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Seven Essential Family Travel Apps

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October 28, 2015

Ever-evolving technology brings the world to our fingertips, simplifying travel with a little help from our smartphones. New travel apps make it easier than ever to get from point A to point B, notify you of gate changes, or even locate the closest bathroom for a potty break. Here are the seven essential apps that every family should download before their next big trip.

1. Hipmunk 

This app helps you plan your trip and make flight and hotel reservations all with a few finger taps. For flights, the app not only helps you find the best available flight, but you can also filter by price, number of stops, layover duration, flight duration, departure time and even the agony factor which will help you determine the worst and best of the bunch, especially helpful if you’re traveling with a baby or toddler. For accommodations, you can search from 1.2 million hotels and vacation rentals with guest reviews and informative maps that help you determine if the location is a good fit for your family.

2. TripIt 

TripIt helps you create your family’s own master vacation itinerary, so all of your trip plans are safe, secure, and easy to access. Simply forward all your hotel, flight, car rental, and restaurant confirmation emails to TripIt and they’ll be automatically transformed into a master itinerary that includes important dates, times, and confirmation numbers, plus directions, maps, weather, and more. You can view your itinerary anytime, on any device, and share with other family members so they know where to find you on the road.

3. PackPoint 

This makes “Oops! I forgot to pack…” a forbidden phrase. It’s a travel packing app that creates a customized packing list, taking into consideration the weather forecast, business vs. pleasure vacations, and more. Will you be hiking? Traveling overseas? Bringing baby along? Once you’ve created your packing list, PackPoint gives it a website of its very own, making it easy to share the link with fellow travelers so they’ll know what to pack too.

4. MyTSA 

A great tool to help you navigate security checkpoints thanks to a real-time airport status map that indicates security wait times. The “Can I Bring?” function will help you avoid security delays, making the wait in line a little less stressful.

5. GateGuru 

This app promises to transform your day-of-travel experience. Input your flight data and on the day of travel, GateGuru will keep you posted in real-time on any updates to your itinerary such as flight delays, gate changes or layover time adjustments. Tap the airport code for airport specific information, personalized based on your itinerary including access amenity information, maps, weather forecasts, airport tips and more.

6. Google Translate 

It’s your own personal language interpreter, translating short sentences in a snap. Simply type or dictate your message, or snap a photo of a text or a sign, and the app will translate it via text or a short synthesized voice message.

7. SitOrSquat 

Another family travel must have app: If you’ve ever been out and about with kids who need to use the potty STAT, you know how stressful it can be locating a nearby restroom. This handy app shows you the nearest potty location, with user reviews to let you know if you need to mentally prepare yourself for the bathroom experience.

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