‘Tis the season for … holiday travel nightmares.
Are you prepared?
You know the drill: Navigating bumper-to-bumper traffic and hustling through long lines at airport security can certainly put a damper on your plans. But with a little preparation, you can avoid a few travel headaches this season. Refinery 29 compiled a list of apps to help you improve your travel experience.
Waze
Price: Free
A community-based traffic app, using real-time intel from fellow users in the Waze community to guide you along the fastest routes, warn of upcoming speed traps, and set estimated times of arrival to family – so they know when you’ll arrive. Waze also points out the cheapest gas stations along your route, so you won’t waste cash by fueling up at the first exit you spot.
Dark Sky
Price: $4
If you ever avoid making outdoor plans because you’re anticipating bad weather, Dark Sky is can’t tell at a glance exactly when it will rain (or snow) up to an hour in advance.Dark Sky uses your actual, street-by-street location to push your notifications about when inclement weather is heading your way – and how long it’ll last.
Turo
Price: Free
The ‘Airbnb’ type app for vehicles. Formerly known as RelayRides, Turo is car rentals from local people. Instead of using an auto-rental agency and guessing what type of car to reserve based on mysterious industry nomenclature (will a “compact” fit all our stuff?) scroll through Turo’s feed of available cars in your area and see exactly what sort of ride you’ll be cruising in before you lay down money. It’s super-convenient for last-minute adventures, and we also love that you can opt to experience cars you’d never normally get to drive.
LoungeBuddy
Price: Free
Lounge Buddy helps weary travelers find a peace of mind–in a nearby airport lounge. Without trekking all over the airport: open LoungeBuddy; input travel info, like the airline you’re flying with, any elite statuses, and mileage credit cards you hold; and the app will tell you which lounges you can access for a fee or for free. Even if it’s only paid-access lounges you find, depending on the delay and your current level of “over it,” paying for “free” house wine and plenty of rooms to get comfortable could be your best purchase of the holidays.