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Making travel plans can be tough work. Where to stay?  How do you get there?  What should I bring? Check out this article from iaap that gives you 5 must-have travel apps to make your travel planning a breeze.

“5 Must-Download Travel Apps for You and Your Executive

Submitted by Julie Perrine

Travel planning – whether it’s for yourself or your executive – can be a harried experience if you’re not a seasoned pro. There are so many decisions to make. Where to stay? How to get there? Where to eat? What to bring? When to go? The wrong choice could leave you or, worse yet, your boss sleeping in a bedbug-infested motel or stranded in an airport in some far-off land. Fortunately, there are tons of travel apps out there that can make the process a little more manageable and a lot less stressful. These are some of the best and most useful ones for making travel planning a cinch.

• Tripit: The Tripit app turns your trip confirmation emails into a mobile travel itinerary that includes all your travel information, along with maps, directions, and weather details. You can also find restaurants, theatretickets, and activities using the app. All of the trip details are accessible from mobile devices or can be printed for handy reference. (I still highly recommend a printed travel itinerary in addition to using Tripit, though.)
• GateGuru: Ever wonder where the nearest Starbucks or Cinnabon is when you arrive at your gate? Maybe you have time for a little pre-flight shopping. This app connects with TripIt to provide even more support for you or your traveling executive. You can pull up checkpoint wait times, the amenities near your arrival and departure gates, and review the available services such as free wifi, ATM machines and more.
• Airbnb: Want to stay somewhere more “homey” on your next trip? Is your company or executive trying to cut travel costs? Use the Airbnb app to book space in someone’s house, spare room, vacation property, or other dwelling. (Castles, igloos, and private islands have all been listed on the site.) The app works the same way as traditional hotel-booking platforms – enter the destination, check in and out dates, and number of guests, and the app gives you a list of available properties/rooms.
• SeatGuru: With this handy app, you’ll never have to wonder whether you’re getting a good seat on a plane. The company, which is owned by TripAdvisor, has collected seating data for various planes and airlines and condensed it into an app featuring color-coded, interactive airplane seating chart. Green seats are good, red are not so good, and yellow ones should be avoided at all costs.
• Triplist: Like lists? This app is an easy-to-use packing and travel organizer that helps you  make packing and travel to-do lists based on its catalog of trip types, commonly packed items, and trip activities. You can also store frequently used lists and create custom lists for special travel occasions, such as a holiday or business meeting.

Travel planning can be a stressful and complicated endeavor for admins – especially when they are doing it for their executives and not for themselves – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Put these apps to use and make it a whole lot easier, calmer, and enjoyable for you or your executive to comfortably traverse the globe….”