The Best Travel Apps, According to a Tour Director

As I much as I try to extract teenagers from their phones on tour, I will be the first to admit that technology has the ability to enhance travel. In fact, nothing makes me feel more like James Bond than silently ordering an Uber in a crisis, having a sleek car pull up within minutes, destination already plugged in, payment complete. Bam.

However, I am not one for gratuitous downloads – these apps must earn their place on my homescreen! Remember those apps that pretended to "pop the bubbly" and lend you an array of mustaches? Yeah, no. (Although I refuse to get rid of Bejeweled, even though it kills my phone in like ten minutes.)

Here are the tried-and-true apps that I use on tour. The best part? They're all free!

General

-Embark

This is a public transportation app that serves several cities in the US. It's useful everywhere because it gives you step-by-step instructions (literally) and works underground without service, but in NYC it's even more than that. It's not useful, it's a godsend – have you seen their subway system!?

-Uber

I'm afraid I already gave away the surprise here, but Uber is a car service. Used all over the world (even in my little hometown of Pensacola, FL!), its fleet is comprised of freelance, background-checked drivers and is somehow cheaper than cabs while proving to be a much nicer experience. Benefits include the ability to order a car from your phone right to your curb, plugging in your destination (Google is linked, so you don't even have to have the actual address most of the time), and you can save your payment information in the app. The outcome? To the untrained eye, it looks like you have a private driver, which is definitely a perk.

-GateGuru

Tracking flights is so important these days. With passenger volume at an all-time high, air travel is super volatile, resulting in schedule and equipment changes galore. Also, my groups' flights have a habit of arriving up to 40 minutes early! This app allows me to scramble to meet them with minimal egg on my face. As far as tracking goes, FlightAware is the most accurate (I swear they pay someone), but I like GateGuru because it tracks and shows me where all the goods are in the airport. When you only have a forty-minute layover, finding that Pinkberry is no joke.

-XE

Okay, this is a bonus app because I only use it outside the US. It's an offline currency converter, which is amazing when you don't have international data and you're scared because one million Vietnamese Dong sounds like it's going to bankrupt you, when it's actually $45. True story.

City-Specific

-Pizza Compass

This is one of those gimmicky apps that I never thought I would download. But, after the millionth time I was asked about pizza in NYC, I realized that it would make my life so much easier. And it has. The compass is shaped like a slice, and it quickly points you to good, homemade pizza from any point in the city. Technically, it works everywhere since it's geared by FourSquare, but I only find it to be a necessity in NYC!

Central Park

-No matter how many times I walk through Central Park, there's always a brief, panicked moment where I think I'm lost. The Conservatory that runs the park recently updated this app to include a map with a locator and points of interest, complete with snippets of interesting facts. If it's a particularly nice day, they've got pre-planned walks and audio guides voiced by various celebrities…who doesn't want to pretend they're strolling with Whoopi Goldberg…?

ANC Explorer

-Another map, (I'm beginning to sense a theme), this is the official app of Arlington National Cemetery, just outside of DC. Not only is it great just to have a map while walking around – ANC is just as maze-like as Central Park – the app will help you find a grave and give you walking directions to it. It's a great example of a specialized app.

and there you have it! Nothing fancy, just a few solid apps to make your trip a little easier. Just make sure you put your phone down every once in a while and get lost on purpose! See you on the road!