28 Jul 12 Best Apps for a USA Road Trip
Road trips have changed since the days of having a massive map sprawled out over your car. In the world of smartphones, there are so many more resources at the tips of our fingers, and not just maps. There are apps for USA road trips to make the planning as efficient as possible, the long drives more bearable, and the experiences even more fun. Back in 2018, I took a 3-month road trip around the United States, and these apps were a game-changer to my trip. Fast forward to now in 2020, the year of road trips (courtesy of coronavirus), these apps for road trips, especially in the United States, are even more useful and essential for the road nomad.
Gasbuddy is an app that helps you find the cheapest gas station, saving you some money. It’s incredibly useful when you may be tempted to pull over to the closest station, but then the app tells you of much cheaper gas only a few miles away. If you’re a budget traveler or on a long term road trip, even a gas station selling for a few cents cheaper, in the end, makes a big difference.
Roadtrippers is an app that helps you discover all sorts of places from national parks, scenic viewpoints, local diners, to unique attractions. It can be used either in the free version or on a subscription basis. The subscription allows you to actually plan and pinpoint your whole road trip while the free version helps you plan on the go. For example, you will be shown places nearby you, or you can manually search a location and guides will be available. The difference is you cannot map out a whole trip. However, I always found the free version was more than sufficient to discover cool places, and I prefer to map out the details of my road trip on my own anyway!
Having a music and podcast app is essential to a road trip so that the drive is more enjoyable. A radio will not cut it because you’ll go insane from hearing the same songs, and in my opinion Apple Music won’t either. From someone who’s used both (Apple Music and Spotify), Spotify definitely has superior playlists and constantly recommends new content for you. Especially on a long road trip, that makes all the difference because even your favorites might start driving you crazy.
Tip #1:
Depending on where you’re driving, you might not always have service. I suggest always downloading a few playlists and podcasts just in case because driving in silence or to a fuzzy radio sucks.
Tip #2:
Even if you’re “not a podcast person” I would encourage you to have an open mind and find one that suits your interests because when driving for several hours sometimes music is not entertaining enough.
If you’re on a USA road trip, chances are you plan to do some hiking and exploring of national or state parks. With the app AllTrails you can discover trails by searching specific destinations or by using your location to see what’s nearby. All Trails will tell you everything you need to know about trails such as the difficulty, if they’re kid friendly, pet friendly, how many viewpoints there are, and provide photos, etc. And if you have an Apple watch you can keep track of your hiking progress!
While I admittedly use Google Maps for normal navigation, the app Maps.Me is a great backup to have especially when driving through the middle of nowhere. Deep into the country where you might not have service, Maps.Me has you covered. On the app, you can download maps so that you can access them without using data. And the maps do not just provide road coverage, they name every single place in the area and can give you both directions and guides.
iExit is an app that lets you know what’s up ahead. We’ve all been on those never-ending highways, waiting for the right stop to use the bathroom, grab some food, or fill up the gas tank. Even better than the green sign is the iExit app that allows you to search exits to determine where is the best place for you to stop.
The Dyrt app helps you find tent camping, RV camping, cabins, and glamping spots across the U.S. It has over 500,000 locations, gives details of the locations, and provides reviews. This app is incredibly useful for both planning ahead and last minute moves.
Pinterest is my number one way to find experiences and activities no matter the type of trip. When I mapped out my 3 month USA road trip, Pinterest is where I found the majority of my stops on the itinerary!
Groupon is great for finding experiences when you stop in cities along a road trip. If you’re a budget traveler, you probably consider cities the most expensive stops. But with browsing Groupon, sometimes it’s possible to find experiences you already had planned for cheaper.
Even as a kid, listening to books in the car was my family’s thing. Now as an adult, nothing has changed and in my opinion, listening to a book is the best way to stay entertained during a long car ride. And Audible makes it so easy. It has the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, and it’s possible to download them so you can always listen.
Bonus Apps
Below are listed apps that get an honorable mention. I either use them and love them but they’re not for everyone OR they overlap with some of the uses for apps I’ve already mentioned OR I’ve never used them but I found them with some research and they seem pretty cool!
Google Docs and Google Sheets
I use both Google Docs and Google Sheets to create my own personalized itineraries for all trips, including road trips.
Packr
This app helps you pack based on the type of trip, activities you’re doing, length of trip, and weather.
Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is an app and website that connects travelers and locals. You can use the community to meet up with someone or even stay with a host for free.
National Park Trail Guide
This app provides guide, details, and reviews of all hikes within each national park.
Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is an RV rental app.
Camping Apps :
Recreation.gov
This app helps to find camp sites in all federal areas including national parks, state parks, etc.
Campendium
App created by campers that helps find campsites including more popular ones to completely remote ones, searching in all areas both federal and free dispersed camping.
Hipcamp
This app is for finding camping and glamping spots, but most popular for its boutique glamping. It’s perfect for finding unique stays.
RV Parks and Campgrounds
If you’re traveling with an RV, this app was made for you to find places to stay.
Harvest Hosts
This app offers unique RV camping at wineries, breweries, farms, museums, and more.
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Arfan
Posted at 03:24h, 05 JanuaryThanks a ton for sharing these awesome safety tips! Your post is like a travel buddy, guiding us through the must-knows for a safe adventure. I love how you make things simple, highlighting the prep and being aware of our surroundings – things we might forget in the excitement!
Regards: Westchester County Limousine NY