APPetizers: mTrip Genius from mTrip.com

With mTrip, you can build an itinerary; get hotel, restaurant or activity suggestions; use offline maps; send postcards, and more.

The automated itinerary planner, called mTrip Genius, is a fun way to get started with this app's many features. Just tell it when you will be traveling, the types of attractions you want to visit and the pace at which you'd like to go, and it will generate an itinerary for you. The map will give you directions between stops, whether you're walking or taking the subway.

But be ready to spend a fair amount of time if you manually craft your ideal trip itinerary. We recommend using this app before your trip so you can keep your head in real-time travel experiences.

Worth it? Yes, if you want to geek out on trip planning and get travel activity options for cities that you don't know well. No, if you're just buying it to send a postcard or if you already know a city well.

AVAILABLE FOR iPhone, Android, $6

DESCRIPTION Planning and info for more than 20 cities around the world

BOTTOM LINE Worth it if you want to geek out on vacation planning