Summer travel apps for Android (pictures)

Whether you're traveling to a nearby city or heading abroad, chances are you'll need some help making the most of your trip. With that in mind, check out these eight Android apps, which should make everything from planning to shopping to finding Wi-Fi just a little bit easier.

Hipmunk (free) offers a new take on travel search. When you look for a flight, the app returns results on a timeline, rather than in a boring list form. This makes it easier to compare several factors (price, departure time, Wi-Fi availability) all at once, and in a quick glance. What's more, Hipmunk can sort results according to how agonizing it thinks an itinerary might be.

If you're not into Hipmunk's more-visual search results, Skyscanner (free) offers some incredibly powerful flight search capabilities. Sure, it presents its search results in a tired list form, but it more than makes up for it by pinging more than 1,000 different airlines and travel agents for itineraries.

Technically, Google Now is part of the preinstalled Google Search app on all Android devices running Jelly Bean 4.1 or above. And it's a good thing because it is useful, especially when it comes to travel. Whether you like it or not, Google Now will remind you of your upcoming flight and even give you the flight's status leading up to boarding. The app will also understand when you get to your destination and give you relevant information like weather forecasts and suggested sights to see. The beauty of Google Now is that it offers a completely passive experience, so you don't even need to search for or input anything.

Everyone knows how important Google Maps (also preinstalled on Android devices) is when it comes to daily commuting, let alone out-of-town traveling. But what many might not know is that the app even offers indoor maps of airports around the world. It lets you see shops and restaurants, and even gives you views of the different floors. With Google Maps on your device, you should never have trouble finding your terminal.

TripAdvisor (free) offers convenient comprehensive guides for cities around the world. All you have to do is search for the appropriate city guide on Google Play and download it before hand. Once you do, you'll have reviews, recommendations, restaurants, hotels, comprehensive maps, and more all available at your fingertips. And the best part is that you can browse the city guides even with out an active data connection, which is perfect for anyone who might be traveling abroad.

Yelp (free) is, hands down, the go-to app for local reviews of restaurants and other retail businesses. If you're traveling somewhere new, then I can't recommend it highly enough. Its star ratings make it simple to find restaurants and shops that locals and other visitors enjoy, which reduces the chances of you wasting your time stumbling into any disappointing establishments.

Google Translate (free) is a dead-simple app that can translate between more than 60 different languages. Its interface is clean and it can handle a number of different inputs including text, voice, and even photo, thanks to built-in OCR (optical character recognition) technology. But what makes Google Translate even better than its competitors is that it now lets you download entire language dictionaries so you can use its translation powers while offline.

Wi-Fi Finder (free) is as a simple as its name suggests. Just fire it up, and let it tell you where the nearest Wi-Fi hot spots are. It even rates their strength and pinpoints them on a map. Whether you're traveling domestically or abroad, the benefits of this app can't be overstated.