23 road tripping apps for the family
If you’re a seasoned road tripper, you know that things can get a little unpredictable. You might be circling around trying to find dinner for the family or stuck in a remote town because your hotel reservation was never confirmed. There are a lot of what ifs on the road, not to mention, boredom. Here’s a list of some helpful apps that will make your trip a breeze.
FOOD
TV Food Maps
If you love the Travel Channel and Food Network or have watched every episode of every Anthony Bourdain show made, like me, this app is for you! It shows you restaurants featured on popular tv shows, so you can plan your road trip around it or just see if there are any in the area. You can search by location, show, celebrity chef or specific dishes. I mean, how cool is that?
Foodspotting
This app is great for people seeking out a specific dish. Road trips can sometimes be a gamble, food-wise. You might find a place that looks enticing, only to find out they have nothing you'd like to eat. Foodspotting shows you photos of the dishes, user reviews, and where to find them. The app is very visual, so you can browse through mouthwatering photos and find the ones for you. You can also discover and follow friends and food enthusiasts.
Food Tripping
Food Tripping allows you to find healthy, sustainable, and locally sourced food options while on the road. It can find you things like farmer's markets, organic coffee shops, and health food stores. Filter options include vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, or specific food categories like juice bars, bakeries, or sustainable seafood.
NAVIGATION
Maps.me
I used this app while traveling in Cuba. It allows you to download maps from all over the world to access them offline. You don't always have the best service while on the road, and you never know when it'll cut out or your GPS will suddenly get confused and stop working. Maps.me is so helpful in these circumstances. I suggest downloading the maps you might need if you're heading to a remote location and aren't quite sure how well your cell service will work. Stay safe and always have an exit route!
Waze
This is a popular one that you've likely already heard of or used. It's a community-based navigation system showing you real-time traffic updates, accidents, and police alerts. Use this app with caution because it does ask you to contribute while driving. Basically, it asks if the car reported by other users is still broken down on the side of the road or if the cop just ahead is still there. Have your passenger respond or ignore the prompts altogether to stay safe.
PETS
BringFido
If you've read any of my blog, you know my family takes our Great Dane, Lars, along with us on basically every trip. This is not always easy and I'm sad to say we've been stuck a couple of times without any knowledge of where we can take him. This includes restaurants, cafes, accommodations, and just about everything else. Well, I wish I knew about BringFido back then because it solves all of that. The app shows you pet-friendly places, rest stops, activities, etc. taking the headache out of your whole family road trip.
ACCOMMODATIONS
HotelTonight
Road trips can be very unpredictable, and HotelTonight helps with this. If you prefer to book accommodations on the go, this app offers last-minute deals on hotels in various locations which is useful if you decide to make spontaneous changes to your itinerary.
Roomer
This app is particularly helpful when you've been driving all day and just can't bare it anymore. It allows you to both sell your already paid-for hotel to someone else and search others who can't make their own reservations. Whoever thought up this app is pretty amazing as I know we've all been in that situation where we're out of luck and losing money on reservations we're not able to make.
The Dyrt
This app is for campers, RVers, and people looking for more rugged, budget-friendly accommodations. It shows you campsites, glamping sites, RV parks, etc. It also shows you where to find free, dispersed camping on public lands. One of the coolest features of this app is that is works offline as well, so you'll still be able to access campsite information if you're in a remote area.
Hipcamp
This is the app I think I use most on the road and have been for years. I like to describe it as Airbnb for campsites. It's extremely cool and has some great options for all kinds of different categories, such as campsites, Rvs, and even instant booking. The thing I enjoy most about it is it's a very visual platform. When you search through sites, you're not only seeing the photos taken by site owners but actual photographers that have stayed there. This is because of a program they have called Hipcamp Photographers which I'm actually a part of. The way it works is if you're a photographer, you can apply and find accommodations that are free for one night if you follow their guidelines and upload photos after your stay. This has saved me a lot of money on various road trips!
If you have a piece of land or lodging you can offer to campers, you can also sign up to be a host here!
DRIVING ENTERTAINMENT
Tune In Radio
Driving can get boring after days of playing your go-to playlists. Tune In Radio allows you to listen to radio stations from all over the world which can be an interesting, even educational experience. It also has audiobooks and podcasts.
HearPlanet
HearPlanet offers audio guides from around the world so your family can learn about these locations as you drive through them.
Field Trip
This app serves as a virtual tour guide for whatever area you're in. It offers interesting facts about history, food, arts, and culture, and the audio feature will continue playing if you need to access your phone for something else, such as GPS.
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ACTIVITIES
Gogobot
Gogobot will show you interesting places to eat and stay as well as activities in your area. Users can upload photos from their experience, and you can see what you're getting into before committing.
AllTrails
This is for the hikers. AllTrails finds and describes different hiking trails in your area. You can search based on location, difficulty ratings, length, elevation gain, estimated time, and user reviews. Users can also submit photos of the trails to give you a better idea of what you're getting into. It also has an offline feature to access trail maps and information in remote settings.
Seek by iNaturalist
This app could be fun to do with the kids as it uses image recognition to identify wildlife, plants, and fungi. Very cool activity to do while on your hikes!
The Outbound
This one finds you all kinds of outdoor activities. You can find adventures in your area, camping, and hikes. The pro version also lets you download offline maps and save road trip routes.
Merlin Bird ID
This one's for the bird nerds. It identifies birds based on the info you put in, such as size, environment, and color. What's really cool is it plays bird sounds and shows you photos of potential options to help identify them, yourself.
Sky Guide
This could be a fun app to use while camping. It uses AR to provide an interactive experience of the constellations. It identifies stars and planets when you hold your phone up to the sky. Some of the features include an interactive sky map and time-lapse animations.
REST STOPS
IExit
We all know those attraction signs for each hit off the highway aren't always accurate. iExit helps you plan your stops by providing information about upcoming exits, including gas stations, restaurants, hotels, rest areas, and attractions. It also provides user ratings and reviews for each exit.
PlugShare
This app is for the hybrid owners. It shows you locations to recharge, which is a must-have on a long trip.
GasBuddy
This is a money saver that can be really useful when you're driving for days. It finds gas stations and allows you to compare prices based on user info.
SAFETY
Scout
We've all sent our location to friends and family in sticky situations. This app does just that but in a more accurate, user-friendly way. It shares your route with whomever you choose so they can see exactly where you are and when you'll arrive at your destination. This is a must-have for solo travelers!!
BONUS
Wanderu
Ok, not everyone has the option of driving their own vehicle, or maybe you do, but you'd rather take a new approach. Wanderu shows you bus and train schedules so you can create a route based on those. It also finds the best deals on tickets!
