5 Great iPhone Apps For Frequent Travelers

Every day new travel apps hit the market. They’re all aiming to solve a problem you may not even know you had. The best thing about great travel apps is they make your life easier by helping you simplify and organize your planning and your trip.

Whether it’s deciding what to pack, planning your route or talking to a stranger, we’ve picked five great iPhone apps for frequent travelers. Take a look – choose one or choose them all – and get globetrotting.

1. TripIt

This intelligent iPhone app puts all your travel plans in one place. TripIt connects to your email accounts and automatically compiles all your travel information.

TripIt is a superb organizer that searches your Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook.com email accounts for confirmation numbers for your flights, hotels, rental car reservations and restaurant bookings. If you use another email provider, you forward your confirmations to plans@tripit.com

With your details all in one place, you don’t have to worry about losing all those sheets of paper. TripIt transforms all of your emails into a master itinerary for every one of your frequent trips. You can then access your itineraries anytime.

TripIt also allows you to share your travel plans and sync your plans with your calendar. If you upgrade to the paid version, you’ll also receive real-time flight alerts such as delays, cancellations and gate changes. The paid version notifies you if a better seat is available, keeps track of your reward points and notifies you of refund opportunities.

Get: TripIt

2. Google Translate/Word Lens

In a foreign country and not up-to-speed on the national language? Thanks to technology, the language barrier is rapidly disappearing!

Recently updated, the Google Translate app includes automatic language detection in conversation mode. This means you can have a conversation with another person who doesn’t speak the same language.

There’s no need to brush up on your translation skills as also included in this update is the integration of Word Lens. This savvy app instantly translates foreign text via your iPhone camera. Simply hold your phone so you can view the text, and the app will translate the words. You can also type in words and get an instant translation.

If your frequent travels require you to translate road signs, menus, guidebooks and other printed materials, the Google Translate/Word Lens app is for you. It translates English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Get: Google Translate

3. Packing Pro

Most of your travel planning has gone digital, but what about the humble paper checklist – the one that lists toothbrush, iPhone charger and various outfits? Packing Pro provides packing assistance perfect for any traveler.

Customize categories and make lists within lists. List your essentials such as passport, cash, clothing, accessories, toiletries, and more, and check them off as packed. Packing Pro helps you manage lists for different trips/locations and organize your packing so you never leave anything at home.

Enter your packing list, set your iPhone up in a stand and start checking off your items with ease.

Get: Packaging Pro

4. Open Table

You’ll never have trouble finding a place to eat during your travels with Open Table. Through this app you can search for nearby restaurants and reserve tables all from the app. You can also search for reviews, browse photos and filter your search by cuisine and price range.

With more than 20,000 restaurants in the US, Canada and Mexico, you’ll enjoy the ease of meal planning with Open Table.

Get: Open Table

5. Day One

This journaling app lets you record your trip in real time. We like its elegant interface and its ease of use. You can document your travels by including text, photos, locations, weather and even tags. Day One combines a simple daily log, event log, activity log and more.

With Day One, you can back everything up, tweet and email your entries and even check-in with Foursquare. This is one app you ought to check out.

Get: Day One

Getting ready for your next trip? Include an Tylt iPhone Stand in your packing list. It allows you to mount your iPhone beside your hotel bed as an alarm clock or use it for entertainment and to control music in your room.