The New Year invariably brings along a whole new set of hopes, aspirations and possibilities. And from what we know, the one thing that everyone is left wishing for some more all through the year is travel. Luckily for us, this is the age of the Smartphones with their smart apps that make sticking to travel plans really easy. Now we know, being the tech-savvy traveler that you are, you probably already have a bunch of ‘EM stored away on your iPhone. But, are you sure you’re not missing out on the really cool ones, like these five brilliant apps?

Find. Eat. Drink

A major part of the vacation experience depends on the food. After all, a happy stomach pretty much makes everything look happy too. However, to find the right spot to eat in an unknown land is tricky business, and involves high risk. And you know better than you trust those rookie reviews on the popular food review sites. This is where Find. Eat. Drink comes to the rescue. On the basis of your location, it will give you reviews of the best spots in town, except that the reviews are from people who know their food and drinks- the chefs, the sommeliers, the bartenders and the bakers. Therefore, you know for sure that whatever you read is coming from the expert, and not someone is a biased and uninformed opinion. In case you’re going to be offline, you can simply download the city-specific PDF files and have all the information you need without worrying about data or network availability!

Everplaces

It is famously called the Pinterest of travel planning, and with good reason. It’s the perfect substitute for your travel journal. You can upload pictures of everything you do along your travels and obviously tag the location too, for future use. You can personalize your journal and organize everything to exactly how you’d like it, see what everyone else is talking about a particular location, stay in touch with locals and stay constantly updated on the goings-on in the location you visited or plan to visit. It lets you save photos, notes and maps. Everplaces also helps you explore new places, so you don’t miss out on the hidden gems. And you can share your collections with your friends too.

Printic

Oh, how we miss the warmth and charm of printed photographs! And we’re grateful that Printic understands this and makes printing photos from the phone super easy. You can select photos from your Instagram and Facebook account, as well as your iPhone’s gallery. You can send it to yourself and multiple friends. The photos come edited in a beautiful vintage filter and packed in a cute little orange envelope. You can add a personal note to each picture too. It’s the best way to create warm memories without actually taking much trouble. Also, even though the app is free, the prints come at $0.99.

Travel List

On most days we swear by Evernote for keeping a track of every little move we make. However, travel requires some special means and attention, which is why we turn to Travel List for specialized tracking. You can store information about everything from suitcase contents to itinerary and travel agent details to documents. There are preset categories, so you just have to type in your stuff based on where they belong. You can hide what you have already packed, so you’re not roaming in circles while packing. In addition, you can set reminders, especially for those last-minute additions.

HostelWorld

This one’s especially for the travelers on a budget. HostelWorld has 27,000 hostels across 6,000 destinations, thus making it easy for you to secure decent accommodation on the fly. It almost takes away the worries of advanced booking; it saves your budget and leaves so much room for spontaneity and a certain measure of adventure. There are reviews, photos, availability and prices listed for every hostel, so you know what you’re getting into and subsequently make an informed decision. For something that is absolutely free, it’s an amazingly helpful app and a must-have for every backpacker.

We’re hoping these apps help your travel plans become much more than plain plans. So, go ahead, make some grand, beautiful and crazy memories. Bon Voyage!

Author Bio:

Nancy Baker is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for Dove Travels and Cruises International, a renowned travel agency based in Nashville, Tennessee. She loves to go on long camping trips with her cousins. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.