8 Travel Apps to Stay Stress Free

Getting geared up for holiday travel, or wrapping up last-minute business trips before the holidays arise? Whether you’re a frequent flyer, CEO or simply heading home to the fam, stay sane this season with these eight travel apps, shared by Ted Florence, veteran globe trotter, president of Avenza Systems Inc. and PDF Maps app developer. We’ve taken a sneak peek into his iPhone to unveil his must-have travel apps list. He provides his thoughts here:

My TSA
This app, courtesy of the Transportation Security Administration, provides 24/7 access to information that passengers frequently request from the TSA like: a tool to find out if an item is allowed in your carry-on or checked baggage; information on ID requirements and liquids rules; tips for packing and dressing to speed through security, and most importantly, real-time operating status for U.S. airports (status of security lines, approximate wait times, average delays, etc.) from the FAA.

Compatibility: Android, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad; Price: Free

Image courtesy of usa.gov

Airport Status (U.S. Only)
This 99-cent app provides real-time status updates for the flying conditions of all U.S. airports. You can search for the current conditions of any airport, create a favorite’s list and easily estimate what delays you might face on your current business trip.

Compatibility: Android; Price: 99 cents

Avenza PDF Maps
With this app, you can find, buy and download new maps on your device, and better yet, it stores everything you’ve purchased…just like iTunes.  Downloaded maps are available even when you’re offline.

Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad; Price: Free

Image courtesy of Avenza

SeatGuru
This app lets you search for the seat map on any flight worldwide and provides a complete seat map, including the aircraft type and a quick breakdown of which seats are considered to be better than others, and which are to be avoided. Searches can be done by flight number, routing and airline; the app even has a built-in flight status feature so you can check to see if your flight is going to be on time or not.

Compatibility: Android, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad; Price: Free

Image courtesy of iTunes

Currency
Florence calls this app a “must-have utility for anyone traveling outside the country to areas where foreign currencies are involved,” as it allows you to obtain the most up-to-date exchange rate for almost any currency and quickly calculate what that value is in US$ or any other desired currency.

Compatibility: Android, iPhone, iPad, webOS; Price: Free

FlightAware
This app provides real-time visual tracking of a flight’s progress as it moves through the air, allowing you to view a flight’s exact location on a map and receive step-by-step updates of the flight’s status in a list form.

Compatibility: Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, BlackBerry PlayBook, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Symbian; Price: Free

Image courtesy of FlightAware

Your Favorite Airline’s App
Almost every airline now has an app of its own that provides the most up-to-date access to its flight schedule, flight status and frequent flyer systems and most also provide quick and easy mobile check-in and boarding pass delivery. Now, some even integrate with the new Apple Passbook app to help you keep your boarding passes even more organized.

Compatibility: Android, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad; Price: Typically free

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