4 New Travel Apps to Make your Next Trip Easier

New apps aim to lessen the hassles of traveling. Order airport food to go with Grab. Book a hotel for a few hours of sleep with Dayuse. Choose lodging with input from your traveling buddies with Chatnbook. Discover a walking itinerary in a city that leads to places you like.

AIRPORTS

Grab: Nobody likes plane food — unless they sit in business or first class. When seated in economy, a long day of flying can feel like a hunger strike or forced feeding of junk food. Airport eateries at least give you more choice, but you need the time to line up and order — unless you download Grab.

With Grab, you can review the airport’s eateries that subscribe to the service, see their menus and order on your smartphone. Then you walk by the restaurant and literally grab your grub. Not all food vendors at an airport use Grab and neither do all airports. Grab is currently available at 16 airports, including Pittsburgh International, Richmond International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Denver International, and Los Angeles International. Slated to come onboard soon are JFK International, Newark International, Miami International, and Las Vegas International.

LODGING

Dayuse: If your hotel requires you to check out by 11 a.m., but your flight home doesn’t leave until 11 p.m., let Dayuse find a room at a hotel the day. The service promises rates up to 75 percent less than typical overnight room rates. You can book without a credit card, paying only at the hotel and cancellation is free.

Dayuse works with 4,000 hotels in 20 countries. List your requirements such as luxury hotel or budget option, room to work in or a pool area for lounging. Include the range of hours you require. The app returns real-time information on availability. New York and Chicago are the company’s top U.S. cities. Properties are also available in Paris, London, Madrid, Dubai, Berlin and other locales.

Chatnbook: This app aims to eliminate the tedium of browsing long lists of lodgings in your desired destination and then talking about it with your travel companions. You enter your date, destination, and your preferences as well as the contact information for your travel buddies

The app delivers photos and information. You “like” the ones that interest you and the app states it will get you the best available price. If interested, use the app to book the property.

City Experiences

Sidekix: If, like me, your favorite way of discovering a city is by walking, then Sidekix can be a useful tool. Instead of just telling you how to get from point A to point B, the app plots routes based on your interests, including fashion, food, culture, art or nightlife.

Are you a foodie in Brooklyn? Then Sidekix might direct you to Red Hook’s food vendors and cafes. Looking for interesting entertainment in Jerusalem? The app directs you to an underground nightlife tour of Jerusalem.

Follow Candyce H. Stapen on Twitter: @FamilyiTrips