The best travel apps 2025: How to plan your next vacation!

The best travel apps 2025: How to plan your next vacation!

Planning trips can often be challenging, but a variety of apps and websites make the process much easier. The choice of software for travelers is very large, and many of these digital aids offer valuable information and services to improve the travel experience. Apps such as Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Skyscanner and Google Maps, which are used worldwide, are particularly well-known.

One of the outstanding apps in this area is Rome2Rio. Founded in 2011 by two software engineers, this platform covers over 240 countries and regions and connects users to more than 20,000 modes of transportation. Rome2Rio allows users to view different travel options, times and costs. An example of this is the connection from Zurich to Barcelona, ​​where both the fastest route with a direct flight and the cheapest alternative with a combination of train and flight are displayed. And the best thing about it: using this app is free.

Innovative apps for travelers

Another notable app is AmiGo, developed by Alexia Tamer, a student at Columbia Business School. The app offers personal recommendations for over 50 countries and works on an invite-only basis, allowing users to receive advice from friends and influencers. AmiGo is free, but also offers a premium version for $129 per year.

For those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, the HappyCow app is an indispensable tool. It helps users find vegetarian and vegan restaurants and provides information about ingredients, prices, opening hours and reviews. With a community of almost 1 million users, the app costs 5 francs.

An interesting platform for culinary discoveries is Eatwith, founded in Paris in 2019 by Camille Rumani. Here, travelers can share communal dining experiences with hosts worldwide. The app has over 50,000 hosts in more than 130 countries and is free to use.

Share special experiences

The Spotted by Locals app offers a digital travel guide platform where users receive insider tips from locals. Founded in 2008 by Bart van Poll and his wife, the basic version is free to use. For additional material, there is a “full access” subscription for just under $30 per year and city guides for $9.99.

For travelers who want to document their experiences, Findpenguins offers an app for creating travel diaries. Users can upload travel routes, photos and videos and also use a “travel tracker”. This app is also free.

Another interesting offering is the European Coffee Trip app, which focuses on European specialty cafes and roasteries. The founders Ales Pospisil and Radek Nozicka offer not only city guides, but also magazines about coffee, and the use of this content is also free.

Finally, Getyourguide is an online marketplace that offers over 200,000 experiences worldwide. Founded in 2008 by five ETH students in Zurich, the platform is used to book tickets, guided tours and exclusive access to various activities. Here too, use is free.

The variety of travel apps available not only makes planning easier, but also opens up new possibilities for more individual and exciting trips. Find out more information about this on NZZ Bellevue and South Traveler.