5 (free!) apps to keep that travel budgeting as smooth as your vacations

Traveling can be expensive. Booking flights, rental cars, hotel rooms and excursions adds up quickly. These five free apps help you keep track of spending and stay within budget. That way, you can plan an amazing trip without gasping in shock when you see the final bill.

Goodbudget

This app "stands out" as a "digital version of the 'cash stuffing' method," letting you put funds into up to 20 different virtual envelopes for free, CNBC said. Designate one envelope as a travel fund and start saving. Goodbudget can be used by anyone, but it is especially helpful for those looking to "save for big goals that matter to them."

Hopper

Think of Hopper as your crystal ball. It tracks the prices of flights and "gives you clear advice on the best time to buy," along with intel on when fares might go up, said PCMag. One way this "valuable" app keeps you apprised is through notifications that prices have gone down. So have your phone close at hand when preparing to purchase tickets.

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Trabee Pocket

Trabee Pocket doubles as a budgeting tool and expense tracker, helping users stay inside their guardrails. Set a budget before your trip, then enter expenses along the way. The app shows how much you have spent in different categories (food, transportation, admissions, etc.) and how much money is left. You can also customize the categories and set up exchange rates for multiple currencies.

TravelSpend

What can't TravelSpend do? The user-friendly app categorizes expenses, plus automatically converts foreign currencies, splits checks, maps where you spent money and works offline. It is a seamless experience, and analytical minds will appreciate how detailed the data gets.

Tricount

When traveling in a bigger group, it's often easier to have one person put their card down and have everyone else pay them back. With Tricount, you input the amount spent, and the app "calculates shared costs and splits bills." No need to "think twice about who owes what," said The Points Guy. When your vacation is over, Tricount shows the balances due, "making it easy to settle up."