6 Time Saving Travel Apps You Need To Download Before Takeoff

The more I travel, the more I run into situations where time is of the essence. And through these situations, I have discovered and rediscovered a few very handy time saving travel apps.

Honestly, you may already have many of these apps downloaded on your phone. So I don’t think I’m giving you some groundbreaking new resources. But I do think a few of these apps can help you far more than you realize. And trust me, using these travel apps to their full potential will make your travel experience 10 times more convenient.

I do think there are 2 apps you probably haven’t heard of. I’ll let you know when we get to those as they can be a game changer for frequent travelers.

MPC (Mobile Passport Control)

The MPC app (Mobile Passport Control) is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection tool that helps U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors enter the United States. It allows you to submit your travel information, passport, and customs declarations up to 4 hours before arriving to the U.S. You’ll receive a QR code to present with your passport to the CBP officer and you go right on through expediting your entry to the United States.

This is 1 of the 2 apps you probably haven’t heard about. It was completely new to me but was a huge help when I discovered it.

I once had a 60 minute layover at the Atlanta airport. Which if you’ve ever been to the Atlanta airport; you know crowded and unorganized it can be. So needless to say, I was a bit worried about making my next flight. I had to get through customs and recheck my bags because I was changing airlines. This app was a huge help with saving time and getting to my gate in time

And even if you’re not in a time crunch, it’s at the very least a great convenience.

Airline Apps

In today’s day and age, your airlines app is an essential tool for traveling. Generally, in airline apps, you can:

Check in
Pay to check your luggage
Select your seat
Upgrade your seat
See entainment options
See meal options
Play games
Connect to WIFI
And many mobile providers have teamed up with certain airlines to allow free WIFI during your flight

Keep in mind that different airlines will have different features and options. So it’s a good idea to download the app and explore the options available to you.

I personally keep all the major airlines I fly with which is Delta, American Airlines, and United downloaded on my phone. I do have a few international airline apps because they are pretty common in Europe.

Google/Apple Maps

I often travel to walkable cities which means I need the best routes for walking. Apple maps helps me easily navigate through a city with the best routes and accurate arrival times. This app is a must if you’ll be traveling and need to get around on your own. One of the things I love most about this app is that it gives me the freedom to roam and explore without the fear of getting lost or confused about where I am in the city.

I make it a habit to pin my hotel in the app so if I ever need to get back by foot, I can easily get directions using the pinned location. I also like that I can see how far away a destination is. If the arrival time is later than I’d like to be out walking, I can grab an Uber or taxi if I don’t feel comfortable walking at night.

Now, my absolute favorite feature in the Apple maps app is the ability to navigate public transit. If you are taking a taxi, you can still put in the destination to ensure the drive hasn’t gone off course, which is definitely a great feature for female solo travels.

You can also use this feature to take the bus or train. The app will tell you how far you need to walk, which bus or train to take, how many stops, and when to get off. It will also give you transfer directions if you need to take more than one bus or train. I love this feature because it eases my biggest fear of getting on or off on the wrong stop and wasting a ton of time!

***For reference, I do use Apple maps. I listed Google maps as well because many travelers use it. It has some of the same features as Apple maps but I’m not sure of the exact ones. It’s a good idea to explore Google maps if that’s what you’ll be using.***

Google Translate

Out of all the time saving travel apps in this post, I believe Google Translate is the most underrated. I kid you not, I once bought a 50 inch flat screen TV in Spain using Google Translate. There was a lot of conversation back and forth because the TV’s we kept picking weren’t in stock.

The thing I love about Google translate is that you can speak or type what you need to say and the other person can read it and speak a response back. It really does make communicating in another language more convenient and a lot less scary.

It’s also a great tool to learn common words and phrases before your trip. You can type out a word or phrase and not only have it read back to you in your chosen language, but you can see what the text looks like to get familiar with how certain words look.

The camera feature is also awesome to help read things like menus. You can take a picture of a text and have it translated to your chosen language.

And as an honorable mention, you can translate entire websites using google translate. But the reason this feature is only an honorable mention is because it can’t be done in the app. You’ll have to open it in your browser to translate a website. But it’s still a great feature none the less.

World Clock

World clock is the second app I mentioned you might not have heard of. Essentially, this app gives you the time of any place in the world and allows you save the times in different cities for easy access.

This is great for travelers that have a huge time difference between home and their destination. You can easily see the best times to call and communicate with family and friends without sending random texts at 2am their time and wondering why you haven’t gotten a response.

I’ve had World Clock on my phone for a few years. But I do think more people are getting familiar with it. I have noticed they have added ads to the app. There is an option to remove the ads for a fee. But as of now, the features I mention in this post are completely free but you will see ads.

Uber

Ok I know. Uber is not the most unfamiliar app on this list but I do think it’s an essential time saving travel app. Even though I do recommend taking other more affordable transportation during most of your trip, Uber is a familiar and convenient option for getting around as well.

If you are in a time crunch or need to ensure you get somewhere by a specific time, Uber may be the best option, especially if you don’t feel comfortable flagging down a taxi. It’s convenient to book and a driver will usually be there to pick you up in less than 15 minutes in most major cities.

One of the best time saving features is the ability to book your ride up to 90 days advance. This was great for me when I had a 5am flight out of Toronto and needed to get to the airport by 3am. I did have peace of mind knowing that I already had my ride booked and accepted by a driver.

It’s also great that in many major cities, Uber drivers are registered just like taxi drivers. In the app, you can see information about your driver such as star reviews, how long they’ve been drivers, and how many rides they’ve done. You can see where you are and how much longer your ride will take and if your driver has gone off course. These are great features and did make me feel a bit more comfortable taking an Uber at 2:30am to the airport.