Traveling is somehow feeling more stressful than ever, with travelers facing frequent delays, traffic jams, and cancellations as the holiday season approaches. Thanksgiving is the most-traveled holiday in the U.S., with estimates predicting over 82 million people are set to travel over the upcoming weekend. It’s a hectic time, and that’s why you need to use your tech in a way that makes things easier, not harder.
There will undoubtedly be bumps in the road, but I’ve found that relying on a few Android apps can all but ensure a successful travel season. You can use these tips every time you hit the road, catch a train, or board a plane, and every app on this list has a free tier.
Google Wallet
The classic you’re probably not using to the fullest
Google Wallet is a travel staple, but travelers who only use the digital wallet platform for boarding passes are missing out. In 2025, the app can do much more than handle contactless payments and present QR codes. For starters, you can use Google Wallet to add airline loyalty cards, so you don’t have to dig through countless emails to find your frequent flyer number. The best Google Wallet feature for traveling, though, is digital ID support.
In the U.S., flyers now need a “REAL ID” to fly domestically, and that might be a problem for those whose driver’s license or state ID doesn’t meet the requirements. However, a U.S. passport is considered a REAL ID, and you can upload yours to the Google Wallet app to breeze through TSA checkpoints. In fact, with a passport, boarding pass, and airline loyalty card all stored in the Wallet app, you can conquer an airport trip without needing any other apps.
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Android
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Free
Google Wallet is the starting point for any Android traveler. This app can store everything from driver’s licenses and passports to payment cards and boarding passes.
Roadtrippers
Create or discover guides to help you ace your next road trip
When we think of travel apps, airport trips are usually top of mind, but specialized apps can be just as handy for road trips. Roadtrippers is an app that helps you plan your route, whether you’re in need of a gas station, rest area, or tourist attraction along your journey. The app’s interface is well-designed and easy to use, with plenty of curated guides to help point you in the right direction. For example, I live in Arizona, and Roadtrippers offers a free in-depth guide to the Grand Canyon National Park.
With this app, you can create itineraries, save them, or share them with friends. The map features are powered by Mapbox, so users get useful results that aren’t skewed by advertisers, making Roadtrippers a great alternative to Google Maps.
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Android
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Free with subscriptions
Roadtrippers is a trip-planning app for Android that helps drivers and campers navigate the roads without missing a beat. It’s powered by a feature called Roadtrippers Autopilot, which takes into account trip data from over 38 million trips to point you in the right direction.
TripIt
A digital notebook that stores all your travel details in one place
I look at TripIt as a digital notebook that can morph into whatever travelers make of it — the app isn’t as polished as Google Wallet or Expedia, but it’s a data-rich solution that ensures users can store everything in one place. You can upload just about any travel detail or document, from confirmation numbers and flight times to digital boarding passes. Once you’ve imported all your data into TripIt, the app can analyze it and provide personalized tips for your trip.
The app can give you advice about when to leave for the airport, or show safety scores for the neighborhoods you plan to visit during the trip. It’ll also try to warn users about potential flight disruptions and travel changes in real time. Best of all, the TripIt app can automatically scan your email inbox and pull information related to your travel plans into the associated trip.
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Android
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Free with subscriptions
TripIt is a do-it-all trip-planning app that can automatically pull crucial data from your email inbox, saving you time. The app is a customizable notebook that can store as much or as little travel info as you’d like, from boarding passes and identity documents to location data.
Expedia
Plan your trip and snag deals while doing it
Some of the other apps on this list, like TripIt, are best for after you’ve already set your plans in stone. Expedia, on the other hand, is all about helping influence your travel plans before you’ve ironed out the details. The platform scans the websites for hotels, airlines, and other destinations to show users the lowest price. It offers bundles when you book multiple things together, like airfare, lodging, or a rental car.
You should always check multiple sources before booking—I use other travel booking aggregators like Hopper in tandem with Expedia to make sure I find the best deal. With that in mind, Expedia is an excellent place to start, and it can help you find ideas for what to do during your trip. If you do choose to book within the app, you’ll be able to see all your booking information there and earn cash rewards.
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Android
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Free
Expedia is a trip planning and booking site that helps travelers save money by bundling various trip bookings together. For example, users can book a flight, hotel, and rental car all within the Expedia app, while saving in the process. It’s an excellent planning tool, even if travelers choose to book elsewhere.
FlightAware
Never be left in the dark regarding flight status again
Flighty is the best flight-tracking app, but it’s unfortunately an iOS exclusive. Fear not, because the FlightAware Flight Tracker is a great alternative for Android users. It pulls publicly available data to give you status updates on your flight, starting with tracking the status of your inbound plane to predict delays before they happen. With just a flight number, you can follow every step of the process, from takeoff to landing. You can also see your flight’s progress on a map as it travels from origin to destination.
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Android
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Free with subscriptions
FlightAware is a flight-tracking app that shows your flight data in real-time. The app’s detailed flight data can help travelers decide when to arrive at the airport, understand why their flight is delayed, or figure out how to make their connection.
These are the apps every traveler should use
Google’s default apps are underrated for travel, including Google Maps and Google Wallet. In particular, Google Wallet stands out because of its ability to handle every step of the travel process. Gone are the days when Wallet merely supported basic payment cards and boarding passes — the app now supports digital passports, airline loyalty cards, and almost everything in between. For a de-Googled alternative, TripIt can store almost all the same information in a highly customizable way.
FlightAware is just as essential for flyers as Roadtrippers is for drivers, and Expedia is the site I always use for price comparisons and deal hunting. With these five Android apps in your arsenal, there’s no travel problem you can’t solve.