We have one mantra for this week’s return of holiday travel: Remain. Calm. News stations love to scare us this time of year, with footage of check-in lines as long as the runway and weather delays stranding hopeful travelers. But we’re keeping our chins up and our phones filled with apps that can take on the travel madness. Whether your travel plans include air time, the open road, or just a walk down the block, these apps will prepare you for the most effortless of trips. From a travel planner that sources the best deals to the smartest little navigator your phone has ever met to an airport concierge that’ll help you wait out delays in style, these apps will leave you enjoying the journey almost as much as the destination. (Well, maybe if the journey also included your sister’s famous spiked hot chocolate.)
Ready to go? Download these apps and head into the season of gratitude thankful for tech that improves your travel experience in countless ways — or at least six. Traffic and flight delays, consider yourselves defeated.
Waze
Price: Free
When holiday plans have you in road-warrior mode, you’re going to need a co-pilot that can navigate through the headache of traffic jams and hazards like it’s no thing. Waze uses real-time intel from fellow users in the Waze community to guide you along the fastest routes, warn of upcoming speed traps, and set ETAs to send to family — so they know when you'll arrive, ready to feast.
A nice holiday boost for your wallet: Waze points out the cheapest gas stations along your route, so you won’t waste cash by fueling up at the first exit you spot.
Dark Sky
Price: $4
The native weather app on your phone doesn’t do a whole lot to guide you in deciding when’s the best time to run to the store while avoiding a downpour. But Dark Sky does. The app provides freakishly accurate, minute-by-minute updates based on your location. And that’s not just your city: Dark Sky uses your actual, street-by-street location to push you notifications about when inclement weather is heading your way — and how long it’ll last.
LoungeBuddy
Price: Free
If there’s anything you can count on when flying around the holidays, it’s an airport full of weather-delayed travelers camped out at the gate, already plugged into every last outlet in sight. Bye-bye, battery.
Find a moment of peace — and plenty of room for charging up — in a nearby airport lounge. Here's how to discover the closest lounge without trekking all over the airport: pop open LoungeBuddy; input travel info, like the airline you’re flying with, any elite statuses, and mileage credit cards you hold; and the app will tell you which lounges you can access for a fee or for free. Even if it’s only paid-access lounges you find, depending on the delay and your current level of “over it," paying for "free" house wine and plenty of room to get comfortable could be your best purchase of the holidays.
Yoga Studio
Price: $4
Squeeze in a little bit of self-care by bringing your yoga practice everywhere you go. Seriously, if you find even the smallest space to stretch out at the airport, a rest stop, or a relative’s guest room, the Yoga Studio app is ready to give you instant relaxation — with over 280 guided poses and 65 video classes ranging between 10 and 60 minutes long. After taking a few to realign your mind and body, you’ll feel so much better prepared to field the usual awkward set of dinner-table questions from well-meaning relatives.
Turo
Price: Free
Formerly known as RelayRides, Turo is car rentals from local people — basically, Airbnb for vehicles. Instead of using an auto-rental agency and guessing what type of car to reserve based on mysterious industry nomenclature (will a "compact" fit all our stuff?) scroll through Turo’s feed of available cars in your area and see exactly what sort of ride you’ll be cruising in before you lay down money. It’s super-convenient for last-minute adventures, and we also love that you can opt to experience cars you’d never normally get to drive. Tesla, anyone?
WorldMate
Price: Free
Remember those ancient days before smartphones, when a family vacation might rely on “the folder” — a sleeve of all itineraries, confirmation numbers, and directions needed to get from Point A to Point B? WorldMate is the ridiculously good-looking and digital version of that folder. It handles the basics, like placing all your trip information into one easy-to-view itinerary, plus it offers mobile check-in and flight-status updates. WorldMate goes a few steps further than other travel apps by alerting you if there’s a better deal listed for the hotel you’re currently booked at, or if a hotel nearby has a competitive rate you should jump on. Tip calculators and currency converters offer those little travel extras you’ll always need — without you having to bounce from app to app.
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