Seven criteria + an honest comparison

Holiday planner app: what to look for

Most people do not plan a holiday in an app but in a group chat, an inbox and someone’s notes. That works — until there are more than two of you. Here is where a holiday planner app genuinely helps, and where it is unnecessary.

What does a holiday planner app actually do?

A holiday or trip planner app is not a booking site. It does not sell you tickets or find hotels. What it does is hold the loose ends of one trip together: the day plan, the packing list, the booking confirmations, the agreements about money — and make them visible to everyone coming along.

That sounds modest, but it is exactly where things break. You book once; keeping track of who brings what and who paid for what runs for weeks.

Seven things to check

Run through these before picking a holiday app. The first three matter most.

  1. Can you use it together? A planner that only lives on your phone just moves the problem. Check whether you can invite people without them needing a subscription, and whether they can add things rather than only read along.
  2. Does it work offline? You need your boarding pass, address and packing list precisely where there is no signal: on the plane, on a campsite, in the mountains. An app that fetches everything live is useless exactly then.
  3. Does your packing list survive to next time? If every trip starts from scratch, you will stop using it after two holidays. Look for templates or the option to copy an old list.
  4. Can you record who brings what? A list without an owner per item does not solve double-packing. This is the difference between a checklist and a shared packing list. Mainly after that? See packing list app: what to look for.
  5. Does it handle costs too? Tracking who paid what belongs to the same trip. Two separate apps means half the group will only use one of them. See splitting holiday costs for the methods and when someone counts for less.
  6. What happens to your data? Travel data is sensitive: addresses, the dates your house is empty, who is coming. Check where data is stored, whether you are tracked, and whether you can delete your account.
  7. Subscription or one-off? You use a holiday planner intensively for a few weeks a year. A monthly subscription fits that badly; a one-off purchase or a usable free tier usually fits better.

Group chat, notes or a holiday planner app?

An honest comparison with how people do it today.

Group chatNotes or spreadsheetHoliday planner app
Everyone sees the same thingOnly if they scroll backOnly if you share itYes, always current
Finding it two weeks laterNearly impossibleReasonableYes
Who brings whatScattered messagesManual upkeepRecorded per item
Available offlinePartlyUsuallyYes
Settling costsPayment screenshotsSeparate tabBuilt in
Reusing next tripNoCopy and clean upTemplate or copy
Barrier for everyone elseNoneLowInstalling an app

What PAKT does

PAKT is a holiday planner for families and groups. You create a trip, invite your travel party and fill in the packing list, schedule, trip info and costs together.

Each packing list item records who brings it. What is packed is visible immediately. Your list is kept, so the next holiday does not start from zero. And everything works offline: you need your list and address exactly where there is no signal.

Download PAKT
PAKT holiday planner app — shared packing list showing who brings what

What PAKT does not do

PAKT books nothing. There are no flights, hotels or rental cars in it, and no price comparison. You book the way you always have and put the confirmation into PAKT afterwards.

It is not a travel guide either: no sights, no restaurant recommendations. And it is not a business travel tool — the app is built around families, friends and groups going away together.

PAKT is on the App Store and on Google Play, so it does not matter who in the group carries an iPhone and who carries an Android phone. No tracking, no ads. Core features are free; PAKT Pro is a one-off purchase, not a subscription.

Step by step How to plan a holiday Six months out through to the final week. Together Planning a holiday together Agreements per situation: partner, family or friends. Packing list Complete holiday packing list The universal base list by category, free to check off.

Try it on your next holiday

Create your trip in PAKT, invite your travel party and keep packing list, schedule and costs in one place. Core features are free.

Download PAKT

Frequently asked questions

What is the best holiday planner app?

It depends who you travel with. Alone or as a couple, a notes app often does the job. With a family or group, what matters most is that everyone can work in the same schedule and packing list, that it works offline, and that lists are kept for next time. Judge apps on those three points before looking at features.

Is there a free holiday planner app?

PAKT’s core features are free: creating a trip together, building and ticking off a shared packing list, keeping a schedule and splitting costs, on iPhone and on Android. PAKT Pro is a one-off €14,99 purchase — not a subscription — adding custom templates, unlimited history and household features.

What is the difference between a holiday planner and a booking site?

A booking site sells you transport and accommodation. A holiday planner app helps with everything around it: the day plan, the packing list, who brings what, where the confirmations are and who paid. They complement each other.

Does a holiday planner app work without internet?

PAKT does. Your packing list, schedule and trip info are available offline and changes sync once you reconnect. That matters more than it sounds: on a plane, a campsite or in the mountains is exactly when you need it.

Can my whole family or friend group join?

Yes. You invite your travel party to the trip and everyone works in the same lists. Each packing list item records who brings it, and everyone logs their own expenses.