Four Travel Apps for a Stress-Free Vacation

There's more than one way to turn your phone to airplane mode. As the holidays creep closer, seasoned and unseasoned travelers alike are becoming reacquainted with the high stress levels and general chaos that comes with planning a long-distance trip. Whether you're looking for transportation to Port Canaveral or a hotel in New York City, these four apps will keep you cool, calm and collected from point A to point B.

1. Hotel Tonight

Even when you make reservations weeks in advance, there's always that chance that something got mixed up or canceled, and you could get stuck calling every hotel in town to find a vacancy. Hotel Tonight is a relatively new app that offers last-minute hotel bookings at the best rate available. In fact, the app guarantees the best rates possible. Part of the strategy of Hotel Tonight is to negotiate with hotels across the country to bring prices down as much as possible. Customer support is available 24/7 by phone or email, so you can work through tougher lodging conflicts with an expert.

This top-rated app spans 12 countries and 150 destinations, with more hotels being added on a regular basis. Users can book a hotel on the same day right from the app until 2:00 a.m.

2. Packing Pro

Before even thinking about transportation to Port Canaveral, you need to have your bags packed and ready for anything. The app has been featured on the Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC and other highly-reputed publications. So what's all the fuss about? Packing Pro offers full iCloud support, which means you can sync your travel plans to multiple devices. An extensive master catalog features more than 800 items to add to your virtual suitcase before evening bringing out your real one.

To make sure nothing was left out, be sure to "automagically" generate lists depending on factors such as number of adults, children, genders, temperature, destination, food prep and even clothes washing preferences. Color coding and a user-friendly search engine optimize organization and efficiency.

3. Skype

Offering more than just a fun new way to chat with friends, Skype can be a lifesaver for overseas excursions, since you can contact anyone at home or abroad without racking up roaming fees. Simply add friends to your contact list to talk for free, or contact businesses, mobile phones and landlines for a low cost. Skype is an excellent hub for communicating with loved ones anytime and anywhere. Free instant messaging can save you money on your phone bill, while video messages make it easy to share your experience in full detail with everyone back home.

4. Travelocity

For cruises, flights, transportation to Port Canaveral and more, Travelocity offers a one-stop shop for comparing prices and tailoring your search. You can even scan your credit card using your smart phone camera to quickly and conveniently make a purchase. Travelers can search for flights by round-trip, one-way or multi-city specifications, and quickly view planned trips and itineraries to be sure everyone is in the loop. Search for hotels using an interactive map and discover mobile exclusive deals for using Travelocity.

While you're booking flights and hotel, you can look for transportation by searching for car rentals by company or type. Sort by price to get the best deal out there, and customize your search with specifications like child sears, navigation system, hand controls and so on.

Smart phones are typically thought of as tools for entertainment or convenience, but traveling can make these devices downright necessary. Download these four top-rated apps to limit the stress of planning your trip, while simultaneously taking more control. Bon voyage!