Must Have Travel Apps

I'm kind of a travel app junkie.

I don't use just one, as a consummate deal-seeker and tech nerd. So this week, I thought I'd share four of my favorites and ask you for yours.

Earlier:

So, which travel apps do you find my useful?

For me, I use:

TripIt: More than just a booking site, TripIt is an all-around travel organizer with one key feature: It recognizes confirmation emails sent from airlines, Amtrak, etc. and turns them into calendar invites. No more looking for booking numbers or confirmation codes, because TripIt will take the information from my inbox, then turn it into useable information that my wife can see on our shared calendar.

TripAdvisor: I use this not only to book hotels, but find out what kind of hotel I’m choosing and its nearby amenities. The best part: Reviews from former patrons of these hotels. It’s how I’ve found some of my favorite, obscure hideaways and nearby restaurants.

Kayak: In many ways, I prefer Kayak’s mobile app over its website for the streamlined, on-all-one page choice of quality hotels at low prices. I used this app to find a hotel for my family at 2 a.m. in Louisville, KY, and was able to book the room just as we were pulling into the parking lot. Good deals, great app. You can also use Kayak to book flights and see if your flight is on time through its “flight tracker” feature.

Hotel Tonight: This app appeals to the adventurer in me. If I wanted to, where could I stay tonight, for cheap? With a few dozen cities to choose from (Chicago to Washington, D.C. and beyond), Hotel Tonight picks out last-minute deals for hotels wanting to dump excess inventory. I haven’t had a chance to book a hotel through it yet, but I find myself looking at my choices whenever the kids are driving me nuts. It’s almost like reading escapism travel lit.

So, what apps do you love? Share your favorite apps in the column below.