I have to admit that before I had a smart phone, I was hesitant to travel or venture anywhere without a good tour guide to help me navigate unfamiliar terrain. Thankfully, my phone has not only helped me to be more adventurous when exploring new restaurants and sites, but in some ways it truly helps me to feel like a local.

Of course, my favorite travel apps are the ones that can save me time and money, which are always on short supply during trips. I want to share with you a few of the best apps to use when planning your next adventure.

Gate Guru- Wandering around aimlessly at an airport searching for your gate, a good place to eat, or where to pick up a good book is a thing of the past! Just as Yelp, CitySearch and foursquare are great for locating new and interesting options within a given city, GateGuru serves as the leading light to locate the best food, shopping and service options within any airport. This free app covers the top 86 airports in the United States, the top 12 airports and Canada and London’s Heathrow Airport. Be sure to add this to your phone to help save you time on your next flight!

Wi-Fi Finder – There is nothing worse than arriving at a destination and discovering that there is a charge to use the Wi-Fi. Fortunately, this app helps you quickly and easily find free Wi-Fi when you need it most. This app simply uses the GPS function on your iPhone to tell you exactly where the closest hotspot is and how to get there. Although the app highlights both paid and free Wi-Fi spots, you can use the built-in filter to only see the free ones and save a few bucks on your next trip.

Flight Track – Any app that makes a flight easier for me is an app that is worth downloading. With Flight Tracker, you can track all of your flights with zoomable maps and get real-time departure info, including delays and gate numbers, at a glance. The best part is that the app will update you on cancellations and help you find an alternate flight. With assistance like this, you are bound to save time not only locating your gates, but also avoid being stranded at the airport the next time your flight happens to be canceled!

Cheap Gas! – For those travelers who are hitting the road, this is a fantastic must-have app. Simply by using the GPS, Cheap Gas! lets you know the prices of gas near you and then automatically maps a route to the station of your choice. All gas prices are provided by the Gas Buddy network of sites and include time stamps to let you know how long ago the gas prices were updated. When gas prices rise, you will be armed with this money-saving tool to make the most of your travel budget.

Take Me To My Car – Is there anything more painful than taking a red eye flight and parking your car…only to forget where it is?  This app solves the problem by saving your current position when you park.

The next time you start the app, you’ll have walking directions to your car right in front of you. After a long day of traveling, you’ll be extra thankful for this!