We bit the bullet and purchased our first iPad earlier this year. Since my husband and I both have MacBook Pros and iPhones, it felt a little bit like overkill. But we have been really happy with our purchase. We both use our new tablet for reading eBooks and have found it is a great travel tool. We’ve downloaded dozens of apps and use many for travel. Here are of the best iPad apps for travel.
1. AwardWallet
AwardWallet is one of my favorite travel tools, so I love that they have an iPad app available. AwardWallet is a great way to keep track of all of your travel loyalty programs. It works with frequent flyer miles and hotel and credit card points. You can see your balance and reward numbers, even when you don’t have internet connection.
There’s also a paid version of the app. The major difference is that the paid version will display extra reward account properties and historical account balances, and you can export award balances into Excel. To upgrade, you choose how much to pay; just donate how much the upgrades are worth to you. Each donation allows you to access the upgraded features for 6 months.
Cost: Free
2. TripIt
Having all of your traveling plans in one place is a huge help while globetrotting. I can’t count the times I have spent way too long searching my email for airline and hotel confirmations. TripIt is an easy way to organize and share travel plans.
Once you receive your confirmation email from booking travel, forward it to plans@tripit.com. The app recognizes the reservations and then creates a helpful itinerary for your trip based on all of your confirmations. You can see it on your iPad or iPhone, sync it with your calendar, and view your itinerary on the TripIt website.
A pro version is also available and costs $49/year, but has a 30 day free trial period. It monitors your flights for potential savings and sends helpful reminders while you’re traveling.
Cost: Free
3. uPackingList
There are quite a few apps available to help with packing lists. uPackingList is a free iPad app that allows you to create a list of necessary items and customize the suggested lists to fit your needs. You can check off the items as you pack them, ensuring that you don’t forget anything.
For short trips, I don’t usually create packing lists. But that’s gotten me into trouble more than once so maybe I should start! I always create packing lists for longer trips, especially overseas. Developing a list a couple weeks before I leave helps me pack light; the more I look over the list, the more I realize that I can leave a few things behind.
I find that packing lists are often helpful as I get ready to come home, as well, ensuring I don’t leave anything behind. I appreciate that you can save lists with this iPad app, so if you take similar trips you have a personalized packing list already prepared for your next trip.
Cost: Free
4. Skyscanner
I love planning globetrotting adventures. I’m always trying to think of new places to visit, so the SkyScanner app is one of my favorites on the list of the best iPad apps for travel. I love that you can put in the “from” airport and SkyScanner will tell you how much it will cost to fly to dozen of cities around the world. By selecting “explore” you can rotate the globe, seeing cheap flights for cities around the world. This iPad app is sure to provide plenty of travel inspiration!
Cost: Free
5. OpenTable
With OpenTable for iPad you can make free reservations at over 20,000 restaurants across the United States, Canada, and even the UK. Just select your dining date, time, and party size to see which nearby restaurants have available tables. You can see the results listed by proximity, or, if you prefer, on an interactive map.
OpenTable is nice because you can view reviews before you book a table for dinner. Many restaurants even list their menus, making restaurant selection less risky for picky eaters.
Cost: Free
Regardless of where your journey takes you, this list of the best iPad apps for travel will help you have an amazing trip.
Do you use an iPad? What are your favorite iPad apps for travel?
photo credit:Delwin Steven Campbell
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Awesome site, and thanks for the heads up on all these great apps! Award Wallet is great, and another one I regularly use is TripIt. I really look forward to trying out OpenTable though, which sounds awesome! So far though, my all time favorite app for when I travel is this remote access app I got through my work at Dish. I love this thing; it lets me watch anything I want off my receiver at home as long as I can get a 3G connection. It doesn’t matter if it’s a live show or something off my DVR, and the fact I have so many options is awesome. This app almost literally saved me from losing my mind when I stuck in Cincinnati a few winters ago on a weather delay; thirty-six hours in the airport, so I recommend it to basically anyone that will listen.
Thanks, Eddie. We’ll check that out.
Kimberly, thanks again! I just got back from Rome, and remembered that your site was the one that had recommended a lot of the apps that have made my last few trips really amazing, so I wanted to come back by and thank you again for that. Keep up the great work!
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