This week is Travel Week on TheThriftyMama.com, and I’ll be discussing some of the best ways to save money on your traveling.  Ever since the introduction of smart phones and apps, people have been creating some amazing apps that not only save you time, but can also save you money.  Here are my personal top ten favorite free travel apps to take with you on your journey:

1. Gas Buddy

Gas Buddy searches within a ten mile radius for all of the gas prices.  You can sort by distance or by price to find what you need.  Click on the location you want, and you will get directions to the gas station. With prices drastically changing the way they are now, this is an app that every driver should be using.  This app saved me .20 cents per gallon the other day, so go download it NOW!

2. Google Maps

Having a good map app is very important if you don’t want to get lost.  Google maps app has rarely let me down when I’ve been traveling.  The exception would be last week when I was leaving Orlando.  The GPS kept having trouble locating me and I ended up taking a wrong turn.  Fortunately the map corrected itself and I quickly readjusted my direction.

On Google maps you can search for restaurants and retailers as well as address specific locations.

3. HipMunk

HipMunk is a fairly new company for booking flights, and it is fastly becoming a favorite.  HipMunk doesn’t waste your time by showing flights that have ridiculous layover times, or prices that are $60 more than others.  You can of course choose to see these, but I really like how HipMunk has streamlined the flight booking process.  The relative, cheapest flights are what you see.

I first saw details about HipMunk in a magazine I subscribe to, and was very excited when I checked out the website.  I plan to always check here first when I am booking a flight.

4. Tripit

This is a travel organization app that helps you keep track of things like flight and hotel confirmation numbers.  I have yet to use this app, so why am I recommending it?  Well it has great reviews, and it’s the main trip organization app most people seem to use.  If you have some feedback on this app, I would love to hear it!

5. Free Wi-Fi Finder

This is a real must if you want to keep in touch with family online, or if you run a business on the internet.  Free Wi-Fi Finder will find all the locations around you that have free wi-fi.  This one found me a Starbucks when I was desperate to get on Twitter.  I don’t have a complex, do I?

6. The Weather Channel

Find out what the weather is going to be with this app, and plan your travel accordingly.  The best part is that you can save favorite locations.

7. Google Earth

If you really want to get real-time pictures of an area, check out Google Earth.  This will give you a bird’s eye view of any location on Earth.  Now you really know what the weather is like!  Plus, you have to admit that this is just a really cool app.

8. Yelp

Yelp is the app that shows you what’s around.  It locates restaurants, retailers, drugstores, gas stations, banks and more.  It also has a check-in feature that will tell your friends on Yelp, Facebook or Twitter where you are at.  You can also bookmark the places you like as you are traveling.

9. Skype

Do skype to skype calling or chatting straight from your phone when you find one of those free wi-fi areas.  If you have a limited number of minutes on your phone, this is a great way to make calls!  Skype is how I keep in touch with my other blogging friends when I go to conferences, so this is definitely an app I don’t leave home without.

10. Amazon Kindle

Need some reading?  Get the Amazon Kindle App downloaded to your phone.  Amazon has free books available daily, so you should never lack for a good book.  Even if I am just traveling down the road to the Doctor’s office, having Kindle on my phone gives me something to do while I wait.

What are some of your favorite travel apps?