The 6 Travel Apps I Actually Use After Visiting 25 Countries
I used to plan trips in chaos. Screenshots of hotel confirmations scattered across my camera roll, restaurant recommendations buried in message threads, and that sinking feeling of "wait, what time was our train again?" about five minutes before we needed to leave.
After visiting 25 countries and becoming the designated planner for every family trip and friend getaway, I've finally built a travel app system that actually works. Not the 15-app overwhelm you see in most articles, but six tools that each do one thing exceptionally well and work together without redundancy.
Here's exactly what I use, how I use it, and why these specific apps have earned permanent spots on my phone.
The Quick Answer
If you're only downloading one app right now, make it Wanderlog. It's the easiest way to organize day-to-day itineraries and share plans with travel companions.
But if you want the complete system, here's my full stack.
My Travel App Stack: What I Use and Why
Tana: My Travel Brain
Tana is a note-taking and knowledge management app in the same category as Notion or Obsidian, though it takes a different approach to organizing information through networked nodes and connections.
This is where everything starts. Before a single hotel gets booked, I'm in Tana organizing:
- Country research and attraction ideas
- Google Drive folder links for trip documents
- Travel companions and their preferences (dietary restrictions, mobility needs)
- Restaurant recommendations from friends
- Random finds (Reddit coffee shops, Instagram locations, blog posts)
My Tana workspace is where messy research lives before it gets organized. I have a template I use for every trip, though I'm still refining it.
- Links information together.
- Perfect for messy pre-trip research phase.
- Doubles as post-trip documentation and reference library.
- Flexible structure adapts to any trip type.
- Steep learning curve, not beginner-friendly.
- Mobile apps still in beta.
Wanderlog: My Daily Itinerary Planner
Wanderlog is a dedicated travel planning app built specifically for creating itineraries with map integration and collaboration features.
Once I've done my research deep-dive in Tana, Wanderlog is where the clean, final itinerary lives. I use it almost every trip for the execution phase of planning.
What makes it essential:
- Map view shows my daily routes visually
- Travel time estimates prevent overbooking days
- Collaboration features let family/friends see plans without constant updates
- Community reviews occasionally surface hidden gems I missed
- Itinerary and map in one view.
- Real-time collaboration for group trips.
- Travel time estimates between locations.
- Pro: Route optimization saves time.
- Pro: Offline access anywhere.
- It's not ideal for splitting bills.
- Free version has trip limitations.
- Can feel overwhelming with too many features.
- Occasional slow loading with complex itineraries.
Prices
Free
$0
Pro
$49.99
yearly
Platforms
iOS
Android
Web
Flighty: Flight Tracking That's Actually Beautiful
Flighty is a flight tracking app with a modern interface and real-time updates.
I track every flight (mine and sometimes even friends' flights when I'm picking them up from the airport). The interface is visually polished, which matters when you're checking an app multiple times during a travel day.
What I track:
- Gate changes and delays (instant notifications)
- Baggage claim details
- Boarding status updates
- Friends' flights for airport pickups
My favorite feature: Flighty Passport tracks all your flight stats: total miles flown, countries visited, lifetime flight hours. It's satisfying to see the numbers add up, and I've shared my annual stats with friends more than once.
Switching from TripIt: I used to use TripIt, but Flighty's speed and visual design won me over. Flighty feels faster when I need to quickly check a gate number or boarding status.
- Beautiful, modern interface
- Real-time flight updates (faster than airline apps)
- Flighty Passport tracks lifetime travel stats
- Easy to add and track multiple flights
- Works great for tracking friends' flights too
- Apple-only (no Android version)
- Requires Pro subscription for full features
Prices
Free
$0
Annual
$49
Lifetime
$249
Platforms
iOS
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Hopper: Price Monitoring (Not Booking)
Hopper is a travel app that predicts flight and hotel prices and alerts you when prices are expected to be lowest.
I don't book through Hopper. I use it purely as a reference tool for price monitoring. I track routes I'm considering, check price predictions to see if I should book now or wait, and get alerts when prices are expected to change.
Once I've decided to book, I go directly to the airline's website. This gives me more control if something goes wrong and I feel more secure having the booking directly with the carrier.
- Accurate price predictions
- Alerts for price drops and increases
- Easy to track multiple routes
- Shows price trends over time
- Free to use for monitoring
- Customer support has long wait times
- No direct contact with service providers (third-party booking)
Prices
Free
$0
Platforms
iOS
Android
Web
Trainline: My Go-To for European Train Routes
Trainline is a platform for booking train and bus tickets across Europe, comparing multiple operators in one search.
Whenever I'm traveling between cities in Europe, Trainline is my first stop for checking options. I've used it primarily in Spain (Madrid to Barcelona, Seville to Granada) and have booked through it multiple times. My recent trip included a Narbonne to Barcelona route.
- Compare multiple operators in one search
- See all times and prices side by side
- Easy booking for most European routes
- Shows fastest and cheapest options clearly
- Saves time vs checking individual operator sites
- Limited to 9 passengers per booking
- Some schedules missing (not all operator times shown)
- Booking fees
For most routes, I book directly through Trainline. But, I still check the operator's website for some trips since Trainline doesn't always show every available schedule.
For example, when planning our route from Barcelona to Girona, some departure times were missing from Trainline but showed up on Renfe's website. Interestingly, those specific times couldn't be purchased online anyway (you need to get tickets at the station), which explains why Trainline didn't list them.
Prices
Free
$0
Platforms
iOS
Android
Web
Skratch: My Travel Tracker and Bucket List
Skratch is a travel tracking app that visualizes the countries you've visited on a world map, like a digital scratch-off map.
I've been using Skratch for over a year to track where I've been, where I want to go, and where I've lived. The visual map is genuinely satisfying (watching countries get "scratched off" as you add them is motivating).
What I track:
- Countries visited
- Bucket list destinations
- Cities and some attractions
- Travel stats (percentage of world visited, continents covered)
Beyond the visual appeal, Skratch includes country information I actually reference: visa requirements, tipping customs, emergency contacts, and health recommendations. Having this built-in saves time during trip planning.
This serves a different purpose than my planning apps. I open Skratch when I'm reflecting on past trips or daydreaming about where to go next. It's about tracking and inspiration rather than logistics.
- Satisfying visual scratch-off map experience
- Country stats are motivating
- Built-in practical information (visa, tipping, emergency contacts)
- Easy to use and intuitive
- Clean overview of visited and wishlist destinations
- Can only add places from Skratch's database
- Can't add unlisted attractions like small cafes or hidden gems
- Cities, regions, and map themes require in-app purchases
- Limited customization for a paid app
Prices
Free
$0
Platforms
iOS
Android
Web
FAQs About Best Travel Planner Apps
Final Thoughts: Best Travel Planner Apps
After 25 countries and countless planning iterations, I've learned that the "best" travel apps aren't the ones with the most features. They're the ones you actually use consistently and that solve real problems in your travel workflow.
This six-app system works for me because each app has a clear, non-overlapping purpose. I'm not opening five different apps trying to remember where I saved that hotel confirmation. I know exactly where everything lives.
If you're just getting started with travel planning apps, download Wanderlog today. It'll handle 80% of your needs. As you travel more and encounter specific friction points, add tools that solve those specific problems. Don't download all six apps at once and expect to use them all immediately. Build your system over time based on what you actually need.
What's worked for you? I'm always curious about other travelers' app setups. If you've found something that solves a travel planning problem I haven't mentioned, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
