GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- It's as important as packing your suitcase with the right clothing these days; you must pack your smartphone with the right  travel apps.

We checked out a few of the more popular apps making their way onto some smartphones as people venture around the country.

Nina Willdorf of Travelocity was our travel expert for this story. She says having the right apps on your phone helps you travel smarter, cheaper and easier all around.

She starts with one from toilet tissue maker "Charmin."

It's called Sit or Squat and it helps you find the best public restrooms.

"Basically it rates them as good which is ones that you can "sit" in or ones that you would squat," said Willdorf

She says it's also smart to have the app from the restaurant rating service Zagat.

"So what you can do is filter it by the type of food you want, the type setting you want, the neighborhood you're in."

Next up, the GasBuddy app which made the list for its obvious benefits for anyone who travels by car.

And for those who want to stay in touch with the folks back home there's the Skype app.

"You can use video, you can just use it by phone. But if they have the app and you have the app, there will be no charges whatsoever if you're on wi-fi."

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