Since your iPhone is probably your constant companion, it makes sense to take it with you on the road whether you're planning a day trip, a weekend away, a city break abroad, or something more substantial. Many of the apps in the travel category are free as well - but that doesn't mean they aren't worth having. Get your hat and coat and come with us...

APP OF THE MONTH: California Essential Guide
PRICE: £2.99 inc. VAT
RATING: 5/5
Media-rich electronic guide to over 200 destinations in - probably - sunny California, hosted by the cheery, apple-cheeked Veronica Hill and lavishly illustrated with photographs and video clips (these are on YouTube, so you'll need at least a decent 3G connection).

The Eseential Guide's initial screen lets you browse everything as an alphabetical list, but there are plenty of filters you can apply here so you only see for example, amusement parks or museums or beaches or RV parks, day trips (it takes these from your current location) ghost towns, guided tours, outdoors, pet-friendly attractions and so on; after that you can sort results by distance, cost or geographical region. Don't want to use the list?

The offline map view works well, as does the photo browser - we particularly like the thumbnail view where photos aren't captioned, because your eye is drawn to what's interesting without actually knowing what it is. Individual entries are packed with useful information and live links for calling ahead or visiting relevant web sites but while you can recommend attractions to friends via email there's no support for Twitter or Facebook. That said, Veronica pops up all over the app with up-to-date information and advice and this is a great way to get a sense of what California has to offer.

National Trust
PRICE: £FREE
RATING: 4/5
A directory of National Trust-run properties, attractions and events in England and Wales that's been well designed to work on the iPhone. There's a map-based view which shows places to visit based on your current location, or you can just mosey round the map with your finger; multiple locations are indicated with purple pushpins - zooming in reveals individual points of interest.

Each entry includes lavish photos, address, opening times, prices, facilities, access and directions as well as tappable phone and e-mail details. You can build a favourites list of places to visit and there's a neat What's On feature which lets you choose a location, then search for upcoming events anywhere in a 10 to 40 mile radius that are happening today, tomorrow, this weekend, in the next month and so on.

Fun to browse, useful and accurate, this is brilliant for members and non-members of the National Trust alike who want to plan days out in some of the country's most beautiful locations.

mTrip London
PRICE: £3.99 inc. VAT
RATING: 4/5
All-in-one trip, sightseeing and accommodation planner for the iPhone, part of a series of city guides that sets high standards. Pick your start and end dates, choose a hotel, book it online if the rooms are available and after that, plan your itinerary by browsing through the guide which lists attractions, restaurants, hotels, bars & nightlife, shops and more and then adding them to specific days, either in the morning or afternoon.

Alternatively, let mTrip do the heavy lifting and use the 'Genius' feature to pick excursions for you, based on your preference for museums, monuments, parks and places of religious interest; set your pace and choose between top attractions that everyone wants to see and alternative ones which are more off the beaten track and the app will generate an itinerary for you, starting at your hotel.

Parts of the interface aren't as slick as they could be - the landscape cover view is very sensitive , the tube map is hard to read, and some of the general info text is unconvincing - but overall this is an excellent guide to England's capital city.

Tags: tourism places of interest guide travel map iphone app