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Trains, Planes and Automobiles: The Best Travel Apps For Every Form of Transportation

Whether it’s Pokemon Go or Candy Crush, there are any number of apps to keep you busy while on the go. But what about apps that actually help you get going? Well, those exist too! If you’re driving, taking a train, booking a flight or even hopping on a boat, there’s a way to make it a bit easier right from the palm of your hand. Check out some of our favorite apps for every form of transportation right here:

Driving

  1. TomTom 
    Remember the days when everyone had a bulky GPS unit in their cars? Now, the TomTom app is saving you from carrying yet another object around and it’s even available for free for the first 50 miles of use each month. If you want a subscription for unlimited use (about $50) TomTom will also provide you with speed camera warnings, giving you a heads up when it comes to upcoming speed traps. It’s also super easy to use and won’t take you through 10,000 steps to input your destination. We say, “yes, yes” to TomTom.
  1. GasBuddy
    Road trips are awesome — except when you have to pull up to the gas pump. Enter the best road trip partner ever. GasBuddy sets out to find the cheapest gas near you, no matter where you are. You can search via your current location or via city/zip code, and it’s free! It even has a fun little incentive: for U.S. users who submit gas prices, they get a chance of winning $100 of gas each day along with other awards for regular submissions. Win win.
  1. TollSmart 
    Ok, so you’ve found the cheap gas, but what about navigating the tollways? TollSmart is a neat trip-planning app that allows you to quickly look up the price of tolls along your entire route. The app also allows you to create profiles for a variety of vehicles in order to calculate vehicle-based toll rates … just in case you’re driving a semi. Users can automatically log toll rates the TollTracker system for easy expense report logging or compare tolls across multiple proposed routes.

Taking the Train

  1. Citymapper
    Unless you’re a city rat, it’s nearly impossible to navigate a new city’s public transportation. Citymapper helps you navigate the chaos of the subway and city bus system. You tell the app what city you’re in (it’s available in more than two-dozen spots) and then it maps into all of the available forms of public transit (subways, express trains, buses, ferries, etc.) to help you get places. You can also set a manual alarm for getting off the train at the right time when you don’t have cell service.
  1. Transit App
    Even if you know which train or bus to take, it can tough to figure out the when part. This app pulls transit options as well as departure times and schedules, so you can see the real-time status. The trip planner also helps users map out the best routes, so you’re not stuck waiting forever underground or on the corner. Bonus: It’s available in 125 cities worldwide. The only down side? You no longer have an excuse for being late.
  1. Moovit
    This app gives riders across more than 1,200 cities and 67 countries more control over their transportation. With service alerts that keep users in the know, using this app can help you avoid train delays or service interruptions. Moovit also live-tracks your ride and notifies you when your spot is approaching, so you don’t have to anxiously ask everyone around you what the next stop is every 5 minutes.

Flying

  1. FlightBoard
    How many times have you rushed to the airport only to find out your flight has been delayed 17 million hours? This app lets you know the important things about your flight, like when it boards if there are delays and changes to arrival times. FlightBoard includes information on 1,400 airlines traveling to and from more than 3,000 airports, with updates every five minutes. Plus, the old-school design of the app is based on the flight board of Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport. Très chic!
  1. iFly Airport Guide
    Instead of pulling out your hair the next time you’re ravenous or desperate for WiFi at an airport, just download this app. It’s free and offers you essential information on more than 700 airports, including a list of which restaurant is closest to your gate (complete with user reviews), whether or not there is WiFi, parking rates and locations, on-site banks and ATMs, and what your transportation options are if you’ve reached your final destination.
  1. GateGuru
    GateGuru customizes your door-to-door adventure. It offers all the basic flight tracking capabilities, but it really exceeds at customizing your travel day plans. Once the details are set, input your itinerary and GateGuru promises to ‘connect the dots,’ spitting out detailed information on where to check in, current airport weather conditions, estimated security wait times, airport amenities, and even last minute deals on car rental rates.

Boat Apps:

  1. NOAA SuperRes Radar HD
    Let’s not try to create your version of the Perfect Storm, ok? In order to enjoy the day safely on the water, a close eye must be kept on the weather and that’s exactly what the NOAA’s SuperRes Radar app does. It is very hi-resolution and is incredibly accurate, so you can keep track of any potential clouds rolling in. It’s not only great for boating, but also good to have any time you want to see if the weather man is right or wrong.
  1. Swell Advantage
    Gilligan could have used this app. Why? It lets you see where your family and friends are out on the water, including where they are headed and their speed. Custom notifications inform you when family and friends get on the water. It’s perfect for making sure you don’t get lost — or if you do, how your family and friends can find you. We’d say this is certainly one of the three items you want on a stranded island.