T+L's Top Travel Apps 2010

Mapping and Directions

Get around a city

How do you move from point A to point B in a snap? HopStop maps the route with directions for subway, rail, bus, walking, or taxis (or a combination of transportation methods) in more than 15 cities across the U.S. and Europe.

Cost: Free.

Runs On: iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch.

Runners-up: AnyStop (free; Android), MetrO (free; BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile), SubMapsXHD ($1.99; iPad).

Navigate the roads (domestic)

The most easy-to-use of the full GPS navigation apps, Navigon features text-to-speech directions, real-time traffic updates ($24.99 extra), and information about points of interest along your route. Other great features: the ability to set anyone from your address book as your “destination,” easy-to-read maps, and 3-D views complete with road signs.

Cost: $79.99 (North America).

Runs On: iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch, Windows Mobile.

Navigate the roads (international)

With 28 separately sold packages for regions on every continent but Antarctica, TomTom’s navigational apps are ideal for international travel. The on-screen design includes information like time to destination and time until the next turn, and the option to toggle between 2-D and 3-D views.

Cost: $39.99–$99.99.

Runs On: iPhone/iPod Touch.

Explore a U.S. city

UpNext offers highly realistic 3-D maps (complete with color-coded neighborhoods and block-by-block street representations) that let you check off filters to add markers for restaurants, hotels, and other services. Rare among app maps, these are accessible when you’re offline. Right now the service is available for Austin, Texas, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, with six more cities coming soon.

Cost: $1.99.

Runs On: iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch.

Runners Up: Google Maps (free; Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile).

See what’s around you

Wikitude takes street-view maps to a head-spinning new level by offering you an “augmented reality” view of your surroundings. Just point your phone’s camera at the scene around you and it annotates your screen with clickable information about restaurants, subway stops, and even historical facts.

Cost: Free.

Runs On: Android, iPhone, Symbian.

Search a local directory (domestic)

Need to find a restaurant or a gas station on the double? Yelp uses your phone’s GPS to provide you with a list of local businesses (along with addresses and mapped directions) in more than a dozen categories, from movie theaters and restaurants to drugstores and taxi companies. The best part: the site’s very opinionated users weigh in with their reviews and ratings. There are 11 million reviews for U.S. destinations—both urban and rural.

Cost: Free.

Runs On: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPod Touch, Palm WebOS.

Search a local directory (international)

Aloqa links not only to user-generated restaurant and bar reviews from Yelp but also to a plethora of listings for movies, live music, ATM’s, food to go, and more, based on your real-time location. Unlike Yelp and its ilk, Aloqa is as strong internationally as it is in the United States.

Cost: Free.

Runs On: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPod Touch, Windows Mobile, Java-enabled phones.