Screenshots: Have a stress-free vacation with the help of these five apps

Introduction

It’s that time of year. Time to pack up and leave behind the\r\nrigors of your job (as much as you possibly can). Time to head for sunny\r\nbeaches, tree-thick forests, or wherever it is you go to \u201cget away from IT all.\u201d\r\nOf course, vacations can also bring their own stress—maybe not as much running\r\na network or administering crucial systems, but stress nonetheless.

Luckily, plenty of apps are available to ease vacation\r\nstress so that you can enjoy your time away. Here are five good choices to\r\nconsider putting on your list of \u201cvacapps.\u201d

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Hipmunk

The search tools are where Hipmunk really shines. With an\r\neasy way to enter the necessary information, booking is just a few quick taps\r\naway. Hipmunk also saves your searches so you can use the same parameters again–a\r\ngreat feature for those who travel frequently to the same destination. One\r\ninteresting feature is that Hipmunk ranks flights on an \u201cagony\u201d index, which\r\nmeasures flight duration, number of stops, and other elements that can make\r\nflights agonizing. This app is free, but it does require you to sign into an\r\naccount. You can sign in via Google+, Facebook, or Twitter as well.

PackPoint

The free version of the app does a great job of ensuring\r\nthat you get everything necessary stuffed in your luggage. If you prefer, you\r\ncan opt for the paid version,\r\nwhich allows you to create customized packing templates for trips. What’s\r\nreally great about this app is that it will calculate how many of certain items\r\nyou will need (socks, pants, shorts, shirts, etc.). If you’re someone who\r\npacks, repacks, and frets about whether you packed correctly, PackPoint is\r\nexactly what you need.

Voyager: Route Planner

Of course you could opt for the Google My Maps app (which is an\r\noutstanding choice as well), but Voyager does one thing that I really like: It calculates\r\nthe most optimal route for you to get from point A to point B. You can email\r\nthe resulting directions/route and even add stops along the way.