It’s nice to disconnect from our phones and reconnect with nature, however technology has been an immensely important tool for us on our year long road trip.
We’ve visited dozens of national parks while crisscrossing the country with our truck and travel trailer, while simultaneously operating and growing our small business, and believe me, this was all MUCH easier with several apps on our phones.
So, if you’re planning your own road trip across the state, across the country, in your car or in your RV, hopefully you’ll find some useful recommendations from the apps we’ve relied on so heavily (and most of them are FREE!)! All of these apps are based on my personal usage recommendation…none are paid or incentivized endorsements.
Allstays Camp & RV
I never buy apps. NEVER. There are so many free apps, I have to be really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY convinced to PAY for one. And $9.99?! Obscene.
That being said, this is probably the best money I ever spent. If you’re camping, RVing or road tripping, you NEED the AllStays app. (I should probably get some kind of referral bonus for this??? But I love it so much I’ll recommend it anyway).
Why? It maps out every campground, rest stop, truck stop and countless other resources all across the country. Zoom in and out on the map based on where you need something, filter by dozens of criteria to find exactly what you need, click and get details, location, contact info, reviews, etc… much of which is available with or without a signal.
Whether I’m planning our next camping location or looking for the nearest rest stop, this app has been a life saver.
Chimani National Parks
We have visited DOZENS of NPS sites including national parks, monuments, historical parks, seashores, lake shores and more on our epic year-long road trip.
Whether you plan to visit one or many NPS locales the Chimani App is super helpful for planning, plus there are additional, individual apps for each big National Park with more maps, activities and details.
And as you probably guessed, it’s unlikely you’ll have any kind of cell service while in a lot of the National Parks, but like the AllStays app, you can still access info without any service or download in advance.
Overdrive
Ok, no need to be on a road trip to love Overdrive. It lets you download ebooks and audiobooks from your library for FREE! I usually download several audiobooks and ebooks when we’re connected to wifi and if something we want is already checked out, I place a hold and get an alert as soon as it’s available to download.
The audiobooks have been awesome when we’re on long drives (in the middle of nowhere with no radio and no Pandora) and the ebooks are downloaded directly to my Kindle and Kindle apps.
If you’re an avid reader, or doing a lot of driving, you will love this app!
Mad Libs
Don’t laugh yourself off the road with this one, kids. I’m serious.
Remember playing Mad Libs for hours as a kid? I do. And it’s just as much fun as an adult. Plus, when you laugh hard enough and long enough, it’s as beneficial as planking or sit ups…that’s what I tell myself anyway.
The app is free, (although you can buy more Mad Lib stories if you want), and you can play over and over again and keep the laughs going. We each alternate giving nouns, verbs and adjectives and sometimes pick a theme based on our current location…I dare you to hold in the giggles.
Sell on Etsy
Ok, this might not be as applicable to you, but bear with me. Since we’re operating our business on the road, the Sell on Etsy app makes it possible for us to check orders and statistics, update listings, and most importantly respond quickly to inquiries from clients.
We have created and shipped custom driftwood artwork from all over the country to places all over the world by keeping a pulse on all those details in the palm of our hand with this app.
So, while you may not need this app, perhaps you can use it as an example of how you can find the right tools to help support your dreams. OR, use the regular Etsy app, to find amazingly unique, handmade and creative gifts. There are thousands of entrepreneurs, makers and artists following their dreams, just like us.
The Weather Channel
It’s not all fun and games on the road. It’s also really important to know what kind of weather to expect. Thunderstorms on a day hike, dangerous winds while driving through unprotected plains (with a really tall, tipsy travel trailer), or dropping temperatures on wet soon-to-be-icy mountain roads are all weather hazards we’ve had to prepare for or avoid.
I particularly like The Weather Channel app because you can set up push alerts for severe warnings, there is an hourly forecast which also includes the hourly wind speeds and there’s a summary of daily weather for the next 15 days which is super helpful for planning ahead.
Another reason it’s great for travel is because you can setup a current location, but also add several other locations. I often add several cities based on our route, and check weather and winds in each to make sure we aren’t going to encounter severe winds or weather on long drives.
Two annoyances I will warn you about with this app…when scrolling it’s easy to accidentally click on the ads, and their promoted videos are always end-of-the-world, fear-inducing headlines about earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and general weather-related death and destruction around the world.
But if you’ve ever watched The Weather Channel, you know how they love to be over dramatic and strike fear in the hearts of man. It’s a downside I can deal with for the value of the weather information I’m looking for 🙂
The Outbound
This is another one that isn’t solely for road trips. Any adventure seeker will love The Outbound app! Hiking, kayaking, surfing, cycling, skiing, backpacking, dog-friendly, family-friendly…whatever adventure you seek and wherever you are, this app helps you find exactly what you’re looking for with countless filters, awesome pictures and helpful reviews from fellow adventurers.
We’ve used this app all across the country, but it’s also useful for planning adventures and making memories in your own backyard.
LastPass
This is a good app for a road trip and for life in general.
How many passwords and logins do you have? And how many times do you use the same password for multiple logins? And how many times have you typed five passwords, and finally clicked the link to reset your password because you can’t remember it?
I was guilty of bad passwords, reusing passwords and having more logins than I could count. With LastPass (i.e. the last password you’ll ever have to remember) you create one super secure, unique password, and LastPass centrally manages all your logins. You never have to remember (or forget) another password again, and all of your different logins across social media, banking, or whatever else you do online are much more secure.
We’ve been traveling full time, living on the road, paying bills online, and this had made it SO much easier to manage all of our personal and business online logins.
Altimeter
This one’s kinda just for fun, but it’s pragmatic too.
Since we’re from the Midwest, drastically changing elevation is not something we’re accustomed to. So, whether we’re driving or hiking we’ve had fun using this app to check our changing elevation.
It’s also got a handy dandy compass AND gives the exact GPS coordinates of your location (we have a love of GPS coordinates because of one of our most popular driftwood signs).
Brewery Map
I should probably amend my previous statement that I NEVER buy apps. Because apparently, I’ve purchased two. I took a gamble on this app, but it more than earned it’s value ($3.99). You can search areas on a map for craft breweries (filter by micro brewery, macro brewery, nano brewery, brewpub, tasting room, and on and on…).
It compiles location, contact info, hours of operation, tour details and a fairly detailed brewery description. The only thing it does NOT include is reviews, so I do often pair it with Yelp.
The best feature of this app is the functionality to create a brewery tour via driving or walking (PSA: Always enjoy craft beer responsibly!). So, if you’re an avid lover of craft beer, you’ll get a lot of value out of this app.
If you’re NOT going on a road trip or creating a “beer tour”, I’d recommend using Yelp to find breweries, but this app is great when traveling.
In addition to these top ten apps, we also use stuff like Pandora, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Waze, Maps, etc, etc…but these are all default-daily-life kinda apps you probably already use. I also have an addiction to Word Chums, but I’m pretty sure that helps keep my brain and vocabulary sharp, so I’m not (too) ashamed to admit it.
I hope you find some value in these apps either on the road or in your own back yard. And if you have apps you love, please share!
Cheers!
Kristin
Stubs says
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a great collection, I will share this blog with everyone I know.
You are awesome!!