where you want to go. The walking and cycling options will also show you how many calories you’ll burn, comparing it to food and drink consumption. For example, 141 calories equals 1.2 full-milk flat whites. Nice! CityMapper is also integrated into Uber for over 400 cities worldwide, so you can book an Uber right from the app.  

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Build your own itinerary? TripIt is a nifty travel itinerary app which stores all of your travel plans in a super organised itinerary. Virgos, rejoice! Simply forward all of your flight, rental car and hotel confirmations to an email address and it will automatically curate an itinerary for you. It will even update your calendar with your trip details if you want it to. You can also share your TripIt itinerary with friends and family, with ease. There is also a paid premium version which will do even niftier things like delay and disruption notifications; real-time risk alerts and gate-change information; and on-the-ground destination-specific insights and airport guides. It’s the one stop shop. 

Hiking? If adventure and the outdoors are key components of your vacation, don’t leave home without downloading AllTrails. With over 450,000 trails listed, regularly updated by members of the app’s global community), AllTrails offers searchable tracks wherever you happen to be or are heading to. For those more off-the-grid hikes, AllTrails can be used offline with downloadable maps that track your GPS location. 

Stargazing. You’re exploring a new place at night and tilt your head to the heavens to gaze at that location’s unique astronomical view. But what are you looking at?  iPhones offers the Night Sky app, while Android users should download Stellarium. With both apps, you’ll be able to locate constellations and planets overhead by simply pointing your phone to the sky to see which of the app’s 1.7 billion catalogued stars are sitting bright above you. You can even track the international space station’s whereabouts, from where you are. 

I’m also a big fan of PeakLens. Point your phone at any mountain or range of mountains, to find out what you are looking at. Similarly, while I was in Ecuador at Mashpi Lodge, I came across the nifty birding app, Merlin Bird, which will swiftly identify exactly what bird comes into view of your phone, stacked with information, including its bird calls. It works, worldwide.  

Coffee snobs? This is fun. Check out the Roasters App, RSTRS. A great cup of coffee is only a click away, with a directory of over 17,000 cafes in more than 100 countries, at your fingertips. The focus is on specialty roasters and ‘hidden gem’ experiences, complete with tasting notes, recommendations and reviews. 

In-the-know foodies app? Unleash the power of locals and your fellow travellers to experience the world’s best restaurants and eateries with Yelp. I’ve noticed that in the USA particularly, Yelp is the go-to guide. You can also book reservations directly in the app and order takeaway food.  

Nannybag. I haven’t tried this personally, but several of my friends have been raving about it. Let’s suppose you are staying in an Airbnb, but you actually want to spend all day in that destination, after checking out. Or perhaps you’re passing through somewhere en-route to your destination, that you’d like time to explore without the clatter of a heavy suitcase on cobblestones. What to do with your luggage? Introducing Nannybag: an app that links up shopkeepers and hoteliers offering safe storage space for your baggage. The app’s map feature will let you locate businesses offering storage near train stations, ports or town centres, and displays reviews and prices per day or hour. Great idea! 

Atlas Obscura. Nothing beats uncovering some quirky, offbeat, less-trafficked sights and experiences to a destination you are visiting. Enter, Atlas Obscura! The holy grail of hidden gems and the obscured. The app’s database includes more than 20,000 unexpected sites and landmarks worldwide, each with their own curious story. It’s like having a trove of local stories without having to sign up to a guided walking tour. 

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Do you need packing support? Confession time – I generally over-pack, taking far more items away with me than I ever use. Conversely, even the most seasoned traveller can overlook packing the essentials. Packpoint helps finetune your packing approach with a series of questions – where you’re going, for how long, what time of year and what activities are involved – to help curate a personalised list that you can then customise with your itinerary.

Mike Yardley is ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞtalk ZB’s resident traveller and can be heard every week at 11.20am on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.