When it comes to planning a trip and experiencing locations outside of your familiarity, a go-to tool that can boost creativity, assists with building an itinerary and improves the way you organize accommodations is your smartphone. With the technological era in full force, more and more individuals are utilizing their mobile devices as a personal assistant each and every day.

As it relates to travel, your smartphone can be used throughout each stage of the planning process, and even during your trip as a way to document memories, manage money, and schedule transportation and lodging services. Because your mobile device is a gadget that most likely never leaves your side, these efforts can be done anytime and anywhere.

Here are the reasons why your smartphone is the best travel gadget to bring with you during your travels:

Booking Flights

The airline industry has taken full advantage of technology and the rising trend of travelers wanting to use their mobile devices and the internet. In turn, researching, scheduling and booking flights can now be completed over an associated airline app or a third-party airline platform, like Kayak or Sky-scanner. With choices that are customizable and filtered based on your personal needs, you can book a trip in little to no time, all in one place.

Money Management

An important part of traveling is maintaining and keeping track of your personal finances. This can include identifying your spending tendencies, managing your bank account when traveling internationally or learning to handle a currency different from your own. Each is just as important as the other, so the great part about your smartphone is the fact that it can be used as a way to manage all of these finance-related tasks right at your fingertips! Devising a budget before you leave is always a smart idea, but doing so through a personal finance platform can make it even easier when on the road. Not to mention, using a mobile bank account can make direct deposits into a savings account simple, while also avoiding account service fees. If you’re a budget-conscious traveler, it’s nice to know you have extra options for saving money that are fantastic additions to your structured budget.

Navigation

Smartphones have GPS-equipped maps that can lead you from point A to point B as long as your location settings are enabled. Although this can completely eliminate the use of a paper map, this tech-savvy way of following a route offers communicative directions and an interactive way of showing where you are compared to where you want to be in real-time. This can decrease your fear of relying on yourself to follow directions, benefitting your overall travel experience.

Camera and Creativity

With the technological functions of smartphones getting more advanced by the minute, camera quality and photography are becoming a prominent feature that travelers look for in the quality of their mobile devices. There is no doubt that an eye through the lens sparks creativity and the urge to share special moments with others. Editing apps and social media make it possible to enhance a vision and share your experiences to spark inspiration in others.

Tracking Your Luggage

Bringing your belongings with you while you travel is essential to provide yourself with what you need while you’re away from home. But during the time you’re traveling to your desired location, your luggage encounters check-in and baggage claim, resulting in your bag being moved around out of your sight. With a luggage tracker and app, you can watch where your luggage goes all on your mobile device as if it’s right in front of you. Keeping in mind how often suitcases get shuffled around during your travels, this can be a simple way to reduce stress.