8 Road Trip Apps That are Game Changers

While I’m getting ready for our next big road trip I thought I’d share a little about my favorite road trip apps, helpful planning tips, and tools. In this technology age, there are so many helpful travel planning tools that will save you time and headaches. These eight apps are game changers as far as I’m concerned and definitely worth a try to see how helpful and valuable they are.

Have you had a chance to read about my 2-month cross-country road trip? If not, learn about it here, and come along on the journey. I’m also working on a detailed travel planning book that will give you step-by-step instructions on how to plan a road trip from start to finish. If you want to be the first to hear about that and other insider travel tips, sign up for my email newsletter here.

Let’s start from the beginning of the planning process, after you’ve decided where you want to go and for how long.

Start with Creating an Itinerary

I’m a bit old school with this, but the most important step in planning any road trip is to create an itinerary. I don’t feel the need to do this for a weekend trip, but generally, anything that will be a week or more.

Yes, I’m one of those people. In the past, I was an event planner, project planner, and executive assistant overseeing all kinds of details. I’m a visual person, and I know I can’t keep it all in my head. This is my safety net and really takes the stress off of trying to remember everything I want to see and do.

My Favorite Road Trip Apps

I have a few longtime favorite travel apps that I use in town and on the road. I’m sure there are many others out there that I need to explore, but these have served me well so far in my road trip planning.

Roadtrippers App

Critical details are saved online on Roadtrippers, my favorite road trip app and often downloaded to paper (in the event that my phone or laptop is broken, if I don’t have cell service or whatever). Have you ever been on a trip and dropped your phone damaging it beyond repair? I have. My printed itinerary has been a lifesaver many times.

One of the best road trip apps I’ve found is Roadtrippers. I do much of my initial planning on my laptop on the Roadtrippers app. It’s good to start as far in advance as possible. I do all the research on destinations, points of interest, and timing. I can search for places to see, unique attractions, parks and nature, etc. in the app. I gather all the information and add critical details to my itinerary. It’s perfect for estimating travel times and alternate routes as well as finding fun places to stop along the way.

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This handy tool can help you create your trip itinerary with suggestions for interesting stops, places to eat, campgrounds, RV sites, and so much more. It even allows you to collaborate with friends. For more details about features and plans, I wrote a full post on 12 Reasons Why You Need the Roadtrippers App here.

Gas Buddy

If you’re using Roadtrippers, you won’t have trouble finding gas stations, but that app doesn’t tell you what the prices are. If you’re really trying to stay on a budget the Gas Buddy road trip app can be a great help in finding which gas stations have the lowest prices nearby. If you have the app you can also update fuel prices if they’re wrong on the app, so other Gas Buddy users can get the most updated information. Prices can change by the hour, so I try to do this when I’m traveling because I realize what a great help it is to me when others do it.

It’s also helpful when you’re in rural areas where stations are few and far between. Sometimes when you’re on a highway it’s hard to know which turn-offs have what you need, so Gas Buddy can help you find those hard-to-find stations. There are also other features and rewards that I haven’t used yet. This road trip app is worth checking out even if you just want to find the best fuel prices when you’re on the road.

Booking.com Hotel App

If you’re looking for unique accommodations and great deals then this app is for you. Even if you’re the kind of traveler who waits to book your lodging when you’re on the road, the Booking.com hotel and road trip app is the perfect tool in your hands. The links here will take you to their “Deals” page to get the best discounts available right now.

This popular app is available in 43 languages and offers more than 28 million accommodations listings. Lodging options include unique luxury resorts, homes, apartments, cabins, hostels, guest houses, villas, and other unique places to stay. 24/7 customer service is always available. This page shows the wide variety of lodging styles available – even glamping sites. Take it for a spin to see what cool places you can find for your next trip.

SpotHero Parking App

You may not use this road trip app on every journey, but it’s wonderful when you’re going to be in a big city, going to an airport, or where free parking is scarce. The great thing is that you can check prices for the area, and then reserve space well in advance.

You can pay for a spot in a specific parking garage or lot on the date and time of your choosing through the app. Then it’s all set when you get there. You just show the attendant your reservation on your smartphone and you know there will be a spot reserved for you. I’ve used it a bunch in Washington DC. and cities on the East Coast. I’ve used it in Phoenix too, for event parking.

The cool thing is that if you live in or near a city, you can also use SpotHero on a regular basis. You can reserve airport parking, event parking at stadiums and arenas, and even monthly parking in some areas.

The Weather Channel App

Road trip apps for the weather are great for planning what kind of clothes to pack in advance. They’re also good for getting a bit of an overview of your daily drive. You can find hourly forecasts or long-term forecasts. Storm and other emergency alerts are helpful too. Especially if you’re traveling through tornado or hurricane country. I’ve even seen information about wildfires and flooding on this free road trip app.

I love using The Weather Channel app every single day, but especially when we’re traveling. Sometimes we change our plans from an outdoor activity to an indoor one based on the forecast. I love the radar weather maps so I can see exactly where the rain or snow will be at a certain hour. It’s pretty accurate for hourly planning, but weather can change unexpectedly so don’t count on it 100%.

Viator Tours, Attractions and Experiences

Viator is so helpful as the best road trip app for booking attractions, tours, day trips, cruises, classes, workshops, and so much more. You can even rent electric bikes and download self-driving audio tours for your next destination. If you don’t feel like driving for a while you may even be able to book transportation between two places. They offer limousine transfers and shuttle services. Click on the image below and enter your destination and dates to see what kind of experiences and services are available on your next road trip.

These are just some of the criteria you can use to search on Viator for the destinations along your route.

• Same-day adventures are sometimes available or you can book ahead and pay later
• Experiences lasting less than 1 hour to 3 days or more
• Choose the time of day you prefer for your activity
• Sort by price range
• Sort by rating
• Choose public or private tours
• Find different modes of transportation – walking tours, segways, horseback riding, hot air balloons, bikes, ATVs, hikes, kayaks, vans, trains, helicopters, and private planes. Whatever you can imagine!
• Find themed activities like nature and wildlife, history, haunted, on the water, culinary adventures, wine, beer, or other adult beverages, and seasonal and holiday fun.
• Choose an experience that guarantees free cancellation if you change your mind
• Search for photo shoots – what a fun activity to commemorate your trip!
• Find rail transfers and transportation services with buses, shuttles, or private drivers

Tripadvisor

I’ve been a fan of Tripadvisor for a long time! It’s so easy to find unique places to eat anywhere in the world with a few taps on the site, whether you’re on your mobile or laptop. I post photos and write reviews there all the time for places I’ve eaten to help out fellow travelers.

I don’t know about you, but one of my basic rules for road trips is to avoid chain restaurants. Why eat at a place you can find at home when there are so many local small business restaurants to support and experience? You can see my photos and reviews on my profile @GoWithPurpose.

TripAdvisor also publishes an annual list of Travelers’ Choice “Best of the Best Restaurants” from around the world. These are the places that consistently received the very best ratings from travelers in the previous year. They’re the top 1% of restaurants on TripAdvisor. You can choose to view it by country or the world. If you love trying top restaurants, this could be the perfect list to see if there are special places along your route. The list includes categories for: Fine Dining, Date Nights, Everyday Eats, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly, Quick Bites, and Vegetarian cuisine. Have fun exploring the foodie world!

“Where is Public Toilet” App

If you’re using the Roadtripper app you’ll be able to find public restrooms at gas stations and rest areas, but that road trip app doesn’t list every public toilet if you’re walking around in a big city for example. The free “Where is Public Toilet” app claims to have more than 280,000 listings worldwide. When you install it you can choose from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, or Oceania databases. You can also download the worldwide data if you’re a world traveler.

“Where is Public Toilet” app is available for free on Google Playstore and allows you to search with criteria like distance from your location, accessibility, baby changing facility, sharps disposal, payment required, etc. You can also add a toilet location if you find one that’s not on the map. It’s a kind service to other folks who are looking later. I wish I had this app when we were in England. There were a few times when it took a while to find a public restroom and most everyone we found charged money to go in.

The Apple Store has a similar app called “Flush Toilet Finder & Map“

Other Essential Road Trip Planning Tips

My Best Road Trip Tips for USA Road Trips

How to Avoid Road Trip Planning Disasters

Cross-Country Road Trip Songs and Artists