Unless you are in fact an ostrich, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore smart travel options. We have gone from optional online check-in to being penalized when we don’t use it in the blink of an eye… and suddenly there is a smart app for everything.

So, we have a handy list with all the smart apps we recommend right here. Dip in and out. Try one from each category… or simply pick one favorite. (Let us know if we missed something fabulous!)

Forget about $aving

In a dream world, someone else will sponsor your travel. On earth you might want to use one of the following apps to help finance your travels:

Digit

Forget about saving. Instead, let Digit analyze your spending and automatically save the perfect amount every day, so you don’t have to think about it. Our sophisticated algorithms learn how you spend, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle. Digit knows when to take a break and when it’s cool to save.

It is a super simple, super secure (over $1,000,000,000.00 saved through Digit already) method that utilizes advanced algorithms to streamline the perfect amount of savings throughout every month.

Digit supports over 2,500 banks and credit unions within the United States.

Ibotta

Ibotta is a free smart app that consistently saves you money when you shop. As soon as you’ve completed a purchase, scan your receipt into the app and it will send you cash back on the items you’ve purchased within 48 hours. See if your favorite store is one of the almost 300 supported by Ibotta.

Only operates within the USA and Puerto Rico.

RetailMeNot 

Backed by Good Housekeeping,  Retail Me Not will make sure you save money by letting you know all the deals near you, at stores you already shop at… before you shop. Basically – great bargains to be had for brands you love.

All purchases must be made by persons who reside in the U.S. using a credit or debit card issued by a U.S. banking institution.

Acorns

More than 3 million people are using Acorns to micro-invest their spare cash without them noticing. The easy way to build a diversified portfolio of investments.

Don’t use this for investing large amounts though – the fees become exorbitant.

Don’t Fail to Prepare

Genius Scan is a genius (!) little pocket scanner. Digitize your travel documents and even track your spending (the App works with Expensify).

No app can replace the care and knowledge of an excellent Travel Designer… but TripIt, TripCase, Kayak, Rome2Rio, GoogleTrip, Hipmonk and Inspirock will help in a pinch.

Build a custom map of everything you want to see with Google Maps. You can even layer your days for ease of organization.

AirHelp is designed to navigate your flight delay. This app is especially valuable for people who travel regularly or are trying to move around during busy travel times; AirHelp will quickly inform you of your rights as a passenger, file a claim for delayed or canceled flights, and then compensate you for up to €600.

Smartify your Luggage

To ensure you book the very best flights use Skyscanner, Hopper or Google Flights.

If you like to organize then you will love PackPoint! Keep comprehensive lists of all your gear, share them with others, and tailor your gear to the kind of trip you’re taking (hiking, motorcycling, or even a fancy dinner), the weather at your destination and the length of travel.

Slip a Tile Bluetooth Tracker to your luggage.

At the Airport

Enjoy the airport. No really. It might just be possible with LoungeBuddy. This app allows all travelers to access any of the lounges in its network — no memberships, elite statuses, or first class tickets required.

If you are stuck and all the TV’s are muted TV then Tunity will stream the audio directly to you.

Wi-Fi Map is designed to help you find a connection, and the information is crowd-sourced from fellow travelers, so it stays precise and up-to-date. Use the handy digital map to find the closest signal – and search up to 500 million hotspots around the globe.

Mobile Passport is an app that easily transmits all your information to U.S. Customs and Immigration. At major international hubs, this app will let you skip the lines entirely. Simply set up your profile, answer a few questions, and submit your data to CPB and then follow the signs when you arrive.

In Flight

Inflighto is called

The airplane app that’s revolutionizing inflight entertainment.” By CNN

If you have a Wifi connection(the app is designed for travel in aircraft offering internet connected in-flight wi-fi) the Inflighto smart app will pinpoint where you are located on a digital map; it will also identify geographic highlights, up-to-the-minute points of interest, live weather radar, live marine tracking and live natural events on your flight path. You can even chat with other passengers who have the same app through its chat.

On the Road

Dark Sky specializes in “hyper-local weather” prediction and visualization. Adam and Jay (the original finders) have robots who know everything. Right down to when the rain will stop. Anywhere.

Easily identify your birds in Southern Africa with Sasol eBirds of Southern Africa.

Don’t miss your lucky shooting star with augmented reality stargazing through Starwalk.

If you can’t wait until you get back home to see who wins Dancing with the Stars remember to pack your Amazon Firestick, Google Chromecast or Roku

Do you secretly wish you could be better at journaling on holiday? Enter Day One. A smart app that is elegant, cleverly designed and very focused on getting you to write more. Simply put it is a simple way to journal.

To eat at restaurants that have featured on TV Shows download TVFoodMaps (most comprehensive for the USA).

Google Translate can save you. Be sure to download the libraries you need before you travel.

JUST FOR FUN (or to surprise the teenagers in your life):

Make a helicopter🚁 or a car🏎️ sound with Google Translate (who wouldn’t?), just set the languages as German🇩🇪 to German🇩🇪 and type in:
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

OR

Croatian🇭🇷 to Croation🇭🇷 and type in
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Then click the “Listen” 👂 icon. 

😂

Photopills is your personal assistant in all photographic matters. It provides tasty remedies to help you answer most of the questions when planning and shooting your creative ideas. It also has features that calculate the depth of field and 3D augmented reality to help you see what your shot will look like before you take it.

The Photographer’s Ephemeris helps you figure out the perfect lighting. The app actually traces the direction and intensity of natural light and advises you on the angle of your camera. National Geographic thinks it is Head and shoulders above the crowd

Keep fit with Sworkit. In fact, get in the best shape of your life… anywhere, anytime.

Keep in touch with Whatsapp.

Check ingredients in thousands of foods, beverages and other products with Smartlabel.

XE Currency Converter will save you from doing the math. With live exchange rates and charts, it also provides alerts to monitor your client’s currencies of choice.

Safeture is a personal safety app that provides real-time status on localized security information, as well as delivering warnings, alerts and local SOS emergency numbers.  It also lets you alert your friends and family and give them a real-time trail of your movements when you are walking home in an unfamiliar environment The app also gives you access to local news at your destination, as well as country-specific safety and travel information. Automatic translation is available in 90 languages.

VoiceMap Stories that move you, about the places you visit. This immersive GPS audio walk, cycle, drive, and boat ride app is available across 100 cities worldwide.

If you are visiting South Africa then Madiba’s Journey will help you to walk in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps.

GPSmyCity offers 6500+ self-guided walks in 1000+ cities. Your personal tour guide!

Back at Home

Lalalab will print your holiday images directly from your phone quite effortlessly.

When you come home from Safari and you are suffering from S.A.D. (Safari Absence Disorder) then Africa: Live will let you view wildlife sightings across Africa. See photos, and find out where the game sighting hotspots are. Offline maps are available, contributed by park experts. A new addition to the app, the Phone Ranger field guide, includes a 90-minute audio by a leading ranger.

And so, to sleep

Make sure you are avoiding blue light by enabling  Night Shift (iOS) or downloading (Twilight Android).

White Noise will tune out all the background noise with traditional white noise or something from a catalog of ambient sounds.

If you prefer to sleep to be in charge you can be your own DJ with Sleep Pillow. Over 70 ambient sounds can be mixed into 300,000 combinations. This app also has a sleep timer and alarm.

The Sleep Cycle app is designed to only wake you when you are at the lightest point in your sleep cycle. It also has sleep analysis and snore detection.

Sleep Genius uses the ambient noise that NASA designed to make astronauts sleep in space. As one would only expect Sleep Genius is big on the science behind relaxing your breathing, lowering your heart rate and preparing your brain for sleep.

PS: For you, if you’ve always wanted to try cultivating a meditation practice but never have time…

Headspace does not do any ‘crystal dangling’. It is quite simply a practical introduction to meditation that anyone can learn.

If you think three minute micro-meditation is more your speed then you need Aura. Tell the app how you were feeling and your meditation will be tailored to the moment. And if you forgot to add your gratitude list to Day One, Aura has a gratitude journal, scientifically proven to helping people sleep more easily.

Images via rawpixel, Derek Thomson, chuttersnap, Chris Lawton, Maarten van den Heuvel, Rodion Kutsaev, Ricardo Gomez Angel, rawpixel, Joshua Coleman, Clique Images