Finding cool new travel apps always gets me a little giddy. I love to stumble across something fresh, awesome, and unexpected, that either solves a problem I hadn’t thought about, or looks to solve an existing problem with a different perspective. That’s what great apps do right? Solve problems and simplify our lives.
As someone who travels a lot, why wouldn’t I want to know about the newest tools that can make exploration just a little bit easier, or more interesting? It’s like when that hammer came out that hammers the nail for you. If I were a carpenter, I’d want that! If I were building things every day, I’d want that! Hell, I still want it.
I know a lot of people don’t have any more space on their phone, or just can’t be bothered to clutter their device with even more apps. I get it, but I still think new tools are worth trying out, so I like to save a little space for playing with them. Maybe I’ll delete the app after a day, or maybe I’ll love it and replace something else.
Here are five fresh faces on the travel app scene that will be worth your time to try:
HeyLets
Find experiences that locals recommend. HeyLets has a beautiful interface for discovering what to do in new cities. Filter by arts & entertainment, dining, drinking & nightlife, shopping, outdoor recreation, and more. I love the simplicity!
HeadOut
Heading to New York or Las Vegas anytime soon? Headout is your in-hand on-demand concierge for good times. Book tickets for tours, activities, and attractions at the last minute for a fraction of the cost. Think HotelTonight for tours – but in just these two cities for now.
Maps.Me
For all the globetrotters out there, the amazing part about Maps.Me is that the maps are available offline. When you skip over the pond and go into airplane mode for weeks at a time, you can still use Maps.Me to get around. Super fast, super detailed, and super helpful!
GlobeWhere
Just featured on Product Hunt this morning, and already getting pretty steady up-votes, GlobeWhere is a super easy way to create personalized trip itineraries, complete with activities, budgets, and collaborative planning features.
Inviita
Inviita is still in beta, but you can sign up to try it out. It’s always fun to get in on the ground floor and be part of the product development process. This is when you’re voice really matters, and if you care enough, you can help build the app that you really want.
There’s a bunch of different options out there for exploring crowd-sourced travel experiences, connecting and curating, planning and booking, but who’s doing it best? You just have to keep testing until you fall in love with one, and eventually, one of them claims the space.
I’d say these five players are worth a trial run! What do you think?
Hi, Jonathan.
On behalf of inviita, I just wanted to say thank you for mentioning us.
We are getting ready to launch new and amazing stuff, stay tuned because I think you will love it.
Keep exploring the world!
Cheers,
Thanks for stopping by to comment Inviita! It’s my pleasure. Whenever I come across cool new services in the travel world I want to share them, so cheers for making something worth talking about and good luck!
Great story. I would love you to check out indie app Simply Declare Travel App. SD is the only app on the market for managing travel purchases in real time currency for declaration purposes. Simply Declare has a limited free version, and the paid version is packed with many more tools for the world traveller.
Thanks Rae! I’ll be sure to look into it! Keeping track of what you’re buying, bringing around, and bringing home when traveling is always a headache so I’m intrigued to see what you’ve built here. Cheers!
Thanks for the list Jonathan. I found some cool apps to add to my phone 🙂 I also wanted to add another great resource to the list. Visit https://www.tripolette.com/ I started Tripolette to help connect travelers with similar plans and itinerary share trips together. It’s an awesome way to find relevant and quality travel companions. Never start a trip cold, always have company!
Hey Babak, thanks for commenting! I just gave Tripolette a quick look and after a few searches I’m definitely impressed. I’ve seen a lot of services that aim to connect travelers and make friends of strangers in that way, which is a wonderful mission, and I like the simplicity of your approach. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind for my resources and recommendations. Cheers!