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Written by
Polarsteps Editors
We asked our well-traveled team to share the best travel planning apps they actually use, from booking flights and planning trip routes, to discovering unique sights and activities, and organizing everything in one place. Each recommendation includes an explanation from a member of our team about how they use the app and why it’s worth downloading.
Best travel planning apps for 2026: quick comparison
Travel planning app | Best for | How to use the app for travel planning |
|---|---|---|
Best app for travel planning | Get travel inspiration, build personalized itineraries, and manage bookings in one place | |
Best app for transport and route comparison | Figure out how to get between destinations | |
Best app for finding unusual things to see and do | Find quirky attractions, hidden gems, and places guidebooks often miss | |
Best app for planning and navigating outdoor activities | Create and follow hiking, running, and cycling routes | |
Best app for searching and comparing flights | Browse flights that fit your travel date, budget, and trip style | |
Best app for Interrail/Eurail adventures | Organize your multi-destination European train trip and book seats | |
Best activity booking app | Find and book tours, attractions, and experiences before you go | |
Best app for packing guidance | Generate packing lists based on destination, weather, and trip type | |
Best app for vegetarian and vegan travelers | Shortlist vegetarian, vegan, and vegan-friendly restaurants in your destination | |
Best language-learning app | Learn useful words and phrases for travel | |
Best app for local tips | Work out where the locals go and why | |
Best festival planning app | Map out your festival experience, coordinate plans with friends, and meet new people |
Best travel planning apps for 2026 according to the Polarsteps team (real recommendations, no sponsored content).
1. Polarsteps — build personalized itineraries and manage bookings in one place
Polarsteps lets you bring your travel planning together in one place: browse destination inspiration on the interactive globe, add destinations, sights and activities to your day-by-day plan, or create an AI-generated itinerary based on your personal travel style. In the run-up to your departure, you can also use Polarsteps to add flights, browse and book accommodations, read practical tips about the places you plan to go, and keep notes and tickets together in your trip plan.
Why we recommend Polarsteps: ”With the Polarsteps Travel Planner, travelers can book a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb and forward the confirmation email to the app, which then integrates it automatically into their travel plan. It’s so much easier than frantically searching through your email inbox for the details! Plus, it gives a visual overview of the nights that still need booking." Floris Wesselink, Senior Product Manager (Plan)
Price: Free trip planning (Polarsteps Plus offers optional premium features; €8.99/month or €29.99/year) Download: iOS | Android
2. Rome2Rio — figure out how to get between destinations
When you’re figuring out how to get from A to B anywhere in the world, this app sets out all your options, with transport modes, connections, and rough time and cost estimates. It’s great for getting the lay of the land when you’re traveling somewhere new, and for working out the simplest or most cost-effective way to connect a multi-destination itinerary. (Fun fact: sometimes it turns out that with the check-in process and transport to and from the airport, flying is no quicker than taking a train or ferry…).
Why we recommend Rome2Rio: "When using the app while planning my trip through Guatemala, I loved that it included links to transport companies. This allowed me to quickly book bus trips between cities with trusted providers before I departed Europe, saving me hours of research." Matt Phillips, Head of Editorial & Internationalization
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
3. Atlas Obscura — find the places guidebooks miss
Every traveler wants to come home with a story about somewhere really special they found. This app spotlights the world's most unusual sights that many visitors walk straight past. Its database of 30,000+ oddities includes a castle in the Australian jungle, the ruins of an abandoned convent on the outskirts of Mexico City, an English chippie with a coal-fired fryer, and a toilet museum in New Delhi. Create a profile in the app, and you can submit your own quirky discoveries while you’re on the road.
Why we recommend Atlas Obscura: ”Atlas Obscura is great when you go for a casual city walk and want to avoid tourist traps. I had their map open when exploring London and found there were so many small curiosities everywhere.” Jules Goslinga, Operations Specialist
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
4. Komoot — create hiking, running, and cycling routes
Nature lovers, active travelers, and long-distance hikers and cyclists use Komoot to plan their routes. The app offers breakdowns of terrain types and elevation gains, and shows you photos and comments uploaded by other users. Komoot’s premium version allows you to download offline maps and enable turn-by-turn voice navigation, so you can keep your hands free and your eyes on the scenery as you move.
Why we recommend Komoot:
“Something I love about Komoot is that it has collections, making it super nice for planning hut-to-hut treks. I used it for a mountain-hut trek last summer, to plan the route ourselves.” Frank Warnaar, Senior Front-End Engineer
“I love Komoot's route-planning capabilities. It works very well, since you can easily add POIs and popular segments, and build a nice route around it. Easy export of the route file for your Garmin computer closes the loop. 🔥” Floris Wesselink, Senior Product Manager
“For me, the global coverage and user-created content are great. It has a loooot of great and useful features for hiking/biking and oftentimes finds more bike-friendly and more scenic routes than Google.” Florian Grashäftl, Lead Android Engineer
Price: From €3.99/map region (one-off payment); premium €59.99/year Download: iOS | Android
5. Skyscanner — search and compare flights
Skyscanner may be an obvious travel planning app to include in this list, but it offers more than just flight search and price comparison. If you’re still deciding where to go, the app's AI Search and 'Explore Anywhere' feature can suggest destinations based on your travel style, dates, and budget. Already have a destination in mind? Set up price alerts to track fare changes and book when prices drop.
Why we recommend Skyscanner: ”I love that I can select whether baggage is included in my ticket price or not, and search Skyscanner for flights based on flexible time periods.” Kerry Harvey, Senior Tech Recruiter
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
6. Rail Planner — manage your Interrail/Eurail trip
The beauty of planning a multi-destination train trip is that many routes connect seamlessly across borders, taking you right to the heart of each city. The challenge is organizing when and where to go — and that’s where the Rail Planner app comes in. Its planning features combine maps, train timetables, and reservations so you can plot your route and book sleeper carriages. And once you’ve started traveling, you’ll get live updates about delays or changes, plus QR codes that work as tickets.
Why we recommend Rail Planner: ”I do most of my multi-destination trips by train, and the Interrail Rail Planner app helps me to plan my journeys and keep track of everything. While the pass itself gives me the flexibility I need during my trip, the app allows me to make individual reservations on the fly and have my ticket in hand.” Claire Bissell, Senior Travel Editor
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
7. GetYourGuide — book tours and experiences before you go
Once you’ve planned where to go, how to get there, and where to stay, it’s time to think about what you’ll actually do when you get there. Tickets for in-demand sights and activities can sell out well in advance, so it’s a good idea to lock in a few "must-dos" that you really don’t want to miss. Browse, compare, and book experiences in the GetYourGuide app, taking advantage of flexible cancellation policies if your plans change.
Why we recommend GetYourGuide: ”GetYourGuide is great for getting a feel for a place and what sort of activities are on offer. It's my favorite app for booking activities.” Sara van Geloven, Project Manager
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
8. Packr — generate packing lists for any type of trip
Packing takes up so much mental space, especially when you’re preparing for a long or multi-destination trip and need to be smart about every item you squeeze into your backpack. Enter Packr, the app that quizzes you about where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, who you’re traveling with, and for how long, then generates an appropriate packing list that you can edit and check off as you pack.
Why we recommend Packr: “Sometimes I’m traveling with my family, and sometimes I’m traveling alone — either way, the packing list always remembers some item that I wouldn’t have thought of. I like being able to create separate packing lists for different types of trips, and I can share my list with the people I’m traveling with so we don’t double up.” Nicky Evans, Senior Travel Editor
Price: Free (premium €24.99/year) Download: iOS
9. HappyCow — shortlist vegetarian and vegan restaurants
When you’re planning a trip, shortlist a few restaurants on this app to avoid choice paralysis when you’re in an unfamiliar city and hungry. Filters allow you to browse and save vegan or vegetarian restaurants, or (if you’re traveling with a group) vegan-friendly restaurants. When you’re on the move, the app uses your GPS location to recommend nearby restaurants, with user reviews and photos help you decide.
Why we recommend HappyCow: “As a vegan, I've used HappyCow to explore my options before traveling somewhere, to see if there are plenty of plant-based restaurants, or if the choice is more limited.” Eline van Delft, Community & Support Specialist
Price: Free on Android; €5.99 on iPhone (one-off payment) Download: iOS | Android
10. Duolingo — learn key words and phrases for travel
When you're traveling, making an effort to communicate in the local languageis often appreciated. Using Duolingo before your trip is an easy way to learn a few useful words or phrases, and it’s a better look than relying on Google Translate in real-time (or just speaking loudly in English). Use the app for just a few minutes per day, and you can quickly build up a basic vocabulary and recognize a few words or phrases.
Why we recommend Duolingo: “I love learning languages, but when I travel I’m not aiming for fluency or any kind of technical mastery, I just want to show goodwill by making some sort of effort. Even just learning ‘Hello, may I speak in English?’ is a good start, and sets you apart from travelers who just assume English will be universally understood.” Nicky Evans, Senior Travel Editor
Price: Free (premium €10.25/month) Download: iOS | Android
11. Spotted by Locals — work out where the locals go
This app asks residents of European and North American cities to recommend their favorite spots. The result is a curated collection of neighborhood bakeries and bars, under-the-radar cafes and restaurants, and cool clubs, plus places that the "spotters" like to go in their free time, such as museums, shops, yoga studios, cinemas, and other non-touristy hangouts. The app’s promise? No adverts or AI.
Why we recommend Spotted by Locals: "Everybody wants to experience the city like a local when they're traveling, and the collections in this app are like getting pointers from a friend of a friend. A bit of insider knowledge makes all the difference!" Laurens Jansen, Head of Growth
Price: From €3.99/city guide (one-off payment) or €19.99/year Download: iOS | Android
12. Woov — a dedicated space to plan your festival experience
Planning a trip around a festival? Use Woov as a self-contained festival guide to browse the line-up, plan the acts you want to see, and stay up-to-date with important information before and during the festival. When you’re there, the 3D map helps you navigate the festival grounds, and specialized features allow you to connect with others — which is really cool if you’re a solo traveler. Plus, if you’re in a city with nothing to do, use Woov to browse events in the area and buy tickets.
Why we recommend Woov: “Woov is a great way to connect with others who are going to the same festival if you're going alone, or if you and your friends are looking to meet people. It’s also handy for practical stuff, like asking for a ride in or out of the event.” Lieneke Abma, iOS Engineer (formerly an iOS Engineer at Woov)
Price: Free Download: iOS | Android
After you’ve planned your trip, read our team’s pick of the best travel apps — the ones we use when we’re on the road. |
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Polarsteps Editors
