Have Stress-Free Group Trips Using These Apps

This blog post was updated on August 6, 2021.

If you’ve ever tried to plan a group trip you know that it can be very stressful. These apps are here to help. With everything from trip planning to local guides to translation services, these apps will make sure that your group trip goes as smoothly as possible. So next time you wonder if you should actually get the squad together to book round trip flights — thinking back to that last disastrous attempt in Vegas — wonder no more. Just download these apps and let them guide you through a seamless and super fun group vacation!

Before You Go…

Download these apps before you take off so that everyone boards the plane with the exact same, perfectly organized information.

PlanSnap

If you’ve ever tried to plan a group trip from scratch, you know that getting the plans off the ground can take a long time: with conversations getting buried in pages of texts, messy itineraries getting forwarded around, and disagreements about who should pay what, it’s a marvel we’ve planned group travel without PlanSnap! And, you can even chat with people in a group chat even if they don’t have the app.

TripIt

What if keeping everyone on the same page was as easy as forwarding an email? With TripIt, it is. Simply forward confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, car rentals, restaurant reservations, tours, and really anything else you can think of to TripIt’s dedicated email. Then they take your messy emails and transform it into a working itinerary that can be accessed and shared with your entire group. No more forgetting which tour you all planned for which day. Perfect.

Haven’t booked your group trip yet? Find your round trip flights now!

Journy

With Journy you can chat with your own personal (and local!) concierge for the cool price of $25 per day planned. But the $25 goes a long way — get insider recommendations for eateries, activities, and events in the area that you plan to visit. Not only that, but you’ll also have access to a personal digital concierge for the entirety of your trip, who will be happy to make any reservations, edits, or additions to your recommended itinerary. Fancy!

Once You’re There…

When you touch down, you’re going to want these handy apps in your pockets to ensure maximum group fun (and minimal side-eye).

Google Translate

The new version of Google Translate does a much better job of translating — because it’s now able to translate the entire sentence rather than the word-for-word method it previously used. Now your crew won’t have to worry about not being understood when you’re all dining out together, checking into the hotel, or out on the town.

Glympse

This handy app allows you and your crew to let each other know where you’re all at — at all times during your trip. Glympse is incredibly useful for when the group decides to split up and needs to meet up again. But what happens when the second group doesn’t show up on time? No worries — just check the app and see that they’re actually on their way, with just enough time for your group to snag an extra glass of wine. Easy peasy. You can also request a friend’s location if you’re especially worried about their whereabouts.

HappyCow

We have all been on a trip with someone that has different dietary needs than most of the group. And while it’s not at all their fault, trying to find good food that meets everybody’s requirements in a foreign city can be the catalyst for a fight. No longer! With HappyCow, you and your squad can browse through popular cities for vegan and vegetarian options so that you all can agree on a restaurant in advance — instead of helplessly strolling through the foreign streets with an empty stomach.

Cool Cousin

We all have that one cool friend — you know, the one who seems to know all these underground dive bars and delicious restaurants. Well now, YOU can be that cool friend once you hop off round trip flights. When you download Cool Cousin, you actually download access to hundreds of cool kids across the world who are glad to tell you about the hidden gems of whatever city you and your crew are navigating. No more arguing about which restaurant is more off-the-beaten-path — your Cool Cousin will clue you all in. Plus, you can chat with them throughout the day for spontaneous recommendations — all through the app.

Are there any other apps we missed out on? Let us know in the comments!