Whether you’re traveling for business, pleasure or a little of both, at least a portion of your trip is going to be about food, fun and figuring out where to go. The best new travel apps of 2016 sweetly combine all of the above, with one app now hot on the market and three coming soon to a mobile device near you.
Best New Travel Apps Available Now
Zagat
The long-neglected restaurant review service of Zagat has been given a new look and new life with a massive 2016 makeover. Google had largely ignored Zagat since it acquired it in 2011, but the updated app more than makes up for it. The refreshed Zagat app comes complete with a spruced up logo, crisp new interface and features that make it personal.
The Zagat app is now designed to make recommendations based on your current location, pointing you to the nearest Zagat-rated restaurants at any time of the day or night. Sorting and search options let you winnow down the selection to different types of food, highest or lowest rated and other options that help you pick the perfect place to feast. Available for Android and iOS.
Best New Travel Apps Coming Soon
SavvyAmigo
Ever wish you had a friend in every destination you visited so you could simply call or email them for some local advice? Download SavvyAmigo, and you will. The app is expected to launch in later this year and will be available for Android and iOS.
Users start by asking an opening question, like the best kid-friendly activities in town. The app tracks down a local expert, who is then available for a five-minute phone call or email conversation to answer your questions. The overall goal is to connect global travelers with savvy locals, and you can use the savvy local input to plan your entire itinerary, select your afternoon activities, or decide among several destinations before you even book a flight anywhere.
Google Trips
What do you get when you combine info from Google Maps with your trip itinerary details and input from local experts on dozens of destinations across the world? The answer comes in the form of one of the best new travel apps coming down the pike: Trips.
Created by Google, the app can pull your trip itinerary details from your gmail account, then set you up with a host of recommendations for things to do, places to eat, sights to see, transportation to take, and all other indoor and outdoor activities in and around your destination.
Google bills Trips as a new “travel assistant app for Android and iPhone,” although it’s not yet available for the general public. No word on the official release date
Airbnb Trips
Not to be outdone by companies like Google, and eager to find new revenue streams, Airbnb is working on its own new app, also called Trips. Although a test version of the app popped up on Google Play before it was quickly removed, the app isn’t expected to officially be released until November at the Airbnb conference.
Bloomberg was able to download the test version of the app before it was yanked, reporting that the app contained personal itinerary information that included scheduled Airbnb rentals, dining and happy hour events and city guides. Users additionally had the ability to book city tours or make restaurant reservations through the app.
These best new travel apps can help you make the most of your destination, no matter if you’re heading out west, back east, up north or down south anywhere in the world. Have additional travel-related questions? Contact Swift; we’re always happy to help!
