Updated: August 8 2022

In a vastly connected world of smartphones, immediate gratification and an inundation of information, to say we don’t depend on mobile applications for all our little daily rituals (Instagram scrolling and “drink some water” health apps included!) would honestly be a ball-faced lie. The iOS user in particular is almost always flooded with App Store recommendations to make their life just a little bit easier. And it’s the same trope for those of us who love to travel, especially when trip planning tools save us time on the road or plane/jet via virtual maps, suggested places nearby or advanced geo-tracking. Smart travelers like you maybe looking for a high-end vacation this year as “revenge travel” and believe me, we want to make that happen for you. That’s why in this blog post, we’ll be looking at a niche that’s not really talked much about online probably because it’s a teensy part of the travel app market - that’s luxury travel apps.

But which travel app is best? To answer that question we first have to ask ourselves, what does the word “luxury” look like today? We can all agree luxury is taking basic comfort to new heights and even becoming “extra” i.e. going above and beyond the expectations of your holiday needs and wants. And that’s well and good but let’s get more specific about what it really is. Conde Nast Traveller among other travel experts looked at how luxury travel has changed at a recent virtual conference hosted by Sri Lankan hospitality brand Cinnamon in 2020. “Luxury is a state of mind; style, authenticity and innovation play a large role to always be the top choice for a luxury traveller. Innovation by the means of personalized service, private access and bespoke experiences is pivotal to be recognized as a hospitality provider and a destination”, commented Miguel Cunat. Divya Thani, Editor Conde Nast also laid down some truth about the need of the luxury traveler today to seek holistic wellness, scenic beauty and nature whenever they go on trips. So it seems like the best luxury travel apps need to not only be bringing out this sort of an experience to the user in a virtual way but also complement any trip to the point where installing the app is essential for smooth travels.

What to expect from a luxury travel app.

Flawless UI/UX design.

The WKNDTRP app has adopted a minimalistic approach to its design, a credit to the hard work of the talented developers working on its backend functionality and interface. We’ve chosen our color palette carefully to suit the smart travelers we cater to and guarantee that the easy-to-use navigation will make you feel right at home in seconds. A luxury travel planning app is all about uncompromised elegance yes, however outstanding usability is also critical since it reflects on the ease and comfort that lovers of the high life are used to. This includes exceptional UX, UI, photos and videos all of HD quality. In WKNDTRP, every one of our venues is given the highest honor on our Home feed and city guides to fully showcase their world-class offerings in the best way possible to travelers around the world. Before we jump to the next point, it must be mentioned that data prices on international roaming can get out of hand so any good travel app must have offline support. For accessing maps or contacting the app team, offline support is indispensable for travel and especially when the phone has to be switched on to Airplane Mode.

Exceptional content.

What’s the point if the app doesn’t offer anything of substance that luxury lifestyle lovers can actually get their hands on? For the WKNDTRP app there will always be City Guides for users to flip through and also contribute to through our Add Venue option. The app’s service goes beyond the individual website booking links for each of the venues in our collection. WKNDTRP is predefined to make luxury oriented bookings directly from the app - scenic rooms, breakfast selection, spa package signups and more. These are all curated suggestions based on world-class ratings, world-class certifications and stellar traveler reviews. The users will soon have the chance to buy mini city guides curated by travelers around the world whom we have handpicked for our upcoming Ambassadors network. For right now however, you can access our free collection of guides meticulously curated by us according to a pre-defined set of criteria for luxury travel. Luxury has gone from opulence to connection. A luxury traveler will want to collect their memories, share them and connect with others. Our on-brand trip planner makes the most of our automatic venue matching based on profile activity and preferences but it is also an itinerary tracker and Skyscanner flight booker. You can also get a rundown of the city’s culture, language, weather etc. in the City Info section of every single one of our Guides so that you’re more prepped for your trip!

Premium limited access content.

The WKNDTRP Ambassador program will be an opportunity for users to receive access to limited city guide collections if they are actively using WKNDTRP in their travels and sharing the app with others. Users can unlock City Guides to special destinations not available in the free version. Luxury travel is all about creating that exclusivity which sets the traveler apart from the rest given that the expectations of private access travel benefits matches the high price point. Having a premium collection reflects well on the brand because it creates excitement to unlock these VIP experiences and advantages which you cannot have access to elsewhere.

Personalized services & VIP access.

A travel app should ideally give you the option of building your own custom travel itinerary and WKNDTRP has a special tab in main menu especially for this titled “Trips”. It becomes so easy to flip through destination suggestions and pick dates, times and activities for that perfect weekend. Speaking of VIP privileges, a luxury travel app should ideally provide more than just the same venues as other travel apps do. It must push past the standard places to include some of the more elite and private events, clubs and venues (for example private horse racing, gentlemen’s clubs, invite-only cocktail parties etc.) so that users choose the app to make it to the guestlist even if that means paying a pretty penny to get inside the door. Luxury travelers are ready to pay for such experiences and if an app partners with these elite events it will be a worthy move taking the app aboard your private yacht or festival jaunt. The choice is theirs. But the WKNDTRP app also attempts to make your trip as bespoke as possible through our auto suggestions for venues based on your preferences (your loves, your bookmarks, your live location).

Up-to-date on venues, new releases and bug fixes

As a luxury travel app, there is simply no room for leaving out the most basic features of any travel app. Such travel apps on the market today do come at a price - the expectation is that the services the app offers are more than just the average listings of venues, offline maps and the like. This is the reason why HD multimedia content, backend functionality, UX & UI design including security are so important. The team at WKNDTRP is dedicated to rolling out bug fixes and new releases in a timely manner and as swiftly as possible so that users can have a smooth comfortable experience using the app whenever they need to book a trip. We currently have City Guides for 42 getaways around the world and are hoping to roll out a new one this month. Check out our latest City Guide for VENICE in the WKNDTRP app today!

We’d love to have you exclusively use WKNDTRP for your travels but we feel 4 of the best travel apps in the world deserve a mention as well!