5 Fantastic Road Trip Apps for Savvy Travelers
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5 Fantastic Road Trip Apps for Savvy Travelers
It is hard to believe that summer is almost here. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas. But it is almost here, and you know what that means? Big, bright sunshine and warm air tickling your face.
My favorite thing to do when the weather turns warm is plan a road trip. There is just something so freeing about hitting the open road, rolling down the windows, and turning on the tunes. Road trips provide lots of family time. And, give your family the opportunity to enjoy nature along the way.
A little bit of planning can help make your family’s road trip a fun an exciting adventure for everyone. Below are some awesome road trip apps that will make your road trip easier.
5 Fantastic Road Trip Apps for Savvy Travelers
1. GasBuddy
GasBuddy helps you find the most inexpensive gas on your route. Sometimes you can save as much as four cents a gallon. GasBuddy relies on users to help them find the cheapest gas. So they reward points for updating the gas prices in their areas. Those points can then be redeemed for prizes such as free gas and other fun stuff. Not only will you save money, but if you update the gas prices in your area you may win some cool prizes.
2. TollSmart
There are a lot of expenses when taking a road trip. One of the most aggravating is tolls. Two dollars here, four dollars there can really add up if you are traveling a long distance and bust your budget before arriving. With TollSmart you can look up toll prices on your route. It also includes support for a variety of transponder-based systems like EZPass. That way you can budget the tolls before you even leave the house.
3. RoadTrippers
This is one of my favorite apps to use when taking a road trip. You can find restaurants, hotels, national parks, roadside attractions, etc. on the way to your destination. Users can plan out trips in the app or its web portal, saving locations and stops into a trip plan which can be synced across multiple devices for easy reference. If you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of person this may not be the app for you. But if you like to know in advance when you are going to stop, what you are going to eat and see on the way, this app is perfect!
4. Spotify
You can’t take a road trip without some killer tunes to listen to on the way. Spotify has a free and pro plan that will keep the tunes coming. You can even add lists so you can tailor your music for the trip. We have several of these including rocking tunes to keep everyone upbeat and soft tunes to put the kids to sleep. Spotify has thousands of artists based on genres, so no matter what type of music you love, you will be able to make the perfect playlist.
5. Google Maps
When you are driving in an unknown area, Google Maps will become your best friend. Through the audio navigation, Google Maps will direct you to where you need to be. Google Maps is very user-friendly. Just enter your current destination and then the destination you want to go. The navigation will guide you there using the best route possible. Also, it will let you know if there are any tolls or heavy traffic, and when you should reach your destination. I am not sure how we ever lived without it!
BONUS APP:
Journi
I am adding this app as a bonus because it won’t help make your road trip easier per se, but it will help you journal all of your memories easier. This app was actually voted the best travel app on Apple. That is a HUGE accomplishment when you think about how many thousands of travel apps there are on Apple.
With the Journi app you can “blog” your memories by using images on your mobile phone. You can add text and map navigation. The best part is you can share your journey with your family and friends. You can even use it while offline, which is great if you are in an area where internet/cell phone service is not readily available.
Not only is this great for family vacations but it can also be used to record memories from family reunions, births, weddings, and other amazing events. Another really cool thing? Your “journi” could be featured on their blog.
What are your favorite road trip apps? Share them with us!
We use Gas Buddy all the time! It is a great travel app. We are leaving for vacation in a week, so I’ll be downloading the Road Tripper and the Journi apps. I love to plan and make notes to remember special things about our trips.