iPhone Apps to Help You Plan the Perfect Summer Vacation

by Nathan Eddy

The top mobile travel app allows you to book flights, hotels and car rentals. You can also check reviews, and the Pro version provides terminal maps of more than 100 airports.

You’re in a new town and you want some help from the locals to figure out where to eat, drink and party. Yelp is the place to find down-to-earth reviews from the people who know where to go.

Keep track of flights with the flick of a finger using this app, which also offers information on weather conditions and an offline mode for use in—you guessed it—airplanes.

Never forget that pair of sandals or your booking number again, and use social media integration to let your Facebook friends know where you’re headed.

Why stay in a stuffy, impersonal hotel when you can crash at an awesome apartment instead? Airbnb’s network of participants makes travel much more personal—and often cheaper.

This app lets you translate printed words using your built-in video camera, in real time. Best of all, there’s no network connection required.

The app allows you to request a private car in any city the service is available, and tells you how long you’ll have to wait before it arrives.

Wondering what that building in front of you is? The History Channel’s app will give you information on thousands of historic locations across the United States.

This app helps move the time-honored tradition of sending postcards into the digital age. It allows you to customize photos and greetings from wherever you happen to be.

Even if you can’t make it out to every destination, Google Earth lets you virtually visit just about any place on Earth, check out local businesses and view photos taken from Earth users.