Traveling the world is easier than it’s ever been–especially if you have the right travel planning apps in your pocket. Now, I’ve tried dozens (hundreds?) of travel apps over the years, because there’s always something new and amazing coming out. Today, I want to share 5 that I genuinely love, from long-time favorites to newer additions to my travel app folder.
Whether you’re looking for cheaper flights, discounted vacation rentals, guided tours, walking itineraries, or cashback while traveling, these apps will help you save time and money in the process.
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Going: My Favorite App for Finding Cheap Flights
A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon Going.com, and I’ve never looked back. This app is not only the first one I reach for when planning a trip, but it’s one I check religiously, “just in case.”
Going helps you find cheap flights, mistake fares, and incredible deals all around the world in multiple ways.
There’s a main hub with all the best deals (including Staff picks), and it shows you upfront how much you save over typical fares. You can either scroll through these as little cards or switch to the Map view and explore deals all around the globe.
But my favorite feature is the Trips section. It starts with inputting your home airports, plus another one or two you’d be willing to travel from if necessary. Then you can add a trip to have Going automatically track flights and send you alerts. You can choose to set it up for anytime if you’re flexible, or put in specific travel dates to watch. If you have a multi-destination trip coming up, you can even have it track multiple flights within one trip for easy planning.
There’s also an alerts page where they post the most exciting deals, but they’ll also send out notifications for mistake fares. And trust me, they find some good ones (like a $530 round-trip fare to New Zealand).
I’ve had Premium Membership for a few years, but I recently upgraded to Elite, and now I get access to even better deals, including higher fare classes and “Book with Points” deals.
Get a Limited Time Discount
They’re currently running a big sale through August 16, 2026, offering 51% off Premium and Elite! So if you want to get the best deals on flights, you’re currently getting the best deal on membership, too!
Just click through here to claim the deal between now and August 16, 2026! And if you’re not ready to commit quite yet, you can sign up for free at the same link.
Especially if you’re flexible with your travel dates, this is one of the easiest ways to save hundreds on airfare.
Whimstay: Save Money on Last-Minute Vacation Rentals
If you like the concept of Airbnb but not the fees, let me introduce you to Whimstay. This is a site I connected with a couple of years ago (I actually wrote a review about my first stay through the platform), and it’s one of my go-to booking sites now.
What sets Whimstay apart is 1) their service and cleaning fees are significantly lower than Airbnb, and 2) the closer to the travel dates that you book, the more you can save.
Whimstay initially started to help short-term rental properties sell last-minute bookings to travelers at heavily reduced rates. But as the platform has grown, you can book pretty far out and still get discounted rates.
I love that each booking shows upfront how much you’ll save over VRBO or Airbnb. And some of the deals are absolutely crazy!
You can search by your preferred destination and dates. Or if you’re feeling spontaneous, check out their Last-Minute Getaways and find a gorgeous stay at a great price.
You can check out their deals for yourself here! If you like what you see, download the app to keep those deals handy.
Viator: Best App for Booking Tours & Experiences
I have a couple of experience and tour apps I love, but Viator has been my favorite for a while. This app connects you to independent tour operators worldwide who guide you through incredible experiences, like dance or cooking classes, snorkeling excursions, hikes, historic city tours, and more! If you can imagine it, they probably have it! If you like to support local businesses, especially abroad, this is an easy way to find and book them.
As an adventure-lover, Viator is my go-to for booking excursions that I’m not quite up to doing alone or don’t want to rent equipment for. But I’ve also used it for a Polynesian dinner and fire show, so it’s delightfully flexible.
I like that all your bookings and important info live in the app, so you can easily find each excursion or tour for the trip. And most tours come with free cancellation at least 24 hours before your tour. So if plans change, you don’t have to worry about losing out on money.
But my favorite feature is the points system. Every time you book a tour, you get points that you can use toward future bookings–and they’re enough to make a noticeable difference, too. I’ve redeemed $30-$50 on more than one occasion, and it always feels like a triumph.
If you want to browse activities for your next trip, click here to visit Viator.com and download the app!
P.S. GetYourGuide is a very close second for me! Sometimes they have slightly better deals than Viator, so I always check both. The main downside is they don’t have a points system, so you don’t earn loyalty rewards on bookings, but you can get 5% off with my code CARRIEDAWAYTRAVELS5.
GPSmyCity: Best App for Self-Guided Walking Tours
If you like to explore cities like a local, GPSmyCity is a must-have. This app turns travel bloggers’ itineraries into interactive walking maps that you can use to explore over 1800 cities around the world!
You can view the blog post information about the city and download the maps to use them offline. You’ll get step-by-step directions that don’t require data, so they’re a great option even when traveling internationally. And you’re more likely to discover something you wouldn’t have on your own!
Subscriptions are also crazy affordable. The “City Walks” subscription is just $15 for a year and gives you access to walking tours in 670+ cities around the world. Or upgrade to “City Walks and Insider Tips” for $21 and get a load of bonus content for over 1800 cities, right inside the app.
GPsmyCity recently turned 8 of my travel articles into downloadable guides as well, so I’d love it if you checked them out. 3 of them are actually available to download for FREE between now and August 17th, 2026, so grab them while you can!
If you prefer exploring at your own pace instead of joining a tour group, this is a fantastic option.
Upside: Best App for Saving Money During Your Trip
If you’re not using Upside in 2026, what are you even doing?
I use Upside regularly at home because it has incredible cash back on gas and food. But those earnings really add up when you take it on a trip — especially a road trip! Seriously, it’s one of THE best travel apps for road trips! Here’s why:
I regularly get $0.04-$0.15 cents back per gallon in the app, and it works with existing loyalty programs, too, allowing you to really stack on cash back. Plus, there are crazy restaurant deals all the time, starting at 5% back and often shooting up into the 20% range. They also recently added grocery offers, which are great day-to-day. But if you’re staying at a vacation rental and stock up on essentials at a participating location once you arrive, you can get cash back for that, too.
All you have to do is open the app and turn on location to have it automatically find offers close to you. You can filter by grocery, gas, restaurant, and convenience stores. Once you see the reward you want, click claim and head to the location to complete your purchase. When you’re done, upload your receipt to claim cash back. You can cash out for free starting at $10 (under that, it has a $1 fee), and send it straight to your bank account or get gift cards back.
It doesn’t work at every single location you’ll come across, so just be sure to double-check the existing offers before you go. But I rarely have an issue finding a good option because they work with over 100,000 restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations nationwide.
If that sounds like a great system to you, download Upside with my link and use my code CARRIEDAWAYTRAVELS to get an extra $5 bonus on your first qualified transaction. Gas, grocery, or restaurant!
Closing Thoughts on These Travel Apps
Every traveler has different priorities as they explore, but I love that each of these apps solves a different problem:
- ✈️ Save on flights with Going
- 🏡 Find discounted vacation rentals with Whimstay
- 🎟️ Book unforgettable experiences with Viator
- 🚶 Explore cities with GPSmyCity
- 💵 Earn cash back on gas and food with Upside
So no matter how you travel, you can make your next trip easier and more affordable in at least some way! Just download the ones that fit your travel style best, and go into your next trip feeling better prepared and more money-savvy.
I hope you found this post helpful! If so, give a like, share it with your friends, and don’t forget to subscribe to the weekly newsletter for more tips, itineraries, and reviews sent straight to your inbox (plus free downloads, yay!). As always, thanks for stopping by, and I wish you many happy travels!
