8 Best Free Travel Planning Apps for iPad 2023

If you’re heading off on an important trip this year, then you’ll know how important piece of mind can be. It used to be that a well worked itinerary or well stocked folder of documents was enough to bring piece of mind, at least in terms of organization while traveling, but these days that seems to have transferred to our mobile devices and the apps we keep stocked on them.

Airlines have spent a fortune in the last few years in developing their own official apps for exactly that purpose, offering their customers a full experience that allows them to keep track of their flights, book hotels and rent cars, and even track the progress of your plane when in the middle of a flight!

Best Free Travel Planning Apps iPad

Planning is everything however, and I’m a firm believer that a great holiday can be both made and unmade in this crucial stage. There are lots of different travel planning apps out there for your mobile device these days, but which are the best options for you? We take a look below:

8. InRoute (Free)

Let’s start off by getting the navigation app out of the way first. I’m a big fan of checking on things like Google Maps and such before traveling to a specific place, or planning out routes through such apps in order to make the journey more efficient.

One of the best apps out there when it comes to doing this is InRoute route planner, which is great for things like road trips and such. It also is designed with GPS navigation and severe weather alerts, which can be absolutely indispensable when traveleing in a strange town. – Download from iTunes

7. Hipmunk (Free)

There are lots of price comparison apps out there, with names like Kayak and HotelTonight ruling the waves these days when it comes to traveling abroad. These days, you can download an app and check the price of everything at the same time, from hotels to events, activities, even car hire and of course plane tickets.

Hipmunk is as such the latest in a long line of travel price comparison apps, allowing you to find the best sites and get the best deals on flights and hotels, but it does have some nice features that set it apart from the rest.

One of our favorites in particular is the aptly title “agony meter”, which basically helps you to minimize stress when flying by organizing the best way to arrange your layovers and changes. – Download from iTunes

6. YPlan (Free)

I’ll admit that YPlan is a planning app that I’d never come across before researching for this particular article, but I’m glad I did. Often, when coming up for topics for our Top 8 lists, you think you know how a given list is going to go, but then an app like this comes along and practically forces you to include it.

YPlan is a relatively new event seeking and social planning app that is all about finding funs thing to do in a given place. Perhaps you’re staying in a city on layover, or are visiting a friend and unsure what to do. YPlan has your back, and will instantly be able to suggest stuff like concerts, exhibitions and the like.

The curated side of this app is very strong indeed, but unfortanately at this point it only supports a handful of the biggest cities in the world such as New York, San Francisco and London. – Download from iTunes

5. TripAdvisor (Free)

One app that cannot be neglected when speaking about the best travel planning apps currently available is of course TripAdvisor. Like Google Maps, I really use it as a general tool when it comes to working out the best place to stay, and the things to do while staying there.

The app has a lot more to offer than just this, however, since you can log in and take advantage of the community aspects by asking other travelers of their opinion on certain places.

Should you take a stroller to Rome, for example? The answer is probably yes, since this ancient city is one of the works when it comes to accomodating kids! TripAdvisor really excels however when it comes to their rating and review system for establishments such as restaurants and hotels.

People will post their unfiltered thoughts on their meal or their stay,  complete with photographic evidence. So if you really want to find out about a certain place before you visit, whether on holiday or in your own town, then TripAdvisor offers an excellent level of insight.  – Download from iTunes

4. TripCase (Free)

There are quite a few of these out there on the App Store at this point, but one of the best travel planning apps is TripCase, which organizes all of your travel plans and basically streamlines your itinerary. If you’re the kind of traveler that hates being disorganized and must have all your documents available and at your fingertips at all times, then check this one out. – Download from iTunes

3. Citymapper (Free)

One of the most frustrating things about visiting a city when on vacation is having to take advantage of the local public transport system. This is of course cheaper than renting a car, and if you’re staying in a proper city is probably a much smarter approach. It does mean however that you’re going to have to purchase tickets in advance, download maps, etc.

This is where Citymapper comes in: it’s one of the best travel planning apps out there that is dedicated solely to deciphering the public transport system. The only real drawback here at this point is that the app is limited to a few cities that it supports, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, but also some European capitals such as London and Paris. – Download from iTunes

2. PackPoint (Free)

PackPoint is another recent discovery as far as travel apps go and has since become one of my absolute favorites to turn to when traveling. One of the more important steps in the travel planning process is of course the packing, which is something that many people overlook but is absolutely key, at least in my opinion.

An organized bag means an organized trip! PackPoint starts by allowing you to set up your own trip, and then goes ahead and suggests things that you should be taking with you given the place you’re going, the forecasted weather during your stay, and what activities in particular you’re planning on doing. – Download from iTunes

1. TripIt (Free)

One of the best travel planning apps out there however, at least when it comes to organizing yourself when embarking on a trip abroad, is TripIt. This app basically brings together all your travel info in one app, from itineraries to important documents such as car rental receipts, restaurant bookings, etc.

There can be nothing worse than when you’re traveling and in a rush than having to fumble around and find the right documents in a line at the airport or queuing at the hotel, and TripIt takes the pain out of this entire process by gathering all of your important travel info in one places so that you don’t have to! – Download from iTunes