Download These Apps Before Your Next Trip

Forget travel apps for a hot minute. Instead, we've rounded up the 10 must-have apps that are going to make your life way easier on your next trip.

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Travel Paparazzi for Your Family

Most of us get back from a vacation only to discover we have 745 photos of beautiful churches or museums but not nearly enough of our own families. Shoot My Travel is your new go-to solution for this problem. This app hooks you up with local photographers all over the world, who you hire to spend anywhere from a few hours to a whole day with you and your family. You can choose the package that best fits your needs, and you'll end up with gorgeous photos from your trip that you'll treasure for years to come.

Get All the Inside Info

For true insider info on your next trip, download one of the Wallpaper City Guides before you take off. You'll find out local information like where to go for the best pastries or the perfect time to go to a museum. Each of the guides is put together with information from insiders who always seem to track down the coolest spots and best activities in each city they tackle.

Sign Up For an Out-of-the-Box Adventure

If Only is a unique app that allows you and your family to sign up for special, out-of-the-box adventures and experiences. You could plan anything, from lunch with fashion stylist Rachel Zoe to a pickling lesson or a cooking class with a local chef. Find out which experiences are available in the city you will be traveling to ahead of time, and book something unforgettable.

You Actually Can Afford That Luxe Hotel

Your hotel bill can often be the biggest expense on a family vacation. If you can't afford to go five-star, consider making a reservation at a great mid-budget hotel. Then when you arrive at your location, pull out the Hotel Tonight app, where you can find insanely good deals on luxe hotels (who are looking to fill rooms last minute). If you're flexible, you could ditch your mid-budget hotel and hop over to the luxe digs for a true first-class trip.

Get Almost Anything Delivered in an Hour

Oops! You forgot your phone charger on the kitchen table...or left your kid's socks on the bed. No worries! You can replace almost anything in an hour or two with Amazon's Prime Now app. Now available in most major metropolitan cities, Prime Now is a scaled-down version of Amazon's main site that allows you to order your favorite items for a super-fast delivery. If you remember which items you forgot at the airport, pull out your phone, Prime Now-it up, and your delivery will be waiting at the hotel when you arrive.

Find Estate Sales Wherever You Are

If you're vintage obsessed, you'll definitely want to download the Yard Sale Treasure Map app before your next vacation. This app helps connect you to all of the estate sales and yard sales in your local area, wherever you are, and displays them on an easy-to-read map. When you visit a new city, check in with the app and see where the best sales are that weekend, and then you can make a plan for your ultimate vintage shopping adventure.

Video Chat With Your Friends + Family

These days we all know and love Facetime as a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you don't have great cell service while on vacation. Marco Polo is a fun app that will help you, your family and friends stay in touch while you're galavanting around the world. Marco Polo bills itself as a video "walkie talkie" service, allowing you to record short video messages which are then sent back and forth to your loved ones. (There are even cool filters and voice changing options.) Create a "family" group on the app to stay in touch and share all the best parts of your vacation without the pressure of a phone call or a Facetime sesh.

Get Groceries Delivered Ahead of Time

This is a great tip if you're going on an extended vacation or traveling with a larger group. Use the InstaCart app to order your groceries before you even arrive (or as soon as you get there!). This means you won't have to waste time tracking down a grocery store, loading up the car and going shopping.

Get Last-Minute Concert Tickets

Another fun thing to do on a trip is to see what concerts or shows might be happening while you're in town. This is especially fun if you live in a smaller town and will be traveling to a larger city. The Stubhub app is the best resource for checking local venues and purchasing tickets to events — even events for the same day.

Ship Anything You Buy Straight Home

As someone who's guilty of trying to shove way too much in my suitcase, this resource is my savior. Use the UPS Shipping app before your trip to track down where the closest shipping center is to your hotel or vacation rental. If you make any large purchases, bring them by the local UPS store (they can even wrap and package it up for you!), and then send those treasures straight home.

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Download These Apps Before Your Next Trip

Related To:

Shop This Look

Travel Paparazzi for Your Family

Get All the Inside Info

Sign Up For an Out-of-the-Box Adventure

You Actually Can Afford That Luxe Hotel

Get Almost Anything Delivered in an Hour

Find Estate Sales Wherever You Are

Video Chat With Your Friends + Family

Get Groceries Delivered Ahead of Time

Get Last-Minute Concert Tickets

Ship Anything You Buy Straight Home

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