best travel record app

A Little Journal… These Digital Travel Diary Apps Are Worth Your Time

Last updated on January 4, 2024 by Shannon

As travel enthusiasts, we yearn to capture the essence of extraordinary travel moments and freeze them in time. We even want those mundane details preserved—what was the name of that hilarious taxi driver who shuttled you from the airport to your guesthouse?

If you’ve logged those details in a travel journal, you don’t have to remember—that’s where travel journaling apps come in, offering a digital travel scrapbook that easily documents even the craziest travel adventures.

I’ve been traveling the world for 15 years, writing, photographing, and sharing my travel stories from the first day. That means I have pretty high expectations when it comes to using digital travel diaries meant to preserve the memories of your expeditions. Here’s what you need to know about the best online travel journal apps available.

Table of Contents

What are Digital Travel Diaries?

While journaling about your travels via a paper notebook used to be called a travel log, the more modern equivalent is an online travel journaling app. That said, even diary app is just a new way to log the most important moments of your travels—and the mundane ones too.

Travel journals essential just document your experiences, capturing your memories as you travel the world. By logging your travel memories in real time via a journaling app, you ensure the smaller details are captured.

Was it a torrential downpour on the day you had booked an “any-weather” tour of the Norwegian fjords? Log that and then share how you felt at that very moment, otherwise the details fade with time.

That’s the real magic of keeping a travel log in any form, a beloved notebook, an app, or a blog. I’ve used all three over my 15+ years of travel. This travel blog was my primary travel log, but at times I’ve used these travel apps to capture moments more immediately.

And no matter my online travel journal app of choice, I always, always have a small physical journal. Even if you diligently record all of the best moments of your trip in your digital travel diary app, you should also carry a small travel journal that acts as your travel log—you use it to jot down funny off-the-cuff moments, or even just mundane details.

Perhaps you press between the pages ticket stubs, a pretty flower from your world wanders, and other small memorabilia that can’t be captured in a journaling app. It becomes a place to log currency conversions you can surreptitiously glance at when haggling at a market, or jot down lists and travel plans.

I never travel without a pocket Field Notes waterproof notebook and this Moleskine travel journal —its these two things that have allowed me to share such rich details on this blog, my personal travel log that’s been running 15 years and counting.

How to Choose an Online Travel Journal App

Travel journal apps are not one-size-fits-all. The best apps offer the exact range of features you need and at a price point you can afford—which can mean free! Many journaling apps offer a free version that may just meet your needs. Often its the more sophisticated features that require a paid upgrade.

Given that you’re probably snowed under travel planning, don’t waste your time downloading every travel diary app here. To pick the right app for your travels, consider these things before you download it:

When choosing an online travel diary app, there are several factors to consider that can help you find the one that best fits your needs. Here are some tips to help you make a decision:

• Features : Review what the journaling app actually does—what are the key features these app developers believe are the hallmarks of their app? That will tell you a lot about functionality. Standard features of most digital travel diaries include: text entry, photo and video uploading, geotagging, and weather data. Decide which features are important to you and ensure that the app provides them. Maybe you want an awesome map interface because you’re hopscotching around the world for a year ? Or you’re studying abroad you might want an app with more functionality around text and photo entries.
• Platform Compatibility : Check if the digital journaling app is available on your preferred platforms, such as iOS, Android, web-based, and desktop. If you’re bringing both a smartphone and laptop on your travels , you may wan a travel diary app that seamlessly switches between the two devices.
• Syncing and Backup : Consider whether the app offers syncing and backup options—and if those are free or paid features. You want access your travel diary across multiple devices, and you want it securely backed up to the cloud.
• Export and Sharing Options : If you plan to share your travel diary with others or would like to have a backup of your entries outside of the app, check if it offers export options, such as PDF or other file formats.
• Company Story : If the travel journaling app you’re considering using hasn’t been around for at least two-to-five years, run in the other direction. Companies, especially app makers, fold quickly. The last thing you want is an email saying you have a matter of days to download your cherished memories before they’re all deleted.

Best Travel Journaling Apps

Day One tops most of these lists because it’s actually that good—and it’s been around since 2011, so you know your travel memories are safe with this online diary app. The company has invested in a high-quality product, and updates over the years have responded to user reviews and feedback—which is enthusiastic across the board.

Its clean interface and seamless integration with iOS (both iPhones and Macs) and Android make it a joy to use. You can effortlessly capture each destination through text and photos, while popping in location data too.

Best app features : The “On This Day” functionality is neat because it doesn’t pull in the best of anything, but rather that exact moment years ago when you were on an incredible adventure out there in the world—or maybe you had logged a tasty hot chocolate at a hipster spot near that landmark you were visiting.

Either way, you’ll be transported back there in an instant and that app feature is maybe one of the strongest motivators to journal about all the big (and small) things that happen as you travel.

Cost : The free version is enough to see if you like it, but if you’re using this as your main digital travel journal then the one photo per entry restriction on free plans isn’t going to cut it. Premium is affordable though, at just under $3 per month, which buys you unlimited photos, videos, audio, drawings, and more.

If you go all in on Journey as your travel journal app, it will become your trusted companion. Rather than being a journaling app that’s great for travel, this travel-centric journaling app goes above and beyond with its extensive features.

Geotagging allows you to pinpoint the exact location of you experiences, while the inclusion of weather data and “mood” status adds depth to entries. You can import photos from your camera roll directly into journal entires, creating vivid visual narratives of your travels.

This robust app works on iOS devices and Android phones, Mac or Windows computers, and there’s even a web app! Basically, it’s an accessible and essential tool for any travel writer seeking to document their adventures with style and precision. Not only because of the features, but also because it allows multi-media exports in PDF or doc format.

It’s also a bit cheeky and has a handy guide to what Journey offers versus Day One or Daylio .

Best app features : Stand out for many will be the features that let you automatically sync and import social media content from Instagram and the like—what a time saver! And the full text editing screen is nice—you can bold, bullet, color, or link to anything you’d like right inside the text. Surprisingly, that’s not in every diary journaling app.

But one of the neater travel-focused elements are the three views for your journal—media (where you scroll by photos), map (which shows your entries pinpointed on a map of the world) and calendar (journals organized by date).

Cost : Unlike essentially all competitors, Journey offers a one time purchase license—currently $18. You can buy a membership for ~$4.20.

Daylio , billed as a “simple micro-diary app,” adds an interesting twist to a travel journaling routine. As a mood and activity tracker, it enables you to record daily experiences and emotions with ease—and without writing anything. It’s an interesting way to to reflect on how your travel adventures have impacted your overall well-being .

It’s not for the hardcore travel writer, but rather, Daylio captures the essence of the travel experiences in a uniquely personal way. It’s a good companion for those seeking to intertwine their emotional journey with their physical travels. And for those who want a more streamlined diary app with fewer features and just straight to the meat of what you want to do.

Best app features : This app is dead simple to use and can be updated in under a minute thanks to the tap interface. It’s certainly not going to be the only way you record you travels, but if you’re already planning to share extensively on a Facebook or Instagram page , then this ease of use may just ensure that you use it every day.

Cost : You could get pretty far with the free version, or upgrade for just $3 per month—only the premium version supports exporting to PDF.

4. Evernote

Real talk: The digital travel journal of your dreams may be something you’re already using. When it comes to versatile note-taking, Evernote reigns supreme. Its functionality goes beyond simple journaling, allowing the creation of multimedia-rich entries.

I’ve organized my entire life via Evernote—travel pans, stories, etc—and its robust features make a compelling case for this being one of the best journaling apps out there, period. Not just in travel, but in general.

As one of the best digital diary apps, you can update it seamlessly across iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

Best app features : Well, you could use Evernote to basically plan and execute your trip, in addition to using it as a digital journal. You can also stay ruthlessly organized.

Cost : The free version offers 60 MB monthly uploads, which is constraining for travelers looking for an online app where they could add photos and videos to Evernote itself—this would like be better if you’re embedding YouTube videos, for example, versus storing them in Evernote.

The Personal version offers a more reasonable 10 GB in monthly uploads, but costs $11/month for that perk. If you’re already paying for Evernote for other reasons then this could be an excellent online travel journal, otherwise some of the other ones are likely better priced for a traveler.

5. Travel Diaries

For those seeking a dedicated travel journaling app, Travel Diaries hits the mark. It’s really a truly solid option. As a travel writer, I’m captivated by its interactive features. You can easily create immersive travelogues, complete with photos, maps, and annotations.

It’s also a captivating way to showcase your journey to fellow travelers (and your family and friends back home, of course!). The ability to share your travel stories and explore others’ adventures on the platform adds a sense of community not available in the other digital travel journaling apps.

It’s available as software for web, iOS and Android, but will only work with an internet connection (either cell data or wifi)—which means this might not be the best journaling app for those going far off-the-beaten path .

Best app features : A broad range of fonts and styles allow you to design your travel diary according to your own taste, and your travel log can include itineraries, travel photos, and a traveling map. The layout as an actual travel journal is a fun and personal touch that makes it feel like your digital diary is just as capable of creativity as a blank page in front of you.

Cost : There is no free version of Travel Diaries—it’ll be a subscription for as long as you want access to your travel journal. The basic plan costs $1 a month and includes unlimited storage and is really all most travelers will need for a robust travel journal. If you want to export your stories to PDF, you’ll have to upgrade to $3 per month.

Diaro App is a reliable companion for millions of people, not just globetrotters. This comprehensive diary app offers an array of features that elevate a travel journaling experience. Sometimes the best travel journal is, well, just a great online diary that you happen to use to document your travels.

The ability to add text, photos, tags, and organize entries into folders keeps this app well-organized—you can effortlessly find specific memories or delve into specific themes from your trips. It has a map of entry locations, which is especially important for those using this as a travel journal diary.

Diaro’s sleek interface and user-friendly design make the process of documenting adventures a true pleasure. Available on web, iOS or Android devices (with cross-device syncing via Dropbox) Diaro is a go-to app for travelers who want to capture the essence of their trip with elegance and efficiency.

Best app features : The multilingual UI (30+languages) may be a real boon for those for whom English is not their native language, but the shining standout features is just how easy it is to create a robust diary accounting for all of the key moments on your trip.

Cost : The free version has robust functionality. Upgrading to Diario Pro costs $10 per month and offers more customizability.

7. Polarsteps

Polarsteps is a great travel journal app that offers automatic tracking of your journey, making it effortless to document and share your trips. With its GPS technology, the app traces your route in real-time, creating a visually appealing map of your adventure without requiring any manual input.

This feature sets Polarsteps apart from other travel journal apps, as it eliminates the need for constant updates and allows you to focus on enjoying your trip while the app takes care of recording your route—and uses minimal data and power to do so.

What truly makes Polarsteps unique is its ability to create a beautifully presented travel log that showcases your journey. This app is made for the travel photographers out there also wanting a digital travel log of their journey.

Along with the automatic tracking, the app allows you to add photos, captions, and personal insights to your entries. These elements are then combined to create a visually stunning travel journal that can be shared with friends, family, and fellow travelers. I think this is one of the prettier apps—the maps alone are just a step up from the others.

Best app features : The GPS tracking is easily the standout here. You’ll know the precise spot you took a photo, and can then include a quick note—an inside joke you shared with a friend while there, a tidbit about the day, and more. This kind of precise location data is invaluable in the months and years after you travel.

Cost : It’s free! Polarsteps offers you a printed travel journal of your trip, which is how it’s monetized.

8. Waffle Journal

Waffle Journal stands out from the rest as a a collaborative journaling app that allows you to document and share your travel experiences with others—probably those on your same trip. Its unique approach fosters collaboration, allowing friends, family, or fellow travelers to contribute to your journal. With the ability to add stories, photos, and memories, everyone can create a collective travel diary that captures the essence of your adventures.

The app goes beyond traditional journaling by integrating multimedia elements. You can include photos, videos, and audio recordings. It’s not a travel journal specifically, so you’re not going to have any of those map features the travel apps have integrated into the experience, but it could be a great option for those travel in a group, or a group of friends who just love to share their travel adventures with each other. Social sharing features make it easy to showcase your travel adventures on social media platforms or via email.

BONUS: RIP: Bonjournal

Bonjournal captured my attention many years ago for its visually stunning approach to travel journaling. As you penned your travel stories, this app transformed them into beautifully presented narratives—and it made you choose just one photo to represent your day. Which was really quite neat.

This travel journal app is no longer available! Even though other websites are still recommending it as a travel diary app, the gorgeous app that debuted more than a decade ago is no longer up and running. Instead, a new app with the same name launched in 2021—it’s not a viable alternative. This new Bon Journal diary app is glitchy and poorly rated—storing your cherished travel memories there is not a good idea.

Don’t forget a paper journal as well.

This Moleskin travel journal is well made and worth the space it will take up in your bag. There will be times you just want to put pen to paper—you’ll be glad you have an analog record of your travels too.

How to Safely Store Travel Photos and Videos

These travel journaling apps are a terrific way to document your journey for personal memories, and to share with others. Although some long-term travelers create a travel blog to record their trips, using a travel diary instead is a great alternative.

You get amazing functionality and the ability to share your travel stories without the hassle of running a blog—which can get pricey and generally lacks the ability to share some stories privately with family, or keep other journal entries entirely private.

One thing all of these apps have are general constraints on how you upload, store, and present your travel photos and videos. Although some of these apps offer paid subscriptions with unlimited uploads, you’re likely safer if you store your actual travel photos elsewhere, too. Here’s a quick review of other places you can store travel photos, and the perks of using them in addition to, or instead of, a travel diary app.

• Facebook pages : Rather than use your personal profile, consider setting up a Facebook page for your trip—then you can share unlimited stories, photos, and videos. And you’re creating and sharing in a place where it’s likely your family and friends are already hanging out.
• Instagram : This is a great way to share photos, but videos and stories are a little more constrained on this platform. This might be a good option in addition to a digital travel diary.
• SmugMug : If you need a place to both store and display all of your travel photos, SmugMug is a great option. I’ve had an annual plan for more than a decade and it offers unlimited storage for all of my photos from all over the world for $88 per year. And it’s totally customizable—you can create gorgeous albums on a custom domain name if you own one.
• Google Drive : If you just need a backup solution without the need to share then Google Drive is a good option (I find Google Photos a chore to use). It’s just $2 a month for 100GB of cloud storage.

Ready for some travel inspiration? These are the best travel stories of travelers to follow now, inspiring books from historic travels, and short reads, too.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

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🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

10 Best Travel Journal Apps to Organize Your Travel Memories

As a digital nomad or frequent traveler, you likely want to keep a log of your travel activities. But what and how you record is a very personal experience.

You may want to write extensively about your experiences and feelings and keep them private. If so, you are probably better off with a paper journal and a pen.

Or maybe, you want to log the most important moments, photos, and travel routes and share them with your family and friends. In that case, a digital travel journal makes more sense.

Perhaps you’re an Instagram Influencer or blogger and want to keep copious notes for future posts/reels.

No matter your reason, if you’re looking for a travel journal app to maintain a digital log, this list of the 10 best travel journal apps will help you find the one that suits your needs.

Let’s start!

Table of Contents

10 Best Travel Journal Apps

1. day one journal.

With a Twitter-like interface, the Day One Journal is about capturing the important moments of your trip. The app can collect data such as location, weather, and music, for your travel photos and videos.

You can use this app as a digital diary and write using your finger or Apple Pencil and quickly comb through the entries using photos, timeline, or calendar. It even accepts voice commands.

This travel journal app can record fine details such as temperature, moon phase, weather, address, etc.

A free version is available, but upgrading to the premium version gives unlimited journal entries, photo storage, cloud sync, audio recording, and 25% off on book printing (if at some point you’d love to create a printed book of your adventures).

Platforms Supported:

• Apple Watch
• Safari and Chrome browser extensions

Cost: $2.92 per month billed annually.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for an online version of a standard journal that can also include images, voice recordings and track your locations

2. Find Penguins

One of the top digital travel journals, Find Penguins uses GPS tracking and AI to automatically track your journeys.

It also updates temperature, weather, altitude, etc., giving you a quick snapshot of the conditions on a particular day.

All the data that the app gathers is then displayed in a fun way on an interactive map as a trail and posts.

Find Penguins refers to those posts as footprints that are essentially blog posts where you can attach photos, videos, and texts as diary entries.

If you want, you can order a printed photo journal complete with maps, photos, and footprints.

Cost : Free with in-app purchases. You can buy a monthly or yearly subscription for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year respectively.

Perfect for: Anyone who needs the best travel journal app for automatic journey tracking.

3. Polarsteps

If you need a completely free travel journal app that not only helps you to plan and track your journeys but also doubles up as a digital travel diary, Polarsteps is one of the top travel diary apps you can find.

It comes complete with an editable itinerary planner and transport planner. It even plots and automatically tracks your path on a digital world map.

You are free to add thoughts, videos, and photos. If you want, you can leave tips for the traveling community, or retrace your steps by scrolling through your travel stats, photos, and places.

The app also supports printing a hardcover travel book with just a touch of a button. The best part? It works offline and allows you to manually add journal entries that can later sync when the internet is available.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a free travel tracker app that can track the travel route and keep the family informed!

Momento is more than just a travel journal app. It can double up as a project/work journal, pregnancy journal, or private journal.

This app can organize and streamline your social network activities from 11 social platforms. You can add photos & videos, tag your fellow travelers and places you visit , and even record your pregnancy journey!

Momento can also give daily, monthly, or yearly visual summaries, and allow you to explore past timelines.

Cost: Free with in-app purchases for paid upgrades.

Perfect for: People who need a multi-purpose digital journal that works not only as an online travel journal but also as a private and/or work journal.

5. Journi Blog

Journi Blog is a unique photo journaling app that you can use to record your travel experiences as timelines and maps or even have them printed as a photo book to show off to your friends and family members.

Whether you have a travel blog where you write about your vacations and travels, or whether you are maintaining personal travel diaries or recording your kids’ photo album, Journi Blog helps to capture all the moments and stories.

With this travel diary app, you can create a public travel journal or create a private journal entry.

Cost : Free with in-app premium membership purchase options. Membership costs €9.99 for one month, €43.99 for 6 months, and €53.99 for one year.

Perfect for: Those who want a photo journaling app.

Penzu isn’t particularly designed to be a travel journal app. In fact, it is more of a reflective journal meant for note-keeping and milestone tracking. However, it can be used as a pregnancy journal, a food diary, and even a travel diary.

It will give you the feel of maintaining an online travel blog with the ability to add images, add photos, and write your travel stories. You can use custom tags to categorize your travel logs.

Penzu has an incredibly simple interface where you can record beautiful memories of your entire trip.

Cost : Free, Pro for $19.99 a year, and Pro+ for $49.99 a year.

Perfect for : Anyone who needs a private online journal or a digital diary with syncing ability across the web and multiple mobile devices.

7. Tripcast

Tripcast is one of the favorite travel journal apps for many users worldwide. The app is perfect to keep your friends and family members updated about your journey.

With Tripcast, you can create shared photo albums where your fellow travelers can upload and share photos they click and store them in a single place.

The app uses photo geotagging to create a map of the places you visit.

Cost: Free!

Perfect for: Those who are on a group vacation, or participating in volunteer projects.

8. Journey: Diary, Journal

Journey was listed as the Google Editors’ choice in the best travel apps category. Just like other travel diaries, Journey will help you to maintain a travel journal complete with texts, audio files, images, and videos.

You can also use this dedicated app to add location and weather details to all your journal entries.

If you want, you can download and keep your entries private on your computer. Alternatively, you can export them as PDF or DOCX files for easy sharing.

Journey is not just a simple travel journal app. It is a multi-purpose app that allows users to record anything they want such as a stress management journey, sleep journey, better habits development journey, and so on.

Cost : Journey is a free app, but there is an in-app membership purchase option for $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Perfect for: Those who need a multi-purpose journal app that can also be used as a digital travel diary.

Diarium is another great app that allows maintaining a travel journal using a calendar interface.

You can quickly attach texts, audio files, and images, and even tag multiple entries in a single day.

There is an option of adding a sitemap with location info. Plus, the app will display a wide range of data including your fitness data, weather info, and calendar events.

You can easily export entries in HTML or DOCX formats. Journal entry is possible using a laptop, PC, mobile, or tablet.

Cost: Diarium is free, but offers in-app purchases. You can purchase a lifetime pro version for $5.99.

Perfect for : Those who want a travel journal app without committing to a monthly or yearly subscription.

10. Worldee Trip Planner & Journal

Worldee is a popular digital travel diary that not only allows you to organize and store your travel memories.

You can mark the countries visited on an interactive world map, add timelines, photos, and maps, and even share your trips.

You can share your stories with other travelers or you can keep everything private. The app will also help you to plan your next trip using the integrated trip planner.

With the trip planner, you can set your itinerary and travel map on the same screen and then share your trip details with your travel partners.

Cost: The app is completely free to use.

Perfect for: Those who want a completely free digital travel journal.

More Journal Apps to Consider

1. trotter it.

Trotter It is a digital travel journal app that allows you to create and share travel stories with travelers across the world. It also doubles up as a social networking app for travelers. The app is available only through Google Play Store and is completely free to use.

2. Jauntlet

A mix of a travel journal and a free travel blog, Jauntlet allows you to present your trips in a neat timeline. The app connects with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and imports photos from different profiles.

You can add the location to a post to add it to the map and write your story. Jauntlet is a web application that offers a platform-independent mobile site.

3. Esplorio

A beautiful and interactive travel journal app, Esplorio can record trips even without a data connection. You can choose what to share publicly and what to keep private.

It easily integrates with social platforms to retrieve previous journeys. The app is free but there is a pro plan available for $49.99 per year. It is available on iOS devices and through a web app.

4. Traverous

Traverous is an automated travel journal application that uses GPS data to track and record your trip. It also records media and location to create a personalized animated travel diary. The app is free to use but to unleash its full potential, you will need a premium account that costs $4.99 a month or $54.99 a year. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

How to Choose the Best Online Journal App

Choosing the best online journal app can be tricky. They’re all so good and you need to pick one that does everything you want it to.

Here are a few tips on choosing the best online journal app:

• Ease of use : The app you select should be straightforward and easy to use. An overly complex app will only make your life difficult.
• Mobile apps : Since you will mostly be traveling with your phone or ipad, the app must have versions for either iOS or Android or both. However, digital nomads traveling with laptops can always use web apps.
• Social features : The app you select must be able to integrate with social platforms. If the app has a built-in community feature, it is even better, especially for group tours and backpackers.
• History : The company developing the app must have a proven history of offering digital journaling services. You will not want to use it only to see that it is no longer under development.
• Cost : The app you select must be cheap. Expensive subscription plans can put budgetary pressure.
• Security: If you want your journal entries to be private you need to ensure the app has end to end encryption services.

Best Travel Journal Apps FAQs

Is there a free journaling app.

Yes, there are a few free travel journal apps available today. While some are dedicated digital travel diaries, others are all-purpose digital journals that can be used for keeping travel records.

Day One Journal has a free version, Polarsteps is completely free, Penzu has a free version and Tripcast is free. Try them out and see which one you like the best!

What’s the best app to track everywhere I’ve traveled?

Most of the digital travel diaries listed above can track every place you have traveled . Apps like Day One Journal and Find Penguins can not only track the places you visit but also add additional data like weather, temperature, altitude, address, and more.

Best Travel Journal Apps Summary

Digital travel diaries or journal apps are immensely beneficial (and fun) as they help to organize your travel experiences and keep your memories stored in a single place.

They will allow you to add written notes, images, videos, audio files, tags, etc., and help you to easily share your experiences with friends and family, or other users.

For digital nomads or influencers, some come with customizable layouts for enhanced personalization and some will even allow you to blog automatically and share moments of your trips with your readers.

Try a few out and select the one that is within your budget and meets your needs the best. Hopefully, this list of the best travel journal apps will assist you in finding an awesome journal for your travels! 🙂

Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links, from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Also as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products and services I’ve used or would use myself. If you choose to purchase from any of my links, thanks so much for your support! 😊

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The Best Digital Tools for Travel Journaling

When it comes to logging your travel memories, the modern era poses a unique set of problems. You don’t want to upload a hundred vacation photos to Facebook (newsflash: no one’s looking), and you know you won't get around to printing all those snapshots—but one or two Instagram posts just aren't enough to do your trip justice. Enter the digital travel journal: an elevated way to share photos, jot down memories, geo-tag restaurants, and track your itinerary in real time.

Kristen Dold is a Chicago-based freelance writer and content strategist who focuses on health, travel, and lifestyle topics. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, Marie Claire, GQ, Vogue, and New York magazine.

Best For: Building stunning photo-centric narratives

Exposure’s clean, minimalist aesthetic has made it a fast favorite among the professional photog set, but it’s easy enough to use for amateurs. The concept is simple: drag and drop your snapshots into grids, add some brief titles and descriptors, then let your followers bask in full-bleed photos that have the highbrow feel of a digital magazine. (Take a look at some of their featured stories to see what we mean.)

Price: Free for the first three stories, $5+ a month after that

Best for: sharing real-time updates with close friends.

No more overposting anxiety— Tripcast is like a private Instagram feed for the folks who really do care about your every move. (Hi, Mom.) Friends at home and fellow explorers can get notifications on your whereabouts and comment on trip photos that automatically upload to a travel map. Another perk: travel pals can build albums together so everyone’s memories are in one spot.

Price: Free

Best for: keeping a quick chronicle while on the move.

The newly revamped version of the Day One app (called ‘Day One 2’) makes journaling as easy as posting to Twitter. Jot down some highlights, attach a photo, and the app will stamp your location, the date, time, weather, and even your step count, if you want it. Plus you can tag posts, so it's easy to keep past excursions organized for future reference. (If you like microjournaling, the app can keep separate journals for things like work, health or sleep.) Features like audio recording and tagging your friends are coming soon.

Cost: $4.99

Best for: getting wordy without wifi.

Words and images get equal real estate on Bonjournal , a Tumblr-like platform ( here’s what it looks like) which allows you to add tags like ‘food & drink’ or ‘nightlife’ to entries, share them on social media (a privacy lock is available for any posts you want to keep to yourself) and even give your experiences a grade. The best feature: you can create posts offline and upload them later, ideal for long flights home without wifi.

Related Articles

6 Best Travel Journal Apps for Your Next Trip

By Author Meg Frost

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Travel Tech

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I love to look back on past adventures via journals, photos, and videos – but it can be so time consuming!

One of my tricks to organizing all of my travel memories is to use travel journal apps.

Over the years, many of these apps have evolved to include so much more than a way to organize photos and videos.

Many also help you plan your travels, gather and report data, and a few even help you create printed photo books!

Check out this post for my absolute favorite travel journal apps to help you document your adventures through slide shows, photo collages, timelines, maps, photo books, and more.

1 Second Everyday

Turn your travel videos into a travel journal summary with 1 Second Everyday.

This app pieces together 1 second video clips to create a video, making it a super easy way to create travel video without the need for video editing skills.

1 Second Everyday is a great way to journal a day or an entire trip with ease. I love that it eliminates the analysis paralysis when it comes to journaling creatively or creating content for your social media.

In my opinion, 1SE is the best free journal app for iPhone and Android overall, not just for recording travel memories.

Pros : Super easy to use and create fun videos that can double as social media content. Cons : Sometimes 1 second just isn’t enough! Download : iOS / Android

Day One Journal

Day One Journal is an impressive digital travel journal app for iPhones, Android smartphones, Apple Watch, and Mac computers.

Its biggest strength is the collection of data for all photos and videos, such as weather, location, and music. It also includes a timeline view and a map view.

This is a great travel journal app for those that like to reflect about everything that happened on their trip.

Day One Journal will make it a bit easier to remember the finer details, like weather and addresses.

Pros : Not just an app – also has a Mac app and a Safari browser extension so you can work on your Mac laptop or desktop. Cons : No browser extension or software for non-Mac laptops and desktop computers. Download : iOS / Android / Mac / Browser Extensions

Grid Diary combines digital journal capabilities with a planner for one ultimate app.

Users can keep track of all they need to do, create journal entries with guided writing prompts, add stickers and tags, and gather statistics.

This app is more of a traditional text-based journal and planner, but sometimes that is really all folks want!

Pros : One app to keep you organized and record memories. Cons : Most of the valuable features are only available in the premium version (can’t blame ’em though!) Download : iOS / Android

Momento pulls in data from all of your social channels to piece together a journey’s story, such as Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and Uber.

You can keep your stories private or share with friends to select social media channels, as well as via text message or email.

Momento is a great travel journal app for those that are heavy social media users. You’re already documenting your travels elsewhere, but this app will pull them together in a cohesive way.

Pros : Super easy to use and affordable premium subscription available with extra features. Cons : Only available on iOS. Last major update was in 2016. Download : iOS

PolarSteps is a fun app that helps you plan and track your travels.

However, the standout feature with this travel journal app is that you can transform your journal into a printed photo book!

The PolarSteps book includes summaries and stats pulled from app usage, such as maps, miles or kilometers traveled, number of countries visited, and so on.

In my opinion, this is not only the best free travel journal app for iPhone and Android, but one of the best traveling apps for iPhone and Android, too.

Pros : Top notch usability design makes it super easy to use. Cons : Some limitations with customizing the travel book, such as inability to choose size and limited number of color themes. Download : iOS / Android

Keep mom and dad updated on your travels without annoying your Facebook or Instagram friends with every single photo you take via Tripcast .

Or if you’d rather not share with everyone you can use Tripcast to share photos with just your travel group.

Tripcast is a great way to track longer journeys and still keep up with your friends and family back home.

Pros : Makes sharing photos from everyone on a group trip seamless. Cons : Limited social media capabilities despite being one of its focus features. Download : iOS / Android

What are your favorite travel journal apps?

Let me know in the comments below which travel journal apps you use when you travel.

Next up, check out more of my favorite travel & tech tips:

• 15 Best Travel Journals
• 8 Best Manifestation Journals
• 8 Photo Sharing Websites
• Best Photo Editing Apps
• Best Camera Apps

About the author

Meg Frost is a Boston-based travel blogger that helps people embrace technology to make vacation planning and traveling wicked easy, affordable, and fun.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami.

Read more →

This post was originally published April 22, 2017. It was last updated December 1, 2022.

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Wednesday 14th of February 2024

I have been hunting and hunting for a travel journal that is easily updating- shareable with friends, with a push notification kind of thing. There are SO many and have read and read. I want to journal and add pictures. I don't want anything that does anything automatically or populates anything. I want to write and add photos or maps as I choose. Thank you SO much

25 Best Paris Travel Apps to Make Your Trip Better in 2023

Friday 17th of March 2023

[…] Best Travel Journal Apps for Journaling on the Go […]

26 Photo Editing Apps for Instagram & Blogging in 2023

Saturday 11th of March 2023

[…] 5 Best iPhone Travel Journal Apps […]

8 Photo Websites for Sharing Photos With Family & Friends - Frost + Sun

Friday 17th of June 2022

The Best Video Editing Apps for iOS & Android - Frost + Sun

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Best Free Travel Journal Apps for Travel Enthusiasts 2023

Embark on a journey of exploration and self-expression with our curated list of the best travel journal apps. Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or a wanderlust-filled dreamer, these apps offer the perfect platform to capture your experiences, emotions, and memories on the road. Get ready to create lasting travel chronicles effortlessly.

Table of Contents

“Updated” List of Top & Best Travel Journal Apps 2023

Here we have listed some most popular free travel journal apps for spirited travelers.

1. Trotter It

What is Trotter It?

Trotter It is one of the best travel journal apps for travelers where you can share your travel experiences with the world in the form of text, images, and videos. And at the Trotter It, you can find a travel buddy for your next trip.

How Does the Trotter It App Work?

• Leverages GPS technology for navigation and planning
• Real-time data for accurate directions
• Streamlines travel experiences with user-friendly features

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Trotter It App?

• Detailed maps and location-based recommendations
• Customizable itineraries
• Expense tracking and social sharing
• User-friendly interface for seamless use

Who Is Trotter It For?

• Ideal for solo travelers, families, and adventurers
• Caters to various travel preferences
• Suited for those seeking detailed trip planning

Who Is Trotter It Not For?

• May not be suitable for unplanned, tech-free travelers
• Not for those who prefer spontaneous exploration

Advantages of Using the Trotter It App

• Simplifies travel planning
• Enhances safety with real-time tracking
• Offers personalized recommendations
• Budget management tools
• Seamless sharing for documenting adventures

Download the App : Android IOS

2. Jauntlet

What is the Jauntlet App?

On this application, you can share plans and stories about where you will be using the free social travel blogs. In addition, the user can record adventures by collecting information and mapping their Facebook posts, Twitter posts, and Instagram photos. You can also upload multiple images, and Jauntlet will automatically use the time and location of the images to display them on your journal and the travel map.

How Does the Jauntlet App Work?

• Utilizes advanced location-based technology
• Offers personalized recommendations and navigation
• Incorporates real-time data for a tailored travel experience

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Jauntlet App?

• Interactive maps and itineraries
• Location-based activity suggestions
• Budget tracking and expense management
• User-friendly for easy sharing and documentation

Who Is Jauntlet For?

• Solo travelers, families, couples, and diverse travel preferences
• Accommodates a wide range of user needs and styles

Who Is Jauntlet Not For?

• Travelers who prefer off-the-grid adventures
• Those who enjoy spontaneous, unplanned exploration

Advantages of Using the Jauntlet App

• Enhances safety with real-time location sharing
• Provides personalized recommendations
• Streamlines budget management
• Facilitates easy sharing of travel memories

You can also design your travel journal and photos privately, which can only be viewed by family members or selected people.

What is the Worldee App?

Worldee is the ultimate go-to travel application. You can get inspired by the various travel stories, plan new adventures, store your experiences, and be part of our community of travelers.

With the trip planner, you can plan your next adventure. You can have places you want to visit in your itinerary, choose a transport medium, and select overnight stay options. You can also select a travel buddy directly from the application if traveling solo.

How Does the Worldee App Work?

• Utilizes cutting-edge geolocation technology
• Connects users to nearby attractions and events
• Offers personalized trip itineraries and navigation guidance
• Integrates real-time user reviews and recommendations

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Worldee App?

• Interactive maps for easy exploration
• Customizable itineraries for travel planning
• Seamless expense tracking and budget management
• Effortless sharing of travel experiences with friends and family

Who Is Worldee For?

• Anyone seeking a tech-savvy travel companion
• Adventurers looking for tailored trip suggestions

Who Is Worldee Not For?

• Travelers who prefer tech-free, off-the-grid adventures

Advantages of Using the Worldee App

• Streamlined travel planning and navigation
• Enhanced safety through real-time location sharing
• Personalized recommendations for memorable experiences
• Budget management tools for cost-conscious travelers
• Effortless sharing and documenting of travel memories

4. Luggy – Travel journal

What is the Luggy – Travel Journal App?

It is an online travel journal where you can sync your photos and your journal for free. You can add places, notes, videos, and photographs to the application. You can add memorable photos to your identity and explain why the destination has impressed you. You can also share your best experiences and travel tips.

How Does the Luggy – Travel Journal App Work?

• Seamlessly captures travel memories
• Allows users to record notes, photos, and locations
• Organizes entries chronologically
• Offers cloud synchronization for data security

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Luggy – Travel Journal App?

• Digital journal for travel experiences
• Geotagging and photo integration
• User-friendly interface
• Offline access to journal entries
• Secure data storage

Who Is Luggy – Travel Journal For?

• Travel enthusiasts and wanderers
• Individuals who want to document their journeys
• Those who prefer digital journaling

Who Is Luggy – Travel Journal Not For?

• Travelers who favor traditional paper journals
• People not interested in journaling their trips

Advantages of Using the Luggy – Travel Journal App

• Convenient and portable journaling
• Enhanced memory preservation through geotagging
• Easy organization of travel experiences
• Secured data and accessibility from anywhere
• Environmentally friendly option compared to paper journals

Luggy also allows you to synchronize your travel journal and share it with your family and friends anytime you want.

5. Esplorio

Esplorio offers an easy, smart, and free way to track all your travels and share them with recommendations and friends. You can automatically log into various places you have visited, map your routes, and upload photographs in your private travel journal.

Just download the application and give access to photos. The application will update by itself and save your travel footprints on the go.

How Does the Esplorio App Work?

• Automatic location tracking via GPS
• Captures and organizes travel moments
• Seamlessly integrates photos and notes
• Creates a digital travel journal in real-time

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Esplorio App?

• Geotagging for precise location data
• Customizable trip itineraries
• Offline access to travel journals
• Private and secure cloud storage
• Integration with social media sharing

Who Is Esplorio For?

• Travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers
• Those who value digital travel documentation
• Individuals seeking an all-in-one travel companion

Who Is Esplorio Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional methods of journaling
• Those uninterested in detailed travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Esplorio App

• Effortless real-time travel journal creation
• Enhanced memory preservation with geotagged entries
• Streamlined travel planning and organization
• Secure cloud storage for easy access
• Social sharing options to engage with friends and followers

It is one of the most energy-efficient tracking applications that can track your parts accurately.

Download the App : IOS

What is the Momento App?

Momento is an intelligent private travel journal that helps users capture and collect memories to relive and share their life stories. The application helps the users privately secure their moments and gathers information on their daily activities, photographs, and posts. Each moment of your life is carefully organized and crafted into a beautiful journal that stays up to date.

How Does the Momento App Work?

• Automates the collection of digital memories
• Integrates with social media and photo libraries
• Organizes content by date and location
• Creates a digital archive of personal moments

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Momento App?

• Automated content aggregation
• Advanced search and tagging options
• Customizable reminders for daily journaling
• Seamless data backup and synchronization
• Export and sharing capabilities

Who Is Momento For?

• Individuals looking to capture and cherish personal memories
• Social media enthusiasts and photo lovers
• Those who prefer digital journaling and organization

Who Is Momento Not For?

• Those who prefer traditional, paper-based journaling
• Individuals uninterested in documenting their daily lives

Advantages of Using the Momento App

• Effortless and automated memory collection
• Efficient organization with tags and search
• Daily journaling reminders for consistency
• Data security with backup and synchronization
• Easy export and sharing options for memories

Keeping a digital journal like Momento also improves your mental health, memory, and creativity.

7. My Travel Journal

What is the My Travel Journal App?

My Travel Journal is an excellent application that has been exclusively designed for travel planning and diary keeping for new and experienced travelers. With the application, you can choose dates and organise your trip. You can also add events and activities to specific days with the application. Then, at any time, you can look at the map and plan how to get to the location of your next activity.

How Does the My Travel Journal App Work?

• User-friendly digital journal for travelers
• Easy entry creation with text, photos, and location tagging
• Offers offline access to your journal

What Are the Features and Functionality of the My Travel Journal App?

• Customizable trip itineraries and categories
• Geotagging for precise location tracking
• Secure and private journaling with optional cloud backup
• Export and print options for physical journals

Who Is My Travel Journal For?

• Individuals looking to document their journeys

Who Is My Travel Journal Not For?

• Travelers who favor traditional paper journaling
• People uninterested in recording their travel experiences

Advantages of Using the My Travel Journal App

• Convenient, on-the-go journaling
• Enhanced memory preservation with geotagging
• Personalized trip organization
• Data security and accessibility
• Versatility with digital and physical journal options

You will get a calendar to add and view all your travels and events.

8. Traverous

What is the Traverous App?

The application offers an easy way to track, visit, and share your travel members with your friends or colleagues. With Traverous, it becomes easy to track your trips as the application is automated. Once you log in, tap on the record button and tap start just before starting your journey. The application will automatically record your GPS location and add photos and videos. The recording process works offline, so you do not need to worry about data consumption.

How Does the Traverous App Work?

• Utilizes GPS tracking and geolocation
• Automatically records travel routes and places visited
• Creates interactive digital travel diaries

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Traverous App?

• Detailed route mapping with timestamps
• Shareable travel diaries and itineraries
• Geotagged photos for precise memory capture
• Offline access to recorded journeys
• User-friendly interface for easy navigation

Who Is Traverous For?

• Travel enthusiasts and adventurers
• Individuals who value digital travel documentation
• Those who seek a user-centric travel companion

Who Is Traverous Not For?

• People uninterested in detailed travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Traverous App

• Effortless and automated travel memory creation
• Simplified travel planning and organization
• Offline access to travel diaries for added convenience

9. Travelscape

What is the Travelscape App?

With Travelscape, you can track your roots and add the locations you have visited. You can also add events and activities to your trips. Make your traveling experience by adding photos, videos, and recorded conversations.

The application lets you track your travel route and remember the locations you have visited. It also adds events and activities to your sites and keeps minute-by-minute records of all the events.

How Does the Travelscape App Work?

• Utilizes location-based technology and GPS
• Captures and logs user’s travel routes and destinations
• Creates a visual travel diary in real-time
• Integrates with photos and notes for a comprehensive record

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Travelscape App?

• Interactive route mapping with timestamps
• Shareable digital travel diaries and itineraries
• Geotagging photos for precise memory capture

Who Is Travelscape For?

• Travel enthusiasts, adventurers, and wanderers
• Those seeking an all-in-one travel companion

Who Is Travelscape Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional paper-based journaling
• People uninterested in documenting their travel experiences

Advantages of Using the Travelscape App

• Automated and effortless travel memory creation
• Convenient offline access to travel diaries for on-the-go travelers

Download the App : Android

10. Places Been

What is the Places Been App?

Do you want to keep track of all the countries and places you have visited in your lifetime? Then Places Been is the perfect travel tracker that allows users to search and mark those places they have visited. These places will be beautifully displayed with the country flag on a map on the application.

You could also create your travel map, make a travel itinerary, and get detailed statistics about your travel. The application also tracks cities, villages, national parks, and UNESCO sites you have visited.

How Does the Places Been App Work?

• Utilizes GPS and location tracking
• Automatically records visited places
• Creates a visual travel log in real-time
• Integrates notes and photos for a comprehensive record

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Places Been?

• Interactive map with detailed location history
• User-friendly interface for ease of use
• Shareable digital travel log and itineraries
• Offline access to travel history

Who Is Places Been For?

• Those seeking a convenient travel companion

Who Is Places Been Not For?

• Travelers who prefer traditional paper-based journals

Advantages of Using the Places Been App

• Convenient offline access to travel history for on-the-go travelers

11. Culture Trip

What is the Culture Trip App?

Culture Trip is your travel buddy for wherever you are and wherever you are going. You can discover nearby recommendations handpicked by global experts and local insiders. You can also plan unique trips suitable for you and quickly book hotels directly from the application.

You can travel inside about a destination and see everything on a handy map. You can also bookmark your favorite travel guides and itinerary ideas and create your wish list for places to stay and must-do activities.

How Does the Culture Trip App Work?

• Utilizes geolocation and content aggregation
• Offers personalized travel recommendations
• Provides access to articles, videos, and travel guides
• Facilitates trip planning and booking through the app

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Culture Trip?

• Curated content on various destinations
• Social sharing and collaboration features
• In-app booking options for activities and accommodations

Who Is Culture Trip For?

• Travel enthusiasts and cultural explorers
• Individuals seeking local insights and recommendations
• Those interested in comprehensive travel content

Who Is Culture Trip Not For?

• Travelers who prefer minimalistic, tech-free exploration
• People looking for solely spontaneous travel experiences

Advantages of Using the Culture Trip App

• Personalized travel recommendations for diverse interests
• Easy access to informative content and local insights
• Simplified trip planning and booking within the app
• Convenient collaboration and sharing options for travel with others
• Comprehensive travel resource for cultural enthusiasts

12. FindPenguins

What is the FindPenguins App?

With FindPenguins, you can easily and beautifully track your travels. The application allows you to create a personalized travel journal. In addition, it features a travel tracker, and your mobile phone automatically follows your itinerary. The tracker is battery-saving, works without the internet, detects flights, and more.

At the end of your journey, you can also order a beautiful photo book from FindPenguins. The photo book is automatically and professionally designed with all your stories, photographs, the places you have visited, and even your friends’ comments.

How Does the FindPenguins App Work?

• Utilizes geolocation and travel tracking
• Allows users to create digital travel journals
• Captures photos, notes, and locations
• Provides real-time updates and route mapping

What Are the Features and Functionality of the FindPenguins?

• Interactive travel diaries with timestamps
• Shareable digital journals and itineraries

Who Is FindPenguins For?

• Those seeking a user-centric travel companion

Who Is FindPenguins Not For?

Advantages of Using the FindPenguins App

What is the Journo App?

With Journo, you can create your personalized classic journal. You will talk about your adventures, design your journals, publish your travel story online, and much more on the application. In addition, the application lets you document your memories and experiences on the goal by collecting drawings, images, videos, and maps.

You can also track your travel route on a personalized map, capture beautiful memories and share it with your friends. Even if you do not have internet, Journo will securely store your data in the application.

How Does the Journo App Work?

• Employs GPS tracking and location services
• Facilitates easy creation of digital travel journals
• Organizes travel entries with timestamps

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Journo?

• Interactive travel diaries with detailed routes
• User-friendly interface for effortless navigation
• Shareable digital journals and customizable itineraries

Who Is Journo For?

• Travel enthusiasts and explorers
• Individuals valuing digital travel documentation
• Those in search of a user-friendly travel companion

Who Is Journo Not For?

• Travelers preferring traditional, paper-based journaling
• People uninterested in documenting their travel experiences digitally

Advantages of Using the Journo App

• Automated and efficient travel memory creation
• User-friendly interface for seamless navigation

14. Wanderlog

What is the Wanderlog App?

Wanderlog is a free-to-use travel application that you can use to plan various trips, road trips, and group travel. You can create your travel itinerary, organize flights, and hotel reservations, view places you want to visit and collaborate with fellow travelers. After completing your trip, you can share your travel guide and adventure stories with other travelers.

The best part about the application is that you can book your hotel flight tickets and plan the entire trip all in one application. It helps you to stay organized.

How Does the Wanderlog App Work?

• Utilizes GPS technology for travel planning
• Helps create detailed trip itineraries
• Integrates with maps, notes, and photos
• Provides real-time location tracking and route mapping

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Wanderlog?

• Customizable trip planning and scheduling
• Geotagging and photo integration for precise documentation
• Shareable itineraries and travel journals
• Offline access to travel plans and journals

Who Is Wanderlog For?

• Travel enthusiasts and explorers seeking organized adventures
• Those who prefer detailed trip planning and itinerary management

Who Is Wanderlog Not For?

• Travelers who prefer spontaneous, unplanned exploration
• People uninterested in comprehensive travel documentation

Advantages of Using the Wanderlog App

• Streamlined travel planning and itinerary management
• Offline access for on-the-go travelers
• Convenient sharing and collaboration options for travel with others

15. Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note

What is the Daybook App?

Daybook is a versatile and intuitive app that serves as a digital diary, journal, and note-taking tool. With its user-friendly interface and seamless synchronization across devices, it empowers users to effortlessly capture their thoughts, memories, and ideas. Stay organized, express yourself, and reflect on life’s moments with Daybook.

How Does the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note App Work?

• Provides a digital platform for journaling and note-taking
• Supports multimedia integration, including photos and voice notes
• Organizes entries by date and time
• Offers password protection for privacy

What Are the Features and Functionality of the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note?

• User-friendly interface for easy journal creation
• Customizable cover photos and themes
• Calendar view for quick navigation
• Seamless synchronization across devices
• In-app search and backup options

Who Is Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note For?

• Individuals who value digital journaling and note-taking
• People looking to document their daily lives and experiences
• Those seeking a private and secure platform for personal entries

Who Is Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note Not For?

• Users who prefer traditional paper journals
• Those uninterested in keeping digital diaries or notes

Advantages of Using the Daybook – Diary, Journal, Note App

• Easy and convenient digital journaling
• Enhanced organization and search capabilities
• Privacy and security with password protection
• Versatile multimedia integration for comprehensive entries
• Seamless access and synchronization across devices

Download the App : Andriod IOS

Don’t Miss : Top 10 Best Travel Log Apps

List of Free Travel Journal Apps

Regarded as one of the best travel apps, Trotter It allows vacationers to focus on their adventure and collect beautiful memories. Using this app, you can capture and share those memories with others to turn them into lifetime memorable and precious moments. All your trips will be easily available in a single place.

Download the App : Android | IOS

2. Bonjournal

Vacationers who used to visit different nations, cities, or continents find Bonjournal an ideal travel journal app. It helps in saving the cost of purchasing expensive personal data when you have a weak Wi-Fi network in hotels as it can work without Wi-Fi.

3. Tripcast

Whether traveling solo or in a group, Tripcast allows uploading photos on a map during travel. While traveling with friends, you can create a mutual album to share with common people or others.

4. Travel Diaries

It features everything that a traveler expects in their digital diary. Whenever you wish to see your entries in print to share with your family and friends, select print all your trip. Books are available for printing up to 320 pages in soft and hardcover formats.

5. Day One Journal

If you are not interested in long writing, this journaling app is what you can opt for. Its Twitter-like interface makes it easier to gather moments of your traveling journey. This app is free to download but to take full advantage, you will need to upgrade to its premium version.

There is an array of free travel journal apps on the market. Hence, choosing the one seems a big and complicated challenge for you. If you’re totally out of budget, go with a completely free app. However, if you can afford something and want to access all the advanced features and functions, then go with one offering free and paid options.

Don’t Miss: Best Travel Diary Apps for Enthusiastic Travelers

List of Free Travel Journal Apps for Android & IOS Systems

I hope you enjoyed reading the list of the best & free travel journal apps. Download and use those apps at least once, Thank You…

Why Are Travel Journal Apps Essential for Modern Travelers?

Organization and Searchability : Travel journal apps allow you to categorize your entries by date, location, or themes. This organization makes it incredibly easy to find specific moments or experiences when you want to revisit them later. No more flipping through pages or scrolling endlessly through handwritten notes.

Offline Capabilities : Many travel journal apps offer offline functionality. This means you can continue to write and update your journal even when you’re in remote areas without an internet connection. You won’t miss a beat in capturing your travel memories.

Privacy and Security : Digital travel journals can be password-protected or encrypted, ensuring the privacy of your thoughts and experiences. This level of security provides peace of mind, especially if your journal contains sensitive or personal content.

Interactive Maps : Some apps integrate interactive mapping features, allowing you to plot your journey, mark significant locations, and even create custom itineraries. This visual representation adds another layer of depth to your travel stories.

Real-time Weather and Location Data : Many travel journal apps automatically capture real-time weather and location data for your entries. This adds context to your memories, helping you recall the weather conditions or exact coordinates of your adventures.

Easy Editing and Formatting : Unlike traditional journals where editing can be cumbersome, travel journal apps often come with easy editing tools. You can correct errors, change the formatting, and update your entries effortlessly, ensuring your travel stories are polished and presentable.

Backup and Recovery : These apps usually provide cloud backup options, guaranteeing that your travel journal is safe from loss or damage. In case your device is lost or damaged, your precious travel memories can be recovered easily.

Global Community : Some travel journal apps connect you to a global community of travelers, allowing you to share your experiences, gain inspiration from others, and even receive travel tips and recommendations from like-minded individuals.

Incorporating a travel journal app into your adventures is not just about documenting your travels; it’s about enhancing your travel experiences, staying organized, and sharing your adventures with the world. These apps are the perfect companion for modern travelers seeking a more efficient and interactive way to chronicle their journeys.

How to Choose the Right Travel Journal App?

Selecting the right travel journal app can significantly enhance your journey, making the process of documenting your experiences a breeze. With a multitude of options available, finding the perfect app can be a daunting task. This ultimate guide will walk you through the factors to consider when choosing the ideal travel journal app to suit your needs.

1. Purpose and Features : First, identify your primary purpose for using a travel journal app. Are you mainly interested in writing, or do you want multimedia features such as photo and video integration? Look for an app that aligns with your intended use.

2. Platform Compatibility : Ensure the app is compatible with your device. Most travel journal apps are available for both iOS and Android, but it’s essential to verify before downloading.

3. Offline Functionality : Consider whether the app works offline. This feature is vital for travelers who explore remote areas with limited internet access. Offline capabilities allow you to write and update your journal regardless of your location.

4. Ease of Use : Look for an app with an intuitive interface. A user-friendly design ensures that you can quickly learn how to use the app and start documenting your travels without frustration.

5. Multimedia Integration : If you want to include photos, videos, and links in your journal, seek apps that offer robust multimedia integration. Ensure that it supports the file types and formats you intend to use.

6. Privacy and Security : Review the app’s privacy and security settings. Depending on your preferences, you may want an app that allows you to password-protect your entries or encrypt your data for added security.

7. Backup and Sync : Choose an app that offers backup and synchronization options. This ensures that your travel journal is safe and accessible across multiple devices.

8. Community and Sharing : If you wish to connect with a travel journaling community or share your adventures with others, opt for an app that provides these social features.

9. Pricing and In-App Purchases : Assess the app’s pricing model. Some travel journal apps are free, while others require a one-time purchase or a subscription. Be aware of any in-app purchases or premium features.

By considering these factors, you can confidently choose the right travel journal app that aligns with your travel style and preferences. Remember that the perfect app is one that seamlessly integrates into your travel experience, helping you capture, share, and relive your adventures effortlessly.

Social Side of Travel Journal Apps

Traveling is not just about the destinations; it’s about the stories you collect along the way and the connections you make with fellow adventurers. Travel journal apps have evolved beyond simple note-taking tools; they have embraced the social age, allowing you to share your wanderlust with the world.

Real-Time Updates : One of the most captivating aspects of travel journal apps is their ability to offer real-time updates. Whether you’re exploring a hidden gem or witnessing a stunning sunset, you can instantly share your experiences with friends and family, giving them a glimpse of your adventure as it unfolds. It’s like taking them on the journey with you.

Social Media Integration : Many travel journal apps seamlessly integrate with popular social media platforms. This means that you can cross-post your entries, photos, and videos to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, expanding your audience and engagement. It’s an excellent way to inspire others to explore and share their own journeys.

Community Interaction : Some apps foster a sense of community among travelers. You can connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for exploration. These communities often provide a platform to ask for travel advice, exchange tips, and engage in meaningful conversations about your favorite destinations.

Collaborative Journals : The social aspect of travel journal apps goes beyond personal sharing. You can collaborate with fellow travelers to create shared journals. Whether you’re traveling with friends or meeting new people on the road, collaborative journals allow multiple perspectives and experiences to come together in one place.

Inspiration and Networking : By sharing your travel experiences on these apps, you can become a source of inspiration for others. Likewise, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in the journeys of fellow travelers. It’s not just about sharing; it’s also about networking and learning from one another.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a travel journal app?

A : A travel journal app is a digital tool designed to help travelers document and organize their experiences while on a trip. It typically allows users to record text, photos, videos, and other multimedia content to create a digital diary of their adventures.

Q: What are the best travel journal apps for Android systems? A : 1. Trotter It, 2. Journey, 3. Diary Book, 4. Journi Blog, 5. Pintrace, more…

Q: How can travel journal apps enhance my travel experience? A : These apps provide a structured and accessible way to record your journey, helping you relive cherished moments, organize thoughts, and create lasting mementos of your adventures.

Q: Are these apps user-friendly for all ages? A : Yes, the best travel journal apps boast intuitive interfaces, making them suitable for travelers of all ages, from tech-savvy adventurers to those less familiar with digital tools.

Q: How do these apps ensure the security of my journal entries? A : Top travel journal apps often incorporate encryption and secure cloud storage, safeguarding your personal memories and ensuring your data remains private and protected.

Q: Can I add photos and multimedia to my travel journal entries? A : Absolutely! The best travel journal apps support multimedia integration, enabling you to attach photos, videos, and even voice recordings to complement your written entries.

Q: Do these apps work on both Android and iOS devices? A : Yes, most travel journal apps are cross-platform, ensuring compatibility with both Android and iOS devices, and allowing seamless syncing across various gadgets.

Q: Do these apps offer additional features besides journaling? A : Indeed, many travel journal apps come with extra functionalities, such as itinerary planning, location tracking, and even weather updates, providing comprehensive travel assistance.

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6 Free Travel Journal Apps to Create a Beautiful Trip Diary

Use these free travel journal apps to note your thoughts, add photos, map your locations, and share your travel diary with friends.

They say that the trick to remembering anything you learn, think, or feel, is to write it down. Travelling is all about learning, thinking, and feeling, and these free travel journal apps make it easy for you to maintain a trip diary, which you can embellish with photos and share with friends.

1. Find Penguins (Android, iOS): Auto Track Your Travels and Post Updates for Friends

Find Penguins is a smart app that automatically tracks your movements during your trip, while your phone is in your pocket. It also updates the weather, temperature, and altitude, providing a quick snapshot of what the conditions were like that day.

All the data that the app gathers is presented in cool statistics and interactive maps. It's fun to see how you traveled represented on a map as a trail and posts about the noteworthy events. Find Penguins also updates your profile along the way, noting how many countries you went to, how many trips, and so on.

Each post in Find Penguins is called a footprint, which can include text, images, videos, or a combination of these. The app is a bit like using social media, and you can control who sees your posts. If you discover something you want to do while browsing a friend's feed, you can add it to your "bucket list" and save it for later. If you're traveling with someone else, you can add them to your trip to get joint updates on your statistics.

Download: Find Penguins for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Travel Facets (Web, Android, iOS): Turn Your Camera Roll Into an Automatic Album

Travel Facets turns all the photos you take on a trip into an organized album of your travels. The app reads the geotagging location data in each picture you've taken with your phone, matches the date and time with weather records, and maps out the trail. You won't have to lift a finger throughout this process.

Once the album is ready, you can edit it to add captions or additional data. These are called waypoints, and you can even add non-image waypoints manually to note something worthwhile.

You can also skip the entire automatic album maker and make a trip manually. You get more control over each waypoint and how it represents your trip. You'll want to use this mode if you want a robust travel diary, adding your thoughts to create a memorable journal.

Share albums with other Travel Facets users or privately so that only those with the link can see your trip.

Download: Travel Facets for Android | iOS (Free)

3. TravelMap (Web): Simplest Way to Create a Map of Your Travel Blog

Sometimes, you don't want the complexities of an app, social news feeds, auto-tagging, and all that jazz. Instead, all you want is to create a map where you add places of interest to plot your trail, along with photos and journal entries. TravelMap is that simple, free solution.

The simplicity of this web app is its best part. Sign up, create your mini-site with a unique address, and start creating your map. The map is your homepage, where you add places by searching or clicking placemarkers. You can always reorder these too.

Then, add images to your map or write posts and link them to the placemarkers you've already mapped. The result for a viewer is a neatly ordered map showing your journey, with a sidebar that displays images or posts to reveal more about your adventures.

The free version of TravelMap should be enough for most people, as its restrictions are still pretty high (like a maximum of 100 images). However, the premium version removes all such limitations if you need it. You can also check out a cool demo of TravelMap to see its full possibilities.

4. Jauntlet (Web, Android, iOS): Journal That Looks Like a Travel Blog Timeline

The Jauntlet web and mobile app look a bit dated compared to others in this list, but the final output looks so good that it deserves a recommendation. It's a mix of a travel journal and a travel blog, presenting your trip in a neat timeline.

When you sign up, Jauntlet asks you to also connect your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. This lets the app import photos from your different profiles. When you make any new post of a city you've been to, add the location to plot it on a map, write a journal entry of what you saw and felt, and select photos to add to the entry.

The final result looks fantastic, as seen in the image above. It's a timeline of where you've been, showing a map on the left, the city and date at the top, and your thoughts and photos on the right. Viewers can also comment under the entry. The whole thing can be played as an automatic slideshow, taking readers through your entire journey.

Download: Jauntlet for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Travel Diaries (Web, Android,iOS): Create an Actual Diary and Optionally Print It

Travel Diaries is a free app to design what a travel journal of your trip will look like and optionally print it too. The app is a virtual open book where you can write beautifully formatted entries.

For each page, you can apply one out of 38 custom layouts, choosing how text and images will appear on the page. Based on the layout, select and upload images from your camera roll, and write text in the simple text editor.

Travel Diaries isn't the best app for on-the-fly travel journaling while you're on the trip. It's more a place to reflect on your journey and compose a good-looking travel diary that you would be proud to show to friends. If you like what you've created, you can pay to download a PDF of the journal or ask the app makers to print and ship the travel journal to you directly.

Download: Travel Diaries for Android | iOS (Free)

6. Traveldays (Web): Travelogue of Photos With Location, Time, and Captions

Traveldays is one of the best online photo album creators to show off your trips and vacations. It's shockingly easy to use, as it takes your photos and automatically turns them into a picture journey of your travels, almost like showing postcards or polaroids to friends.

Upload your pictures in the order you want, and Traveldays will seek their geotagging information to pin it to a Google Map. You can also write small captions on each image. Share the link with your friends, and you're done.

Try a Physical Travel Diary

So which travel journal app should you go for? There's no one-size-fits-all app here. As a rule of thumb, Find Penguins, Travel Facets, and Jauntlet can better log your thoughts while on the trip. TravelMap, Travel Diaries, and Traveldays are better to create a travel diary after you're back from the trip.

But as much as we love these apps, there is a case to be made to use a physical travel diary instead. Not only do many travelers swear by the little diary they carry with them, but How Life Unfolds offers a detailed guide on how to use a travel journal while you're on a trip to make it more memorable than ever before.

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6 Top Digital Travel Journals & Travel Log Apps

Written by Alison Kotch on August 28, 2022

Alison Kotch is a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn.

If you’re hitting the road you’ll want to document every moment. These are the best digital travel apps that just might replace your journal.

Asked your boss for well-deserved time off? Good! Depending on the reason for your break (and how long you'll be away from work), you might not want to spend every second documenting your travels ... and every travel photo you post might not be Insta-worthy. Even though there’s something to be said for packing your daypack with a pen and a paper journal and writing about your trip, it’s a lot easier to keep friends and family in the loop while you’re on the road if you do it digitally.

How to Choose an Online Travel Diary App

Every trip is different, and so is every traveler. If you're headed out for a short two-week trip, you may choose a travel diary app that offers features to integrate into your life as well—more of an online journal. But if you're traveling around the world on a one-year trip, perhaps a dedicated app that could transition into a blog is more your speed. Either way these are a few considerations before you sign up and start journaling.

• Ease of use : If the travel journaling platform is online but offers no app, that might be a deal breaker if you're only traveling with a smartphone! Look for apps that allow you to quickly open it up, upload photos, and jot quick notes.
• Company history : How long has this company been offering digital journaling services? The last thing you want to do is invest time and effort into journaling only to discover the app has shut down, and you need to export all of that hard work.
• Social features : Do you want an app that excels first and foremost at getting you right to the journaling, or are you interested in digital travel communities with a social element? If you love one of the travel diary apps on this list, but it doesn't feature a built-in community, consider how you could use Instagram or a Facebook page to fulfill that need.
• Cost : Some of these are free, while others offer limited services on the free platform and require paid upgrades to make it fully featured.

Best Digital Travel Journal Apps

Here are the best digital travel diary apps that will help you document your next journey.

Day One Journal

The best part about Day One journals? You don’t necessarily need to be taking a cross-country or international trip to use it; you can just make a habit of capturing things that inspire you. Journaling novices will likely be content with the free version, which allows you to write diary entries by hand, with Apple Pencil, or your finger. You can look back through entries via calendar, timeline, or photos, while also being reminded of specifics of that day, like temperature, weather, moon phase, and altitude. Upgrading to the premium version of this digital travel diary gives you even more incentive to make journaling a habit: It allows unlimited photo storage and journal entries, cloud-based storage, audio recording, and a 25 percent off book printing discount … perfect if you’d prefer to page through your memories in paper form after collecting all of your epic travel stories.

Travel Diaries

The free Travel Diaries app has everything a traveler could want in a digital diary: Customizable layouts that allow you to enhance your text with photos and maps marking all of the places you visited, with the option to keep entries private or share them with family and friends. Inspired to turn your diary into a travel blog? No problem: The app can convert your entries from diary to blog automatically, which you can share via social media or email. Need to see your entries in print? That’s an option, too. Choose to print all (or a portion of) your trip; books are available for printing in as few as 40 pages (or as many as 320), in hard or soft cover formats.

Tripcast markets itself as the place you "share your travel photos with the people who want to see everything, not just the highlights." It's designed as a social network for those who love to spend time on the road. The app supports photos and videos and encourages your friends and family to comment, like, and interact with your updates—perfect for solo travelers who will love knowing their loved ones back home are along for the ride. The iPhone app is highly rated, and users generally rave about the variety of features to journal through the website or on iPhone or Android. You'll love the feature where it uploads all your travel photos to a map, so you can see the world populated with your best memories.

Even though it’s currently only available for iPhone users, Bonjournal is ideal for travelers who want a simple interface for documenting their activities, whether that means road-tripping up the West Coast or chilling on a deserted island. Not sure if you want to share every moment of your trip? Its privacy settings allow you to keep some entries to yourself. Need inspiration for your next trip? Follow friends (or fellow travelers), curl up in your travel blanket, and be inspired by their entries.

Are you not traveling but want to live vicariously through someone who is? Polarsteps is a photo-lovers dream. It provides the capability to track your travel route automatically when on the road (and uses minimal battery power while doing so) and transforms each travel journal into a visually stunning coffee table book. The coffee table books are complete with modern-looking layouts of the countries visited, miles and/or kilometers covered, and the number of photos taken.

Even if you don’t have any life-changing trips planned, Momento is worth downloading either way. Momento can organize your social network activity from up to 11 different platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Swarm, Flickr, and YouTube) into one neat, cohesive package. You can make it private, which is great if you’re using its pregnancy feature that allows you to journal your experience of nine months of pregnancy and beyond. You can also explore people who have tagged themselves enjoying similar experiences. No vacations (or pregnancies) in your future? This travel diary also doubles as a work/project journal, allowing you to track project notes, milestones, and meetings so you’re always prepared, whether working in-office or in another time zone.

When you use a digital travel journal you need only slip your smartphone into your waistpack and let the travel adventures get under way.

Travel Diary Apps: FAQs

What is a travel diary app.

You have all your essential tech for travel , like your smartphone to share photos with friends and family, but are you using it to document your experiences? Now, you can use app-based travel diaries to track and capture your experiences. Travel diaries allow you to document every fun and exciting thing you do while traveling the world. However, thanks to the many travel log apps available, you no longer have to carry a journal. Instead, you can create a travel journal on your smartphone to capture your best memories and create your own personalized travel book.

These apps also allow you to share your travel scrapbook with the touch of a button. You can share them either as a blog or on social media. Common features of travel diary apps include:

• Photo and video sharing
• Journal entries
• Snapshots of temperature, weather, altitude, and more

Are there any free travel diary apps?

Yes, there are tons of free travel diary apps you can use, including some mentioned on this list, such as Day One Journal and Travel Diaries. Additionally, many paid travel journals come with free versions with limited features. However, if you love traveling and sharing your experience with others, we recommend using paid versions to track your travels, upload photos, and share entries with your followers.

Can I use a travel diary app offline?

Some travel journal apps allow you to create entities offline in case you lose service, while others let you share pictures without the internet by selecting photos and creating private posts offline. However, whether you can use a particular travel diary app offline depends on the app, so you should research which apps you can continue to use when you don’t have any service.

That said, if your app doesn’t allow you to create new entries without service, you can continue to take photos on your smartphone and update your entry later.

Can I add photos and videos to my travel diary entries?

Yes! Most travel journal apps allow you to add photos and videos to document and remember your experience. Additional features may include turning your diary entries into social media posts and blogs, taking a snapshot of the time and weather, customizing layouts, and more. However, some apps are more photo-based than others, so consider what you want your travel diary to be. For example, if you prefer to create a scrapbook with photos and captions, you might choose Polarsteps, which allows you to create a coffee table book-style photo journal.

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Best Travel Journal & Travel Journal App for Travelers | 2024 Guide

January 29, 2024 By Josh Summers

Are you searching for the best travel journal or best travel journal app?  Whether you’re the kind of person who jots down notes during the journey, sketches what you’re seeing or collects scraps of tickets and brochures along the way, it helps to find an awesome travel journal or digital travel journal app for the job.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s available and which physical and digital travel journal might fit your needs.

As I’ve journeyed around the globe, I’ve developed my own “system” for recording my various travel experiences. Part of it involves my camera, part a travel journal and part my travel blog.

I’m not saying it’s the best way to record the journey, it’s merely the way I do it.

Everybody has their own journal system .

You will most certainly see and experience a destination different than I will. You will also have a different preference for how you want to remember it.

Perhaps you like to doodle.

Or maybe you’re like me and you prefer to sit alone with some awesome noise-cancelling headphones to write with pen to paper.

Maybe you’d rather have everything digital and backed up to the cloud.

There are so many different methods, which is why there are so many different kinds of travel journals. Don’t look at this list of the best travel journals and best travel journal apps and get overwhelmed.

Determine how you want to record your travels and then find the journal or app that fits your needs.

Best Travel Journals

• Moleskine Voyager
• Maleden Leather
• Atlas Travel Journey
• Indestructible Field Book
• Bonus: Kid’s Journal

Best Travel Journal Apps

• FindPenguins
• Day One Journal
• Polarsteps App
• Journo Travel App
• Bonjournal App

You can use the links above to jump to a specific section, or continue to scroll down to discover new recommendations to write out your experiences or record them in a digital journal.

Note: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated if you choose to buy one of these journals.

Best Travel Journals | For Those Who Want Physical Books

There’s nothing quite like writing or drawing in a physical book. At least, that’s my personal opinion.

Thankfully, there are plenty of excellent travel journals available for you to choose from. Here are some of my favorites as well as those that some of my friends and fellow travelers have used:

1. Moleskine Voyageur Travel Journal – Recommended

Moleskine is known for their amazing journals, and the  Moleskine Voyageur travel journal  is no different.

In addition to all the blank pages that are available for you to write or draw about your travel experiences, this Voyageur journal also includes:

• Additional Travel Sections  such as budget pages, planning pages and packing lists.
• Double-Page World Map  to keep track of where your travels take you.
• A Back Pocket  to store any ticket stubs or other scraps.

Moleskine gives users the option to integrate to their online platform, but this really doesn’t add much to the journal. However, the quality of the journal and the paper is great.

Whether as a gift or for your own personal use as a travel journal, the Voyageur is one of the best options available.

As you’ll see on Amazon, the Moleskine Voyageur has a number of different style colors to choose from.

2. Maleden Leather Travel Journal

This eye-catching Maleden travel journal doesn’t just look good, it feels amazing. The soft, premium leather cover makes this feel more important than a simple diary. You’re a world traveler and this feels like it!

Although this leather travel journal lacks a lot of the features that the Moleskine does so well, there are two features I love:

• Spiral Bound  pages make it easier to take out or add pages!
• Zipper Pouch  to put all the scraps and make sure you don’t lose them.

The blank pages of the Maleden Travel Journal are perfect for drawing or scrap-booking. If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t want lines to confine your creativity and ability to doodle, this is the right option for you.

p.s. If you’re still not sure about this journal, I recommend you click through to the Amazon page where the reviews and answered questions are extremely helpful.

3. Atlas Travel Journal

The Atlas Travel Journal is one of the most highly-reviewed travel journals on Etsy for a reason – it’s an amazing journal!

In addition to the beautiful vegan leather, the journal has a number of creative features such as:

• A world map that can be colored in when you visit a specific country (24″ x 16″)
• Interchangeable inserts so you don’t have to buy a whole new one when you use up the pages here.
• A random international coin . And if you visit the country and take a picture with the coin, Atlas will even Venmo you money to buy a drink or ice cream in that country!

It’s a fun way to carry your journal around with you and it feels like a quality piece. You’ll be proud to take it out and write in it no matter where you are in the world!

4. Indestructible Field Book – Best Travel Journal All-Weather

Although not technically a “travel journal” per se, I’ve included  The Indestructible Field Book  as an option for those of you adventure travelers who don’t expect the luxury of perfect conditions in order to use your travel journal.

There’s nothing fancy about this booklet. It’s 48 lined pages that are both tear-proof and waterproof.

You write using a regular ball point pen and it won’t bleed or fade. If you’re going to be hiking, around water or even traveling around Southeast Asia during the rainy season, you can take your chances with a beautiful, leather-bound journal. Or you can eliminate any worries with a weatherproof notebook.

BONUS: Kid’s Travel Journal

For those of us who travel with kids (I have two young boys myself), giving them a Kids’ Travel Journal to allow them to record their memorable experiences is huge.

You’re not only creating memories, you’re creating habits (and you might be surprised how much they love doing it!)

The Kid’s Travel Journal is pretty simple but lots of fun. In addition to pages for recording the adventure, kids will also find:

• Road Games  to keep them entertained during a long flight or car ride.
• Planning Pages  to help kids get excited about where they’re going to visit.
• Fun Graphics  that make it feel more like a personal coloring book than a serious journal.

There’s a back pocket where your kids can keep the things that are most important to them. You might be surprised at what they consider “interesting”!

If you’ve got kids joining you on a family journey, this is definitely worth the price.

Best Travel Journal Apps 2024 | A Digital Diary for Travelers

There are so many advantages to using a digital diary or travel journal app:

• GPS tracking;
• Immediate digital photos;
• Cloud sync;
• …and on and on.

If you’re the type of traveler that would rather type than write, these are my favorite travel journal apps.

1. FindPenguins Tracker & Journal – Best Overall Travel App

FindPenguins is a beautiful travel app that automatically tracks your travels using a combination of your device’s GPS and artificial intelligence.

The app then takes that information to create fun statistics about weather (the hottest place you’ve been), countries visited, distances traveled, etc.

You fill in the gaps with what they call “Footprints”, which are essentially blog posts that allow you to attach videos, photos and more. Your travels can be kept private, shared with friends or made public.

And that’s not even the best part!

When you’re finished with your trip, you can have the FindPenguins app compile a beautiful, printed book (paid) that includes maps, your photos, your Footprints and other great statistics about your trip.

The app is free to download and try, but to take advantage of the full set of features, you’ll want to upgrade to Premium, that costs either ~US$5/mo or ~US$33/year.

Check out the FindPenguins app on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store here.

2. Day One Journal – Best Journal App

There is a standard for digital travel journals, and that bar was set by Day One . If you’ve never seen this app before, you need to try it.

There’s a free version that works well, but I highly recommend you upgrade to premium ( I don’t get any sort of bonus commission for saying that ).

With Premium you get:

• Multimedia Journal Entries  that include writing, photos and even audio recordings.
• Cloud Sync  that allows you unlimited photo and journal storage.
• Beautiful Design  and excellent visual organization of all the entries.

Of course, one of my favorite features is that Day One syncs across all your devices, which includes phones, tablets and even your  Apple Mac . This is huge for me because I would much rather take pictures with my phone while I’m more apt to write a journal entry on my iPad.

The annual subscription is pricey (US$30+), but you can always try the free version for  iOS  and  Android .

3. Polarsteps – Travel Tracker App

Polarsteps is a beautifully-designed app that acts more as a glorified GPS tracker than a travel journal, but I still think it’s worthy of this list.

The primary feature of Polarsteps is that  you don’t have to do anything  – it works by itself! You take pictures just like you normally would and keep your phone with you wherever you go.

When you’re done, Polarsteps automatically plots your journey on a map complete with your pictures of the trip.

One on hand, this could be annoying to the traveler that wants to jot down notes or create a sort of digital diary entry. If that’s you, don’t get this travel journal app.

However, if you’d rather use your phone as your personal tracker – one that friends and family can follow along with – Polarsteps a great app.

At the very end, you can even purchase a book based on your journey that is part travel map/route, part photo journal.

4. Journo Travel Journal App | Best Group Travel App

As the self-proclaimed “#1 Travel Journal App,” Journo has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it does a pretty good job.

What sets this digital travel journal app apart from all the others on the market is one thing: collaboration. Journo allows you to collaborate with other users to create a shared trip experience.

Create beautiful journal entries with text, photos and GPS coordinates. The app automatically plots your trip on a map and if you’re collaborating, you’ll see your the entries and photos for your friends/family as well.

The only two downsides to this app are the pricing (annual subscription model similar to Day One) and they only offer iOS apps for iPhone and iPad . Thankfully, they have a 14-day free trial and they’re (still) working on an Android app.

5. Bonjournal – Minimalist (& Free) Travel Journal App

If you’re looking for a free travel journal app, Bonjournal is the app you’re looking for.

I like to think of this app as a minimalist, stripped-down version of Day One (see above) . You have the ability to add photos and write journals on each day.

The app is available for both iPad and iPhone . The developer seems to have plans to add an Android app but that hasn’t happened yet. Since there are no paid upgrades, there’s no incentive for the developer to get this done quickly, unfortunately.

By far the best feature of Bonjournal is the ability to export your journal entries as one PDF with all your writing and photos. It may not look like a gorgeous magazine layout, but at least you can print it!

Conclusion | Best Travel Journals and Apps for 2024

There are plenty of great physical travel journals and travel journal apps on the market. The biggest challenge is choosing the one that works for you.

In the end, I recommend the Moleskine Voyageur as the best travel journal and Find Penguins as the best travel journal app. Give one (or both) a try to see what I mean.

Thankfully, none of these travel journals cost tons of money, unlike what you’ll have to spend to find the best travel camera . Even if you don’t like what you get, you haven’t wasted a bunch of money.

Further Reading & Resources

Traveling or Moving to China Soon?

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About Josh Summers

Josh is the founder of TravelChinaCheaper.com who has been living in China with his family since 2006. Over that period of time he has traveled by plane, train, car, motorcycle and even camel to explore almost every corner of the country.

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Top 15+ Android and iOS Apps for Trip Loggings

Kateryna toniuk | may 06 2021.

When you are traveling or experiencing a new place or activity, no one wants to stare at their phone or tablet the whole time. However, you want the memories of your trips and travel to last forever, and you want to share those memories with friends and loved ones back home.

The best travel logs combine both worlds with stunning features and interfaces to document your memories, photos and videos of the places that you visit and simple, easy-to-use design. These 15 trip logging apps let you easily capture the memories, so you can get back to enjoying it in the moment.

In order to use all features of these travel logging apps to the fullest and never miss a single route or memory of your trip, it’s better to take care of instant connectivity services when you are abroad. Using DATA SIM card or a portable WiFi router on the  Lifetime plan  from Keepgo, you will never go offline whatever destination you choose for your next trip.

1. Evernote

For those little notes that you want to tuck away for yourself, whether it is reminding you of the sweet café that you visited in Paris or how you felt when you first stepped off the plane in Brazil, Evernote is the app to use. You may already use Evernote to jot down your to-do lists, recipes and document anything else that comes to mind. However, it also the 21st century alternative to carrying around a leather bound travel journal that will take up space in your suitcase and could be lost during your trip.

Journi is one of the most versatile travel log apps available. You can take photos, share them with friends and family and send them automatic updates about your travels in a few clicks. Plus, the app can syndicate your posts to Twitter and Facebook. You only need to share an update once or you can choose to keep it private and only send your messages to a private group of friends that you create on the platform. The app is available for free on  iOS  devices.

3. Bonjournal

Bonjournal combines a simple, easy-to-use interface with a beautiful minimalistic trip logging design. Users can keep track of each of their trips and organize them into personalized photo albums. Blogging on the app is super simple. If you don’t want to type out big blocks of text on your smartphone or tablet, the app syncs to a website with your own travel blog URL. You can share your travels by just sharing the link. You can test the app out with a free download on the Apple store .

Minube is a bit of a newcomer to the travel app game, but it has a lot of impressive features that make it one of the fastest-growing players. It acts as a travel planner and organizer, and you can even book hotels on the app. It also suggest more places to visit based on your location and interests. You can keep track of the places that you visit as well with photos that will be automatically tagged and added to your trip log, which you can also share as a guide for other travelers. The free mobile app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices.

5. Tripcast

If you are traveling in a group or participating in a volunteer project, Tripcast is one of the best trip logging apps to use. You can create shared photo albums, so that every member in your group can add the photos that they take on their phone and save them in one place. Everyone can view photos and share them with loved ones to keep in touch. The app will create a map for you based on photo geotagging, and you can see where you’ve traveled. Plus, you can use it on the web as well as on iOS and Android devices.

Perhaps the greatest feature with the trip logging app Momento is the power to connect all of your posts to a wide range of networks like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and even Medium. It’s so versatile that it doesn’t only have to be for when you travel. It serves as a journal to chronicle everything that you can imagine from pregnancy, work and daily life journals. However, the app is only available to download on iOS devices and you must pay a small price to enable some features.

7. Geospike

For those that don’t really care too much for writing but still want to capture their trip moments, Geospike is the app for you. The app, which you can download on  the Apple  store for free, allows user to log their trips with photos and an interactive map. It doesn’t have all the “bells and whistles” as some of the other travel apps, but its strengths are its impressive mapping features and simplicity. It has almost zero learning curve, so anyone can use it to log their trips. Plus, you can syndicate posts to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr quickly.

Day One is another easy-to-use trip logging app. One of the biggest benefits for users is that it can serve as a way to journal daily life or around a specific event, activity or trip. You can check the weather and tag your location, as well as other posts to search for them in the future. All of your logs can be accessed later and saved or exported in a PDF file, and you can add an extra layer of security with your own passcode to unlock your log. But, it is only available on iOS devices and will cost you between $5 and $10 to download.

9. Polarsteps

Polarsteps is an easy and intuitive travel log application for Android and iOS . Once installed and activated, it automatically tracks all routes and places that you have visited. It tracks your trips shows your routes by means of a colorful map. All that a traveler needs to do to make the app work properly is to carry a smartphone in the pocket and make sure there is instant Internet connection wherever they travel. 

Also, it lets you add stories and calculate statistics of the countries that you have visited. The app is integrated with popular social media platforms, thus letting you share your achievements with your followers. By means of your location-tagged photos, the app can create a travel log, which you can further print as a memory about your journey.

10. Journey

Journey is Google Editors choice of the best travel log applications. The application is used by millions of users worldwide. This is a travel diary that will help you keep your travel memories for a lifetime. The application lets you add your photos and videos that you took during your trip and attach audio files or text notes. The app can also add weather and location details to your journal entries. Additionally, the app lets you export your diaries to DOCX and PDF files to share your entries or just save them to your hardware. The app is available for both Android and iOS .

Penzu app isn’t built for travelers specifically. This is a journal app for Android and iOS users. With its help, travelers can make notes in both online and offline modes. At the same time, it provides free syncing opportunities across the web and multiple mobile platforms. It lets you create fully customized journal covers, add photos from your trips in travel logs, and categorize them with custom tags.

Similar to Penzu, Diaro app features an intuitive interface that can work flawlessly in the online and offline modes. It’s easy to categorize your content and bring better structure to your travel notes due to the app’s support of custom folders and tags. Additionally, it allows you to create diary entries featuring geotagged photos and maps. 

Being available for Android and iOS , the application offers multi-lingual support and a number of data sharing options that let you export your travel logs and benefit from cloud syncing opportunities.

13. Diarium

Diarium application is only available for Android  and iOS users. With its help, you can create journals in a calendar interface. The app lets you attach drawings, audio files, write stories, tag several entries for a day, as well as include a sitemap with the location where a certain event was recorded. Along with your journals, the app displays your calendar events, weather info, fitness data, and other data.

Diarium supports the possibility to export your journal entries together with their media attachments in DOCX and HTML formats.

14. LifeTales 

LifeTales works as a free life journal where you can archive your personal stories or travel journeys in a private, safe environment. It also includes an option to share stories and selected journals with selected groups of people. You can also add the story behind the pictures by text or audio. If you travel with family or friends, the app also lets you collaborate on stories with other people.

LifeTales app is available for web browsers, iOS, and Android.

15. Travelopy

Travelopy is a free travel journal app. It lets you create create entries, auto tags entries with location tags, and group entries into a Journey. The app lets you discover places in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan & South Korea based on recommendations by fellow travelers and influential bloggers.

16. TripLog Mileage Tracker & Expense Log

TripLog app lets you save time and money by automating mileage and expense capture you maximize your mileage tax deductions and reimbursements. It’s one of the most popular applications suited for individual and corporate use. It provides accurate mileage tracking for tax deductions and mileage reimbursement for every type of business, big or small. The application offers diverse options that can suit every user, ranging from self-employed driving a car for their business to enterprises offering mileage reimbursement to their employees. 

Driftr app will come in handy for planning, booking, recording, and sharing your adventures on a single platform. It’s designed as a social network who enjoy spending a lot of time on the road. The application supports photos and videos. It welcomes travelers to share their advice and experience (especially from secluded locations) with fellow vacationers. Driftr keeps you connected on any device, anywhere in the world, and can even be used offline to manage moments and experiences from secluded locations.

The Driftr app is available for iOS and Android devices.  

Although some trip logging apps offer offline saving, don’t risk losing your precious trip moments. Finding reliable WiFi connection when you’re traveling can often be challenging, and data roaming charges are incredibly expensive. Instead, you can document your travels with Keepgo’s fast, inexpensive and reliable international mobile SIM cards and mobile WiFi hotspots .

Top illustration by  Storyset

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5 Travel Journal Apps To Document Your Dream Journey 

A Few Things to Consider Before Choosing Your Travel Diary App

• Cost : Most travel journal apps have a free basic subscription. If you work with photography or video making, you might consider premium options to store more material or customize your edits. Some travel diary apps have specific options for image and video integration. On the other hand, the basic subscription is great for holidays and private diaries. Just remember that some functionalities might require a regular fee.
• Ease of use : In the same vein, if you are on holiday, you might prefer a less customizable app, easier to learn and set. Most travel diary apps allow you to create feeds for your family and friends – maybe downloading the same app for free. 
• Reliability : No one wants to lose data and pictures because a cheap app crashes. So, if you have to do it, do it well! 

5 Best Travel Journal App to Document Your Journey Online

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Privacy Overview

Traveled - History & Timeline 4+

Gps maps calendar trip logger, david casey.

• 4.5 • 100 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

iPhone Screenshots

Description.

Trace your movements automatically and securely. Recall every place you've visited with Traveled on your iPhone. Perfect for travel & business logging, journaling, and capturing life's moments ● Automatically tracks places you visit so that you don’t have to ● Records your travels into a private journal ● “Set once and forget” while the app runs in the background Where did you go on vacation? How much time do you spend at work, school, or with clients? What did you do on New Year’s Eve? ● Explore your location history with search and maps Can't find your way back to the hotel?  Where was that cool restaurant you visited? ● Get navigation and driving directions back to any place you've visited Travel journal ● Automatically records arrival and departure times ● Names of businesses, points of interest, and landmarks ● Creates a new page for each place visited ● Photos, videos, and maps ● GPS coverage for camping, fishing, hiking Business & productivity ● Automatic GPS log for field service calls, client visits, business trips, trucking and transportation ● Search by date, time, street address, and map location ● Sync and share with Google and iCloud Calendar ● Export to Google Earth Historical Events ● Search your iPhone for old appointments and travel locations Protect your privacy ● Your travel history is private ● No account or password to remember Try it for free ● Create a permanent calendar record of your travel history ● View all places you visit in maps ● Record your travels into a journal * ● Search your travel history by name or address * ● Over ten million place names and addresses worldwide * * Continue enjoying special app features with the Travel Pass Subscription - Only $1.99 / 6 months - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Automatically create a cool journal on your iPhone. Have fun and gain insight into your personal and professional life. Privacy Policy - http://itraveled.app/privacy.html Terms of Use - http://itraveled.app/terms.html www.itraveled.app

Version 1.42

Now works better with the latest iPhone/iOS releases from Apple. Keep traveling!

Ratings and Reviews

100 Ratings

It’s Great! But..

I love the accuracy of this app, it is always correct on the places you’ve been and the amount of time you were there to a “T”. It also gives you alerts if something is wrong within your settings that could cause it to not work properly. The only feature I would like to see added is to possibly have the actual path taken to each destination, similar to Google Timeline.

BEST TRAVEL TRACKER I’VE USED!

This is the easiest, absolutely automatic, set it and forget it travel app I can imagine! I use it to track my travel for work and it allows me to label the stops that I make the way I choose and there seems to be no limit on the labels I can add. It even works in the background without me having to start the app before I start my travels. At the end of the day I can start the app and see that it has recorded my stops automatically. I can easily change that setting whenever I want to. It presents no problems with battery or data usage for me.

Stops not showing up

I would have rated this app a 5+ until about six months ago when it has not been showing my stops at various locations. I thought it was because of the WiFi but I confirm that WiFi is on every time I leave. The only other issue I have is a personal opinion of wanting to be able to correct the time spent at locations; sometimes I will see certain stops but they are always for 1/2 the time spent at the location. I guess I was better off before I started paying for the yearly pass but it’s cheap enough to be satisfied with it.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for taking the time to review the Traveled app. And yes, it is possible to change the name of the location after it is saved. Just tap the location name in the journal view, and an edit window appears. You can also edit the address, arrival, and departure times in the same way. Tap on them in the journal view. Let us know if you have any other comments by emailing us at [email protected]

App Privacy

The developer, david casey , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Travel Pass $1.99
• Unlimited Pass $1.99
• Special Pass $0.99
• Global Pass $2.99
• Premium Pass $3.99
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10 Best Mobile Apps to Plan Your Next Trip

A list of the best travel apps that offer multiple features to log your trips.

If you like to log your trips but don’t want to carry a travel diary all along, then let your smartphone take over this task through a useful travel app.

A journal app built for logging your travels must have two elements; an intuitive interface as well as stunning features that allow you to capture your memories, add photos and videos along with location info etc. So, in this post, I’ll list down some of the best travel apps that offer multiple features for users. Let’s take a look.

Google Trips & 9 Alternative Travel Apps for Avid Travelers

Google released Google Trips, an app that wants you to "see more, plan less". The app aims to... Read more

I have used a few travel apps, but none as easy and intuitive as Polarsteps. What I liked most is, it tracks your trip and shows it on a colorful map . Also, you can add a story and calculate statistics including countries visited, distance traveled, etc. Moreover, you can share the trip on social media and via email.

What’s more interesting is that you can track your journey in the offline mode , letting you to trek and track remote places. Also, the app can create a travel log of your trip using the location-tagged photos. Last but not least, you can also create a paper-printed travel book through Polarsteps for just €30 to €80.

Download Polarsteps for:

Journi Blog

Journi Blog is an intuitive story-telling app that captures and categorizes your best moments and stories of your travel life on a catchy timeline. It lets you blog about your vacations, create photo albums, and geolocate your photos. What’s best? You can allow others to track your trips , thanks to its sharing options.

If you use several devices, you can sync your journal to Dropbox or Google Drive. Also, like Polarsteps, you can track your travels offline. However, these two features require a premium subscription. Last but not least, you can also turn your blog into a unique photo book for starting price of €22.99.

Download Journi Blog for:

Tripcast is another diary app, which — I find — is most useful when you are traveling in a group. It captures your trip and lets you share an update with family and friends in real time. Interestingly, it works like a group journal — all the members can add photos and videos to one place.

Moreover, you can also build a photo album like Polarsteps or Journi Blog; however, what is unique here? You can create a collective photo album as well. Last but not least, Tripcast creates a trip map based on the geo-tagged photos, so you can browse them by location, just like other apps on this list.

Download Tripcast for:

If you love journaling with a minimalistic approach, you will like the intuitive diary-style journaling of Bonjournal. You can create a day-by-day narrative with your photos, the date and location, title, and some chosen words. Moreover, it offers offline support to travel and journal without a web connection.

What I liked the most is, you can export your logs to PDF so it can be printed, shared, or stored. It also generates a map of your trip and lets you share the complete exhibition with your friends and fellow travelers. Last but not least, you can also share your journals or photos via Facebook and Twitter.

Download Bonjournal for:

Journey is another seamless mobile journaling companion to help keep your travel memories for a lifetime. You can add photos and videos, attach audio notes, and pen your stories in words. Additionally, Journey adds the weather and location information to your journal entries on the fly.

You can import diaries from other apps and export to DOCX and PDF, allowing you to share and safe-keep them. It can also sync across multiple platforms and share your journal entries on social media. Its Throwback feature lets you view your timeline and revisit the places on an intuitive map.

Download Journey for:

If you already use Evernote to jot down notes or to-do lists, then you can stick to it for logging your trips as well. How’s it better than the rest of the apps? It supports multiple platforms and cross-syncs between them. If that’s not enough, you can share photos on social media and do more, thanks to IFTTT.

What it uniquely offers is, you can create travel plans (and to-do lists) and assign tasks along with writing your journals. I suggest creating a notebook for writing your travel journals, and if it becomes complex, then create a notebook per journey. And lastly, you can share your diary with others as well.

Download Evernote for:

Although Penzu is not built specifically for travelers, like Evernote; it is a popular journal app that offers unlimited yet intuitive journaling experience. I love its reminders that request you to write — online as well as offline. Moreover, you can sync your journals across the web and mobile platforms — for free.

You can add photos in travel logs along with text and categorize them with tags . However, you can’t share or publish them, unlike above apps. Moreover, you can also customize the journal cover , perform smart searches, and enjoy a lot more features in its Pro/Pro+ subscription for $19.99 or $49.99 a year.

Download Penzu for:

Diaro is a multi-purpose and multi-platform service which works offline as well, like Bonjournal and Penzu. What I liked the most is, the app has an intuitive interface that lets you organize everything, thanks to its support for folders and tags . Also, it lets you add geotagged photos and maps in diary entries.

Diaro offers multilingual support (unlike many other apps), journal-sharing features, friendly reminders to write posts (like Penzu), and a lot more features. Isn’t it enough? Its paid version offers additional features like ad-free experience, cloud sync , and export options.

Download Diaro for:

When it comes to logging your memories, Diarium is helpful in capturing journals in a calendar interface . You can attach drawings and photos as well as audio files, tag multiple entries for a day, write stories, and include timestamp along with the location. What’s unique? Diarium automatically pulls in social media feeds and reminds you to write the journal on a daily basis.

Moreover, it displays your calendar events, fitness data, and weather info along with your journals. Last but not least, its pro version offers reliable syncing to OneDrive and allows you to export journal entries in various formats (like DOCX and HTML) along with their media attachments.

Download Diarium for:

This list would not have been complete without Momento: a travel diary app for your iPhone. Momento automatically organizes your entries into a beautiful private journal. You can write notes, add photos and videos, and insert people, places, and tags in your journals. Also, you can set up custom reminders to encourage you to capture your beautiful moments.

What piqued my interest is that Momento collects your posts from a wide range of social media feeds and places them in your journals. Moreover, you can search and explore, relive, and rediscover your moments on a unified timeline . Lastly, it offers journal-sharing features and local and iCloud backup and restore options as well, surprisingly.

Download Momento for:

Bonus: More Traveling apps:

Update your Facebook posts, Foursquare check-ins, tweets and Instagram photos like normal, and Jauntlet will collect them and map out your travels for you. You can also add to it by updating your travel blog.

Download Jauntlet for:

Log on and snap a photo which comes with the location of where you are (this makes it great as a real-time journey log). Plus, you don’t have to duplicate your updates onto other social networks like Facebook or Twitter – just syndicate it.

Download Geospike for:

Which is the best journal app?

It depends on your requirements. I have picked the ten best journal apps for Android and iOS, but all these apps don’t work on both the platforms, of course. Moreover, some of them work on the web and other platforms as well. So you need to think about platforms and use cases and choose accordingly.

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

8 of the best travel apps that travel editors can't live without

By Charlotte Davey

The best travel apps, when used to your advantage, can be the most indispensable companion for a trip. Not only can they save you time and money, but they can also reduce any journey-induced stress. Need to work out costs on a group trip , translate a menu, or get from A to B when you don’t speak the language? There’s an App for that. But just as you don’t need a suitcase laden with unworn clothing, no one needs a phone clogged with gimmicky or useless apps. We asked our jet-setting editors to share the apps they genuinely use while travelling and the lesser-known gems that have saved a holiday. So while the BA App, Rome2Rio, or Monzo might be stalwarts of the frequent flyer’s home screen, here are the clever, hardworking Apps our travel insiders swear by.

Cost: Free to use (Wanderlog Pro includes additional features and costs around £40 per year)

USP: One of the best travel apps for planning every kind of trip, including road trips and group travel: create a trip itinerary, budget costs, organise flights and hotel reservations, and collaborate with friends. After your trip, share a travel guide to inspire other travellers.

Wanderlog brings everything you need to plan your trips into one seamless app experience. Its user-friendly, web-scanning database contains a huge wealth of information about sights, attractions and places to eat and drink. Not only can you find recommended hotspots through the app and add these to a map view, but you can also import reservation and flight details from your emails. Wanderlog is especially ideal for group trips. Your customised itineraries and lists can be edited by multiple people in real time, and users can leave notes for fellow travellers – such as a reminder of the must-have dish or dress code at a restaurant. Smart AI functionality means that the app can offer (editable) auto-generated itineraries as well. And if that isn’t enough, you can track expenses and cost-splitting too, indispensable for larger groups and squabble-prone families. Toyo Odetunde

Cost: Free to download.

USP: Request a chauffeur-driven, class-leading car on-demand or in advance for yourself or on behalf of others.

Wheely is a seriously plush chauffeur service within an easy-to-use app, currently operating in London, Paris , Dubai, and Moscow. What makes this ideal for the frequent flyer is that you can add in your flight details when booking an airport pick-up, so the driver knows exactly what time you’ll be landing (so no risk of them driving off if you’ve been delayed), and they’ll be ready and waiting for you (with your name on a sign) at arrivals. For any other queries, you can live chat with a real person (no bot responses here) – for example, if they can provide a baby seat (which they happily did for a recent family holiday ). Cars come with water and chargers as standard, and drivers are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Peace of mind at the click of a button. Charlotte Davey

Hong Kong Taxi Cards

Cost: £1.99

USP: With over 9,000 Hong Kong addresses translated into written Chinese and Cantonese, equipped with a function to request additional addresses and get feedback quickly, this is not an ordinary dictionary-type translator app.

This is indispensable for travelling around Hong Kong if you’re not fluent in Cantonese. The App has pretty much every address ready in Chinese and Cantonese, so you can show your taxi driver where you want to go without getting lost in translation. It also has a speaking option which delivers the address fluently, which is really helpful if you have zero grasp of the language. Another handy feature is that the App will show you the journey time and estimate fare – something to remember is that not all taxis have card machines so you’ll need to make sure you have enough cash on you before you hail a cab. Matt Buck

Cost: Free to download (Splitwise Pro costs £2.79)

Olivia Morelli

Lauren Burvill

CNT Editors

Connor Sturges

USP: Splitwise is the easiest way to share expenses with friends and family and stop stressing about “who owes who”.

This is a game changer for working out costs on group trips. Everyone in the party signs up, and then you simply enter your expenses as you go – with a description of what it was (flights, accommodation, food, etc) and who it needs to be split between (i.e. the whole group or just those who were in the taxi, for example). It’s a great way to stay on top of costs, from larger expenses to smaller spending, like a round at the bar. At the end of the trip, click ‘simplify debts’, and you should be left with just one transaction each to ensure everyone has paid the same amount. You can label each trip and see who has settled up, and if someone doesn’t pay the App will send them helpful reminders (saving pennies and friendships). Charlotte Davey

Google Translate

USP: Translate between up to 133 languages with instant camera translation.

Google Translate is nothing new, but if you download the app, you can use the camera on your phone to upload signs, labels, or menus for an instant translation. This is a lifesaver for travelling in a country that doesn’t use the English alphabet or a language you’re unsure how to pronounce. The platform is currently proficient in 133 languages, so this is a great one wherever you are in the world. The App also works offline so you don’t need to worry about data roaming charges. Another function that is noteworthy is the speaker option – not only can you point your phone at a sign for a translation, but it will then speak in your chosen language, which is particularly helpful for those who are visually impaired. Charlotte Davey

USP: Find wheelchair-accessible restaurants, cafes, toilets, shops, cinemas, parking lots, bus stops and much more.

Developed by a not-for-profit company based in Germany , this is a great app for wheelchair users, families travelling with prams, or even for those with heavy suitcases navigating public transport. Operating in over 30 countries, a vast number of restaurants, stations, shops, and more are shown on an interactive map with a traffic light system for whether it is fully accessible (green), part accessible (yellow), or not accessible (red). The App replies to users rating places they have visited, so less touristy areas won’t have as much information. Charlotte Davey

Cost: Free to download

USP: Stay connected in over 200 countries and regions. Install an eSIM and get online in minutes with no roaming fees.

Especially handy if you’re travelling through different countries, Airalo allows you to use different eSim cards to keep your data roaming costs down. The App is free to download, and then simply choose the country you’re in, and select a data plan depending on how long you're there and how much you’ll be using your phone. You can often save around £10 for a week's holiday which is worth it if you’re a frequent flyer or watching the pennies while travelling. Sophie Knight

Cost: Free to use. In-app purchases.

USP: Whering is the digital wardrobe and styling app where you can curate, organise, style and plan your outfits.

Whering is essentially a portable digital wardrobe – a ‘Clueless’ style outfit planner on your mobile phone. Fill your in-app wardrobe by uploading photos of your clothes, or by importing images from the app’s cosmic database or your favourite online retailers. Whering will then process these images into sleek, combinable ‘cut-outs’, allowing you to put together countless outfits, looks and mood boards, which can also be organised by occasion. If you’re short on time, or feeling either uninspired or spontaneous, Whering’s AI can deliver outfit suggestions in seconds – even taking into account the weather forecast, ideal when travelling a country you’re not familiar with (or just braving London’s erratic climes). The Planner function is especially great for trips, storing your outfit ideas for specific dates and events. Also great for travel planning is the packing list feature; you can add items to a packing list for a particular destination, and Whering can suggest items you may have forgotten. Toyo Odetunde

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

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When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

The best trip planner apps to make your travels easier

Booking a trip can be an exciting yet daunting task. As if booking airfare, hotel, and transportation weren't enough, you also need to consider food, sights, and attractions. As a travel lover myself, I often dread planning and preparing for a trip. Not only do I never have the time, but I often get oversaturated by the vast amount of information found online and the fear of getting scammed. 

Also:  The best travel credit cards

Over the years, I've found the best websites and apps to help smooth out the planning process. These apps help me keep track of all my reservations, send me booking reminders, and guarantee I always find the best prices -- because there is nothing worse than falling for tourist traps or overpriced offerings. 

Whether you are a spontaneous or a nitty-gritty planner traveler, ZDNET has tested and reviewed the best trip planner apps on the market. Our top pick for the best trip planner site and app is Booking.com due to its easy-to-use user interface, extensive booking capabilities, and pricing. However, since not every trip or traveler is the same, we've included several options to help you plan and stay organized during your travels. 

Keep reading to learn more about ZDNET's expert-tested and reviewed trip planner apps. 

Also: The best travel gadgets

The best trip planner apps of 2023

Booking.com, best overall trip planner.

• Multiple bookings
• Great deals
• Can earn points from bookings and reservations
• Easy to use
• No group planning
• Can't organize bookings per trip

Booking.com features:   Platform: App and website |  Compatibility:  iOS and Android |  Pricing:  Free |  Booking:  Yes |  Group planning:  No

When planning my trips, I always make a stop at the Booking.com app, especially when reserving hotels. I find their user interface visually appealing and easy to use, and that it provides just the right amount of information I need when scrolling through hotel suggestions. Personally, I enjoy that I can add my top picks to my favorites with a quick tap of a heart, glance through reviews, look at cancellation policies, and even find out how far away hotels are from key spots. Through Booking.com, you can also book flights, car rentals, taxis, and city attractions, making it a great all-in-one place to plan and book upcoming weekend getaways or longer vacations. While I have personally never used the car rentals, taxis, or city attractions components of the app, I enjoy knowing that if I ever needed to, I can quickly hop on my phone and glance at the latest offerings. 

My favorite feature when using Booking.com to plan trips is the offers and promotions it displays for users. In the app, when you click your profile, you can see your "Genius" loyalty program status as well as discover the best deals around the world for your specific chosen dates. My only critique of Booking.com is that it does not enable group trip planning or let you organize your bookings per trip. This means if you are planning a trip with a friend, only one person can book and have access to reservations. 

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Best trip planner for organization

• Synced with e-mail inbox
• Organizes reservations no matter where you book
• Works offline
• Can't make any bookings
• Need to pay for advanced features
• UI could use an upgrade

TripIt features:   Platform:  App and website |  Compatibility: iOS and Android | Pricing: Free or $49 per year | Booking: No | Group planning: Yes

In terms of planning a trip, creating an itinerary, and keeping all your information in one place, TripIt is one of the best travel apps to keep yourself organized. When you first create an account, TripIt will sync with your inbox and automatically add all of your upcoming flights and reservations to your account. You can then modify each trip to include as little or as much information as you'd like. As someone who likes to be spontaneous when traveling, I usually only add the essentials: flight information, hotel reservations, and important documents. However, if you like to plan your trips down by the hour, you can also include activities, restaurant reservations, transportation, and more in your trip plan to share with fellow travelers.

As your trip approaches, TripIt will also send you packing reminders, give you COVID-19 travel guidance, and show transportation options. While you can get most of the essential features within the free version of the app (this is the one I use), you can also pay $49 a year to get advanced features such as check-in reminders, real-time flight alerts, point tracking, and even notifications for drops in airfare prices. 

Keep in mind that while TripIt gives you transportation options and finds places near your hotel, you cannot book or make any reservations directly from the app. The app is solely used to organize and keep track of all of your travel plans in one place, no matter where you book them. 

Best AI trip planner

• Personalized travel itinerary
• Hotel booking
• Can modify recommendations
• Group planning enabled
• Only available as a website
• No flight or restaurant booking

Guide features:   Platform: Website  Compatibility: all major browsers |  Pricing:  Free | Booking: Yes, but hotels only | Group Planning: Yes  Generative AI is everyone's favorite buzzword this year, and slowly but surely, it has been making its way across all industries -- including the travel industry. Guide is an innovative AI travel planning tool that creates personalized travel itineraries based on your preferences. (Full disclosure, it's also owned by ZDNET's sister company. It's currently in private beta, but you can join a wait list.) All you need to do is select your destination, the dates, whether you are traveling alone or in a group, your budget, and the types of activities you are looking for, and Guide will do the planning. 

After generating a trip itinerary for you based on your prompt, Guide then lets you modify and customize the itinerary to your liking. I recently used Guide to plan a six-day trip to Austin, Texas, and this was the feature I enjoyed the most, since I had specific restaurants and activities I wanted to incorporate into my trip, but I also needed some additional recommendations. While you can't book flights or restaurant reservations through Guide, you can book and find great hotel deals powered by Expedia on the platform. 

Guide will also give you an overall budget for your trip, a packing list, and a comprehensive list of things to know about your destination -- which may be helpful for some more than others. While my trip to Austin was a solo trip, Guide has a feature where you can invite other fellow travelers to collaborate in planning your trip through Guide's chatbot, GuideBot. This chatbot also works sort of like ChatGPT, where you can ask GuideBot questions about your trip, your destination, or recommendations. Keep in mind you can not ask GuideBot to directly modify your trip for you, and instead need to manually do it yourself -- believe me, I tried. 

Tripadvisor

Best trip planner app for reviews.

• Countless reviews
• Used by travelers worldwide
• Variety of information
• Booking capabilities
• Great for local spots
• Booking is not its strongest feature and you may not always find the best deals
• Doesn't vet reviews

Tripadvisor  features: Platform:  App and website |  Compatibility:  iOS and Android |  Pricing:  Free |  Booking:  Yes |  Group planning:  No

Reading customer reviews is one of the most important steps when planning a trip. While you shouldn't base all of your decisions on reviews, you should consider past customer experiences to get a feel for the brand and company you are about to trust, or the experience you are going to pay for.  When it comes to travel reviews, Tripadvisor is the best trip planner app to rely on. Since the platform has so many reviews for restaurants, activities, accommodations, and locations all over the world, it is always easy and convenient to log onto the app or website to help you make an educated decision. (However, remember that not all Tripadvisor reviews are legit, since the platform does not independently verify customer postings.) Beyond reviews, TripAdvisor also lets you book hotels, restaurants, things to do, and more while also providing detailed insights into their offerings -- including cancellation policies, ratings, and features. 

Tripadvisor's "Travelers' Choice" best-of list is also a popular part of its platform, allowing visitors to see top-rated destinations, hotels, restaurants, and things to do around the world. With Tripadvisor, you can plan a trip yourself from scratch, hire a trip designer, or get a custom itinerary built by AI. 

Best trip planner app for transportation

• Great multi-mode travel comparison
• convenient and seamless transportation booking
• Multiple currency and language availability
• Flight deals and suggestions are not the strongest
• Limited offers depending on the country or city of travel
• Not the most reliable customer service

Omio features:  Platform:  App and website |  Compatibility:  iOS and Android |  Pricing:  Free |  Booking:  Yes, transportation only |  Group planning:  No

I first discovered Omio when a friend recommended it to me while I was studying abroad in Spain, and ever since I downloaded it, it has become my go-to app for booking the best deals and fares on transportation within Europe. The concept behind Omio is simple: You plug in your departure and arrival location, including the number of people you are traveling with, and add whether you are looking for a one-way or round-trip journey. Omio will then show you the best deals by train, bus, or plane to and from your desired destination, including how much time each option will take you and the number of stops. 

The German-based travel booking site is great at aggregating travel information from multiple sites, allowing you to view all of your transportation options in one place. This is incredibly beneficial when planning trips within Europe since there are several ways you can cross each border and often various languages and regulations to keep in mind. Omio is set in English but has multiple additional languages available, as well as currency options. During my time abroad, I solely used Omio to book all of my transportation, including planning a 17-day trip across seven different European countries. Overall, using Omio was not only convenient and seamless but also helped me save hundreds of dollars by helping me maximize my travel time by switching between flights, trains, and buses. 

However, since returning from Europe, I have not used Omio as much as I thought I would -- maybe because I have a car and take most of my trips by plane. And Omio's flight deals and suggestions are not the strongest compared to Booking.com or Skyscanner's, which heavily focus on flight deals. I have also found they have some limitations depending on the country or city you are traveling in. Be mindful of the deals and tickets you buy through Omio since some tickets are non-refundable, and some customers complain their customer service is not the best -- although I have yet to have any issues with them. 

What is the best trip planner app?

Booking.com gets our vote for the best trip planner app due to its wide selection of accommodations, its points and promotions offerings, and its easy-to-use user interface. Not only does Booking.com help you find the best deals throughout your trip, but it will also help you stay organized throughout your trip by keeping all of your reservations in one place. To determine which trip planner app or combination of trip planners is best for you, check out this comparison chart below. 

Which is the right trip planner app for you?

The best trip planner app ultimately depends on your travel and planning style. If you like booking and planning everything in one place while also earning points and getting great deals, then Booking.com is your top app. However, if you are looking for a place to keep all of your accommodations, reservations, and activity details organized, then TripIt is a better app for you. Check out the following chart to help you find the best trip planner app or a combination of apps for you to plan your next adventure. 

How did we choose these trip planner apps?

To find the best trip planner apps, we drew upon real-life experiences and tested their performance and capabilities during our latest trips. Ultimately, we weighted the following factors when choosing which trip planners to include on our list: 

• Features: Each app can vary significantly with the features it offers, whether it is solely to book flights and hotels, help you plan your next trip using AI, or help you find the best deals and booking information, each app on this list can help you address several common inconveniences that present themselves while planning that next adventure.  
• Compatibility: An app is of little use if it does not work with your devices, so we look to see what compatibility each trip-planning app offers and which platforms you can access it from. Personally, I enjoy apps that combine an app and website component since this quickly helps me switch between my wide computer screen and my tiny yet portable iPhone screen. 
• Customer reviews: We study real customer reviews and ratings to evaluate customer satisfaction and service. This is incredibly important since most times when you travel, you visit an unknown city or country, and you should be mindful of past experiences others have had. 
• Cost : Most trip planner apps are free, but you may have to upgrade to receive special access to exclusive features or deals. If your app is already free, it means you only have to pay a small amount (often unnoticeable) when you book your accommodations. 

What is a trip planner app?

A trip planner app is an app that provides organizational features for your upcoming trip. It is often free and incorporates trip planning tools, whether you are traveling by ground, water or air.   

How does a trip planner app work?

A trip planner app can incorporate special features, like an itinerary, calendar, reservation and booking hub, and map assistance. Depending on the app you choose, there is even trip-sharing with friends and family to simplify the entire trip planning process.  

How much does a trip planner app cost?

Most trip planner apps are free, but some may offer in-app purchases to upgrade or enhance your experience. Within this list, only Tripit costs money, but only for their advanced features version, which costs $49 a year. However, you can get access to most if not all, trip-planning features, through their free version. 

Are there alternative trip planner apps worth considering?

As I mentioned earlier, trip planning heavily depends on your personal style of travel and preferences. However, whether you like to plan your trips down by the minute or prefer to just have the basics, there are several apps that can optimize your planning. Here are a few apps worth considering that almost made it onto our list: 

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8 apps that will help track your travel expenses

Keeping track of travel expenses can be challenging. With paper receipts, email receipts and not being handed any receipt at times, it's important to be organized for both the business and leisure traveler.

Fortunately, for those who are not the best at having a good grasp on their expenses, there are many apps that can simplify your life. These apps help with expense reports, budgeting purposes, tax preparation and splitting expenses among friends.

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With something for everyone, here are the best apps to help you keep track of your expenses.

TrabeePocket

TrabeePocket is a straightforward app that allows you to keep track of your expenses for a given trip. Before you even start your trip you can add all prepaid expenses to the "preparing" tab. This allows you to account for your flights and any tours you might have booked in advance. Once your trip begins you can easily add all additional travel expenses. You can categorize your expenses into eight different categories, but with the paid version, you can add as many additional categories as you want if you have very specific expenses you want to track. The free version also only allows you to track one currency per trip, but the paid version allows you to track multiple currencies in one trip file.

Not only will TrabeePocket serve as a place to file your expenses, it also helps you on the budgeting front as well. You can set a monthly budget and have your expenses track against that overall number. If you are earning income during your travel, you can also enter income to a specific trip expense.

One neat feature of this app is that you can take pictures and tie it to a specific expense. This is great for the backpacker or family traveler who wants to remember exactly what the expense was used for, or to keep track of trip suggestions. Business travelers can also use this feature by taking a picture of a receipt if it is needed for a corporate expense report.

Cost: Free; Upgraded version is $1.99 and includes some additional options (i.e., multiple currencies, additional categories, view and export expense report)

Download: Google Play Store or iTunes App Store

Trail Wallet

Trail Wallet is very similar to TrabeePocket, but unfortunately is not available to Android users. With this app, you can add as many categories as you want to separate expenses and everything is color coded to make the app more visually appealing. (Unlike TrabeePocket, you do not need to pay for an upgraded version to add more categories).

When you enter your travel expenses, you'll tie it to both a trip and a date. This allows you to view your expenses at a Month View or Trip View. You can also spread expenses across multiple dates so you can see your daily expenses for a certain trip. This is handy if you are on a daily budget to ensure you're not exceeding the amount you can spend on a particular day.

One nice feature of this app is that you can add as many currencies as you'd like within a certain trip. This comes in handy if you are paying in multiple currencies — for example, flight and hotel costs in USD, but food expenses in euros.

This app caters more toward individual or family travel as you cannot invite friends to add expenses. You can, however, take pictures of receipts and tie them to a specific expense, and then export the images — perfect for keeping all receipts or for business travelers for expense purposes.

Cost: Free for the first 25 expense items added to a single trip; Upgraded version is $4.99 which allows you to enter an unlimited number of expenses per trip.

Download: iTunes App Store

Concur is one of the top expense programs for business travel. This app is definitely more involved then some of the others on the list, but it has all the bells and whistles for keeping your expenses fully organized. If you work for a large corporation, you might already find that this is the required app to use for your business expenses.

Expenses from corporate credit cards will automatically be uploaded and you can also manually add out-of-pocket expenses. For manually entered expenses, employees can take a picture of their receipt which will be included in their expense report. For the business traveler with many paper receipts during the week, this app helps ensure that all expenses are reimbursed properly.

If you run a small-business, this is a great platform for you and your employees to use as it allows you to manage expenses and prepare expense reports. When I worked for a large consulting company, I used this program on a weekly basis. Being able to keep track of my work expenses to ensure I was reimbursed with every amount paid out of pocket was huge. For solo and group travelers, this is not the app I suggest using as there is no need to pay the monthly fee as there are many other free apps available.

Cost: Fee depends on number of users and account type.

Related: 5 tips to turn business travel into family vacations

Tripcoin is a very simple app to use that will track all of your expenses against a particular trip. You can tie each expense to a specific category, enter a city location and a defined date and time. You can also include notes and a screen shot to keep better track of every purchase you make.

This app has an atheistically pleasing filter capability, where you can look at expenses between a given date, within a certain category, a type of payment method or within a particular country. There is also a real-time currency converter or you can set custom currency exchange rates if needed.

Best of all, you can automatically back up all of your data by enabling the Dropbox integration. With many of the other apps listed here, if you lose your phone or if your data gets wiped out, you will lose all of the expenses entered. If this does happen, with this specific app, all of your expenses are saved and can be re-imported.

Unfortunately, this app is only available for iPhone users.

SplitWise is one of my personal favorites and an app I've been using for years. If you are traveling in a group , this is the app for you. The best, and unique feature, is that you can have friends or family members join a group and everyone can enter all expenses incurred for the joint trip. The app will then itemize expenses and tell each individual how much they owe to make things equal. You can even designate which expenses should be split among certain individuals. Like most of the other apps, you can also take include a picture and notes for every expense entered.

I have used the app for friend and sibling trips, including bachelorette parties, group ski trips and even just day trips. Aside from travel expenses, you can even use it to split up expenses among roommates or just everyday purchases with friends.

Cost: Free; Upgraded version is $2.99/month ($29.99/year) which includes receipt scanning, currency conversion and more.

Tricount is a simple app, but a great choice for group travel . It works very similar to SplitWise where you can split expenses among multiple travelers in your group. Everyone can add their own expenses and designate the specific amount (or percentage) for each individual within the group. At the end of the trip, you'll then receive a breakdown of what everyone owes each other.

The app supports multiple currencies and allows you to take pictures of images or receipts to go along with every expense entered.

Cost: Free; Upgraded version is $0.99 and allows you to have an ad-free experience.

Related: 30 essential travel apps every traveler needs to know

If keeping track of receipts is high on your priority list, then the Foreceipt app will be perfect for your needs. You can attach a receipt with all expenses entered and all images will automatically be saved to your Google Drive account. Additionally, all email receipts can be tracked as well by forwarding them directly to Foreceipt email address and including your unique ID.

Other features include the capability to batch upload bank transactions and downloading excel reports for tax return purposes — perfect for those who need to write off travel expenses.

Within the app, Foreceipt allows you to enter your income, bills and travel expenses to track against your overall budget. You can also tie all travel expenses to one of many pre-populated categories.

With these more involved capabilities, business travelers and those who own small businesses will probably find this app more useful than solo or group travelers.

Cost: Free; Upgraded version is $3.99/month ($38.99/year) and includes more receipts scans per month, email receipts and expense reports.

Expensify caters toward both individual and group travelers traveling primarily for business. This app allows you to complete all the simple tasks such as documenting your expenses and taking a picture of your receipt, but goes one step further where you can submit your expenses to your manager or accountant (or really whomever you'd like).

For those who need to keep track of mileage driven, this app allows you to not only manually enter your information but also has a GPS calculator which you can turn on to track your distance. You can also enter your time worked, which helps those needing to track billable hours.

The app also features more than just a place to submit your expenses, as you can keep track of business operations and even set expense policies.

On the feel good front, Expensify will also donate $2 for every $1,000 in expenses to Expensify.org. These donations are given to a broad range of campaigns to help organizations around the world.

Cost: Free up to five scans a month; Upgraded version is $4.99/month per user giving you unlimited scans and additional automatic capabilities.

Bottom Line

With many apps to keep track of your expenses, it helps to find one that fits your needs. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, with a group or on your own, there are many apps out there that work well depending on your needs.

Best Logbook Apps for Aussies

Using your car for business travel and looking for a fair, detailed review of the best ATO approved logbook apps for Aussie drivers?

You can claim from $3,000 to $10,000 and more every year with a digital logbook app . All of the apps listed are ATO -compliant, tax-deductible, and vary in cost between free and $468 per year.

What is the Best ATO Logbook App?

• Rank #1: GOFAR Logbook App – cheapest with most features
• Runner-up #2: ATO myDeductions App – free from ATO, but unreliable
• 3rd Place: MileIQ – quality product, but not Aussie made
• 4th Place: Driver Direct – ATO compliant, but can sometimes lose data
• 5th Place: Driversnote – quality app, but GPS mode only
• Best price, full-featured, ATO-compliant app
• Logbook app with tax return and superannuation tools
• Affordable, American-made quality app with basic functions
• Robust fleet management app
• Simple, easy app but with highest cost

Logbook App Features Comparison

Next, I’ll share my explorations of each app and the detailed specifications and features for each one. My goal is to help you choose an app that ultimately helps you accurately and easily track your ATO work-related expenses .

#1: You need the best-priced, full-featured, ATO-compliant logbook app

App name: gofar (#1 logbook apps winner).

Created by : Australians Cost : $8/month, no hidden extras Download : Google Play , Apple Store Extras : Check your car compatibility

You can receive between $3,000 and $10,000 back at tax time simply by recording your trips correctly, and GOFAR makes it easier than the other apps in this comparison.

Plus, it’s fully tax-deductible!

Let’s break it down to the main features that Australian drivers need when considering the best logbook apps:

ATO cents per km or logbook method? GOFAR includes both methods.

When using the ATO cents per km method you can record your work mileage with just one swipe .

This is a major advantage for people, like me, who are short on time and patience with this type of business administration.

The GOFAR car logbook app will do the rest for you in terms of collating the data into a report compliant with your end-of-financial year July tax return .

GOFAR collates the driving data (locations and kilometres driven) into an easy-export CSV file.

Simply email the file to your accountant before tax time in July each year: all ATO compliant data is included. The file can be emailed directly out of the app to your accountant or your own email address. Your choice.

I need automated trip data collection, do you?

A feature that sets GOFAR apart from other logbook apps is that it automatically starts and stops tracking your trips, as you drive .

A small, matte black OBD2-compatible adapter is inserted into the port underneath your car dashboard (usually on the right hand side, under the steering column). ( Check if your car is compatible here .)

The adapter is about the size of a match-box and glides in easily. Take note that there is a ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ so you get a good fit with the diagnostics port.

The OBD2 adapter is a leave-in device .

This means that it can record and save data for up to a week of trips without being connected to your smartphone app.

This is in contrast to other logbook apps which are contained within your smartphone. Forget your phone and your trip will not be recorded. Or forget to record your trip, and you won’t be able to claim it as a work expense.

Being a leave-in device means you don’t have to manually update your app with trip data. GOFAR is essentially a set-and-forget logbook app. Super convenient!

GOFAR has automated claim rates, specifically for Australian drivers

And GOFAR automatically updates your business claim dollars so you can see exactly how much money you’re claiming each week.

This is my favourite featured because I’m currently recording data for my ATO 12 week timeframe . It takes a few seconds each week to record my trip data correctly. And I won’t have to worry for another 5 years. Woohoo!

In the screenshot you can see the settings in the GOFAR app. I’ve chosen to automatically tag business trips and to use the ATO Standard Rate as a preset. The ATO myDeductions app is also set up at the ATO Standard Rate. MileIQ and Driversnote need to be configured as they are not Australian-made.

The claim rate is currently set to 78 cents per kilometre for the 2022-2023 financial year , and will increase to 85 cents per kilometre next year, 2023-2024. That’s a 7 cent difference between the cents per km rate of 2022 and 2024.

I can record all work-related vehicle expenses, not just kilometres

GOFAR also records your fuel expenses.

Every time you fill up at the bowser you can input your fuel costs. This, in turn, enables GOFAR to give you a fuel efficiency report. (In recent tests, GOFAR recorded fuel savings of between 9.8% and 30% per driver ).

When I fill up my 4WD diesel it costs around $140 per tank. In my area of NSW, the cost for diesel is currently sitting at $2.11 per litre. So that’s a saving of $88 per tank, especially if I drive in eco mode. The Ray helps me control my speed and driving behaviour, which ultimately helps me save money at the pump.

You can toggle between monthly and yearly data in the fuel efficiency report.

GOFAR comes with the “bad traffic” tag pre-loaded . It’s interesting to see how my business trips are usually bad traffic! Aaaargh.

If you’re tagging business vs personal trips it will give you a comparison for those as well.

If you only want to record mileage for tax expense claims then you don’t necessarily need the Ray. But, if you’d like to save on fuel then simply get the Ray too . The Ray is optional. You’ll be able to record logbook expenses without it.

Ultimately, this means that with a GOFAR you’ll be around 10 cents in the pocket better off for every litre you buy at the petrol bowser.

Why I bought the GOFAR logbook app?

GOFAR won a prestigious Good Design Award . Everyone loves it, including me!

And in comparison with other mobile apps, it has an ATO tax calculator that can calculate ATO business percentage for you, help you learn how many litres of fuel you used, and accurately predict the cost of each trip.

Plus you can keep track of your CO2 emissions to contribute towards a healthier planet.

GOFAR will get you a lifetime of savings on your ongoing car costs . Start saving $1000s and hours on paperwork while receiving free lifelong updates !

GOFAR also works in any petrol, diesel or hybrid vehicle since 2007 (and many older).  Check your car’s compatibility here .

#2: You need a free logbook app, with tax return and superannuation features

App name: mydeductions (runner-up).

Created by : Australian Taxation Office Cost : Free, no ongoing charges Download : Google Play , Apple Store

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) offers a free myDeductions app that allows you to record and manage expenses and trips, relating to your work as an employee, your business as a sole trader and other general expenses.

It is a general purpose app, with a function included for logbook tracking and that’s why it’s in our list of the best logbook apps. This means that the developers haven’t focused solely on the logbook aspect, and so it’s a little rough around the edges.

I need to record business travel trips

Relating specifically to mileage tracking, in the app you can use a GPS point-to-point method to record your trips. Select the point of departure from a map, and then select the arrival location. myDeductions will calculate the shortest distance travelled, and record the trip.

Alternatively, you can manually record your odometer numbers . Add the number of kilometres displayed on your car dashboard at your starting point, and then when you arrive, record the final odometer number.

Both methods — GPS point-to-point and manual odometer count — require you to manually enter your kilometres into the myDeductions app.

The ATO does not offer an adapter that connects with your car’s onboard computer, to accurately and automatically log this data on your behalf, which is a major drawback.

So, whilst the ATO app is free, free comes at a price! Your time. This issue is the number one reason why Australians are not claiming all their eligible reimbursements from the tax office.

How popular is the ATO app compared to the other best logbook apps?

It’s a pretty basic free app but has more than 1,000,000 installs as of September 2023 and now allows you to upload your myDeductions records to the ATO for pre-fill into your tax return.

The app is popular, but also has 1,000s of negative reviews. This was my favourite quote from Tim Osmond, with 207 upvotes. I hope you have a chuckle too:

It’s a government app so basically it’s like a new Australian Prime Minister, seems like a great idea but then fails to deliver and becomes a huge disappointment when you need it the most.

What other useful features did I find in the ATO app?

The ATO app includes access to other non-driving related tools and resources. For example:

• myDeductions allows you to record all work expenses as an employee or sole traders.
• Tax withheld calculator helps you to work out the amount of tax that has been withheld from your salary and wage payments.
• ABN Lookup enables you to search for an Australian business number. (This seems to be an odd inclusion in a tax management app. How many times do we need to do this in our lifetimes?)
• Business performance check is a tool to compare your business with other similar businesses, and benchmark your own performance.

You can also use it to set important notifications and alerts when it comes to your quarterly or annual tax obligations.

This app also allows you to enrol your voiceprint with the ATO so you can access their services via the app using voice identification to verify your identity.

What are the known issues that might be a problem for me and you?

According to reviews in the Google Play and Apple Store ,

• “no search function , which means it’s difficult for you to find trips” Garry Wu
• “no ability to reset records, so data ends up ‘bloated'” Garry Wu
• “access to expense logging function is not easy to find” Liss Punch
• “restore from backup option doesn’t work” Clivey in Space
• “Server too clogged during tax time, which will be a long term issue” John Ferarri
• “Extremely unnecessarily complicated and frustrating to use” Sharmaine Leeke
• “Got a new phone and find that the app doesn’t auto backup ?!? Total data loss.” Keith Canfield

Being a government app it means that there are some quality issues, and perhaps people have a tendency to point out the negatives more than the positives. The app is designed for general-purpose expense keeping and tax management, and has one section for trip logging.

Why do some people like the ATO app?

• “very easy to use, has a well thought out layout and I have been able to easily check my tax info” Andrea Simpson
• “App is good when it works , which is thankfully most of the time” John Ferarri

Author’s Note: To be honest, I’ve read through 100s of reviews for this app in the Google Play and Apple Store. It was nearly impossible to find positive reviews that had any detail and that I thought would be useful for you to read. It seems that the app doesn’t always work, it loses data and constantly has installation bugs. Yikes!

However, it’s free and being made by the ATO it will always be compliant with the Australian tax system, no matter what, and that’s why it’s my 2nd choice.

#3: You need an affordable, quality app with basic functions

App name: mileiq (3rd place).

Created by : Americans Cost : AU$9.30/month (US $5.99) Download : Google Play , Apple Store

MileIQ was founded in 2012 by an American entrepreneur, Chuck Dietrich, and has been customised for American drivers . However, the app can still be used by Australians to record mileage and produce reports for tax deductions.

As with the other apps, it’s simply a matter of installing the software either on your Android or Apple phone, setting up your personal profile, and hitting the record button. I found the installation process very easy and quick.

MileIQ, whilst it’s not specifically created for Australians and the ATO, you can set a custom mileage rate . For the year 2022-2023 the custom rate is AU$0.78. Keep in mind that MileIQ is recording in US dollars, so be careful with any currency conversions.

Of all the apps, MileIQ has the cleanest interface design . The app is well laid out, without clutter, and without too many buttons. If you want a simple app that is reliable, but don’t need the extra features offered by GOFAR, then MileIQ is an excellent choice.

Is MileIQ reliable? Sometimes.

MileIQ is far more reliable than ATO myDeductions. The MileIQ team briefly worked with Microsoft, and as such, have an experienced, talented development team who regularly release app updates and improvements. The same can’t be said for the ATO myDeductions app with the 1,000s of negative reviews.

Recently the MileIQ team have received negative reviews that relate to the app either forgetting to record, or recording ‘mystery’ trips that never happened. Being a stand-alone app, without an OBD2 adapter, means that MileIQ will record trips if you have your phone on you and are in a friend’s car.

Whereas with GOFAR and Driversnote, you need the OBD2 adapter. With an OBD2 adapter trip recording is far more accurate than MileIQ without the adapter. GOFAR offers the adapter for free, whereas Driversnote charges $60 plus shipping fee.

Overall MileIQ is slightly more costly than GOFAR, and cheaper than Driversnote, but keep in mind that buying the app is a tax-deductible expense.

What other useful features are included in the MileIQ app?

One feature that I particularly like in MileIQ is the ability to set your daily working hours . It’s a clever use of technology and shows that the MileIQ team are thinking about real people with their real problems.

For example, if you always work on Tuesdays between 9am and 5pm, you can set these times in your user profile. MileIQ knows to classify any driving during those hours as business/deductible trips.

However, if you make a personal trip during this time, you need to delete it via the web interface. Slightly time consuming, but a better outcome than missing tax deductible trips.

What are the known issues that might be a problem?

The Apple Store only has a few older reviews, some of them as complaints. The reviews are not worth reading because the MileIQ developers will have fixed the issues in the intervening years. However, the Google Play store has several interesting comments — all from recent months in 2023 — from other users:

• “ Cannot change the date of a manually added entry . Can’t even delete it from the app, you have to use the web interface.” AaronLPC
• “Instead of letting you just mark a trip as ‘business’ or ‘personal’ it now makes you [select] from a list of options. It is extremely annoying and makes for about a 3-4 second selection per drive, instead of [being able to choose] 3-4 selections per second.” Benjamin Lubenow
• “ every time that you stop at a red light, it starts a new drive . Drive 15 miles on city streets and you may have to combine 15 drives, which is pretty annoying.” Phillip Greenberg
• “It doesn’t work. Your phone will say “automatically logging your drives” but it is not. I’ve had it now for over 2 years, but since around April or Jun (2023), it hasn’t been working . I have uninstalled and installed it back 2 different times, and it will work for the first or second drive, and then it stops. ” Rafael Camargo
• “Good app but often makes multiple trips out of one . Easier to join trips on laptop than app, could be an easier join function, click multiple trips and join at one time. They have not made it so it doesn’t make multiple trips. Stop at a stop light, you get a new trip.” Farren Flynn

The biggest issue I see is that MileIQ have recently updated the app (perhaps around April or June of 2023) but haven’t communicated the new changes with users. Many of the users are complaining about the app not working, but it appears to be an issue with logging out and resetting the app, so there are no split drives and user accounts.

In my mind, it doesn’t make sense to log multiple trips every time you stop at a set of red lights. Hopefully the MileIQ developers will fix this issue before the next financial year.

Why I think that people are frustrated with missing drive data?

One of the most frustrating issues that I encountered when using MileIQ was that I have to disable power-saving mode in my phone while MileIQ is installed .

MileIQ says “ the MileIQ app won’t be activated when you move significantly, which could cause missed drives ” and “ low battery mode can reduce the accuracy of location signals, leading to incorrect routes and mileage calculations .”

Perhaps this is why so many other users are having difficulty with missed drives? If I’m driving a few hours each day to attend pet grooming appointments, then I need to preserve the battery life of my phone. That’s why I use the low power mode; because I’m on the move all the time.

Not being able to use low power mode is a considerable inconvenience.

The MileIQ support team are quick to respond to issues, but being a large development team they need more time to fix the bugs. GOFAR has a small, agile development team and are able to fix bugs very quickly. ATO myDeductions are also very slow with bug fixes as the app isn’t a high priority project.

Why do other people like the MileIQ App?

Overall, the sentiment is that people love that it automatically classifies drives, even after regular business hours. The classification system is limited, but simple. GOFAR and Driversnote offer the same classification system, with GOFAR being easier to customise than other apps.

• “I love how the app automatically tracks mileage.” A Simple Homestead
• “Auto-detecting drives is brilliant, it’s tracked me already over $2000 in mileage write-offs , in just 2 months.” Alex
• “I’m a petsitter and use it to track mileage from job to job. For the most part it’s easy to use and works well. I like that I can add customised purposes.” Bonnie Keyes

Every one of the apps reviewed, except ATO myDeductions, will auto-detect and auto-track drives, and can literally give you 1,000s of dollars back in your pocket at tax time.

It’s simple: Use a logbook app and get money back at tax time. And that’s why MileIQ has made it into our list of the best logbook apps.

#4: You need a robust fleet management logbook app

App name: driver direct (4th place).

Created by : Japanese Cost : Free Download : Google Play , Apple Store

Developed by Toyota for its fleet customers, this app includes many of the same features as the other apps reviewed in this blog, including:

• capturing trip data via GPS,
• downloadable logbook data,
• multiple vehicle tracking,
• business/private use split, and
• expense recording and reporting.

This car logbook app also doubles as an ATO receipt app that boasts time-saving functionalities such as storing descriptions for future presets and photo-stocking your receipts .

Also included are a (Toyota) dealer locator for servicing and a fuel finder that lets you filter results for a particular brand – ideal for fuel card holders.

This is ideal for Australian conditions. Many 4Wd owners traverse Australia. Broken down? Need a new part? This app can pinpoint my closest Toyota dealer, even in remote areas.

In addition, Driver Direct includes Novated Lease tools, unlike all of the other apps in this review. I was able to work out how much I owed on my Novated Lease with the comprehensive calculator.

One thing I particularly like about Driver Direct, that none of the other logbook apps offer, is the ability to display the app on your Apple Watch .

This makes it incredibly easy to initiate a new trip, without reaching for your phone. In Australia, it’s illegal to touch your phone while driving. So, if you’ve just started a new business trip you can legally touch your Apple Watch on your arm, but not your iPhone.

This app doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2017 so that’s the main reason why it’s lower down on my list of choices for the best logbook apps. I also don’t love the interface design. Being old, it looks clunky and dark.

#5: You want a simple app and are prepared to pay more money

App name: driversnote (5th place).

Created by : Danish Cost : $16/month, plus $60 for plugin device Download : Amazon , Google Play , Apple Store

Driversnote is the most expensive subscription-based app — in our analysis of the top 5 logbook apps — that can track your ATO work-related expenses.

The app was originally developed for American drivers, and has only recently become available for Australians.

Why is Driversnote more expensive than the other best logbook apps?

Driversnote is twice the cost of GOFAR, and users must also pay an additional cost of $60 for the plug-in adapter. There is also a ‘ small fee ‘ for delivery to some countries, which would include Australia as this is a Danish company.

With the free version, you have to push start and stop buttons on your phone that will make sure trips are automatically registered via your phone’s GPS tracking (up to 15 trips per month).

The paid subscription includes a device for automatic tracking on unlimited trips , now recently compatible with Android.

It generates comprehensive mileage documentation, can track private or work-related trips and calculates reimbursement, distances and odometer readings.

You can add or edit trips in the logbook at any time if you forgot to use the mileage tracker and there is the possibility to track miles and keep a mileage log for multiple cars and workplaces.

Yes, everything is oriented towards miles and American classifications in the original app version. However, recently they’ve released an Australian version that is ATO compliant.

There’s an option to attach a comment on the trip recorded and to add odometer readings if you need them.

In a nutshell, this app allows you to:

• document and categorise your personal and business trips based on ATO requirements using your phone’s GPS,
• record and segment your trips so that you keep your mileage log for multiple vehicles or different employers,
• download your mileage report as a PDF or Excel file containing all the necessary details for tax deductions and reimbursement claims,
• a simple ATO tax calculator that automatically calculates reimbursements based on the current mileage rates from ATO.

The app itself is compatible with iOS and Android and has an automatic backup feature for your peace of mind in case you lose your phone. This is the case with most of the best logbook apps.

What is the iBeacon and how does it compare to the GOFAR Adapter?

Driversnote is the only other logbook app that needs an additional bit of hardware for tracking to be effective. In both the iBeacon and GOFAR adapter, the device will start and end tracking when you enter and exit the vehicle .

Being a somewhat forgetful person, rushing off to a new client meeting, I am always forgetting to trigger my logbook app to record. So, the device absolutely saves me every single time. It’s brilliant.

However, the biggest difference is that the GOFAR adapter will track trips within itself if I don’t remember to specifically record a trip on my phone, or I don’t have my phone with me. The iBeacon is not able to independently track trips and doesn’t have an inbuilt GPS .

So, when a work colleague borrows my car with the GOFAR all trips will be tracked. Whereas with the Driversnote iBeacon my colleague would need to take my phone with them, in order to track the trip for tax purposes.

This became a particular concern when I discovered that unlike the GOFAR, Driversnote won’t track trips or remind me if trips aren’t tracked for a week or more. This can be especially problematic for caravan drivers who need automatic starts and stops for their long, remote drives.

It’s a good app overall, but won’t notify you if trips are not tracked for at least a week or more. Dale Longenecker

The GOFAR Adapter plugs in — safe and secure — into my car’s OBD2 port, whereas the iBeacon can be left to float about in the glove box or centre console.

Yes, you can use Driversnote without the iBeacon, same as GOFAR.

What are the known issues in the Driversnote app?

• “Close to perfection.. I prefer manual entry w/ odometer reading and/or simply entering miles driven. Being forced to choose a route isn’t good when my route isn’t listed = inaccurate mileage .” Ryan S
• “My only complaint is that someone really dropped the ball with the pricing structure. Among all the cool bells and whistles that would make sense to charge for, they chose to charge for… spreadsheet space . Not a satisfying perk. And at $14/mo for the lowest tier, that potentially ends up costing nearly a dollar per ride for users who don’t surpass their free 15 rides by very much.” Elliot Davidson
• “ App uses well over 10% of my battery everyday you have to have physical activity turned on so they’re tracking you when you walk through your own home not just when you’re driving your vehicle for work purposes.” Anonymous
• “Love it in concept, but even after purchasing their “iBeacon” to make sure that no trips would somehow be missed, there are still huge periods of time with no trips logged even though I have not touched any settings and I drive multiple trips almost 365 days/year. If you decide to use this ATO mobile app , you must check daily to make sure it’s working properly. :-(” Diane Matcheck

Are there any hidden costs and charges with Driversnote?

I was very surprised to discover that I need to pay an additional US$12 per month to access reports. All of the other apps offer standard and custom reports for free.

This hidden charge ( it’s not listed on their pricing page ) blows the cost in the first year out to a whopping $468. Without the report module the cost in the first year is a more manageable $252.

Yes, Driversnote is tax deductible so your business is bearing the cost, but it’s a considerable difference when compared to the free ATO myDeductions app and GOFAR at $8/month, plus all the extra features offered by GOFAR .

What did other people like about Driversnote?

• “Nicely remembers common destinations, which is particularly helpful if you make the same runs over and over again. One can easily go back and manually add these by selecting a date, clicking the start location and stop location.” A Google User
• “It has a nice layout and could use a few minor features but overall I really enjoy this app.” Robert J. Kreckel
• “I deliver for DoorDash and UberEats, and this app has helped me track my miles so much more easily as well as keep track of my driving patterns for the day. There aren’t any ads that pop up, and I can easily start tracking since it’s got a very straightforward interface.” Kimberly

The reason why I’ve placed Driversnote last is mainly due to the hidden costs and the iBeacon tracking techology is problematic. The future promise is excellent and I hope that they continue to develop their technology so it becomes more reliable and affordable for Australian tax payers.

It could then move up a few places in our analysis of the best logbook apps in Australia, for Australian drivers.

How Do I Choose the Best Logbook Apps for Me?

Ultimately it comes down to your personal circumstances , business kilometres travelled  and budget . Consider these points to reach your final decision:

• Do you want everything to be as automated as possible. Your time is most important? Choose GOFAR .
• Do you want a 100% free smartphone app that is suitable for Australians? Choose ATO Logbook .
• Do you want an app that automates reporting to your accountant ? Choose GOFAR .
• Do you own a fleet of cars and want to track your driver’s movements? Choose Driver Direct .

GOFAR’s app is the best ATO compliant logbook app in terms of value and functionality because it:

• is compatible with both iOS and Android
• installs easily via your car’s diagnostic OBD2 port
• can store a week of detailed driving logs on the Adapter if you forget your phone
• helps you save on fuel costs (buy the Ray too)

Either way, the bottom line is that once you try any of these smart car log book apps, you’ll be wondering how you survived without one.

Updated on Tuesday 19 September with new prices, new features, and replaced out-of-date logbook apps. Removed Vehicle Logger; discontinued. Updated Driver Direct; low usage and user ratings, and hasn’t been updated by Toyota since 2017. Updated with new reviews from Google Play, Apple Store and my own experience using the apps. Apps were paid for by the writer. 

Danny Adams

Co-founder of GOFAR and with a Computer Science background from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Aerospace, Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering (Honours), UNSW. I want to transform data from cars into useful services so -> drivers save time & money -> emissions fall -> Australian roads are safer. So we built an ATO-compliant logbook app called GOFAR . I write to help you understand how to use GOFAR to maximise business travel . Reach out via [email protected] .

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Best Travel Apps To Download Before Your Next Overseas Trip

A mericans embark on approximately 93 million trips overseas each year, which would normally entail a lot of intense planning to ensure everything runs smoothly before diving into the unfamiliar. After all, there are so many things to consider before embarking on an international trip. You'll need to tackle how to communicate in a foreign language, how to calculate different currency values, and even just how to get around in a new place on a trip abroad . That's only the beginning, too.

Luckily, the international travel game was changed for the better forever with the emergence of smartphones. Travel preparations that once took months of planning can now be handled swiftly by hitting a few buttons and downloading an easy-to-use app. Planning for an international trip can feel daunting, but downloading the following convenient travel apps for your next overseas trip will make your adventure way easier, safer, and more efficient.

Read more: Tips For Protecting Your Passport When Traveling Abroad

One of the most immediate hurdles of traveling overseas is not speaking the local language. From the moment your plane touches the ground in a foreign country with a different language, you'll need to figure out a way to communicate. While it's smart to learn a couple of key phrases in your destination's language, you won't become fluent overnight unless you're a bona fide prodigy. That's why you need a good translator ready on your phone.

Many people will turn to Google Translate to help with translating on an overseas vacation, but the truth is that it's a pretty inaccurate translator with accuracy rates as low as 55% in some languages. That could lead to a lot of confused looks on an overseas trip. Instead, download the free app DeepL for more accurate translations in more than 25 languages. With DeepL, you can do things like save certain phrases to refer back to and use your camera to translate text. It's also been found to be more accurate than other translators out there.

Figuring out the best way to get from point A to B in a foreign country can be a little scary and confusing, but it's been made a whole lot easier with Rome2Rio. This handy little app allows you to input two different places, and it shows you every single way you can make the trip. You can input locations like countries, cities, tourist attractions, and addresses.

Rome2Rio will give you walking, train, bus, ferry, or plane directions depending on what's available for the route, so you'll know all your options and how much they cost. It'll tell you which route is the cheapest, quickest, and overall best choice for transportation. The app even provides a direct link to buy the tickets when you decide on a route and want to commit. You can plan out your entire route on an international trip with the assistance of Rome2Rio.

The biggest expenses of an overseas trip are usually booking flights, accommodations, and rental cars. It's a drag to shell out all that cash, but Hopper can save you a lot of money on these necessary travel expenses. Hopper is an app that tracks the price of flights, cars, and hotels across multiple providers, and lets you know exactly when to buy for the best price.

When you find a good deal on the trip of your dreams, Hopper lets you freeze the price for up to seven days to get the funds in order. The most noteworthy Hopper feature is its predictability model, which can tell you exactly when a flight, accommodation, or rental car is about to increase in price. Its predictions are said to be 95% accurate, too. Hopper is the smartest and cheapest way to make these big travel purchases and never fall victim to the price skyrocketing randomly.

WhatsApp is the third most-downloaded application in the entire world, with an insane 424 million downloads in 2022. There is a good reason that there are 2.78 billion active users on WhatsApp, and that number is growing every year. It's one of the most reliable encrypted messaging apps out there and allows anyone with an internet connection to send a message or make a call from anywhere in the world, making it perfect for an international trip where your provider from home might charge you an arm and a leg in roaming fees.

WhatsApp lets users securely message, call, and share media with anyone from around the world no matter where they go. It's no wonder that travelers have been downloading WhatsApp religiously for years. Users can adopt their regular phone number from home to sign up and even sync up the app with their contacts list. As long as you have Wi-Fi, WhatsApp is a free phone alternative that you can always count on overseas.

TimeShifter

Jet lag is that groggy exhaustion that comes with switching time zones, and when you're traveling overseas, it's practically inevitable. There is nothing worse than losing out on days of your short overseas vacation because you're too jet-lagged to do anything fun. Luckily, you don't have to worry about jet lag ruining your limited vacation time anymore thanks to the TimeShifter app.

TimeShifter uses the power of light exposure to shift your circadian clock and eliminate jet lag all by simply putting you on a timed schedule. It sounds simple, but it can completely transform your vacation experience, especially if you're only going away for a week or two. The TimeShifter app sends you prompt alerts of exactly when to sleep and when to wake up to get on the new country's time as fast as possible. It's actually a technique that's been used by NASA astronauts in space, and it's incredibly effective.

Google Maps

No matter which country you're visiting on an overseas trip, you'll likely need a little help to find your way around. Enter your new best friend: Google Maps. Google Maps is by far the most popular navigation app in America with 24 million downloads in 2022 alone, but it's just as useful internationally.

You don't want to be wandering aimlessly without Google Maps on your side to help you figure out where you're going. It's quite easy to get lost when you're exploring a new place, even if you're good with directions normally. Google Maps can keep you on track or save you with a quick reroute if you do end up getting turned around.

Google Maps has a ton of lesser-known features to help you on a trip, too. For example, it is a great way to remember the places you visit on your travels by dropping pins on the locations. You can also use this feature to remind you where you parked or where your accommodations are.

XE Currency

There are so many different things to get used to when you're traveling overseas to a foreign country, like using an entirely new system of currency to buy stuff. The currency rate is an important thing to consider before you start spending money. Otherwise, you could be easily ripped off because you don't know how much your money is worth in your vacation destination.

It can get extremely confusing to learn a new currency on a trip and figure out exactly how much you're spending every day. Instead of doing mad Google searches to figure out the daily exchange rate, download XE Currency and let it do the work for you. This is a very simple app that allows you to see the live currency exchange rates for 170 different currencies. Every second and cent the rate changes, it will be immediately updated in XE Currency for you to see.

When you're out in the allure of a foreign country, it's tempting to treat yourself to everything and go over budget if you're not careful. One good way to at least make an attempt at avoiding this, is by using the Tripcoin app. Tripcoin is a travel budget tracker that you can use to hold yourself accountable on a trip on the go. All you have to do is log your expenses into the app during your adventures and Tripcoin will do the rest from there.

The goal is to help you keep track of your spending habits and make sure you don't exceed your hard budget limit. Tripcoin allows you to track expenses in more than 150 currencies and doesn't require an internet connection. It lets you understand your spending habits while traveling so you can be on top of your budget and organize your finances, no matter what currency you're using.

It can be a struggle to remember everything on your packing list for a trip overseas. With electronics, clothes, toiletries, medications, travel documents, and more -- there is just so much stuff to think about before you head off to a foreign country. If just one crucial item slips your mind during the packing process, it can be a complete disaster before your trip even gets going. That's where PackPoint comes to the rescue.

PackPoint helps you build a comprehensive packing list based on what type of traveling you're doing, where you're going, the activities you're planning on, the weather, and more. Based on PackPoint's recommendations, you can add or remove things until you create the ideal packing list for your trip. As you put each item away into your luggage, you can easily check off each thing until the whole list is completed, which makes it a great solution for visual people. PackPoint is the only app you'll need to make sure you never forget something important in your suitcase again.

When you're going on an international trip, you usually have to juggle several different emails or websites to find all of your travel information. Think about it -- you have confirmations for your flight, hotel, your pre-booked tours, your rental car, and they're all randomly floating around in your emails somewhere. It can be pretty annoying to juggle between all these confirmations in the midst of a big travel day.

However, all of that stress is a thing of the past when you download the app TripIt. The premise of this app is pretty simple. It lets you effortlessly organize all your travel plans in one place, so you can just open the app and have your entire itinerary in front of you. All you have to do is email your confirmations to [email protected] every time you book something new. That's all there is to it, and from there, TripIt will develop an itinerary for your whole trip to keep everything tidy.

NordVPN Or Similar VPN Service

Most people don't really think about how vulnerable connecting to an unknown Wi-Fi network makes them. All it takes is one wrong click and you could be giving up all of your digital information. That's why connecting your devices to random Wi-Fi networks on a trip abroad is so sketchy. It can lead you to get your information stolen or way worse.

That's why it's so crucial to use a solid VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network, and it keeps your info protected on the World Wide Web by doing things like hiding your IP address and encrypting your data. It makes it way safer to connect to public Wi-Fi networks.

There are a lot of different VPN options out there, but one of the best is NordVPN. With NordVPN, you can use up to six devices at once, and it has some of the strongest encryption services with 5,000 servers from 60 countries. The other big benefit of having a VPN app while traveling abroad is that it'll allow you to watch streaming service content from other countries.

Uber, Grab, Cabify, Or Similar

Every region in the world has its own variation of a rideshare app, and you'll need to rely on it at some point during an overseas trip. Uber is the largest rideshare app in the world right now with 130 million monthly users and 7.6 billion trips carried out (and counting). It's also available in 72 countries, so if you're not sure which rideshare app to use, it's a safe bet that Uber will have your needs covered on a trip abroad.

However, there are also a few other options if Uber isn't available in the country you're visiting. For example, Grab is a popular rideshare app in Asia; Cabify is widely used in Latin America; and FreeNow is useful in many parts of Europe. Just make sure you figure out which rideshare app is the most widely used in your destination and download it before you arrive because it'll likely be very helpful at the airport .

AccuWeather

Weather can make or break your international trip, and you always want the most accurate information on the go. Lots of people just rely on their phone's weather app or just Google it every time they need an update, but downloading the AccuWeather app is a way better choice. There is real science backing up AccuWeather. More than 100 expert meteorologists work at AccuWeather to provide the most reliable results, and it's been proven that they're doing a really good job.

A study of 120 million weather forecasts over the past four years proved that AccuWeather was the most accurate out of all of them. The app's interface is neatly organized, and it offers a bunch of features you won't get on other weather websites or apps. AccuWeather even shows you when certain weather conditions are expected to stop or start down to the minute. So, you can plan to leave your hotel 10 minutes later to avoid a random rain shower.

It seems inconsequential, but the Flush app can completely save the day when you're traveling abroad and don't really know the terrain yet. Imagine how stressful it would be to try and find a bathroom in a new country overseas without speaking the language or knowing where to look on the streets. With the Flush app, though, you can pinpoint all the public bathrooms around you based on your exact location.

The app features more than 200,000 public toilets listed all over the world. Additionally, it includes important info about the restrooms, like if they have disability access, whether you need to pick up a key to use them, or if you'll need to pay a fee to use the bathroom. When you're out in the middle of a foreign city and desperate to find a bathroom fast, you'll be thankful that the Flush app is downloaded on your phone.

Getting familiar with a new country's public transportation system can be extremely confusing, especially if you're trying to navigate maps and routes in a foreign language you don't understand. The journey is a lot less daunting when you have the Transit app on your phone, though. Transit shows you exactly how to use a city's various public transportation options to get from where you are to your chosen destination.

The directions on Transit are very detailed, including information like how long you'll have to wait between stops, when the next train/bus/etc. is arriving, and telling you exactly when you need to get off at your stop. The app is updated live with incoming trains, so you always know exactly when you need to be ready at the platform or station, too. You'll even be alerted if your train or bus is delayed by a bit or if there are any route closures along your journey. Transit is already available in more than 300 cities across 18 countries so far and counting.

Phone companies charge insane amounts of money for using your phone overseas, but one way to get around those fees is by purchasing a local SIM card for cheap. The main drawback of this solution is that getting a SIM card and understanding the details in a foreign country isn't very fun on a vacation. Instead, opt for Airalo.

Airalo allows you to purchase a local eSIM card through their easy-to-use app without ever having to visit a store in person. The best part is it's super affordable. First, you choose the country you're visiting, then you pick a plan that fits your needs, and then you're good to go. Airalo offers eSIM cards for more than 200 different countries, and it's already used by more than 5 million people around the globe. You can even get a global eSIM that works in more than 130 different countries if you're a full-time traveler.

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Pete Cottell

Why Loopy Pro Is the Best iPad Recording Software Around

Since its debut in 2010, the iPad has been a divisive entrant in the music gear space. The 2011 iPadOS port of GarageBand, Apple’s popular entry-level digital audio workstation (DAW), triggered an avalanche of iPad apps marketed to musicians on the move, and an endless stream of digital gadgets like virtual synths and drum machines have flooded the App Store in the years since.

The tactile flourish of a touchscreen gave Luddites the tools to chop samples and program drum beats with an efficiency that would’ve made J Dilla blush, but the novelty of such pursuits became a substantial roadblock to ever being taken seriously by those with pro studio bona fides.

With the 2011 freebie Gorillaz record The Fall serving as a more famous exception, iPads were rarely the hub of creation for notable records in the 2010s. Half-cooked DAWs and underwhelming soft synths were the norm, and none of this added up to an experience that could replace a popular desktop DAW like Pro Tools, Ableton Live, or Logic. Pair that with the lack of a standout audio interface that played nice with Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector, and you were left with an oversize iPhone that was fine for chord charts, Wi-Fi-controlled mixers, corny backing tracks for airport lounge pianists, and very little else.

For years, we all knew iPads could offer more than these one-and-done musical experiences. As of last year, thanks to an app called Loopy Pro , I have finally found portable audio nirvana. Here's why it's my favorite iPad DAW, and why you should give it a shot.

Taking iPad Music Seriously

Everything changed for iPad recording in late 2022, when Apple ditched the Lightning port for USB-C, which finally allowed any class-compliant USB-C audio interface to join the party. In May 2023, it upped the ante with an iOS version of its pro-grade DAW, Logic. A day later, through sheer coincidence, an upstart developer from Australia called A Tasty Pixel released Loopy Pro. At that specific moment the iPad became a serious music-making device.

As the name connotes, Loopy Pro is a DAW that’s marketed primarily as an iPad-based alternative to a loop pedal. A generation of guitarists have utilized stomp boxes to record a phrase, play it back in a loop, then continue playing additional parts over it. It’s an essential songwriting tool that encourages musicians to workshop arrangements on their own, but it really shines in a live setting when a capable musician employs a looper to conjure a towering wall of sound with minimal assistance.

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Anyone who’s seen Ed Sheeran (who has his own signature looper ) is familiar with the gimmick, and foppish coffee shop minstrels have beaten the format to a meme-ified death. Cooler musicians like Minus the Bear, Deerhunter, and Andrew Bird prefer the Line 6 DL-4 for their glitchy microsamples and intricately-layered tapestries of melody, and in 2018 the ubiquitous snot-green pedal was anointed by Pitchfork as “the most important guitar pedal of the past 20 years.” Sheeran’s pedal has done nothing to advance the artform, but Loopy Pro is an affordable and approachable piece of tech that is on pace to change the game entirely.

Getting Loopy

After plunking down $29.99 in the App Store (it’s iOS/iPad OS-only for now, with a 7-day free trial), you’re greeted with a black surface that houses a handful of color-coded rings, or “donuts,” as Loopy Pro loyalists call them. Press any donut, then release it to start recording. Press it again to stop recording and start an infinite loop, and a master BPM for the session is automatically computed by the length of that loop. All other loops are then quantized to this tempo. Press a donut with one finger while it’s playing to stop audio playback. Press it with two fingers during playback to start overdubbing.

These behaviors can be adjusted on the fly or in the program's default settings, and it’s incredibly easy to trim samples and mess with the playback speed and direction of loops with just a few buttons. For most casual users the fun will start and stop there, yielding a tactile and instantly gratifying music-making experience. Throw in a USB-C audio interface—try the PreSonus AudioBox GO ($80) if you’re on a budget, or the Universal Audio Volt 2 ($189) for a luxe option—and a Bluetooth MIDI pedal like the M-VAVE Chocolate ($42) and you’ll be ready in no time to spend 10 minutes reassembling “Wonderwall” piece by piece outside a nearby train station for change.

For pros and power users who nerd out about things like MIDI mapping, sequencing, and automation, Loopy Pro is a wonderland of customization and inspiration that will serve as the central control hub of your studio after a bit of careful tinkering.

Click the pencil icon at the bottom of the page to view the array of widgets that can join (or replace) your donuts in the session view, which can be divided into a near-infinite number of pages that are accessible via tabs or custom mappings. One-shot loops are great for percussive sounds, while the clip slicer can point to an existing loop and automatically map each of its buttons to a specific “slice” of the loop, allowing easy glitched-out goodness that fans of IDM heroes like Aphex Twin and Autechre will immediately love.

An X-Y pad mimics the functionality of a Korg Kaoss Pad , with each axis being freely assignable to any combination of knobs, buttons, or faders within the session, as well as external MIDI devices that are connected via the 5-pin MIDI ins and outs of your interface, or MIDI over Bluetooth (BLE) if you’re allergic to cables. The latter takes about a minute to set up, and Loopy Pro’s MIDI mapping mode uses a standard “learn” method that can be as simple or complicated as you’d like it to be. Map one incoming MIDI message to as many widgets as you’d like, or do the inverse to make a single button-press in the session view adjust an infinite number of parameters on your outboard gear on the fly.

Just Bring Sounds

Loopy Pro doesn’t come loaded with any sounds of its own, so you’ll need third-party plug-ins to supplement your audio recordings with things like drums, synths, and effects. The AUV3 format is the gold standard for plug-ins that work seamlessly within iOS DAWs, and the amount of high-quality options available for free or just a few dollars in the App Store is staggering.

To create a track, simply open the mixer section of LP, click the + icon in the lower right-hand corner, select “Add Audio Unit Input,” select your plug-in, and a new channel automatically populates with your selected plug-in as the audio source. A similar workflow is utilized for external audio sources from an interface, Bluetooth MIDI sources, and MIDI plug-ins, which are essential if you’re into sequencing or manipulating MIDI messages in weird and creative ways before they’re routed to internal or external devices.

The mixer uses color-coded groups in lieu of channels, which is the one facet of Loopy Pro that takes a bit of getting used to. Assigning different colors to things like drums, bass, vocals, and guitar helps keep things tidy, and the eye-catching contrast of the neon-color donuts and widgets against the black background makes LP easy to keep track of in any environment. Hardware inputs and color groups can be routed to the master bus or an infinite number of buses via discrete send knobs that are either pre- or post-fader, or other color groups that can resample separate audio sources that are merged into a single color group and loop.

While it’s a breeze to cultivate a collection of loops in just a few minutes, one area in which the DAW lags behind is in the tools, or lack of, that are on hand to convert these loops into an actual song. A pancake-shaped icon toggles between the session view and the sequencer view, which opens what looks like a fairly standard arrangement window. The record button presents two options: “Record Audio” or “Record Sequence.” The former records whichever audio loops are playing to a master track, while the latter records actions such as button presses, knob turns, and loop activations to the track sequencer.

Fans of Ableton and Logic will miss an easy workflow for drawing in sequences and automations by hand; however, A Tasty Pixel is well aware of this limitation and has promised to add a more robust arrangement-focused sequencer, along with live MIDI looping and a handful of other tweaks, to the next major update of the program. For now it might be easiest to export your loops for external arrangement, either in bulk with the “Export” button located in the file menu, or one at a time within each loops clip editor screen.

In practice, the utility of Loopy Pro is limited only by your imagination and the CPU power of your iPad. It’s remarkably stable, and the program's official Facebook group is constantly abuzz with posts from users across the globe who are giddy about gigging solo with Loopy Pro as their backing band, or flexing with screenshots and videos of their elaborate multipage setups that control a mountain of hardware with just a few buttons.

After a week of tinkering with the program, I’ve mapped every last button and knob on all 10 MIDI-enabled guitar pedals on my board, all of which are controlled from across the room thanks to the software’s easy pairing with a CME WIDI jack, which receives MIDI messages from Loopy Pro via Bluetooth and converts them to standard 5-pin MIDI that’s routed to the pedals. A single X-Y pad in Loopy controls the mix and feedback on five different reverb and delay pedals, while another controls the clock and length settings on a Chase Bliss Mood MKII in real time for jittery, glitched-out bliss. Prior to this approach, the Mood was a baffling “happy accidents” generator. With the help of Loopy Pro I’ve turned this erratic piece of kit into a more predictable supplement to the conventional effects on my board.

If you’re a normie Apple user with plans to upgrade your iPhone in the near future, you’ll end up with a device that can capture audio via a USB-C interface without even going out of your way to add another iPad to your arsenal. The simplicity of a standard loop pedal like a Boss Loop Station ($120) or a TC Electronic Ditto ($139) might seem like a more affordable and immediate option, but you’ll hit a ceiling in no time once you move beyond the basic use case of stacking a few guitar tracks on top of one another. Loopy Pro, on the other hand, is fully customizable and nearly infinite in its recording time and customization. A few users even created and shared templates that replicate the Ed Sheeran Looper X, if milquetoast arena folk is your goal but $1,999 is too hefty a price tag.

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Arizona city tops list of best U.S. cities to travel to with your dog

Dog parents know the worst part of a vacation is leaving their pooch behind.

But some cities in the U.S. make it much easier than others to travel with your dog.

Based on certain factors — like dog-friendly hotels, bars, restaurants, beaches, and number of vet offices in the area — USA Today and Blueprint developed a ranking of the best places to visit with your dog.

It found that the top dog-friendly destination in the country is Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff had the highest concentration of dog-friendly accommodations among all cities in the rankings. The city offers 56 dog-friendly accommodations per 100,000 people.

For comparison, the second-best dog-friendly city, San Luis Obispo, California, offers 32 dog-friendly accommodations per 100,000 people.

Flagstaff earned a perfect score in the rankings, with 132 dog-friendly trails, 382 vet offices, 39 dog-friendly restaurants, 12 dog-friendly beaches and six dog-friendly bars per 100,000 people.

The state with the most dog-friendly destinations was California.

Three California cities made the top 10 most dog-friendly destinations.

In addition to San Luis Obispo, that also includes Santa Barbara and San Diego.

But the city in the U.S. with the most dog-friendly restaurants can be found on the other side of the country.

Key West, Florida, had the most dog-friendly eateries of all cities analyzed in the rankings, with 122 per 100,000 residents.

Other cities that made the top 10 include Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Naples, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; and Denver.

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Record $211 million wagered on 2024 kentucky derby.

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The Kentucky Derby is bigger than ever.

The first leg of the 2024 Triple Crown received a record $210.7 million in total handle (money bet), up from $188.7 million in 2023.

All 14 races during the 150th installment of the Kentucky Derby drew $320.5 million, a significant increase from the $288.7 million the year prior.

The growth is genuine too, as no additional states have legalized horse racing betting in recent years as it’s already legal in 40 states.

Per Churchill Downs’ PR team, $10.1 million of the bets came from Japan, signaling its growing interest worldwide. The race featured two Japan-bred horses in Forever Young (third) and T O Password.

The Kentucky Derby was first televised in 1952 and bettors wagered $4.3 million at Churchill Downs the following year.

Now, with sports betting legal across the world via gambling apps, the numbers have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.

Churchill Downs in 1973 reported that $52.3 million was bet on the Kentucky Derby, as Secretariat took home the first leg of what would end up becoming a legendary Triple Crown finish.

On Saturday, bettors poured in to watch what would end up being a photo finish where Mystik Dan took home the grand prize and the win for bettors .

At 18/1 prices, Mystik Dan’s victory shocked many in the betting community that saw plenty of big money action on the favorite Fierceness.

Mystik Dan, though, may not run in the Preakness Stakes , which could end the Triple Crown hunt.

One unknown bettor wagered $100,000 on Fierceness to win, one of the likely many larger bets that were made on the Pari-Mutuel betting system that horse racing offers.

All sources betting on @KentuckyDerby 150 Day was a record $320.5 mil, up from last year's mark of $288.7 mil. The race had a record $210.7 mil ($10.1 mil in Japan), beating 2023's $188.7 mil. Derby Week betting rose to a record $446.6 mil. Thank you, horseplayers & Derby fans! pic.twitter.com/4xWvn4JWQW — Churchill Downs PR (@DerbyMedia) May 5, 2024

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The different types of betting systems aren’t wagers against the house, per se, but bets against a pool of other bettors as prices fluctuate constantly.

The house takes just a rake of the overall pool, which is then given to the victors.

Even in the modern era with same-game parlays, player prop controversies and the Shohei Ohtani scandal , horse racing seems to be stronger than ever in 2024.

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Where to watch and stream 'The Roast of Tom Brady' if you missed it live

Tom Brady got roasted Sunday night at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California as part of the annual "Netflix is a Joke Festival."

The roast, dubbed " The Greatest Roast of All Time: The Roast of Tom Brady ," aired live and unedited on Netflix on Sunday night and featured comedians and some of Brady's former teammates, including Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman and Drew Bledsoe, among others, taking their licks at the quarterback. Brady's former coach, Bill Belichick, also got in on the action.

While Brady took the brunt of the roasting, his teammates and the other comedians on stage also took some shots from each other.

Here's how you can watch the roast if you missed it live on Sunday night.

Tom Brady roast on Netflix: 12 best burns* of NFL legend, Bill Belichick and Patriots

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How to stream 'The Roast of Tom Brady'

The roast, has a runtime of over three hours, is available to stream on Netflix.

"Offensive lines. Full-contact comedy. Kevin Hart hosts this all-star roast of NFL legend Tom Brady," reads the synopsis.

Who hosted 'The Roast of Tom Brady'?

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart served as the host for the roast.

"Surprise guests from the worlds of sports, comedy, and entertainment," are also featured in the roast, according to Netflix.

"The NFL GOAT won’t need a helmet, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t get sacked," Netflix wrote on its website.

Contributing: Jim Reineking, USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].

This Jersey Shore beach ranks among 25 best beaches in the U.S.

Ready to find your perfect beach destination?

One of the many beaches along the Jersey Shore was included in travelandleisure.com list of best beaches.

The travel media website named 25 Best Beaches in the USA and Asbury Park beach made the cut.

To define the perfect beach, the website compiled a diverse criteria for different people that incorporated great public transportation and accessible parking; quality of the sand, boardwalk, activities; relaxation, surfing waves and beaches that cater to families with calm waters and things to do right on the sand.

Here's why Asbury Park beach made the list:

This Jersey Shore destination has everything you want out of a Northeastern summer spot — a little bit historic charm, a little bit rock 'n' roll. The lively, clean, white-sand paradise stretches a mile along Atlantic coast, where sunbathing, swimming, surfing, fishing, are popular activities here. It's backed by a historic boardwalk bustling with restaurants, interesting shops, a splash park, miniature golf courses and the very popular Silverball Retro Arcade.

More: Here's the ultimate beach guide for your summer days at the Jersey Shore

25 best beaches in the US

• Alabama:  Gulf Shores Public Beach
• California:  Carmel Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea
• California:  Coronado Beach, San Diego
• California:  Pope Beach, Lake Tahoe
• California:  Santa Monica Beach
• Connecticut: Ocean Beach Park, New London
• Colorado:  Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Florida:  Clearwater Beach
• Georgia:  North Beach, Tybee Island
• Hawaii:  Carlsmith Beach, Hilo
• Hawaii:  Poipu Beach, Kauai
• Illinois:  Oak Street Beach, Chicago
• Maryland:  Ocean City
• Massachusetts:  Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester
• Michigan:  Grand Haven State Park
• Minnesota:  Park Point Beach, Duluth
• North Carolina:  Wrightsville Beach
• New Jersey: Asbury Park Beach
• New York: Coney Island Beach, Brooklyn
• New York: Rockaway Beach, Queens
• Oregon:  Harris Beach
• South Carolina:  Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head
• Vermont:  Crystal Lake State Park, Baron
• Washington:  Glass Beach, Port Townsend
• Washington:  Alki Beach, Seattle