Your Ultimate Travel App Guide: Must-Downloads Before Your Next Trip

In today's world, your smartphone can be your most powerful travel tool — if you have the right apps loaded up. Travel advisors Ryan and Julie of Wander and Beyond Travel break down their go-to apps for every stage of your trip, from the planning phase all the way to clearing customs on your way home.

Destination-Specific Apps
Start with the app for wherever you're going. Disney's My Disney Experience app is a must-download the moment you book — use it to explore menus, check wait times, and link your reservation. Cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Princess, and others) each have their own apps, and all-inclusive resorts often have one too. Download them before you leave home and take time to explore them ahead of your trip.

Airline Apps
Download your airline's app, set up notifications, and always screenshot your boarding pass so you have it offline. And yes — printing a paper boarding pass is still a smart backup move.

FlightAware
Julie tracks every client's flights through FlightAware, which sends real-time alerts for delays, gate changes, and cancellations. She recommends clients download it too for peace of mind.

Rideshare & Transit Apps
In the US, grab both Uber and Lyft. Traveling internationally? Look into region-specific apps like FreeNow or Bolt, and don't forget local transit apps for subway or bus systems.

WhatsApp
Outside the US, WhatsApp is how the world communicates. Tour operators, resort concierges, and transfer companies often use it exclusively. Set it up before you go.

Cruise Legend
A newer favorite for cruisers who like to explore independently. See which ships are in port on your sailing day and find out what's within walking distance of the dock.

Mobile Passport Control
For US citizens re-entering the country, this app lets you submit passport and customs info digitally, helping your group move through the line faster.

Pro Tip from Ryan: Move all your travel apps to your phone's front screen before a trip so everything is easy to find on the go.

Where in the World? Julie's neighbors are currently on a nine-night Disney Dream cruise through Greece, Croatia, and Malta — their kids' first trip to Europe!

Next week: specialty river cruises.

Wander and Beyond Travel → wonderandbeyondtravel.com

Transcript

Julie 0:00

Hello, and welcome to All Things Travel. In today's world, we almost always have our smartphones on us, like it or not. are an invaluable resource when you're traveling, as long as you have the right apps downloaded. So today, we are sharing our top travel apps that you should download before your next trip

Ryan 0:20

Listen in with travel advisors Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney-loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. And together, we're the co-owners of Wander and Beyond Travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel

Julie 0:49

All right, so we are back on our somewhat normal recording schedule where we're recording on a Friday afternoon. I don't know about you, but Maryland weather is, I mean, you walk outside and you melt. Yeah we are, putting up the water slide day after day here

Ryan 1:07

Well, we had that here in Indiana, but we had a nice big thunderstorm last night and all that humidity is gone. So it is absolutely gorgeous

Julie 1:16

we had a big thunderstorm. It did not get rid of the humidity. this weekend I will be standing out in feels like 100 degree weather for a, music festival, Warped Tour, for anyone who likes that. I'm really just practicing um, in general.

Ryan 1:36

right. All right

Julie 1:37

good prep for my August Disney trip. But today we're talking about travel apps, and this is something I like to share with clients before they travel. It helps make sure that, they have access to the information that they need, pretty much at their fingertips. And a lot of these are apps that we also use in planning trips

Ryan 1:58

Yes, absolutely. But first, before we talk about that, if you did not listen to last week's episode, we talked about tropical US destinations that will get you on the beach and in the jungle and don't require a passport.

Julie 2:12

so let's start with apps that are going to help you prep for your trip in general, and there are a few that are gonna make your next trip so, so, so much easier. The very first one is the app that correlates with your destination, and the one that comes to mind the most for me is the My Disney Experience app. As soon as my clients book a Disney vacation, I send them an email saying, "Okay, go ahead and download the My Disney Experience app. Here's how you link your reservation. This is going to be your resource from now until the trip." Disneyland has their own app as well, so it's not as functional as My Disney Experience, but similar idea. The cruise lines also each have their own app. And again, as soon as my client books their cruise, I'm telling them, "Make sure you download your app and link your reservation." cruise lines' apps are gonna be a lot more interactive than others. So for example, the Royal Caribbean app, things pretty much load in there right away. you can book excursions right away. You can purchase drink packages. You can see all sorts of stuff almost immediately. The Disney Cruise Line app is a little less informative until you get closer to your cruise. initially, you really can see your sailing and learn about your ship, and make, some pre-cruise purchases like decorations for your room, or ordering a pack of water, But as far as being able to book anything, that's not really available until closer to the trip. the same goes for all the other cruise lines. Princess Cruise Line has an app. I'm sure that AmaWaterways,

Ryan 3:59

They do.

Julie 4:00

has an So regardless of which cruise line you're going on, there's going to be a correlating app that you can download. all-inclusive resorts, they do also usually have an app. It's usually not very functional until you get to the resort, but you still wanna make sure that you have it downloaded and ready to go. And then when you arrive, you can usually access things like the daily activity schedule. you can view maps of the resort, maybe look at the restaurant menus, things like that. any other apps that you can think of,

Ryan 4:32

Yeah. I think...

Julie 4:34

a destination?

Ryan 4:35

I think the key, like you said, is make sure it's downloaded ahead of time. Don't wait till you're there, especially if you're traveling internationally or you're getting on a cruise. And play with it a little bit. I always tell my Disney clients, "Get on and practice ordering a meal," or, look at the maps or look at the wait times," because you don't wanna be figuring it out the first day in the parks. and if nothing else, it just gets you excited about the trip to see the different menus at the resorts or to, decide what pools are gonna be there and what you wanna try out. I think it's great. Now, one of the coolest things with the system that we've been using in our business, Julie, is what?

Julie 5:14

So we also have an app that allows you to view your itinerary. We update that itinerary and you see it, so it's pretty much up to us how helpful it is to you. But

Ryan 5:24

Right

Julie 5:24

go in and update, especially for, like, my Disney clients, I like to go in and update, what park you're going to that day and maybe any restaurant reservations you might have, things like that. I will say, I have pitched the idea to my husband to, create a better app that I can give to clients, but apparently that's on the back burner right now.

Ryan 5:46

the next area is airline apps. download whatever app goes with the airline that you're flying. because if there's a problem or an issue, that chat is gonna be more available to you, that notification information is gonna be available to you. So download that app ahead of time. Make sure to set up an account if you haven't. make sure you put your flight information in and set up your notifications. You don't have to have notifications forever, but you certainly need to have it, close to and during and directly after your trip. Also, make sure along with this that you take a screenshot once you see your either booking pass that comes up or your confirmation. Just take a screenshot of that from the app so that you have it, and you have it offline. It's in your photos. And then keep that boarding pass either in your photos, keep it on a digital, wallet, however you do that kind of stuff

Julie 6:46

I am always that person at the airport that insists on a paper boarding pass

Ryan 6:52

Me too

Julie 6:53

I have, such an irrational fear of relying on my phone for that kind of stuff that, I'm gonna get there and my phone's gonna shut off

Ryan 7:00

Yeah. Now

Julie 7:02

and I'm not gonna be able to board

Ryan 7:04

and I do both because my thing is why wouldn't you, you know, especially if you're going to the kiosk and checking a bag, why would you not print it off? Because it's right there, it doesn't take any extra time, and then you're right, I always say you're one dropped phone away from not having any of your information.

Julie 7:22

Really?

Ryan 7:23

Tell us about FlightAware, Julie

Julie 7:26

FlightAware is an app that tracks flights. I put every single one of my clients' flights into FlightAware. What that does is it sends me notifications of everything I need to know about your flight when you're getting ready to fly. I will get notifications with, you're departing at this time. I will get notifications of any delays. I will get notifications of cancellations, of updates to when you're expected to arrive, of a gate change. I also recommend my clients download this app, I also keep you updated. But I like to be able to know what's going on with your flight, and, obviously I'm not at my computer 24/7, so it's nice if I'm still notified, okay, so-and-so is about to go into the air, or wow, they're having a flight issue. so that is something I always recommend that you download. and if not, I'm tracking it for you

Ryan 8:20

Very cool. Well, we have several others to talk about, but first, Julie, I wanna discuss where in the world is Wonder and Beyond Travel, and you have a pretty special trip you're gonna talk about today

Julie 8:31

Yeah, so this is actually my neighbors, and they are on this trip right now as we are recording. So this is a trip that's centered around one of their 40th birthdays, and they tend to kinda go big for these birthday celebrations. This is their first trip to Europe with their kids. Their kids are around my kids' age, so like second grade and kindergarten. and I know that as we talk... I mean, they live two houses down from me. As we worked on this trip in the past couple weeks, I saw them going on walks and bike rides around the neighborhood, like, getting used to

Ryan 9:07

Bu- build up that stamina

Julie 9:09

Seriously. Um, and we talked about different things, every day, just talking about what they're excited for. So it was just such a fun trip to be involved in planning with them. The highlight of the trip was sailing the Disney Dream on a nine-night cruise from Rome. But before that, we planned a pre-cruise stay in Rome with one of our favorite companies, Kensington. so they had awesome accommodations. They also did things like a food tour. They went on a tour around Rome. they went, that was in an electric buggy, and a lot of their tours and cruise excursions were based on, traveling in some sort of transportation, thinking that will make it easier for the kids, and

Ryan 9:52

Yeah, I like that

Julie 9:53

They did a pizza-making class, which they specifically text me to say that the kids loved it. and then they did, a tour over to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, which is always something I do recommend for kids if you're kind of between what big site do we see, I'm always gonna recommend the Colosseum over, like, the Vatican if you have kids. so then they boarded the Disney Dream, and they are big cruisers, so this is, like, home away from home for them. they went to Mykonos, Corfu, then they also went over to Dubrovnik in Croatia and Valletta, Malta, and they are just having such a blast. I feel like they've been gone forever, 'cause I haven't seen them outside in, like, a week. they're still not home yet. They won't be home for a couple more days. But this is just such a really fun cruise. I love that it's, the kids' first time in Europe. I'm getting inspired by them for our cruise next year. as we always talk about, I just think a cruise is a great way to introduce kids to new destinations. we love celebrating and sharing where our clients are traveling, and we can't wait to hear about their trip

Ryan 10:56

All right, so now we're gonna talk about some in-destination and traveling home apps that you can use, and the first is, a rideshare app. And, you know, depending on your destination, that can change what your options are. You know, if you're in the US, I would say download both Uber and Lyft, and compare those. So if you're going to Europe though, you still may be able to use some of these. I know I've personally used Uber in Rome before. But you can also download apps that are specific, such as FreeNow and Bolt. so I would do some research before you go, or ask us our recommendations for what are rideshares that you could use. and also along with this, not only rideshares, but, transportation apps. So if there's a subway system or something like that, a bus system that you're gonna be using. for instance, in Amsterdam, the system there could be street trains, there could be trains, there could be buses all within the same system. So having an app, that helps you navigate through that is a really good idea

Julie 11:56

That's a great add-on. I didn't think about downloading, the train apps or the bus schedules and things like that. And I actually do remember that my clients that recently were in Europe, the train that they were on had an app option, and I was like, "Okay, screenshot it so that, you know, just in case." my biggest fear, you don't have access to your phone, or you don't have access to the internet, or it won't load, so yeah, that's a great addition. the next one is gonna be WhatsApp, and this is a communication app that a lot of people use, but in the US we tend to use, text messaging. but everywhere else in the world they tend to use

Ryan 12:32

yeah, it's owned by Meta, so it's all within that same universe. And literally you're right, everyone else in the world uses WhatsApp except for us. And so if you're gonna be talking to tour operators, if you're gonna be talking to a concierge or a butler at your resort, most likely it's gonna be through WhatsApp. So get that downloaded before your trip, get it set up

Julie 12:54

Yeah, and you can call and message within the app, so it's kind of similar to like a Facebook Messenger situation and actually a lot of the times when I'm confirming a transfer or a tour for a client that's especially over in Europe, the contact I have is a WhatsApp number

Ryan 13:11

Well, and it's, and it's also too, while you're traveling and meeting folks, Julie, like I remember on my last AmaWaterways cruise, we had kind of a group at the end that were all friends, and there were folks from the US, there were folks from Spain, there were folks from Australia, and we put together a WhatsApp group to share photos and kinda stay in touch with each other. and because it's more internationally focused, WhatsApp allowed us to do that.

Julie 13:36

Yeah, that's a great o- option. Cruise Legend is something that is newer to me, and this is an app that is a really great resource for cruisers that don't want a lot of shore excursions. So within the app, you can see, so much information about different ships and all sorts of things. But the thing that I like to use it for is port information. So you can see how many ships are going to be in your port that day, which might be helpful to know, might help you decide where you might wanna go in that port. It will also tell you general information about the port. So if you are going to, Cozumel and you do not feel like booking an excursion, you can look into the app and say, "Okay, what's the best thing to do when I get off the ship that I can walk to? You know, and the same for every destination, every cruise port is going to be in there. really love that. you don't always wanna have an excursion booked. Sometimes you wanna be a little bit more spontaneous. This is an awesome resource, and you can see it ahead of time. You don't have to just see it once you're on the ship. I have clients use this all the time to get an idea of what to do at the port if they just wanna explore on their own

Ryan 14:50

The last app we're gonna talk about today is the Mobile Passport Control app, and this is for US citizens. And it allows US citizens to submit their passport and declaration info digitally when re-entering the United States at most, US airports. It helps you get through customs lines faster and stay together as a group specifically if you're worried about that. Now, the app does not replace travel documents, your passport, all that stuff. It just basically allows you to submit that information, a little bit early. And I say a little bit early. You can't do this during your trip. You have to do it as you're coming home. but it's something, especially if you have a family or a group and you're all trying to stay together, it, it's a good idea

Julie 15:34

Yeah, you essentially get like one QR code to scan for everybody in your group, and that helps you stay together a little bit easier

Ryan 15:41

So as we wrap up, Julie, I do have a little hint that I use when it comes to dealing with apps. one of the things that I do when I travel is I look at all of the apps that I'm gonna use. So let's say I fly on American Airlines, and then I'm using a train map in Germany, and I'm getting on an AmaWaterways cruise, and I get the AmaWaterways app, and I'm staying at a Marriott beforehand. I take those apps, and I move all of them to the first screen of my phone so that when I need to find them, I know they're gonna be right there and ready to go. And you could do this, you could have a folder. you know, and then when I'm done, those apps get moved back to wherever they came from. But I have them on my front screen so that I can get to them quickly and know that they're there

Julie 16:27

That's a great idea. I love that, and you know, my Disney app lives on the front of my phone so I can check wait times on the daily, but I love that idea

Ryan 16:40

The world is full of wonder, and your next great adventure is waiting. At Wonder and Beyond Travel, we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or you just wanna dream a little bigger, head on over to wonderandbeyondtravel.com. We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel when we discuss some specialty river cruises