9 Apps You Need for Your Next Road Trip in 2018
Road trips are part of the American lifestyle. One awesome thing about the skoolie lifestyle, in particular, is that a lot of the time, our life is a road trip. Aside from all of the obvious awesome things about road trips, we thought “What could make them better?” Well, lucky for us, there are apps for just about everything these days. We’ve compiled a list of our personal favorites and hope you can enjoy them as well!
1. Roadtrippers – Trip Planner
What makes this app awesome is that it allows you to chart out your trip and then shows you all of the sights and hidden gems that will be along your route! You can even choose what type of sights it will display. Additionally, when you share your trips with friends, they can make suggestions if they’ve traveled through the area before. This nifty travel app also gives you the ability to search for places by category, whether it be amazing local diners or beautiful state parks. If you have time to stop and see the sights, we’d highly recommend this one!
2. Google Maps
This one may seem a bit obvious, but Google Maps is our favorite GPS app. One of the main reasons is because it seems to be the most up-to-date. It can also see where there may be construction or traffic, which is extremely useful when driving through large cities. We have saved HOURS of time avoiding big traffic jams thanks to an alternative route found by Google Maps.
3. Geocaching
For those of you who haven’t heard of Geocaching, I would definitely recommend checking it out! It is one of the coolest concepts I’ve come across and it’s a fun activity for the whole family. Basically, people from all over the world hide small containers that have a paper for you to sign once you’ve found it. They can be in cities, in nature, or anywhere for that matter. I’ll bet there’s one within a mile of where you are this very second! Using the Geocaching app, its GPS helps you to get to the location of the container. Once you arrive, you then have to evaluate the area and, essentially, find the container. It’s like a worldwide scavenger hunt and they are seriously ALL OVER THE PLACE! Some of them even have little trade items inside, but the rule goes if you take something then you must leave something. Try it out! I promise you’ll have a blast!
4. PackPoint Travel Packing List
This app is perfect for preparing a packing list. I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but as a mother, I am constantly multitasking. My mind is always occupied with managing a household. Therefore, it’s easy for me to forget small details that matter the most. It’s like that old saying, “If my head weren’t attached to my body I’d probably forget it at home!” I think that’s how it goes anyway. This app is a huge lifesaver in that it helps me to create a complete packing list for trips, even small ones! You tell this app where you’re going and what you’re doing, and it basically compiles a list for your whole trip. It even checks the weather for you! How amazing is that?!
5. ShutterSpots
This app is meant specifically for photographers, but could be great for Instagrammers too! Other users, or photographers, post amazing locations for taking photos. I love this because it, for one, allows me to find beautiful places that you can’t necessarily Google. It also allows me to share places that I may discover with others! It is seriously one of the coolest #wanderlust apps out there. Sadly though folks, this one is only available for Apple devices.
6. Findery
I know I’ve said this about all of the other apps, but Findery is also a favorite. This one is really cool because you can share notes about your favorite places, but you can also read other peoples’ notes. You can also see tips from locals and discover things you may not have otherwise! Sometimes the best places are the little holes in the walls that you can only find through a local. When we visited Minneapolis recently, through a local we found out about the coolest speakeasy place where you actually have to know a certain knock to get in! Now we didn’t find that through this app, but it just goes to show that the locals always know of the neatest places around!
7. GasBuddy
This app is exactly what it sounds like. It helps you to find the cheapest gas nearby. It’s pretty straightforward but is no less important than any of the other apps on this list. Traveling gets to be fairly expensive, so why not save where you can?
8. REI Co-op National Parks Guide
This app lists all of our national parks and contains a ton of information on each one. You can find trail maps, hiking data, and more. It even has GPS that works offline in the case that you may lose service on your device. There are difficulty ratings for each hike and you can see star ratings from others who have hiked there before. It’s truly an awesome app and a must-have for anyone planning on visiting a national park!
9. State 511 Apps
The 511 app will differ from state to state, so if you’re in Minnesota for example, you’d find the Minnesota 511 app. These are the apps that convey data for the Department of Transportation and are used widely by truckers to check road conditions. This is particularly necessary for winter but can sometimes be useful in other areas that can be affected by other severe weather such as hurricanes. This one is more practical than fun, but definitely a must-have if you’re concerned about driving conditions due to weather.
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