At Fathom, we're all about mixing the practical with the inspirational. And when it comes to travel planning, we get equally as excited using high-tech maps as we do we do handwriting (analog!) postcards.
With that in mind, we present the 24 Best Travel Apps that help us pack our bags and see the world.
Map makers, route planners, packing list, emergency and social calls: We anticipated your every on-the-road need. You will already know some of these. You will come to love all of them.
What it is: Maps, directions, and traffic reports from A to B (you can save without an internet connection). Don't leave home without it. What's to love: Extra details for subway times, bus routes, and bike and pedestrian paths. Who it's for:iPhone and Android. What it costs: Free.
What it is: The addictive social scrapbooking tool is a great resource for travel research. What's to love: Gorgeous photos, inspiration from otherwise hard-to-find sites and publications. Who it's for:iPhone and Android. What it costs: Free.
What it is: Crystal clear voice or video calls — wherever you are. What's to love: It won't cost you a thing, even when yakking internationally. Who it's for:iPhone, Windows Phone, or Android. What it costs: Free.
What it is: A photo sharing site that lets you choose filters to transform the look and feel of your pics. What's to love: It makes novices look like photo pros and everyday photos into dreamy snapshots. Who it's for:iPhone. What it costs: Free. Follow Fathom! We're @FathomWaytoGo.
What it is: Real-time mobile messaging without paying for SMS. What's to love: Group chats when traveling en mass! Who it's for: iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone, and Nokia users can all play along. What it costs: $0.99
What it is: One-touch access to local police, ambulence, and fire departments in over 100 countries. What's to love: If you need to make an emergency call, just shake the phone. Who it's for:iPhone. What it costs: $2.99
What it is: Restaurant recommendations from the country’s best chefs. Sort by dish as well as by location. What's to love: A range of toques, personalities, and establishments, from high-end to hole-in-the-wall. Who it's for:iPhone. What it costs: Free.
What it is: Organize trip details into one master online itinerary (flights, hotels, car, map, directions). What's to love: See all of your trip details at a glance. Who it's for: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows. What it costs: Free.
What it is: A heads-up on what's happening down the road — exits, rest stops, gas stations — so you can plan as you go. What's to love: Pass on the KFC/TCBY combo. You know there's a cute diner a few miles away. Who it's for: iPhone and Android for now, Windows coming soon. What it costs: $0.99
What it is: A sleek car service booker that automatically charges your credit card on file. What's to love: Feels like an on-demand private driver who texts you with a curb-side ETA. Who it's for:iPhone and Android. What it costs: Free.
What it is: One thousand untouristy phrases and on-call human translators to help you "talk like a local." What's to love: A focus on colloquial speech that will help you make a good impression — or at least get your point across. Who it's for: iPhone. What it costs: The basic app is free; add-ons cost up to $19.99.
What it is: The travel version of a Swiss Army knife. Offline maps. Currency converter. Clothing sizes. International dialing codes. You name it, they’ve got it. What’s to love: Saves you the trouble of downloading a ton of apps. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $1.99
Wi-Fi Finder
What it is: Find internet hotspots around the world. What’s to love: Listings span over 144 countries. Who it’s for:iPhone and Android. What it costs: Free.
What it is: A tool that enables conversations with speakers of other languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch). What’s to love: The awesome double keyboard layout. Who it’s for: iPad. What it costs: $4.99
What it is: A weather app that manages to convey all the important details in a minimalist style. What’s to love: Beautiful design. Rainy days never looked so good. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $1.99
What it is: Avoid international data charges with interactive offline maps and travel guides for the whole world. What’s to love: Pre-plan your route by pinning key locations. Who it’s for:iPhone and Android. What it costs: $1.99
What it is: Turn travel articles and blogs into personalized travel guides. What’s to love: Taxi mode displays your destination address in the local language. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $3.99
What it is: A currency converter app that has both an offline and online mode. What’s to love: Simple, attractive design. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $0.99
What it is: A packing list app. Sounds boring, but the lovely design makes it stand out. What’s to love: Raise your hand if you’ve ever forgotten a charger or a toothbrush. Add a reminder to items that need to be packed at the last minute so you don’t forget. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $1.99
What it is: Print and share photos from your phone, Instagram feed, or Facebook account. What’s to love: Vintage-style photos arrive in a cute orange envelope. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: App is free, prints costs $0.99.
What it is: Find and create running routes in more than 2.4 million cities. What’s to love: Extremely accurate GPS ensures you won't get lost. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: $4.99
What it is: Shoot wraparound panoramas. What’s to love: A 360º view of all the lovely scenery from your trip. Who it’s for:iPhone and Windows users. What it costs: Free.
What it is: Pinterest for travel planning. Follow friends and repin their favorite restaurants and hotels to your collection or explore and see what others are posting. What’s to love: Create a personalized app with the listings you curate on your account. Who it’s for:iPhone. What it costs: Free.
What it is: Instant language translation, even sans data connection. What's to love: It's incredibly simple, convenient, reliable. When spelling gets arduous, utilize the text-to-speech component. Who it's for: iPhone and Android users are fully supported, but Nokia, Windows and Blackberry users can use the basic functions too. What it costs: Free.
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.
