Great Travel Apps to Have when Traveling

There are a few travel apps out there that I believe stand out from the rest and that have made traveling for me all the more better!
Take a look at my list below and download them for yourself if you think that they would benefit you.

Mobile Passport
Do you (like me) want to SPEED PAST everyone in the Customs line at the Airport? If so, you need this FREE app. You download it, go in and take your photo, add your passport info and VOILA you can answer all of your customs questions on the app.
This app ONLY works when you are going back into a United States airport after traveling out of the country (and ALL airports DON'T have it, though most major ones do). After you answer the questions on the app, it gives you a receipt which stays active for 4 hours. So if you are on a quick flight from Cancun to Houston for example, you COULD do it before you leave Cancun and have it ready when you land.

TRUE STORY: on a flight from Cancun to Columbus, OH I had a stop at EWR in New Jersey and that's where I had to do customs since it was my first stop entering the United States. I swear I was the ONLY person with this app. The customs line was INSANELY long, and I just zipped through with my app. BEST DAY EVER!

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TripIt
This app keeps all of your reservations, points programs etc. in line. There is a free version and a Pro version (which I have) that costs $49 a year. I like it because you don't really have to worry about carrying paper around for your reservations. It also lets me know at airports when there are gate changes (before the airline apps); flight time changes (before the airline) and more. ALSO, it saves your seat preferences, updates you on seat alerts, keeps track of hotel and airline points and more.

There is also a "Flight Refund Monitoring" feature on the Pro Version. It will check the airline prices and see if there's a better price for you (less change fees). If they think that you are eligible for a credit or refund, you receive an email or alert to contact the airline or agent (ME). Does this happen often? NO, but its still a good feature for just in case!

The BEST thing about this app is that you don't have to do a lot of typing in or copying your travel details over. You can link it to your email address and it auto imports it all OR you can just email your confirmations to plans@tripit.com and it will auto transfer the details into your trip. For points updates you just forward points statements that don't auto import to points@tripit.com. Its pretty amazing!

You can share your trip itinerary and details with family and friends if you'd like as well. I LOVE this app!

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My Currency Converter
So this one is AMAZING when you're going out of the country. This app is so helpful when you are at Walmart for example in Cancun and want to know how much something equates to in US dollars (when everything is listed in pesos) or vice versa.

In Puerto Vallarta 2 years ago I had the nicest cab driver EVER get the BIGGEST tip ever...because I didn't have a currency converter, only had pesos, and just didn't know any better. He deserved a big tip...but perhaps not that big. I have for the most part gotten a basic conversion for Mexican pesos down in my head--but the currency converter is just quicker, easier, and I don't have to think as hard.

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Amazon Kindle App
In my last post I told you all that I loved the Amazon Kindle (and I do) especially for if you don't have wifi on the plane. If you do not have a Kindle (and I didn't for years); the app itself is the next best thing. Just download your books to it BEFORE you get on the plane, and you can open and read with or without wifi.

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