Last year, we stayed at a friends’ cabin in Tennessee, where my kids spotted a spider the size of their hands crawling around their sleeping loft and refused to lie down up there. I ended up squeezed on a twin mattress with two kids on the porch, listening to my aptly named app, Calm, to relax and get at least a few hours of sleep. It may not have changed my situation, but it certainly helped me to chill out.
There are a few key relaxation apps out there to help you set the tone for your vacation, whether that means a restful night’s sleep or insider tips on how to avoid tourist traps and make the most of your trip. Here are nine relaxation apps I highly recommend. Check them out in the slideshow.
Freedom
Sometimes in order to truly unplug, you have to, well, unplug. The Freedom app allows you to do just that by blocking internet, social media, and apps for a set period of time, freeing you to actually enjoy yourself on vacation. Just tell it how long you’d like to be off the grid, and voila! You’re free to indulge your wanderlust without interruptions. No more glimpses at your phone only to discover a slew of stressful work emails when you’re supposed to be relaxing on a beach with a frothy concoction in hand.
Get it: free seven-session trial period, $6.99 for one month or $2.42 per month for one year if you get hooked. Freedom is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows computers.
Farfetch Discover
What’s a great vacay without a little souvenir shopping? There’s nothing I love more than shopping for unique gems I wouldn’t likely find at home, especially clothes and accessories—and there's nothing I hate more than ending up in a market or mall with a bunch of tourists and nary a local in sight. Like a chic fashion insider, this app asks stylish trendsetters all over the world for their picks of the best boutiques and other places to shop in their neck of the woods. Forget cliché tourist traps; this is your guide to the world’s best shopping—at your fingertips.
Get it: free; available on Google Play and iTunes.
White Noise
Even if your kids aren’t with you, sometimes it’s hard to get the crying and whining completely out of your head. Enter the White Noise app. Designed to block out distractions, White Noise is perfect for moms like me who crave soothing sounds for a change. From rain showers to Tibetan bells, the app offers hundreds of sound choices.
Get it: free; available on Google Play and iTunes.
Calm
For every person who craves white noise, there’s another whose driven nuts by it—those so-called soothing sounds can get under some people’s skin. Enter Calm. I’ve been using this app for years because it pairs serene sounds with relaxing imagery, and this approach resonates with visual people like me. Calm’s seven-day programs, each with its own theme, are perfect for vacations. From sleep to happiness to enhancing your focus, it’s easy to find a theme that will apply to your life. And if you’re traveling with your kids, Calm Kids (also on the same app) provides guided meditations and sleep stories specifically for children, because if they can’t relax, neither can you.
Get it: free; available on Google Play and iTunes.
Onavo Count
One of the most stressful things about traveling in the digital age is keeping tabs on your roaming charges, especially when you’re out of the country. I learned this the hard way when I relied on my phone’s built-in tracker during a trip and found out I was over my usage when it was too late to do anything about it. Those roaming fees stung. Last year, I downloaded the Onavo Count app while on a trip to Barbados, and it went a long way toward helping me better track my usage—and provide peace of mind. The app directs all of your mobile communications through their servers so your battery doesn’t drain as quickly. It also monitors background, foreground, and WiFi use, so there are no surprises.
Get it: free; available on Google Play.
Memoires: The Diary
There’s a bevy of research that shows journaling is a great way to relax the mind. Perfect for vacations, this app records text and audio entries, and lets you attach photos to your notes. The best part is that it integrates with your contacts, allowing you to share your entries with friends and family back home or even across social media whenever you want.
Get it: free; available on Google Play.
Jetzy
Perfect for solo travelers and those looking to avoid tourist traps, Jetzy is a social app that connects travelers and locals in real time. Score recommendations, share inspiring travel photos, and make friends just about anywhere. Considered the world’s first geo-location based social app, Jetzy has a killer rewards program. Each time you use Jetzy, you’ll ring up points that can be redeemed for travel rewards such as spa vouchers, dinners, and free trips.
Get it: free; available on Google Play and iTunes.
Mindbody
One of the many things I love about vacations is how they free up my schedule for the activities that I really want to do. Keeping up with my health and beauty routines (or rebooting old ones from time to time) are both on that list. The Mindbody app lets you book everything from Barre, aerobics, and yoga classes to massages, from the largest network of health, beauty, and wellness businesses out there. It uses geo-location to suggest places near you, and provides reviews from other travelers as well as local deals. One of the best things about this app is that it connects to your Fitbit, so you can track your activity during workouts.
Get it: free; available on Google Play and iTunes.
The Three Month Vacation
Perfect for working moms like me, the Three Month Vacation podcast is the brainchild of marketing executive Sean D’Souza, who promised himself he’d take three months off each year when he started his own business. Since 2004, he’s done just that—and millions have tuned in to his podcast to hear about his experiences and his views on life. While I’d love to take summers off to hang out with the kiddos, it’s not likely---but that’s not the point of the Three Month Vacation. Instead the fifteen-minute episodes inspire me to make the most of each vacation moment, whether we’re spending a week at the beach or enjoying a staycation nearby for a night. It’s about setting up your life so you’re not always stressed out—especially when you’re off the clock. Good stuff!
Get it: free; available on iTunes.
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