Best apps for the spontaneous summer traveler

Best travel apps iOS

There are two kinds of travelers in this world: those that love to plan ahead so that every single minute is accounted for and those that are ready to jet off to new places at a moment’s notice.

While there are plenty of apps out there that can help the discerning traveler plan every step of their journey, you may be surprised to learn that there is a dedicated section of the app development community that share spontaneous travelers’ love for adventure without hesitation.

So while you may be free-spirited travel lover that has no fear of packing your bags whenever you feel the desire to, that doesn’t mean that your travel experiences couldn’t benefit from these apps specifically designed to compensate for your lack of preparation and provide the best trips possible.

Hopper

Kayak, Travelocity, Hotwire, Expedia... there are dozens of available websites and apps designed to help the traveler that plans their trips out in advance find the best deals possible and feel comfortable that their itinerary is set.

The spontaneous traveler often needs a little more assistance in that area, though, which is where Hopper comes in. Designed to show you when fares will be at their lowest leading up to a travel date, Hopper’s greatest gift to last-minute travelers is its ability to notify you when certain fares are at their cheapest. Simply input the destinations you are interested in and get ready to pack whenever a deal too good to pass up becomes available.

Live Trekker

If you don’t feel like meticulously planning every destination, but still want to make sure you don’t miss out on the best spots wherever you are going, then Live Trekker is for you.

Half trip recommendation tool and half digital journal, Live Trekker allows you to view the best spots in the area immediately surrounding you, follow the itinerary of other travelers, gain more information on sites you see along the way and share it all through the app’s social media functions.

Open Table

Just because you have no qualms about traveling the globe without needing to plan ahead doesn’t mean that you want to settle on stumbling into a random restaurant or take a chance on getting late reservations to the hottest new spot.

Open Table is here to help with all that. Not only is it one of the most complete apps available in terms of recommending new places to eat, but it also allows you to see what places still have available reservation slots so that you don’t miss out simply by waiting.

Hotel Tonight

Some view finding a place to sleep for the night at the last minute as the ultimate consequence of bad planning. Others see it as a great adventure that can actually yield tremendous savings.

For the latter, there is Hotel Tonight. This app is intended for those seeking last minute accommodations, as it scans your area for any hotels that are trying to fill unbooked rooms. Even better, its comprehensive guide on those hotels ensures that you’ll never need to settle on what is available.

Gate Guru

Airports are a nightmare by their very design but if you so happen to be the type of traveler that doesn’t prepare for the airport ahead of time, they become something even more terrifying.

Gate Guru goes a long way to combating the horrors of the modern airport. It will certainly store your travel information if you need it to, but the real selling point of the app is its ability to help you navigate most major airports and even get a little more information on the best restaurants and shops in them.