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The 10 Best Travel Apps to Enhance your Journey

We’ve got the world at our fingertips, there’s some digital, online contraption for pretty much everything now; yet sometimes it feels like we’re fumbling around in the dark, not a clue how to get around all this malarkey. Fear not, intrepid wanderers, for I’ve delved into the digital labyrinth to unearth the gems that’ll transform your smartphone into a veritable Swiss Army knife of travel wizardry. Buckle up, buttercup – we’re about to embark on a whirlwind tour of the apps that’ll make your journeys smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy, from a transfer to stays.

1. AtoB Transfer: How to Book The Ultimate in Modern Transfers

Imagine touching down on the tarmac in a foreign land, bleary-eyed and discombobulated. The last thing you need is to play Russian roulette with local taxis or navigate a byzantine public transport system. Here’s the perfect time to use AtoB , the app that’ll have you gliding from airport to accommodation, and beyond, with the grace of a swan on a still lake in a transfer.

This little wonder lets you pre-book your airport transfer, ensuring a reliable ride awaits your arrival. Need a child seat for your pint-sized co-pilot? No problemo. Lugging more baggage than a therapist’s waiting room? They’ve got transfer vehicles roomier than your great-aunt’s parlour. You’ll have a personal chauffeur, minus the judgmental sass when you start belting out your favourite road trip tunes.

2. Packpoint: The Suitcase Buddy

How many times have you found yourself in far-off lands, realising you’ve packed enough briefs to clothe a small nation but forgotten your toothbrush and washtowel? Packpoint is here to save you from such sartorial snafus. This clever app considers everything from weather to planned activities, conjuring up a packing list tailored to your trip. It’s like having a fastidious friend with a photographic memory – sans the eye-rolling when you try to squeeze in that “just in case” inflatable flamingo.

3. XE Currency: The Mathematical Marvel

Unless you’re some sort of numerical savant, mental currency conversion is about as easy as nailing jelly to a tree. XE Currency steps in as your financial Sherpa, guiding you through the treacherous terrain of exchange rates. No more accidentally splurging a week’s budget on a cup of joe or haggling yourself into paying more for that “authentic” souvenir. With real-time rates and offline functionality, it’s the pocket calculator you never knew you needed – and infinitely more useful than that dusty abacus.

4. Google Translate: Τώρα Μιλάς και Ελληνικά!

While mastering a few local phrases is always commendable, sometimes you need a little extra linguistic firepower. Google Translate is your babel fish, minus the slimy insertion into your ear canal. Point your camera at that indecipherable menu, and watch as it morphs into comprehensible cuisine choices. Fair warning, though: it’s not infallible like the Pope, so you might still end up ordering something unexpected. But hey, that’s always been half the fun, hasn’t it?

5. TripIt: The Itinerary Wrangler

For those of us who like our travel plans more organised than a librarian’s sock drawer, TripIt is manna from heaven. This digital dynamo corrals all your bookings, reservations, and schedules into one tidy package. No more frantic email searches or paper trails longer than War and Peace. It’s like having a personal assistant, minus the need to remember their birthday or pretend to care about their cat’s Instagram.

6. Citymapper: The Urban Sherpa

Lost in the concrete jungle? Citymapper is your compass, map, and native guide rolled into one. This app goes beyond simple A to B directions, offering real-time intel on public transport, including delays and disruptions. It even tells you which train car to board for the quickest exit – it’s like having a crystal ball, but for commuting. Just don’t let it lull you into a false sense of directional security; sometimes getting lost leads to the best adventures.

7. Yelp: The Taste Bud’s Crystal Ball

When hunger strikes in unfamiliar territory, Yelp can be your culinary clairvoyant. With a flick of your thumb, you’re privy to locals’ secrets and tourists’ tales of gastronomic triumphs and tragedies. But remember, one person’s “worst meal ever” might be another’s “taste of mama’s home cooking.” Use it as a guide, not gospel, lest you miss out on hole-in-the-wall wonders that haven’t made it to the digital realm.

8. Splitwise: The Friendship Firewall

Nothing sours a group trip faster than squabbles over who owes what to whom. Enter Splitwise, the app that keeps your friendships intact and your wallet balanced. Whether it’s splitting a taxi fare or divvying up a feast fit for kings, this digital accountant ensures that financial feuds don’t put a damper on your adventures. It’s like having a neutral third-party mediator, but without the hourly rate that’d make your eyes water.

9. Tripadvisor: The Know-it-All Neighbour

Unlike that guy who insists he can fix your car’s broken fender (spoiler: he can’t ), Tripadvisor actually delivers, and in aces. From hotel reviews that tell you about that weird smell in room 1408, to attraction tickets that’ll let you skip lines longer than a Victorian novel, it’s a jack-of-all-trades that actually comes close to mastering a few. Just don’t get so caught up in the reviews that you forget to make your own memories.

10. Airbnb: The home-away-from-home conjurer

For those who prefer their travels with a side of “living like the local yokel,” Airbnb is your digital genie in a bottle. From treehouses that’ll fulfil your Swiss “Family Robinson” fantasies to city apartments that’ll have you feeling like a native in no time, the possibilities are pretty endless. Just be prepared for the occasional surprise – that “charming” rustic cabin might be a bit more rustic than you bargained for, plus Airbnb is single-handedly destroying the homeownership market. But hey, that’s just the way the world works nowadays.

At the end of the day, while all this digital cockamamie can certainly lube the wheels of your travel and transfer plans, remember that the best adventures are those happening when you put down your phone and let serendipity take the steering wheel. No app, platform, electronic service or software utility can replicate the thrill of getting pleasantly lost in a new city or the joy of stumbling upon an unexpected local festival. So use these handful of tools wisely, but don’t forget to look up from your screen and soak in the world around you. After all, isn’t that why we travel in the first place? Now go forth, fellow digital wanderer, you magnificent explorer, you!

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MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MARYLAND PARK SERVICE

Rocky gap state park.

Park Reservations 1-888-432-CAMP (2267)​ Fees and Hours of Operation ​ Park Passes En español

Rocky Gap State Park​ 12500 Pleasant Valley Road Flintstone, MD 21530

Campground Registration 17600 Campers Hill Drive Flintstone MD 21530

Visit the DNR Event Calendar

Information: 301-722-1480​ Email rocky Gap State Park Monday-Friday 8 a.m.- 4 p.m

Campground Registration: 443-603-6324 Hours of operation vary seasonally.

Rocky Gap State Park is located in Western Maryland’s Allegany County. The park encompasses over 3,000 acres of public land for visitors to enjoy. Rugged mountains surround the park. The 243-acre Lake Habeeb is known for having the "bluest water in the state." The lake is fed by Rocky Gap Run, which winds its way through an impressive mile-long gorge, displaying sheer cliffs, overlooks and a hemlock forest dense with rhododendron and mountain laurel. Overlooking the lake is Evitts Mountain, named for one of the first European settlers in Allegany County.

NOTE: Rocky Gap is a happenin' spot and capacity closures are expected on summer weekends and holidays. Plan your trip accordingly to maximize enjoyment and avoid waiting in lines!

Details about the Park​

Information​

Location: Allegany County

Administrative Offices 12500 Pleasant Valley Road Flintstone, MD 21530

Campground 17600 Campers Hill Road Flintstone, MD 21530

Ranger Station 12900 Lakeshore Drive Flintstone MD 21530

Contact: ​Administrative Offices 12500 Pleasant Valley Road Flintstone, MD 21530 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. 301-722-1480​ E-mail Rocky Gap State Park

Campground Registration Hours of operation vary seasonally 17600 Campers Hill Drive Flintstone MD 21530 443-603-6324

Duty Ranger Daily 8 a.m. - sunset 240-357-4404

Hours of Operation: ​7 a.m. to sunset Certain activities are permitted outside of the regular park hours (e.g. fishing, boat launch, hunting where permitted). Please check with the park before your visit if you plan to engage in an activity which requires you to be in the park before or after the posted hours.

Hunting Policy:

• General hunting permitted in 1,451 acre designated hunting area
• Archery-only hunting permitted in 300 acre designated hunting area
• Hunting permitted Monday-Saturday
• Hunt from Vehicle provisions for disabled hunters during deer firearms season

Pet Policy:

• Pets allowed in Ash, Birch, Chestnut, Dogwood and Elm camp loops and common areas of campground
• ​​Pets allowed in Easter Hill Chalet
• Pets allowed in day-use area and lake (except for designated sandy portions of swimming beach areas from Memorial Day weekend until after Labor Day)

Calendar of Events

Day-use area and visitor facility.

Rocky Gap State Park's visitor facility is located in the day-use area and was designed with a nod to an architectural style known as "Parkitecture," the rustic nature inspired-structure blends beautifully with the surrounding landscape.

The facility is made up of three buildings connected by covered walkways.

• The Hawk's Nest Cafe overlooks the lake and offers hot and cold menu items throughout the summer season.
• The center building is home to the ranger station.
• The third building is a spacious men’s and women’s bathhouse which has fully accessible toilet, shower and changing room areas.

The day-use area also includes many additional amenities, including picnic tables, grills, a playground and trail access. During the summer season, visitors can also enjoy two public swimming beaches, canoe/kayak/SUP board rentals and a lifeguard/first aid station. Lifeguard hours and boat rental hours are subject to change. Swimming is permitted at your own risk when lifeguards are not on duty. Alcohol is not permitted in the day-use area. Pets are permitted in the day-use area as well as the lake and pet-friendly swim area. ​​

​Make reservations for paviions and amphitheater online at https://parkreservations.maryland.gov or call the reservation center at 1-888-432-2267. TTY users call 1-866-804-7846. Alcohol permits are available for purchase at the time of your reservation. Guests reserving a facility at Rocky Gap State Park must vacate the area by sunset

Mountain View Pavilion is located in the day-use area, near the public beaches. The pavilion accommodates up to 80 people. This pavilion features private restrooms, service counters, large grills and access to all day-use area beaches and amenities. Users and guests of this pavilion are subject to paying the park entrance fee and must vacate the area by sunset.

White Pine Pavilion is located along Pleasant Valley Road near the public boat launch. This pavilion is nestled under a shady grove of white pine trees and accommodates up to 125 people. There are bathrooms and ample parking.

Lakeview Pavilion is located along Pleasant Valley Road. This pavilion accommodates up to 125 people. This pavilion features a private restroom, parking and a large open field perfect for weddings, family reunions and large group gatherings.

Trails and Hiking

Rocky Gap offers a variety of multi-use trails for guests to enjoy. The Lakeside Loop Trail , a moderate 5.3 mile trail that encircles Lake Habeeb, offers hikers scenic beauty of the area. Crossing over four-foot bridges, trekking along the shoreline and winding through the woodlands are what makes this such a diverse trail.

A magnificent view of the one mile long gorge is the gift hikers will get when they reach the overlook on the one-quarter mile long Canyon Overlook Trail . This loop trail offers visitors a short but scenic hike.

“Rock hop” down into the canyon on the challenging five-mile long Evitts Homesite Trail and find yourself surrounded by hemlock, mountain laurel and rhododendron. Cross the small cascading stream on the footbridge and begin to climb Evitts Mountain, named for one of Allegany County’s first European settlers. This is an ambitious, out-and-back trail that climbs about 1,000 feet in elevation in 2.5 miles. Plan to take water and a camera and spend a couple of hours hiking to the top of the mountain. This trail offers a great hike for those willing to take the challenge.

The one-quarter mile long Touch of Nature Trail offers hikers of all ability levels a paved trail. Benches line the hemlock-edged path that leads to the fishing dock and connects with the Lakeside Loop Trail.

Camping & Overnight Accommodations

Make reservations online at https://parkreservations.maryland.gov or call the reservation center at 1-888-432-2267. TTY users call 1-866-804-7846.

Camping Seasons and Service Charges For Maryland State Parks and Forests

​Campground Registration Hours of operation vary seasonally 17600 Campers Hill Drive Flintstone MD 21530 443-603-6324

Rocky Gap Campground offers 278 individual campsites (including 30 equipped with 30 amp electric hook-ups, mini cabin and yurt Options), a family group site and two youth group camping areas. The campground also features a dump station, bathhouses with hot water in each loop, the Scales & Tales Aviary, canoe/kayak/SUP board rentals (Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day), a nature center, a private swimming beach, a playground, trail access, Snack Shack and a camp store. Pets are allowed in every camp loop EXCEPT Hickory Loop​. Alcohol is only permitted inside personal motor homes. Check-in for campsites is 3 p.m. and check-out is 1 p.m.

The family group site offers space for up to 40 people to camp together. The group site includes a two-story mini cabin with electric, as well as six 30 amp electric hookups and a group fire ring. Bathhouses are located in the adjacent camp loops.

The two youth group areas are for use by valid youth groups only. Please see http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/youthgroup.aspx for more information.

Mini Cabins and Yurts

There are 15 mini cabins located throughout the campground. They sleep either four or six people. The yurt accommodates 8 people and has an adjoining camp pad to increase the total site capacity to 15 people. Each has electricity (no water) and beds. Users must provide their own linens. Air conditioning and heat are not available. Check-in for mini cabins and the yurt is 3 p.m. and check-out is 12 p.m.

Easter Hill Chalet

The Easter Hill Chalet accommodates up to eight people. A completely furnished kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, wrap-around deck, gas fireplaces, outdoor campfire area and grill make this an enjoyable vacation spot. Chalet guests must provide their own linens, towels, bedding, pillows and soaps. The chalet is located in a forested, private area of the park, overlooking the lake. The Chalet requires a 2-night minimum stay. Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend require a 3-night holiday stay (Friday/Saturday/Sunday). Check-in is 3 p.m. and check-out is 10 a.m. The address for the Chalet is 13300 Pleasant Valley Road, Flintstone MD 21530. Reservations are available April-December. Make reservations online at https://parkreservations.maryland.gov or call the reservation center at 1-888-432-2267. TTY users call 1-866-804-7846.

OPERATION: CAMPOUT!

(active military and immediate families).

With the OPERATION: CAMPOUT! Program, we can lend you gear free of charge (includes a tent, chairs, stove, lantern and more). This program is designed for military individuals and military families new to camping or experienced campers stationed or recovering in this area. OPERATION: CAMPOUT! is an opportunity for families to reconnect with each other and the great outdoors in a comfortable, safe and relaxing setting.

Contact the park office directly by phone to make your reservation at 301-722-1480 or e-mail [email protected] (camping fees apply). Be sure to let us know you are reserving through OPERATION: CAMPOUT!​ ​​

Black Bear Country

​​Garrett, Allegany, Washington and Frederick Counties in Maryland are all home to black bears. Recreating in these counties presents the possibility that visitors may see a black bear while hiking, camping, picnicking, etc.

Department of Natural Resources staff work to minimize human and bear conflicts. For more information about recreating in Black Bear Country, visit the Living with Black Bears webpage or BearWise.org​ .

Programs and Activities

Nature center & interpretive programs.

Rocky Gap State Park's interpretive programs are based out of the nature center. Throughout the summer, the nature center offers activities to educate visitors about natural and cultural resources and experience the exciting features of the outdoor environment.

Interpretive activities include nature hikes, talks, nature crafts, demonstrations, children's programs, campfire programs and special events. The Nature Center has open hours for visitors to explore the building and its many exhibits.

Group programs are also available upon request throughout the year and can be tailored to accommodate group needs. To learn more about the interpretive programs available, please contact Ranger Mollie Kemp at 301-722-1480 or via e-mail at [email protected] .

Healthy Parks, Healthy People

The Healthy Parks, Healthy People program partners with local health care professionals to promote a healthy lifestyle by engaging in outdoor recreation. Staff-guided programs are scheduled throughout the year to encourage fitness and introduce visitors to a variety of activities, including hiking, canoeing, kayaking, SUP boarding, trail jogging, open water swimming, yoga, HIIT, pick-up soccer games and beach volleyball.

Scales & Tales Aviary

Scales and Tales” is an educational program that features injured and non-releasable birds of prey and reptiles native to Maryland. At the Rocky Gap State Park Aviary, you can meet birds that have been injured and cannot return to the wild, as well as those raised in captivity who wouldn’t survive outside. ​

This unique program offers visitors a chance to see wildlife up close and hear the stories of how these amazing animals became part of the program. Looking to add something special to your next event? A Scales and Tales program can be scheduled for your gathering. For availability, scheduling, or program costs, contact the park office at 301-722-1480 or email Ranger Mollie Kemp at [email protected].

The Rocky Gap State Park Aviary does not have regularly scheduled open hours. However, visitors may schedule a visit Labor Day through Memorial Day based on staff availability. Modified hours from Memorial Day to Labor Day allow visitors to observe feeding and training of the birds. For an additional service charge, visitors may reserve a private Critter Encounter or Aviary Tour. Contact Park Headquarters at 301-722-1480 for more information on Scales & Tales or an updated program schedule.​

Boating and Fishing

Rocky Gap State Park's Lake Habeeb offers year-round recreational opportunities. Boats are allowed on Lake Habeeb 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Navigational lights are required after sunset. Gasoline powered motors are prohibited on Lake Habeeb.  A public boat ramp is located within the park, along Pleasant Valley Road. Canoe, kayak and SUP board rentals (Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day) are available in the day-use area and at the campground beach, for campground users.

Fishing is permitted 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The lake is home to panfish, trout, catfish and large and smallmouth bass. A valid Maryland Non-Tidal/Freshwater Fishing License is required for those 16 years of age and older.

To help maintain a healthy fish population, park volunteers have added artificial fish habitats throughout the lake. Brown trout and rainbow trout are stocked throughout the year.

To purchase a Maryland fishing license, call the DNR Licensing Service Center, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, at 1-800-918-2870. Callers may start fishing immediately with a confirmation number. For more specific fishing information refer to the Maryland Fishing Guide .

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS)

Help stop the spread of destructive aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as the prolific hydrilla plant, which can outcompete naturally occurring plant species, reduce native diversity and impede recreational opportunities. Inspect your boat trailer and equipment before and after launching in any water body. Remove and properly dispose of any plant matter that you find - either place it in a designated AIS disposal station or well above the water line where it won't wash back in.

Rocky Gap is one of Maryland's many state parks that allow hunting activities for the public. At Rocky Gap there are 1,451 acres of designated for hunting. This area can be accessed by walking from the parking area at the Touch of Nature Trailhead or by walking in from the campground or campground office parking lot.

A separate 300-acre tract of land between Pleasant Valley Road and I-68 offers bow only hunting. Parking is available at the amphitheatre on Pleasant Valley Road.

• Archery-only hunting permitted in a 300-acre designated hunting area

Hunters may enter/remain on park property outside of the regular posted hours provided that they are engaged in legitimate, authorized hunting activity.

The Bucy Cemetery is an excellent example of a 19th century rural cemetery. Originally owned by Caleb Luman, the land was sold to Lemel Bucy, whose family used the cemetery during the 1800’s, until the property was sold in 1900. The parcel of land passed through five owners before the Maryland Commission of Forests and Parks purchased it in 1964. The cemetery features many Civil War era stones, including for two children who perished only days apart.

The day-use area of Rocky Gap State Park is situated on the former Clover Hill Farm, a dairy farm that was owned and operated by the McLuckie Family throughout most of the 1900s until just before the park was established. Until 1998, the original Clover Hill barn stood just off of the Exit 50 ramp, at the park’s entrance. The McLuckie’s purchased 162 acres of land from Mr. Thomas Pownell, who had purchased a much larger tract of farmland that had been known as the Bretz Farm and encompassed much of present day Rocky Gap. At the time, portions of the land were known as “Clover Hill,” “Pleasant Valley” and “Great Friendship.”

Mr. Edward Habeeb (pronounced Hay-Bib), President of the Route 40 Association, donated land to be established as a state park. He, along with approximately 40 other land owners, provided land and many were compensated $10.00 for their land, with the understanding that a park would be built on the property. The McLuckie Family was paid $100,000.00 for their portion of the land. Mr. Habeeb was a nearby resident. Although he was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1895, he came to Allegany County in 1913, first settling in Westernport, before opening a florist business in Piedmont, and ultimately moving his business to what became Route 40 and is now Interstate 68. His home and business location still stand today.

Pursuant to Senate Resolution 2 of the 1950 Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly, the Maryland State Planning Commission commissioned a recreational survey of Western Maryland. The idea of constructing a park at Rocky Gap was suggested by the Lions Club to  Senator Charles See, who then presented the proposal to the Director of the Department of Forest and Parks, Mr. Joseph Kaylor. The Route 40 Association was then organized to promote business and industry in Allegany County through improved highways and a recreational facility at Rocky Gap. The organization, under the leadership of Mr. Habeeb (pictured in the center), obtained the support of Governors Tawes and Mandel. The beginning phase involved the purchase of the McLuckie’s farm in December of 1963, after which another 2,212 acres were acquired by December of 1966.

Rocky Gap State Park formally opened on July 17, 1974, in great part due to the efforts of Mr. Habeeb, for whom the park’s lake is named. In 1970, the dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers to impound Rocky Gap Run and create Lake Habeeb. The 243-acre lake is typical of all Maryland lakes in that it requires a dam and is thus man-made. Maryland has no natural lakes. The park was dedicated on September 18, 1976. The campground opened to the public in 1978. Including the General Construction Loan of 1975, approximately $7.9 million was appropriated for land acquisition and development of Rocky Gap State Park.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer rangers – rocky gap state park.

Volunteer rangers are needed to assist park staff with a variety of duties, including maintaining park property, assisting with park operations, answering visitor questions, providing interpretive programs and assisting with special events. Training opportunities, such as CPR, first aid and search and rescue, may also be available. Interested persons must complete a volunteer application and attend volunteer orientation training. After accruing 40 hours of volunteer service within the park, the volunteer will be eligible to become a certified volunteer ranger and receive a uniform.

Camp Hosts – Rocky Gap State Park

Camp hosts are a valuable part of the volunteer team at Rocky Gap State Park. Camp hosts provide assistance with a variety of tasks throughout the camping season, including welcoming new campers, keeping campsites clean, promoting park programs and events and providing campers with general information about the park and surrounding area. Camp hosts are required to contribute at least 300 hours of volunteer work every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In return for their efforts, camp hosts receive a free campsite with electric hook-ups. Interested persons are encouraged to apply, although positions are limited. A background check is required.

Annual Park Earth Day Celebration – Rocky Gap State Park

The Annual Park Earth Day Celebration is a one-day event held each year in April. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to join park staff to complete a variety of tasks in an effort to prepare the park for the summer season. Activities may include planting trees, native garden weeding and mulching. This event is a great way for students to earn Service Learning Hours for school! Interested persons should contact the park in March to pre-register.

Special Projects – Rocky Gap State Park

Any volunteers or organizations seeking a special project are encouraged to contact the Rocky Gap State Park Volunteer Coordinator.

Park Photographers – Rocky Gap State Park

Photographers, both new and experienced, are invited to help Rocky Gap State Park expand its portfolio! Photographs taken by volunteers may be used in the development of park brochures, press releases and flyers for the park website. Interested persons must complete a volunteer application and attend a short training with park staff regarding essential paperwork and program goals.

Volunteer Team, Inc.

The volunteer team was initiated in 1992 in response to budgetary cuts throughout the State Forest and Park Service. A core group of dedicated individuals began to volunteer personal time to maintain resources and preserve programs at three local sites. Since then, hundreds of volunteers, individuals and groups have participated in the program, logging in excess of 250,000 hours.

In 1995, the volunteer team became incorporated and was granted non-profit organization status. Its new fund-raising capabilities are used to support various projects and special events at Rocky Gap State Park.

Volunteers are involved in many aspects of operations and maintenance. Maintenance work includes, but is not limited to, maintaining campground and day-use facilities, trail maintenance, gardening, building picnic tables, creating fish habitats, cleaning grounds and construction projects.

For any volunteer related opportunities, please contact:

Ranger Mollie Kemp​ Volunteer Coordinator [email protected]

​Internships

Rocky Gap State Park offers a variety of unpaid internships for motivated students. Opportunities are available in several areas, including interpretation, volunteer management, office management, concession management, IT/website management, maintenance, special event coordination, marketing, natural resource management, trail management, grant writing, special operations, emergency services, Spanish language and cultural adaptations, park operations and sports management.

Internships are considered and accepted year-round through a rolling admission process. Students are expected to perform varied hours of service, according to a flexible schedule. Interested applicants should send a current resume and letter of intent to Mollie Kemp . ​

Rocky Gap Casino Resort

​Rocky Gap Casino Resort​ ​

Driving Directions

​ Driving Directions:

​From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and areas west: Take I-279 south to I-79 south (Washington, PA) to I-68 east (Morgantown, WV) and follow I-68 east for approximately 78 miles. Take the Rocky Gap State Park exit (Exit 50). Make a left crossing over I-68 and the ranger station is located straight into the park near the beaches. To get to the campground turn right onto Pleasant Valley Road and travel 1.5 miles to campground entrance.

From Washington, D.C.: (approximately 150 miles) Take I-270 north to I-70 west to I-68 west. Take the Rocky Gap State Park exit (Exit 50). The ranger station is located straight into the park near the beaches. To get to the campground turn right onto Pleasant Valley Road and travel 1.5 miles to campground entrance.

From Baltimore, Maryland: (approximately 130 miles) Take I-70 west to I-68 west to Exit 50 for Rocky Gap State Park. The ranger station is located straight into the park near the beaches. To get to the campground turn right onto Pleasant Valley Road and travel 1.5 miles to campground entrance.​​​​

Other Things to Know!

Scales and Tales” is an educational program that features injured and non-releasable birds of prey and reptiles native to Maryland. At the Rocky Gap State Park Aviary, you can meet birds that have been injured and cannot return to the wild, as well as those raised in captivity who wouldn’t survive outside. 

This unique program offers visitors a chance to see wildlife up close and hear the stories of how these amazing animals became part of the program. Looking to add something special to your next event? A Scales and Tales ​program can be scheduled for your gathering. For availability, scheduling, or program costs, contact the park office at 301-722-1480 or email Ranger Mollie Kemp at [email protected].

Make reservations for paviions and amphitheater online at https://parkreservations.maryland.gov or call the reservation center at 1-888-432-2267. TTY users call 1-866-804-7846. Alcohol permits are available for purchase at the time of your reservation. Guests reserving a facility at Rocky Gap State Park must vacate the area by sunset.

Trails & Hiking!​

Rocky Gap offers a variety of multi-use trails for guests to enjoy. The Lakeside Loop Trail, a moderate 5.3 mile trail that encircles Lake Habeeb, offers hikers scenic beauty of the area. Crossing over four-foot bridges, trekking along the shoreline and winding through the woodlands are what makes this such a diverse trail.​​​

A magnificent view of the one mile long gorge is the gift Canyon Trail Overlook hikers will get when they reach the overlook on the one-quarter mile long Canyon Overlook Trail. This loop trail offers visitors a short but scenic hike.

The one-quarter mile long Touch of Nature Trail offers hikers of all ability levels a paved trail. Benches line the hemlock-edged path that leads to the fishing dock and connects w​ith the Lakeside Loop Trail.

Park Highlight​

​​" Healthy Parks Healthy People " is a program designed to encourage physical activity in the beautiful parks of western Maryland and Caroline County. Department staff encourage healthcare providers to give their patients a prescription to increase physical activity and take part in programs offered at nearby State parks. Partners also include local Health Departments.

5 Other State Park Locations Near​ Rocky Gap​

• Dans Mountain State Park (24 miles)
• Sideling Hill Creek State Park (25 miles)
• Woodmont Natural Resources Management Area (28 miles)
• Big Run State Park (42 miles)
• New Germany State Park (34 miles)

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The Best Road Trip Apps That Help You Find Cheap Gas, Avoid Traffic, and More

Download these before you hit the highway.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty Images

Technology has revolutionized the way we travel in countless ways. Paper maps and GPS navigation systems have been replaced by Google and Apple Maps, old-school CDs by music streaming services, and guidebooks by apps that can notify road-trippers of roadside attractions in real time. One thing is certain: the smartphone has made road trips infinitely easier and, arguably, cheaper.

Whether you need a digital road trip planner to map out your next journey or something to help you avoid traffic jams, here are 11 of the best road trip apps to download ahead of your next adventure.

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is one of the most practical and popular road trip planning apps out there. Maybe you want to see national parks or the quirkiest roadside attractions. Perhaps you want to stop for the night at an iconic or underrated hotel. You can plan your stops right in the app, adding up to three waypoints for free or 150 with a Roadtrippers Premium account. There are also Basic and Pro memberships that allot you 20 and 50 waypoints per trip, respectively. The higher-tier memberships allow you to collaborate with friends and family and use navigation. The app features lodging, sights, outdoorsy destinations, restaurants, activities, shopping, fuel, and more all around the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The app is free, but you have to upgrade to a membership plan to enjoy all the bells and whistles. The Basic plan costs $40 a year, the Pro plan $50 a year, and the Premium $60 a year. It's available on iOS and Android .

Google Maps

Every road-tripper needs a trusty navigation app in their arsenal, and Google Maps is consistently one of the most — if not the most — downloaded in the U.S. every year. Its dominance can be attributed to how comprehensive its data is, which allows it to generate the very best directions based on distance, road conditions, and traffic patterns.

Google Maps gives you route options and provides accurate estimates of how long it takes to get from A to B. Plus, you can plot several waypoints along your route — be it a mid-morning coffee stop or a hotel for overnighting (you can see reviews right in the app).

Google Maps is free and available on iOS and Android .

Waze is another one of the top navigation apps. With real-time updates that help you avoid traffic jams, construction, and more, it will have you navigating new cities and unfamiliar streets like a seasoned local. It's perhaps a little more proactive than Google Maps in changing up a route when problems arise, and that means Waze users should prepare for their drive to be a little unpredictable.

No one wants to spend hours sitting in traffic instead of exploring, so the fact that Waze collects data from other drivers to streamline the driving experience is a huge help. The app is free and available on iOS and Android .

Paying for fuel can eat up a good chunk of your road trip budget, but GasBuddy can save you a few bucks. The app crowdsources up-to-date fuel prices for more than 150,000 gas stations around the U.S. and Canada. The app also tells you how recent the submission is so you know whether it's outdated.

GasBuddy is not just helpful for finding cheap gas but also for finding gas stations in general (and parking), which can be difficult in foreign territory. The app is free and can be downloaded on iOS and Android . While using it, be a good road-tripper and submit gas prices you see as you travel.

Roadside America

Barry Winiker/Getty Images

The offbeat and kitschy roadside attractions you can find throughout the U.S. are often some of the most delightful parts of a road trip. The Roadside America app helps you find the most unique attractions worth stopping for, like the large sculpture of a cartoon mouse holding a cheese platter in Plain, Wisconsin — where else? — or the decidedly odd larger-than-life-sized three-way electrical plug that rests on a lawn in Philadelphia. The app features museums, murals, tours, quirky restaurants, and photo ops.

Roadside America costs $3 to download, which gets you access to one region in the app. You can purchase more regions for $2 or get access to all of the U.S. and Canada for an extra $7. The app is available only on iOS .

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Knowing where to stop for road trip snacks, a drive-through latte, or a public restroom can be challenging with all the exit signs whizzing by at 70 mph, but iExit Interstate Exit Guide takes the guesswork out of it. The app will list which exits are coming up on your route, what's there, and what they offer — including food, lodging, fuel, and even hospitals. It pulls fuel prices from OPIS (the Oil Price Information Service) and displays Yelp reviews for businesses.

The app is free to download. Find it on both iOS and Android .

HotelTonight

Even if you've planned out all your stops ahead of time, you might find that you need to pull over for a night unexpectedly. Driving is tiring, and unplanned naps can be life-saving. HotelTonight can help you find accommodations in a pinch. The app offers day-of deals on unsold rooms, and the user-friendly interface means you can book a discounted room in minutes. There are well over 1,000 properties to choose from in cities all over the world, from Mexico City to Jakarta (in case you happen to take your road-tripping global).

It's free to download and available on iOS and Android .

If staying in a tucked-away A-frame cabin, a yurt, or a private guest house in someone's garden is more your travel style than bouncing between hotels, then Airbnb is the ticket. On the Airbnb app, you can search properties (millions in the U.S. alone) on a map and read reviews before you book, which you can do in advance or at the last minute.

The app features not just vacation homes but also activities, so if you're keen to experience a city like a local you can do so via a pottery class or a guided walking tour, for example.

The Airbnb app is free. You can download it on iOS or Android .

Patchareeporn Sakoolchai/Getty Images

Travelers who dream of camping out under the stars should download The Dyrt , a free app that helps you find tent, RV, and cabin sites across the U.S. One of the top camping apps on iOS and Android , it has more than a million registered users who submit reviews, pictures, and tips. On The Dyrt, you get real intel on campsites and a built-in community that makes camping on a road trip especially fun and safe. You can even book some of the campsites right on app.

The app is free, but there's a premium version for $36 a year that allows you to plan trips and search campsites while offline — convenient for remote regions.

What is a road trip without a perfect playlist? Whether you're keen to create a soundtrack of nostalgic singalongs, modern pop songs, or music inspired by your destination, you'll find even the most obscure tunes on Spotify , a catalog of more than 100 million tracks. When you tire of Taylor Swift, you can turn to podcasts or an audiobook to keep you company. Road trips are a great opportunity to delve into a docuseries like "Serial," an all-time favorite.

Spotify is free to download and listen to, but the ad breaks are annoying and streaming can chew through your phone data. A better option is to purchase a premium membership for $11 a month. It's ad-free and you can download music to listen to offline. The Spotify app is available on iOS and Android .

Electric vehicles are increasingly commonplace and great for more environmentally friendly road-tripping. The problem is often finding charging stations, as most EVs can go 100 to 300 miles before they need to be plugged in. PlugShare lists 700,000 charging stations across North America, Europe, and beyond. Users share their reviews of the stations, helping to guide EV drivers to the best, fastest, and most reliable charging spots.

PlugShare is free and available to download on iOS and Android .

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10 of Our Favorite Road Trip Planner Apps in 2024

Save time, money, and energy with these apps so you can focus on the fun instead

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We love road trips! Planning them can be fun but, let's be honest, also stressful. The right road trip planner apps can take some of that stress away by helping you plan, organize, and manage travel before and during your trip.

We've researched and tested these apps to help give you peace of mind so that you can spend more time enjoying your trip.

The Ultimate Map App for Planning Your Route: Roadtrippers

Access to free and convenient travel guides.

Start-to-finish routes.

App might drain your device's battery quickly.

Built for travelers, Roadtrippers helps you create your route while allowing you to discover great places as you plan it out. Add a new place to your itinerary to work it into your trip.

The app features an easy-to-use interface. In addition to covering the U.S., it also covers Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Download For:

Automate Your Trip Planning and Organization: Google Travel

Automatic trip organization via Gmail integration. 

Offline access.

Limitations with customizing some day trips.

You can count on Google to make your trip planning a breeze. Pre-constructed day plans are available for hundreds of the world's most popular destinations, which you can customize to your liking.

It's one of the most versatile travel planner apps out there, giving you one convenient place to see your hotel, rental car, and restaurant bookings.

Find and Book a Last-Minute Place to Stay: Hotels.com

A fast, easy-to-use booking feature.

Possible to get one night free after 10 bookings.

No option to easily cancel if you change your mind.

Whether your road trip itinerary changed, or you haven't decided on a place to stay yet, Hotels.com can help you find a place and book it when you're on the go, even when it's super last-minute.

You can sort and filter hotels, see the amenities they have to offer, compare prices, and catch a glimpse of how many rooms are available.

This is the app you'll want to have handy if you want to see in-depth hotel details at a glance and need to find a place to crash ASAP without breaking the bank.

Find Local Restaurants, Read Reviews, and Make Reservations: OpenTable

Lots of great filter options and suggestions.

Gorgeous, high-quality images of menu items.

Informative reviews from other users.

Reported problems with built-in reward system.

Searching for specific restaurants can be difficult.

Deciding on a place to eat in a new area is quick and hassle-free with OpenTable. See what's nearby, filter restaurants by cuisine, see photos of what's on the menu, make reservations, and get personalized recommendations based on your preferences.

OpenTable is known to be one of the top location-based food apps available, so you know you can trust its information when you're dying for something to eat.

Navigate Like a Local: Waze

Hands-free navigation with voice commands.

Alerts-only mode for road hazards and police.

Share up-to-date ETA with friends.

Spotify and Apple Music widgets get in the way.

Cluttered maps can be confusing.

Higher battery usage than Google Maps.

Waze  is a community-driven travel app that shows you the shortest possible route to your destination. Like Google Maps, Waze makes real-time adjustments for traffic jams and other obstacles—but Waze is often more accurate since it caters specifically to drivers.

The app syncs with your Google Calendar and can tell you when you should leave for appointments based on traffic. There's also a cool option to record your own voice and use it for directions .

Know Exactly When and Where to Make a Pit Stop: iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Detailed summaries of what's at next exit.

Information on gas prices at nearby gas stations.

Search for the next 100 exits from your location.

Can only be used on major U.S. exit-based highways.

No offline access, so you'll use your data.

Making a pit stop for food, gas, or a bathroom break is easy when you have the iExit app. Using your device's GPS, the app offers helpful suggestions for when and where to stop based on your location along the highway.

Whether you're looking for well-known franchises like Starbucks and Walmart to convenient amenities like free Wi-Fi and truck or trailer parking, this app has you covered.

Find the Cheapest Fuel Nearby: GasBuddy

An in-app gas payment feature.

Opportunity to save 10 cents per gallon on your first fill-up.

Save five cents per gallon on every fill-up after.

The app can take up a lot of data and battery life.

GasBuddy is an app specifically designed to find nearby gas stations and save money on gas. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area and filter gas stations by amenities like car washes, restaurants, and bathrooms.

It's the app you want to have if you're serious about finding the cheapest gas around. Information comes from users like you, so you have the most up-to-date prices.

Download For :

Never Forget an Item: PackPoint Premium Packing List

Access to a built-in library of items to pack

Add or remove items as needed. 

An elegant, intuitive app interface.

Can't input multiple destinations for a single trip.

Not a free app.

PackPoint helps you make sure you have everything you need based on where you're going and what you're doing. In addition, the app takes into consideration the length of your trip and the expected weather conditions.

Perhaps best of all, this app turns a mundane chore into something that's actually quite fun.

Find Out Where to Park and How Much It Will Cost: Inrix ParkMe

Includes street parking and meter rates,

Also shows parking lots.

Real-time updates on available parking spots.

Rates and hours may be inaccurate in some areas.

ParkMe claims to be the world's largest and most accurate parking database. It allows you to purchase your parking spot through the app and compare prices across parking providers to help you save more money.

If you're road tripping around major cities in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, this app can be a huge help. You can even compare parking options and prices so that you always get the best deal.

Automate Your Itinerary: TripIt

Automatically creates itineraries from your inbox.

Widget displays trip details on your home screen.

Annoying amount of alerts by default.

If you're planning a trip, you'll likely have a lot of confirmation emails for hotels, appointments, restaurants, and attractions. TripIt syncs with your inbox and uses that information to compile an itinerary so that you don't have to scramble for it.

The free version is fine for road trips, but if you ever fly, the premium version gives you the option to upgrade seats and track reward miles.

In addition to your phone, laptop, and tablet, other travel tech essentials include chargers, headphones, travel adapters, cameras, luggage trackers, and off-grid communications

Yes. You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the “Places” and “My Maps” features. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists and get directions.

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16 Best Road Trip Apps to Plan Your Adventures 2024

An inveterate road tripper shares the best road trip apps to help you plan your road trip, save money, book hotels, find things to do, and more.

From before you go to when you’re on the road, there are tons of road trip planning tools to help you get the most out of your adventure.

The number of tools can be overwhelming, so I’ve narrowed it down to the best road trip apps.

These are the best apps that I personally use to plan road trips, to save money, to book hotels, to find trails and activities, and more.

I’m an Android user, and I’ve only included the best road trip planner apps available on both Apple’s app store and Android’s Google Play.

Visit the respective stores to download these apps to your device.

If you’re ready to plan your next road trip, check out these amazing tools.

Want more road trip tips? Download Planning Your Perfect Road Trip, a Step-by-Step Guide to Hittin’ the Road

16 Best Road Trip Apps

1. AllTrails

Like to hike? Bike? Go for a walk? AllTrails is a great app to help you discover hiking and biking trails based on where you’re located.

You can read reviews, store trails you’d like to explore, and record the hikes you do take. You can choose to make your hikes public, or keep them private.

The basic app is free. Upgrade to the pro version for access to these premium features:

• Download offline maps to stay on track without service
• Never miss a turn with off-route notifications
• Keep friends and family informed with Lifeline
• Know what to expect with real-time map overlays
• Offset your environmental impact; 1% of every subscription goes back to the planet.

Expedia is an aggregator app that makes it easy to search for and compare prices on rental cars, hotels, and activities along your route. Rates are often discounted, and you have the opportunity to earn rewards.

When you sign up for an Expedia Rewards account, which is free, you also get access to member prices.

Their hotel search function is robust, making it easy to find a hotel that fits your budget and preferences.

You can filter your search by location and price, of course, but you can also search specifically for places that include breakfast, which is a way to save money on your road trip.

Related: how to budget a road trip

You can also search for pet friendly accommodations, hotels with hot tubs, and places where parking is included.

One of my personal favorites is the ability to search for places that “pledge to make all guests feel safe, welcome, and respected.”

If you’re a member of travel loyalty programs, add your account numbers to your Expedia account, and not only can you earn rewards with Expedia, you can also earn them with the other travel companies.

You can also purchase tickets to attractions directly through the app. For example, in San Diego you can book a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour, a harbor cruise, and get tickets to the San Diego Zoo .

Booking in advance can be especially useful if you’re planning a road trip to a popular tourist destination and want to make sure you don’t miss out on any must-see sights or experiences.

The app is easy to use and keeps an itinerary with your confirmation numbers.

3. GasBuddy

Until electric cars have battery life that will take you through the country’s most remote stretches, gas is a necessary evil of the road trip.

It’s a big expense. On one of our epic road trips, we spent more than $600 filling up a vehicle that averaged 27MPG. Fortunately, we had GasBuddy or we would have spent even more.

GasBuddy uses crowd-sourced data to provide real-time information on gas prices at different stations.

With GasBuddy, you can easily find the cheapest gas prices near you, as well as see which gas stations have the best deals on certain days of the week or at certain times of the day.

The prices are updated by users and in the years I’ve been using it I’ve come across incorrect information infrequently (which I promptly correct).

Seeing prices means you can skip the station by the interstate that’s charging fifteen cents more than its counterpart a quarter mile away.

You can search for the best gas prices by location by entering your current location or a specific address and see a list of gas stations near you, along with their current prices for regular, mid-grade, and premium gas.

You can also filter your search results by brand or location type.

One of the ways GasBuddy is particularly useful for road trips is that it allows you to see the location of rest areas, truck stops, and other services, such as restaurants and parking areas, on the map.

This can be particularly useful if you’re driving on a long trip and need to take a break or find a place to refuel.

In addition to displaying fuel prices, you can also save when you sign up for Pay with GasBuddy.

To do this, you’ll add your bank account information to your GasBuddy account. They’ll mail you a card for use at the pump.

Swipe it and enter your access code, and you’ll save a few cents per gallon.

Pay with GasBuddy also gives you access to Deal Alerts, which knock the price down even more. Pay with GasBuddy doesn’t work at warehouse clubs or stations on reservation land.

But, it works with most major brands and we save an average of five cents a gallon by using our card.

I’m such a fan I’ve written a full guide on how to use GasBuddy .

4. Google Maps

I almost feel like this goes without saying—but I’ll say it anyway (obviously): if you have just one road trip app, make it Google maps.

There are many, many reasons it’s the most popular navigation app.

Not only can you get directions, but because it’s tied into Google you can find anything around you, too.

With Google Maps, you can easily plan the best route, get turn-by-turn directions, and see real-time traffic updates.

The map will also show you the location of gas stations, rest areas, and other points of interest along your route, so you can plan for pit stops or find things to do.

The real-time traffic updates are a life-saver. If you’re about to run into some heavy traffic, the app will offer to reroute you, if a faster route is available.

If you prefer two-lanes, you can set it to avoid Highways. You can also choose to avoid tolls, but if that’s unavoidable, Google Maps will show you how much those tolls are.

And if you’ve got a toll pass, it’ll display those prices, which are often discounted from cash.

One of the route options you can choose is which is most fuel-efficient, and you can even select the type of fuel: Gas, Diesel, Electric, and Hybrid.

Another great feature of Google Maps is the ability to download maps for offline use. This is particularly useful if you’re planning a road trip to a rural area or somewhere with limited cell service.

By downloading the maps in advance, you can still access them and navigate even if you don’t have an internet connection.

Google Maps can also be used as a road trip trip planner .

When you find great places and quirky roadside attractions that look interesting or you know you want to include on your itinerary, you can save them.

For example, search for Rocky Mountain National Park. Then tap the “Save” icon. From there, you can add it to Favorites, Want to go, Travel plans, or Starred places.

You can also create your own lists, which will make it easier to plan a whole trip.

Once you add these amazing places to a list, you can add a note. Maybe Aunt Sue recommended the peach pie at a diner. Write it down in the notes. Then when you’re planning your itinerary, you’ll know why you added that diner to your list.

You can keep your list Private or you can choose to share it. This comes in handy when there are multiple people planning the trip.

BONUS: Google Maps shows you how much tolls will cost.

5. HotelTonight

If you’re looking for a last minute hotel room, HotelTonight wants to help. Primarily in larger towns and cities, the website and app can help you find same-day and next-day hotel stays at discounted rates.

The app will find accommodations near you, and you can also search for hotels by location. You can filter your search by price, star rating, and neighborhood.

Frequent users can take advantage of HT Perks, HotelTonight’s rewards system. The more you spend, the more you save. HT Perks are available only from participating hotels.

One cool feature is if you see a deal but don’t want to use it immediately, you can choose to save it for later credit. You’ll then have a year to use it.

Taking the interstates? iExit is a free travel app that shows you what’s available at each exit, including dining, shopping, restrooms, and attractions. It also pulls up gas stations and gas prices.

The app uses real-time data to provide information on the services and amenities available at upcoming exits on the highway, making it an ideal tool for planning rest stops, gas fill-ups and meals.

You’ll see a list of services such as restaurants, hotels, gas stations and rest areas along with their distance from the exit. You can also filter your search results by categories such as fast food, lodging, and gas stations.

iExit also allows you to search for specific chain of restaurants or hotels, which can be helpful if you have a loyalty program with a particular brand.

It also provides pricing information on gas prices so that you can plan your fill-ups to save money. Fuel prices are updated in real-time by OPIS.

Another feature that makes iExit a useful app for road trips is that it allows you to see the location of rest areas, truck stops, and other services, such as parking areas and restrooms, on the map.

One more feature that iExit offers is the ability to save your favorite exits, so you can quickly access them later. This can be especially useful if you frequently travel the same route and want to quickly find your favorite rest stop or gas station.

With its real-time information on services and amenities, search filters, and other helpful features, iExit can help you plan your route more efficiently and find the services you need while on the road.

It also displays gas stations, and a premium version includes gas prices. Don’t let the word premium fool you: it’s only $1.99.

7. NPS (National Park Service) App

Not only does the official app of the National Park Service show you where to find National Parks, it helps you discover every site in their system.

It’s free to use and you can explore by topic, by activity, by state, or near your location.

The app provides information on park hours, fees, and regulations, as well as maps, trail guides, and other resources to help you make the most of your visit.

You can save sites to your favorites and make the information available offline. That way when you’re in Yellowstone National Park and you’re blissfully disconnected, you can still access the information.

It’s downloaded to your phone, so make sure you have storage space.

Features of the NPS App include:

• Interactive maps
• Amenities, like food, shopping, and restrooms
• Accessibility, including audio descriptions
• Things to do
• News, alerts, and events

You can also keep a list of all the National Park Service sites you’ve visited.

Related: Don’t miss these National Park tips and printable checklist .

8. Priceline

If I had a dime for every dollar Priceline has saved me I could start booking three- and four-star hotels.

The commercials ain’t lyin’—their Express Deals are amazing. What’s the catch? You have no idea where you’ll end up. You can see a general area and a star level, but that’s it.

When a glitch caused our camping plans to fall through (nobody wants to set up camp at 8:30 at night—I’ve done it, and it’s not fun), I found an Express Deal in Jamestown, ND, for $41.

Once the transaction completed, I learned what hotel we’d booked. It was clean and offered free Wi-Fi. We had a refrigerator and microwave, breakfast was included, and I could even register the stay with my rewards account.

While they no longer give you the option to Name Your Own Price, in addition to Express Deals, they also have pricebreakers. They pick from one of three different hotels.

While you won’t know which one you’re getting until you pay for it, you’ll be able to see in advance what your options are.

Like Expedia, you can search for hotels by location, price, and amenities. You can also search by brand and star level, making it easy to find a hotel that fits your budget and preferences.

Priceline VIP is a rewards program that provides discounts, add-on deals, and Express Deal coupons after your trip is complete.

The app will show you deals on hotels near your location. You can also book rental cars, flights, and cruises.

TLTip: If you use Priceline to book your hotel rooms, it is very important to read the reviews. Sometimes there’s a reason that hotel with free breakfast is only $40.

Related: how to save money on a road trip .

9. Rainy Days

Knowing what’s happening weather-wise is kind of important when you’re on a road trip. My favorite way to see whether I’ll stay dry or will need to break out the slicker is Rainy Days.

This free app has helped my anxiety level frequently, especially while driving in North Central Nebraska. It was good to know we were driving the opposite direction of an intense storm.

Another time, a tornado warning popped up on the navigation system… in Montana. If you’ve never driven through central Montana, let me tell you, this is the reason jerry cans were invented.

Related: unique things to do in Montana

It’s big and beautiful and feels like you’re the only one for miles – and you probably are. The rest area near Musselshell was so quiet I could hear a cow call in the distance.

There were no bridges to hide under, no gullies, no shelter.

Just us, the road, and ominous clouds.

Incredibly, we had cell service, so I pulled up Rainy Days and discovered that the storm and its potential funnel clouds and golf-ball-sized hail were behind us and moving slower than we were. Whew!

Besides, it’s cool to see those weather formations.

Rainy Days doesn’t provide weather forecast. For that, I use the Weather.com app that came pre-installed on my phone.

10. Recreation.gov

Recreation.gov is definitely one of the best road trip apps. It’s the official website and app for making reservations for recreational activities and facilities managed by the U.S. federal government.

You can find campgrounds and lodging, tours and activities, sign up for lotteries for the most popular things to do, and find information on what permits are required near you.

Once you do make reservations, they’re stored in the app.

This is the site and app to use when you plan to visit parks that require vehicle registration, like Glacier National Park, or want a permit to hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park .

You can reserve campsites on the website and app. We did, while sitting at the entrance to a campground in Mississippi.

We didn’t realize the park was a NPS site when we drove up, and the kindly gent in the booth directed us to make our reservations through the app.

There’s also a trip planner. Plug in your dates, number of people, your starting location, and your potential destinations.

You can then see all the available options on a map, add them to your itinerary, and then make any necessary reservations.

11. Restaurant.com

Eating where the locals eat is a great way to get a real “taste” for a town. If you want to save some dough on your dining, sign up for restaurant.com .

This app provides discounted certificates, and I’ve found participating restaurants in towns with fewer than 10,000 residents.

You’ll have to spend a minimum amount to use your certificate, and it’s usually double the face value. For example, if you get a $10 certificate for $4, you’ll have to spend at least $20 and you’ll save $6.

You can search for restaurants in your current location and by zip code. You can also choose larger cities, including Chicago, Seattle, and Austin.

Once you’ve narrowed down the location, look at the menu and the ratings. I’ve found several real gems using this app, and they’ve been places I never would have known about or tried without it.

The mobile app has been acting pretty wonky lately, and there seem to be fewer selections than in years past. I suggest trying it out at home before taking it on the road.

12. Roadtrippers.com

Roadtrippers.com is one of the best road trip planning tools . It allows you to plug points into a map, but it’s so much more than that.

Once you’ve added your starting point and your destination, the Roadtrippers app displays attractions along your route. The more you zoom in, the more attractions you’ll see.

When you’re on the road, the app will show nearby points of interest, restaurants, and gas stations.

You can add the type of vehicle you’re driving and its estimated fuel efficiency and Roadtrippers will calculate your approximate expenses.

Besides plotting the route itself, there’s a ton of user-generated content offering recommendations for attractions, restaurants, places to stay, and great photo ops. There are also pre-made trip guides.

Previously you could specify whether you wanted to drive interstates or not per segment of your trip. That’s no longer the case, and to choose any routing options you’ll need to upgrade.

Check out our full guide on how to use Roadtrippers .

However, upgrading enables you to collaborate with other users and increases the number of waypoints from three in the free version to up to 150.

There are three levels of membership: Basic, Pro, and Premium with Premium getting you the most benefits with downloadable maps, live traffic, and special discounts.

At time of publication, Roadtrippers membership ranges from $35.99 to $59.99 per year, and there’s a seven day free trial. If you upgrade, you can save $5 off your first year with code BTR5QTP.

I’m an affiliate with Roadtrippers, so any purchase through that link gives me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

13. TollGuru.com

Driving highways or in urban areas? Download TollGuru.

This road trip app has detailed information, including pricing, methods of payment accepted at tolls, and which transponders (E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, TxTag, etc.) are accepted.

It will also give you an estimated fuel cost if you include the type of vehicle you drive and the average gas prices.

While Google Maps now provides toll price information, TollGuru gives you more detail.

14. TripTik by AAA

One of the best road trip planning apps is AAA’s TripTik .

These have come a long way since the spiral-bound guides of my youth. Today, you can plan your road trip routes online or on your phone.

If you want to plan your perfect road trip , plug in your starting and ending points and add up to 25 stops. Specify how often you’d like to stop and it’ll build breaks into your turn-by-turn directions.

You can choose to display gas stations, attractions, campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, AAA savings, and rest areas.

This road trip planning app is free to use, even if you’re not a AAA member. Joining is recommended, though. Not only do you get roadside assistance, you also get special discounts on hotel rooms and restaurants, as well as paper maps.

Upside is a free app that gives you cash back on gas, groceries, and restaurants. Brands include most of the big fuel chains (Shell, Marathon, Valero, BP, etc.)

Upside works similarly to Pay with GasBuddy in that you get cents off per gallon, but you get it in the form of cash back.

For example, at the Casey’s near me I can get eight cents per gallon cash back. To get the discount, I claim the offer, pay with a credit card, and then check in or take a photo of my receipt to upload it.

Once the cash back processes, which is usually within a couple days, I can transfer it to my bank account or use it to buy gift cards for places like Domino’s, H&M, and Starbucks.

Upside also offers cash back at restaurants and grocery stores. The offers vary, and when you first sign up there’s an increased discount.

The app saves you a few cents here and there, but they add up, especially when you’re on long road trips, making this one of my essential road trip apps.

Sign up for Upside here .

Download Waze for an alternative to Google Maps. One of the key features of Waze is its crowd-sourced traffic information, which allows users to report accidents, road closures, and other incidents in real time.

This helps you stay updated on the latest traffic conditions and avoid any delays on your route.

You can set your type of vehicle for preferred routes, including Motorcycle, Electric, and Taxi. You can also add your Toll and HOV passes, and you can tell it to skip unpaved roads.

(I can think of a few trips I’ve taken where that option would have come in handy.)

In addition to its routing and traffic features, Waze also offers a number of other useful tools for road trips. For example, the app allows you to find the cheapest gas prices along your route, restaurants, and parking at your destination.

If you connect your calendar, the app will tell you when it’s time to leave.

While there are definitely more road trip apps out there, these are the ones I consider essential. If you’re planning a road trip, don’t forget to get my book, Planning Your Perfect Road Trip !

15 Useful Apps to Download Before Your Next Road Trip (for Free!)

If you are looking for the best road trip apps , you’re in the right place!

Traveling along the wide open road can be a lot of fun but can also be stressful if you’re worrying about getting lost, finding gas, looking for a hotel, or are trying to keep to a tight budget.

Here are a few tools you can access from the palm of your hand that will help with your planning, navigating, budgeting, and finding what you need while on the road. These apps simplify things for you so you can concentrate on enjoying your journey just as much as the destination.

Whether you’re going for 2 days or 2 weeks, these are the absolute  best apps to have for a road trip :

All of the apps can be download for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Table of Contents

Google Maps – best road trip app for navigation 

Price: Free Availability: iOS and Android

Seriously. How did we ever live without Google Maps?

It is arguably the most popular navigation app – and for good reason – as it’s incredibly reliable and easy to use. Whether you’re walking, biking, driving, or using public transportation, it allows you to see the best route based on distance, road conditions, and traffic patterns. I even used it to navigate the subways in Tokyo, Japan and it worked flawlessly (thank goodness!).

Since we’re talking about road trips, Google Maps is an excellent choice when deciding on your driving route and looking at all your options for stops along the way.

Create and save your entire itinerary and update it as you go, or highlight your favorite places and save them for later. It can also help you find nearby restaurants, parking, or public restrooms in a pinch. 

You can even download maps for offline use, which is an excellent feature for adventures that take you out of cell service.

For a step-by-step tutorial on customizing your Google Maps , visit my guide on  How to Plan Your Road Trip with Google Maps .

Waze Navigation – for navigation with real-time updates 

Perhaps second in popularity to Google Maps, Waze is gaining favor with a lot of drivers.

Waze is a community driven navigation app that provides  the most up-to-date maps, real-time traffic updates, and road closure alerts. It’s also useful for  showing drivers where traffic cops are hiding and and speed cameras are mounted. I think we can all agree that speeding tickets will put a damper on any road trip. 

Drivers can report things along the way, giving real-time, comprehensive updates on road conditions and traffic problems. 

Plus, for those of us who prefer to take the longest route possible, there is an ‘avoid highways’ feature that takes you through the backroads, which is the best way to discover fun and spontaneous stops along your journey.

However, one of the standout features of Waze is the “avoid dirt roads” option, which re-routes you to follow only paved roads on your road trip. This is especially useful for countries like Costa Rica , where it’s all too easy to find yourself driving down some extremely rough and muddy roads.

Roadtrippers – best road trip app to build an itinerary

Price: Free for basic version | $25.00/year to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

Roadtrippers is one of the best road trip apps because it’s designed specifically for road trips. You can use it to build your own road trip route, find places to see along the way, and even calculate gas mileage. It’s essentially your all-in-one road trip app.

To use Roadtrippers, start by clicking “Plan Trip” and add your departure and final destination. Roadtrippers will display the best route and then you can search for stops and accommodation along the way.

While you can plan basic road trips in countries throughout the world, Roadtrippers works best in the US, Canada , New Zealand , and Australia.

Use the free version to add up to 7 waypoints along your route. If you need more, you can upgrade to Roadtrippers Plus for $25.99/year, which gives you 150 waypoints per trip, offline maps, and different map styles.

Instagram – for inspiration

While not technically a road trip app, Instagram is actually a great resource for finding inspiration, hidden gems, and checking current conditions at locations along your road trip route.

For example, I use Instagram every year to plan my fall foliage road trip ! By searching for most recent posts in a certain area, I can check the foliage and time it to get there when the colors peak.

Here are some other ways you can research your trip on Instagram:

• Type key phrases into the search bar on the explore page
• Visit tourism boards profiles
• Browse the posts under location specific hashtags

Similar to Pinterest, you can save your favorite posts and organize them in dedicated boards. I like to create dedicated boards for each trip.

Join me and over 45,000 adventure lovers over on Instagram , where I share more travel tips, unique places, and road trip itineraries!

Pinterest – for exploring blogs and finding itineraries

If you’re a visual person, you’ll love Pinterest because it’s a search engine like Google, but with pictures.

Pinterest is typically my first stop when I sit down to research for a road trip or start crafting an itinerary. It’s a great road trip app for finding road trip itineraries, travel inspiration, and exploring new travel blogs which you may not have come across in a normal Google search.

You can use Pinterest to research a specific destination or just browse for inspo to save for later. Just use the search bar like Google to search for phrases like:

• Las Vegas to Sedona road trip itinerary
• Best countries to visit in December
• Ecuador travel itinerary
• Florida travel

To stay organized, you can curate separate boards to store itineraries, places to visit during your travels, your packing list and any other tips that might make the road trip more seamless.

Click here to follow me on Pinterest and check out road trips Pinterest board!

Spotify – music, podcasts, audiobooks

Price: Free for basic version | $9.99/month to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

An absolute prerequisite for a good road trip is a good soundtrack. Long gone are the days of fuzzy radio stations or loading CD decks. Spotify allows you to sync up all your favorite tunes into your ultimate road trip playlist, or the app is happy to curate one for you.  

Although Spotify is first-and-foremost a music streaming platform, you can also find hundreds of podcasts and audiobooks so you can learn and stay entertained on the road.

The app can be used for free, but you will get some advertisements, while premium subscribers listen ad-free. 

Tip: Make a unique playlist for every trip with songs you’ve never heard before! That way, you’ll be reminded of your epic road trip every time you hear those songs.

HotelTonight – to find last minute hotel deals

Maintaining a flexble schedule is part of the joy that comes with road trips. Unforseen circumstances such as traffic, roadside attractions, hunger, or sleepiness can sometimes throw plans off course. HotelTonight compiles last-minute, unused hotel rooms at a discount. So, if you have a flexible schedule or you’re looking for a last-minute hotel room because you can’t handle any more drive time, this is a great app to have handy. 

HotelTonight will use your location to pull up real-time availability and prices. They have about 50 thousand properties in their database in 1,700 cities around the world. 

AllTrails – find places to stretch your legs

Price: Free for basic version | $35.99/year to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

If you’re a fan of hiking and the great outdoors, you’ve probably used AllTrails once or twice to find a good walking trail. It makes the list of best road trip apps because you’ll definitely be itching to stretch your legs after many sedentary hours in the car. 

In the AllTrails app, you can enter a general location or use the map view to see your current location and find trails near you. Each route is rated by users and marked with distance, time, and difficulty level, so you won’t be left wondering how long your excursion will take.

There are free and paid versions of the app for $35.99/year. The only noteworthy difference in the paid version is that you can download the maps offline. 

TheDyrt – the best road trip app for finding campsites  

If you’re going to be looking for campsites during your road trip, TheDryt helps you find places all over the US where you can pitch a tent, park an RV or even rent a cabin. This is the best road trip app for finding last minute campsites and free places to park overnight, especially when we have a camper van.

It’s the number one camping app in the US, with over a million downloads. Users provide reviews, pricing, and all the nitty-gritty info you want to know before arriving at your camping location. 

TheDyrt app is free to download, but I do recommend splurging on the PRO version if you’ll be off grid. It costs $35.99/year and it allows you to plan trips and search for campsites while offline.

READ NEXT:  5 Compelling Reasons to Take a Campervan Road Trip (+ Essential Tips to Know Before You Go)

Freecampsites.net – find free campsites on public land

Free camping can be hard to find, but  Freecampsites.net makes it easy to find free, dispersed camping outside of official campgrounds. This makes it one of the best apps to have for your next road trip!

Most campsites are located on public land managed by the State Forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Freecampsites.net is crowd-sourced, so campsite information, tips, and site reviews are contributed by other users.

To find a campsite near you, use the map to search for free, cheap, or permit campsites. Alternatively, use the Trip Planner to pull up all campsites along your route. The campsites can be used for car camping, tent camping, or RV camping.

You can’t book these sites in advance, so I recommend doing some research beforehand and always having a backup plan in case the site is full when you show up.

If you like to plan (way) ahead, use Recreation.gov to book organized campsites cross the country.

iExit Interstate Exit Guide – find the best exit stops

Price: Free for ‘lite’ version | $0.99 to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

Designed for US Interstates, the iExit Interstate Exit Guide is an easy way to find out what’s coming up at an exit near you.

Missing signs and zipping past each turn-off usually means you miss an optimal food spot or bathroom stop. But  iExit helps you find the best exit for your needs, whether it’s cheap fuel, food, or a comfortable hotel. You can even book a hotel directly through the app.

iExit is free, but there are some added in-app purchases available for a small price. 

Toll Calculator GPS Navigation – estimate tolls on your route

Price: Free for basic version | $5.99/year to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

Don’t forget that toll roads are an important part of your road trip budget! Fortunately, Toll Calculator is one of the best road trip apps for estimating the cost of tolls along a given route. Originally created for truckers, this app is quickly growing in popularity among all kinds of road trippers.

With Toll Calculator, you can easily plan ahead and choose the best route for your trip, estimating how much toll money you’ll need along the way. It currently works in the US and Canada.

The free version is good enough for estimating tolls along the primary route from point A to B. But you’ll have to upgrade if you want to unlock more features like syncing with Google Maps and comparing prices on alternate routes.

GasBuddy – find the best gas prices along the way

Let’s be honest – filling up the gas tank is probably going to be the most expensive part of your road trip. Luckily,  GasBuddy collects user-generated data to help you find gas stations with the least expensive fuel options on your route. It works for road trips in the US and Canada. 

Once you add your destination, the GasBuddy app will show you all the filling stations along the way and let you compare prices. App users report prices and gain points for doing so. Earning points enters you into drawings for gas money that can go towards your next road trip.

TripIt: Travel Planner – keep your travel schedule organized

Price: Free for basic version | $49/year to upgrade Availability: iOS and Android

TripIt is a travel planner that allows you to keep your travel schedule organized and saved in one place. This means that all your reservations, booking numbers, confirmations, addresses, etc., are neartly organized and at your fingertips.

The best part is that you don’t have to add everything in manually, which is such a time saver. Once you book something online, you can automatically sync your plans into your TripIt schedule. It’s very convenient to have everything in one place.

The free version is super comprehensive so you won’t have to pay for TripIt PRO unless you want the added bonuses real-time flight alerts, reminders and city guides. 

TravelSpend – best travel app for budgeting

If you like sticking to a budget while you travel, TravelSpend is a free app that will track your spending. It’s great for domestic road trips, but you can also use it abroad because you can choose your currency.

TravelSpend’s functionality is pretty basic, which makes it easy to use, even if you’re a finance novice. It categorizes your spending so you can see exactly where your money is going and helps you stick to your budget. 

It can cater to solo travelers, couples, families, groups, or digital nomads. The free version comes with ads, or you can upgrade to go ad-free. 

And there you have it—these are the best apps to ensure your next road trip is one for the books. Whether you’re hitting the road for a weekend getaway or considering a bigger move, the right tools can make all the difference.

Looking for more actionable tips to make your next road trip unforgettable? We were featured in a Redfin article! Check it out here: Roaming for Relocation: Plan your road trip to find your new home !

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Organize flights & hotels and map your trips in a free travel app designed for vacation planning & road trips, powered by ai and google maps..

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No more switching between different apps, tabs, and tools to keep track of your travel plans.

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Features to replace all your other tools, add places from guides with 1 click, collaborate with friends in real time, import flight and hotel reservations, expense tracking and splitting, checklists for anything, get personalized suggestions, plan like a pro.

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The 11 Best Android Apps for Road Trips and Travel

Embarking on a road trip is a fantastic way to discover new destinations and create lasting memories. Whether you’re gearing up for a cross-country journey or a quick weekend escape, having the right apps on your Android phone can make your travels more seamless and enjoyable. Here are the top Android apps to elevate your road trip experience.

Table of Contents

1. Google Maps

Google Maps is an essential app for any road trip, whether you’re heading across state lines or just making a quick trip to the store.

It provides turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, and alternative routes. You can also download maps for offline use, which is especially useful in areas with poor internet connectivity. Additionally, Google Maps helps you find nearby attractions, restaurants, and gas stations, making it an invaluable resource for travelers.

Read:  12 Best Apps for Finding Cheap Flights

Waze is an excellent alternative navigation app, especially if you’re looking to steer clear of traffic jams, accidents, and speed or police traps. Unlike Google Maps, Waze is powered by user-generated data, offering real-time updates on road conditions, incidents, and police presence from fellow drivers. This community-based approach makes Waze a trustworthy option for finding the fastest and safest routes.

Additionally, its social features let you see where your friends are on the road, making it ideal for staying connected during group road trips.

3. Roadtrippers – Trip Planner

A road trip is about more than just reaching your destination, and Roadtrippers makes sure you don’t miss out on the journey. This trip planner helps you discover intriguing stops along your route, from quirky roadside attractions to scenic vistas and historic landmarks. Roadtrippers transform a routine drive into an unforgettable adventure by helping you plan unique stops. The app also offers details on accommodations, dining, and entertainment, enabling you to craft a personalized travel itinerary.

4. GasBuddy

Fuel is essential for every road trip, and GasBuddy simplifies the task by locating the lowest gas prices near you. The app uses user-reported data to provide current gas prices at nearby stations. You can also earn points for reporting prices, which can be redeemed for rewards. Additionally, GasBuddy’s trip cost calculator estimates your fuel expenses based on your vehicle’s efficiency and the distance you’ll be traveling, helping you plan your budget more accurately.

Read:  How to Add TSA PreCheck to Delta App?

Finding great places to eat and things to do is crucial when you’re on the road, and Yelp is a reliable tool for discovering local restaurants, bars, cafes, and attractions. With numerous reviews from real users, you can get valuable insights into the best spots around you.

Yelp’s search filters make it easy to find places that fit your needs, such as those open now, offering outdoor seating, or being family-friendly. The app also provides deals and discounts at participating businesses, helping you save money as you explore new areas.

Securing a comfortable place to stay is essential for any road trip, and Airbnb offers a wide range of accommodations to choose from, including budget-friendly rooms and luxurious homes. Whether you’re seeking a cozy cabin in the mountains or a beachfront villa, Airbnb has something to meet every traveler’s needs. With user reviews and ratings, you can easily find a trustworthy place to stay. The convenience of booking directly through the app also makes the process smooth and hassle-free.

Read:  FlightAware Review

7. Booking.com

Booking.com is another great app for finding accommodations, offering millions of listings worldwide, including hotels, motels, hostels, and more. The app provides flexible booking options, allowing you to filter results according to your preferences, such as free cancellation or no prepayment.

With user reviews and ratings, you can make well-informed decisions. Plus, the app’s loyalty program, Genius, rewards frequent travelers with discounts and special perks.

Long drives can become dull, but Spotify keeps you entertained with music, podcasts, and audiobooks. You can create custom playlists for your journey or pick from Spotify’s curated road trip playlists. The DJ feature is perfect for road trips, offering recommendations for classic tracks while helping you discover new artists and genres.

Read:  Airalo Review

If you’re a fan of audiobooks, Audible is a great app for your road trip. With a vast selection of titles across multiple genres, Audible has something for everyone. Whether you’re interested in a thrilling novel, a captivating non-fiction book, or a humorous read, Audible has you covered. The app’s smooth playback and offline listening feature make it an ideal companion for long journeys. Plus, Audible Originals offers exclusive content you won’t find elsewhere.

10. AllTrails

If your road trip includes hiking, AllTrails is an essential app. It provides extensive information on trails, including maps, photos, and reviews. Whether you’re seeking a short, easy walk or a more challenging hike, AllTrails helps you find the ideal trail. The app also lets you download maps for offline access, ensuring you can navigate even without cell service.

Read:  Cash App Accounts

11. The Dyrt

Camping lovers will find The Dyrt a valuable resource for finding and booking campgrounds. It offers detailed information on campgrounds throughout the United States, including user reviews and photos. You can search for campgrounds based on location, type, and amenities, making finding a site that fits your needs simple.

The Dyrt Pro provides offline access, allowing you to locate and navigate to campsites without internet service, and offers campground discounts when you book through their platform.

These apps are essential for a successful road trip. Before you set off, be sure to download them to guarantee a smooth, enjoyable, and unforgettable journey.

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Today is Busiest Day for UK air travel since 2019

Regardless of your destination, planning your trip is an integral part of the adventure. Otherwise, you’ll spend way more than you need to and, chances are, you won’t get to see everything on your wishlist. 

We live in a golden age of technology that we often take for granted. But, in all the time we spend playing our ‘Spin Addicts’ and our ‘Cat Quests’, very rarely do we think about the utility that our smart devices can provide on the open road. 

As such, we’ve gone out of our way to do the thinking for you.

That’s right, to help you out with your next big outing we’ve assimilated five of the best road trip planner apps for your lengthy expedition below. Above all else, we imagine you’ll be enticed by the fact that they’re all free to download, even if you may or may not be tempted later on to shell out some cash for a monthly subscription fee. (You’ll know what we mean when you see it.)

1. Roadtrippers 

As its name and slogan suggests, this is the only map built for travelers. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of hyperbole, but this app will help you find virtually everything you could ever need along the way. 

Open Roadtrippers and you’ll find millions of locations, including local diners and roadside attractions that, admittedly, Google Maps is prone to miss. Then, once you’ve outlined your road trip plan, you can share it with your travel buddies so that they can make suggestions. 

Download it now on iOS | Download it now on Android

2. Waze 

Like Roadtrippers, Waze hones in on social interaction, but it does so by letting the community decide which routes are the best to take. Users can report nearby collisions, police radar and traffic jams so that you can safely avoid those routes in favor of arriving on time. What’s more, you’ll find the cheapest gas prices around, as gathered by the community. Regardless of whether you set out to save time or money, Waze is the best way to do both.

3. GasBuddy 

Unlike our previous mentions which can potentially save time or money, GasBuddy promises a specific amount of money you’ll save by using it.

Similar to Waze, GasBuddy is a community-driven platform that helps you locate the most affordable gas prices around so that you never have to pay full price for fossil fuels again. The difference is that, with this app, you can subscribe to GasBuddy Pay for additional savings of 15 cents per gallon on your first fill-up and 5 cents per gallon on every fill-up after that. 

Download it now on iOS | Download it now on Android  

4. Hotel Tonight 

We’ve all been in that position. The one where we get too tired to continue driving and we need to find a hotel quickly and cheaply, else suffer the wrath of sleepy driving with the windows rolled down and the music turned all the way up. (Pro tip: don't do that, ever. It's super dangerous.) 

But if that sounds like a horror story that you’ve experienced before, Hotel Tonight is the app for you. Specializing in last-minute hotel deals, Hotel Tonight makes it possible to book a room in three easy taps and one seamless swipe. 

5. Spotify  

Close your eyes. Now imagine you can listen to any song you want, including but not limited to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers. Now open them. 

Though it seems jokingly obvious now, Spotify would have been a dream come true in the days when top 40 radio hits triumphed over all else. Finally, you don’t have to listen to the same handful of songs on repeat. 

Instead, you can hand-pick your own playlists, choosing between over 30 million songs in the Spotify catalog. Of course, if Spotify isn't your music scene, both Apple Music and Google's own Play Music streaming service are also good travel companions.

  TechRadar’s The Road to the Show 2018 sees our intrepid writers braving a cross-country trip across the US, using the best gadgets to bring you their daily travel blog and offering the best tips for a tech-based roadtrip. The journey is brought to you in association with ZTE and the ZTE Axon M, with car transportation provided by Genesis.  

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21 of the BEST Road Trip Planner apps to get before you go

Looking for the best road trip planner apps , tools and hacks to help you plan your perfect road trip? Look no further! We’ve compiled all the essential road trip apps you need- including ones to help with planning a road trip , apps to use whilst on your road trip and tools we couldn’t (and wouldn’t) road trip without!

Before we found these tools, road trip planning and organising used to take HOURS. Or even days. Now, we’re a lot quicker- partly because we’ve compiled road trip checklists and gear, but partly because these apps make it easy. Promise.

*We work hard to make this the best motorhome travel blog and road trip website possible, full of helpful content for you. The website is supported by our readers, so if you buy through links on this site we may earn a commission- at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own .

If you find this post useful, you can also treat us to a coffee – we promise to enjoy it while creating more useful content like this- we might even indulge in a biscuit (or two!)

Whether you’re roadtripping in the USA with friends, exploring Europe in a camper or setting off on a road trip with kids *gulp*- these are the only road trip planner tools you need.

Pssst- want to travel healthily on your road trip? Check out these awesome, easy and HEALTHY snacks for road trip travels! 

JUMP AHEAD TO...

The BEST Road Trip Planner Apps and Tools to plan your road trip

Google maps.

I’ve said it before ( Here in fact ), Google Maps is amazing for planning a road trip . And it’s free. (Actually, many of these road trip planner apps and tools are free- we’re thoughtful like that!)

We use Google maps to put together a visual guide to places we want to visit- and then we use it to plan a route. You can see how we do it here

Another option is using Guru maps for offline navigation

Pinterest is an AMAZING road trip planne r resource! There are destination guides, things to do, road trip kit reviews and everything else you need! I never used to use it for anything other than recipes- what a mistake! Now, it’s the first place I go to look for new ideas when we’re heading off.

You’ll be pleased to know Wandering Bird is on Pinterest too, sharing destination guides, travel tips and yep- road trip planner tools!- You can follow us on Pinterest here

Roadtrippers

This is another site I think we underuse in Europe, but it’s a great road trip planner. Use it in the same way as Google maps, but there are also many other cool features; it estimates how much money you’ll spend on fuel and how far you have to drive, among other things.

Instagram is a road trip planner’s paradise! So many amazing destinations, secret locations and beautiful places are shared every single day. Just search the hashtag #roadtrip or your planned destination and see what comes up!

Facebook might not be your first thought for road trip planning apps, but if you ask a question on a relevant facebook group, you’ll get LOADS of ideas and info to help you plan your trip. I love asking advice from real people who’ve been there- and I find people are more likely to respond on Facebook, rather than Instagram.

You can find us on Facebook too- sharing tips, destination advice or general silliness- check out our page HERE

Road Trip Travel Blogs

Not an app, but travel blogs are a fantastic road trip planning tool. To find one for the area you’re planning to road trip to, just search ‘Road Trip Blog ________’ You’ll find people have road tripped all over the place and you can use their suggestions and favourite places in your road trip planner.

I hope if you’re heading to Europe you’ll find a certain road trip blog especially useful *cough cough * Feel free to sign up to our resource library so you can get useful road trip checklists, travel planning tips and destination guides.

Road trip forums are a great source of information- if you use them correctly and accept that there are many people in there who talk a lot, but haven’t necessarily DONE a lot.

That said, there can be some really good road trip planner advice and info- again, type into Google ‘Road Trip Forum for _____’ or even travel forums if you’re looking for destination advice for a particular location. The only downside to forums is you often have to sign up/ register before you can get access.

Other awesome Road Trip planner tools we recommend

Ok, so you’ve planned your road trip destination and started plotting places into your chosen road trip planner- but now WHAT??

If you don’t have a vehicle for your road trip, check out:

I LOVE this site . What a brilliantly awesome idea to help you plan and cut your costs for a road trip. Basically, people just like you and me list their RVs, campers and even trucks- and other people rent them out! Seriously, there are a HUGE number of vehicles on there, all over the world, available for rent at really reasonable prices.

If you’re looking for low-cost vehicle rental, this is a great place to start! Just please be aware that, as with many sites like this, there is the potential for unscrupulous people to take advantage. If in doubt, pick another van or hire through an approved rental agency.

So, now you’ve got a road trip destination, an overflowing road trip planner and a vehicle! Last planning tip- get some:

Packing Checklists

A packing checklist can be invaluable- especially if you’re roadtripping and moving around regularly. It is SO easy to forget something silly as you travel – so get yourself a packing checklist to make it easier.

You can either use a FREE app like My Trip List, which allows you to customise a packing list.

Useful Road trip planner apps whilst ON your road trip

The fun doesn’t stop just coz you’ve started travelling! Oh no, if you’re anything like us, you’ll keep planning your road trip as you’re on the road! After all, what’s the point in having an adventure if you can’t be adventurous?!?

Navigating is hard enough on a road trip- without getting your camper stuck down a narrow street! This app works on any iPad or phone with GPS and allows you to input the dimensions of your vehicle so you can avoid streets and bridges which are too small. Read our full review of CoPilot here.

>>Looking for other sat-navs. These are the best on the market<<

Google translate app to convert languages.

Road tripping to another country? Get the Google Translate app. This is one of our favourite road trip planner apps- because it’s so darn useful. Just open the app and hold it up to a sign, menu, paper, whatever- and Google Translate will translate the words into your chosen language! This is BRILLIANT for roadtripping Europe where the languages change constantly and we don’t always speak them very well.

Recipe Book

I LOVE this app. I use it all the time and it’s so freaking easy- and FREE!! Find a great recipe on Pinterest or Google, make it, and then save the recipe to your recipe book app, so it’s there for the next time you want to cook it. The app syncs between ipad and phone, which is great- I can grab whichever is closest to hand. I prefer following a recipe from a larger screen, but having the app on the phone is SO useful when I’m shopping and can’t decide what I want to cook for dinner.

DroneAssist

The BEST app in the UK for telling you where you can safely and legally fly your drone. It’s a brilliant and easy-to-use app and we use it whenever we want to get our drone out… or at least we did, until we lost our drone in Lake Annecy *sob* Hopefully by the time you read this we’ll have another one ready to go! We haven’t found a similar app for use in Europe or North America- if you know of one, please let me know and I’ll update this list.

Find fuel with these great road trip planning apps:

If you have refillable LPG gas installed on your motorhome (one of our Road Trip essentials!), this app and website is brilliant for finding places where you can fill up. Most of the locations are current and the app/ website are updated frequently.

Gasbuddy is one for my American friends- find the cheapest gas along your route. (To avoid confusion, by gas I mean petrol. Or diesel. Not gas for cooking.) I asked my group of road tripping RVers which app they recommend and this one was top of the list!!

Road Trip planner apps to help you find somewhere to stay

If you haven’t booked a campsite or a hotel, you’ll need to find places to stop as you road trip. Here are some of the best apps to help with finding somewhere to stay as you road trip:

If you’re exploring Europe, park4night is THE app to have to help you find free or cheap parking spots. You can even use this in advance as a road trip planner- find suitable looking spots and add them to your itinerary or Google maps before you go. I’m pleased to see Park4night is now coming to the US and Canada too- more and more overnight spots are popping up.

Campercontact

Campercontact is another overnight stop app, but what I love about this one is that you can set your vehicle height and length in order to find appropriate spots. We use this app a LOT when we have a trailer, as many aires or free spaces are too small for us.

>> Read our complete review on apps for navigation here<<

Allstays has a range of campgrounds, rest stops and free camping spots across the US. I believe most of the free places are only available if you buy the Pro version, but there seems to be a LOT of options on there, which would be a great way to help plan your road trip. iOverlander is another option to find places to stay.

Road Trip planner apps to make the miles go faster!

I have become a huge podcast fan over the last few months. They are perfect for driving- and there’s a HUGE range to choose from. Even better- they’re free! I like educational podcasts- learning things helps keeps me awake as I drive, but there are all sorts of different road trip podcasts to choose from and make the miles fly by. Jump onto your podcast app and see what appeals!

Another awesome app. Find and download audio books, listen to them, then return them! I’m slowly working my way through the Harry Potter books- Stephen Fry’s voice is just magical and it’s one the whole family enjoys listening to. Sign up to Audible here and get a FREE TRIAL!

Spotify/ iTunes

Whether you are a die-hard spotify user or an iTunes convert, I think most people agree that all good road trips need an awesome playlist! This section should probably be in road trip planning- creating the perfect playlist takes time, you know!

Want some ideas to get you started? Here are 150 of the BEST Road Trip songs!

Kindle Unlimited

There are very very few books I can read more than once. Even if it was a good one- once I know the end, it’s dead to me. (Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are notable exceptions to this rule!)  What I LOVE about Kindle Unlimited is you can read a book and then return it- and there are some BRILLIANT, well-known books and authors on there. It’s a proper library, ready for you to explore, for only a few pounds (or dollars!) a month. See what you could be reading on your road trip HERE (there’s even a 30-day free trial!)

Notes for Budgeting

Yep, notes. This is what I use for all our budgeting and diary for our road trips. Heck, sometimes I use it as a road trip planner before we even leave!

No, it’s not sexy and yes, there are apps out there which do budgeting and diary entries and everything else- but I find it so easy to grab my phone every time we stop for fuel/ shopping/ an attraction and make a quick note on what we spent and what we thought!

I’ve used notes for years to keep track of our spending as we travel- then I can write it up into a spreadsheet when we return or when we’re stopped in one place for a few days. Whatever you choose, definitely get a way to keep track of your spending!

PSSNGR for Splitwise

You’ve heard of Splitwise, right? It’s a brilliant app which allows friends to split the bill on things like meals out, rent, bills, etc. PSSNGR is an extension of that- but it’s designed for car shares. It can calculate and split the cost of a road trip, with fuel costs, snacks, meals etc- perfect for when you’re road tripping with friends!

Accuweather

Does anyone else have 3 different weather apps on their phone… and they look at all of them until they get a forecast they like? I definitely do that, but then I tend to believe what Accuweather says! The app is a great road trip planner tool as it can help you prepare for the weather ahead- essential for road trip safety.

Star Gazing App

One of my favourite things about road trips is getting far enough away from the world so we can enjoy the night sky in all its glory. I have only seen the Milky Way ONCE- and I plan to see it again as often as possible because it was breathtaking.

There are several star apps available, which will show you which stars and planets you are looking at as you gaze in wonder at the sky. There’s also one called Photopills, which will help you line up the perfect shot of the Milky Way (it also works for sunrise/ sunsets.)

Can’t go on your own road trip?

Check out ‘Roads by Porsche’- a road trip app filled with videos of other people driving some of the most beautiful roads on this planet! It’s a perfect road trip planner app- but it’s also a lovely way to while away a rainy afternoon, dreaming about your next adventure!

I hope you find these travel apps useful. Is there one you LOVE which I’ve missed? Let me know! If you enjoyed this and think others would find it useful, please share on Facebook or Pinterest.

Safe travels!

More road trip tips:

Best road trip gadgets you need, amazing destination ideas for a european road trip, how to plan a road trip to europe.

Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.

Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.

If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.

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Nice post! Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with us. These apps sound interesting definitely gonna very helpful planning road trips. I really found this post very helpful for me. I bookmarked this for future. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed impressive guide!

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22 best road trip apps that are essential downloads

Travel Travel Inspiration Road Trips Best Road Trip Apps

Road trips are the best. Driving down never ending roads without having to follow any deadlines or set path is incredibly liberating. Multiple unplanned stops, literally taking the road unknown, and just generally being free are just some of the delights you can expect on a road trip. But all this freedom and joy come with a certain amount of uncertainty as well.

When you’re on a road trip, there are unforeseen issues you might face on the road like being lost, not having anything to do, absence of gas stations, and more. Equipping yourself with the best road trip planner apps is a great way to alleviate some of the anxiety associated with being on the road. To help make the process easier for you, we have curated a list of the best road trip planner apps for 2021.

1 Roadtrippers

Paid version.

Plan the perfect road trip or find an undiscovered gem nearby with Roadtrippers. The app lists countless places including local eateries and offbeat roadside attractions, must-visit tourist spots in the area, national parks, and even hotels. Need inspiration for your road trip? Choose from fantastic premade trip guides of once-in-a-lifetime routes. Roadtrippers is a free of cost route planner you can use to find the best places to visit and make your road trip truly memorable. You can also upgrade to the paid version, Roadtrippers Plus, which gives you up to 150 waypoints per trip along with a host of other features including exclusive deals, offline maps, collaborating with friends, and custom map styles.

2 Google Maps

Arguably the most popular navigation app in the world, Google Maps makes traveling to new places much, much easier. Both web-based and app service, Google Map provides comprehensive information pertaining to geographical regions and sites across the globe. Along with traditional road maps, the app also provides aerial and satellite views of countless places. With Google Maps, drivers, bikers, walkers, and users of public transportation can find the most optimal route between one specific location to another, with the option of adding more stops. You can also search for the closest restaurants, hotels, parking, and other road trip essentials using Google Maps.

Heading to a place with spotty internet connectivity? Maps.Me is what you need. The app offers quick, in-depth, and completely offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation. Maps.Me is used by over 140 million travelers around the world and helps you save precious travel time with exceptional navigation. You can also make your travels more interesting by utilizing the app’s fantastic readymade travel guides. These guides have been curated with assistance from some of the best travel content creators in the world for countless global destinations. Some of the features that make Maps.Me great include offline search, GPS navigation, and optimized maps that effectively save memory space.

Last-minute travel can be hard to pull off, especially if you’re venturing into the unknown. With Headout, an on-demand mobile marketplace, you can find and book the most amazing tours, activities, events and local experiences in town available for the next 24 hours at great prices. With a single tap, you can explore a host of activities that have been designed to meet the needs of not only last-minute travellers but locals as well. Some of the experiences you can book using Headout include Helicopter tours, Broadway tickets, Hot air balloon rides, Dream World Cruise tickets, Skip the line tickets to the Eiffel, Universal Studio tickets, and countless other remarkable experiences that’ll make your trip memorable.

With over 60 million downloads, GasBuddy is officially the largest community-based fuel app in the world. The app helps drivers save on fuel cost using information provided by a large base of users. With GasBuddy, you can locate the cheapest fuel amongst different types, find petrol stations based on distance and price, and help others find cheap fuel by reporting fuel prices based on your experience. Every time you report fuel prices, you'll earn points and achievements. You can also receive automatic notifications when a new recall is issued by adding your vehicle to GasBuddy. Make your road trips hassle-free by never having to worry about fuel with GasBuddy.

Ultimate Bucketlist Road Trips In The World

Drivvo can be best described as a finance manager for your vehicles including car, motorcycle, bus or truck for both personal or professional use. The app helps you manage fuel, refuelling, expenses and revenues, and maintenance. You can also use the app to manage registration, financing, and fines. With Drivvo, you can easily manage multiple vehicles and calculate gas consumption. The app also offers in-depth fuel efficiency reports sorted by fuel and gas stations, helping you identify which option is best for your vehicle.

7 PackPoint

Packing right is often a requisite for a relaxed road trip. With PackPoint, a free travel packing list organizer and packing planner, you can do just that. Designed for travelers who like to travel smart, the app helps them organize what they need to pack based on length of travel, expected weather at the destination, and activities planned for the trip. After your packing list is built, the app will save it for you and you can share it with family and friends to help them pack better. Details you need to input for the best results include destination city, departure date, and the number of nights you'll be staying there.

8 Flush - Toilet Finder

Finding a working toilet is often a challenge during road trips. With Flush, it doesn't have to be. This fast and simple toilet finder features a classy interface with charming animations and user interface designed for ease of use. Flush boasts a database of thousands of public toilets that is stored on your phone for easy, offline access. Just search for a location on the map and the app will display the closest public toilets to you. To find directions, simply tap on the map to get directions provided by Google Maps. If you need to find a toilet urgently, just tap the directions button and you'll receive directions to the nearest toilet.

9 Hotel Tonight

Find fantastic deals on hotels for the night or the next one using HotelTonight! The app lists hotels that offer discounts on their empty rooms and you get all the benefits. Finding the best rate hotel is no longer a seemingly endless task. A couple of taps and swipes and you’re done! Hotel Tonight offers a truly diverse collection of hotels including the top-rated luxury hotel to charming and unique boutiques. Book a hotel using Hotel Tonight and you’re assured of the best rates and an even better selection of hotels to choose from.

$35.99/year

Ever wondered what an app that helps you camp better looks like? Introducing Dyrt, officially the number 1 camping app of 2021! The app boasts a rich database of over 1 million campsites, tips and reviews submitted by campers like you. Use Dyrt to find the perfect RV, van, cabin and tent spot in the US. The app offers campers free access to all campsite listings in the US including national parks, state parks, county parks, and more. You can also sign up for the Pro version which makes camping easier with trip planner, free camping maps, offline access, and many discounts.

Road trips and highways kinda go together and navigating the latter can be challenging if you’re not familiar with the route. iExit makes driving on highways easier by informing users what's at upcoming exits when you're on the highway. The app uses your device’s exact location to identify your spot in the highway and then displays all upcoming exits in real time. You can also make use of the powerful iExit search which shows the next 100 exits for businesses including KOA Campgrounds, Starbucks, and Cracker Barrel, amenities such as Truck Parking, WiFi, and Playground, hotel deals, and much more.

12 ParkMe Parking

ParkMe is an award-winning app that lets you find and book the closest and cheapest parking around. Use ParkMe to save money and time and guarantee a parking spot. The app even displays the estimated parking cost you’ll have to pay before you park on a particular spot. Since there are multiple parking spots to choose from, you can compare the different options and find the cheapest one. In many cities, ParkMe also displays real-time parking availability and lets you reserve a parking spot at certain lots and garages. Use the app to avoid spending hours finding the right parking spot and make your road trip experience even more pleasant.

13 Gaia GPS

$39.99/year.

Gaia can be best described as GPS for the woods. Make your treks and backpacking trip safes with Gaia GPS. Use the app to join thousands of backpackers, offroaders, hunters, mountain bikers, firefighters, guides, and other outdoor adventurers who use Gaia GPS for work and play. Gaia allows you to hike, hunt, and off-road with optimized topo maps and outdoor navigation tools. The app offers modern maps that are beautiful and easy-to-read along with a host of classic and historic print maps. Use the app to find the best hiking trails, parks, natural places, and addresses, and make your hiking and backpacking trip more memorable.

14 TollGuru

TollGuru has been designed to help you save money by calculating the cheapest routes all across West Malaysia. All you need to do is enter your destination and we’ll find the total toll fares on your route. Some features that make TollGuru a must-have if you’re planning a road trip in Malaysia include display of multiple routes, toll locations on map, breakdown of toll rates by different vehicle classes. Other features of the app include estimated petrol cost for the route, quick and easy search with address auto complete suggestion, and open communication with the app development team by sending them a report of incorrect toll information.

15 Highway Weather App

Being aware of the general weather when planning a road trip is always recommended. Highway Weather App offers weather forecasts for your entire road trip starting from the time of your arrival. The app also features weather alerts, radar, traffic cameras, and plans for rests. The app has been designed to ensure your safety whether you’re on a family vacation or heading to a motorcycle rally. Instead of searching for weather forecasts for each city you’re travelling to, get all the information you need all at the same time, in an easy to understand fashion using Highway Weather App.

A recurring worry when embarking on a road trip is leaving your home unprotected. With Blink’s affordable smart home security cameras and systems, you can monitor your home directly using your smartphone. The app offers multi-system support and a simple setup process, ensuring you can control multiple Blink cameras with a simple app. The Blink Home Monitor app allows you to check in on what’s happening at home at any time from anywhere. The app helps you see your home in HD on your smartphone, ensuring you can see and protect your space even when you’re thousands of miles away.

Staying connected is often a challenge when you’re on a road trip to a location with a spotty internet connection. Use Skyroam to connect around the world with the portable global WiFi hotspot and power bank. Enjoy secure, unlimited connectivity when you’re out and about without having to swap your SIM or pay exorbitant roaming charges. SkyRoam’s Solis app allows you to manage your hotspot account, check data usage, and the status of your connection. You can also enjoy access to advanced features including smart troubleshooting, detailed product information, and the ability to get online faster.

18 Sygic Travel Maps Offline

Discover things to do no matter where you go, plan comprehensive trip itineraries, and make your trip more memorable with in-depth travel guides, all using Sygic Travel Maps Offline. This definitive all-in-one app is built for every kind of traveler and allows users to create a day-to-day itinerary for their trip with a hassle-free trip planner. Use the app for approximate travel times and walking distances to plan your trip better. You can even invite your friends to collaborate on your trips. Get Sygic Travel Premium to use the app even when you’re not connected to the internet, including unlimited offline maps download.

Featuring over 100 million reviews on businesses worldwide, Yelp is amongst the most popular crowd-sourced business reviews apps. Whether you are looking for a coffee shop near you or a salon that’s open at the moment, Yelp is your local guide to finding just the best place to eat, drink, shop, and everything in between. Use the app to search for the closest and best-rated restaurants, shops, and services. You can refine the search by filtering results by rating, neighborhood, price, distance, and what’s open now. Make use of the millions of reviews written by expert locals to find the best recommendation for your needs.

A trip planner that enables users to craft a master travel itinerary and provide them with online and mobile access, TripIt is another addition to the list of the best trip planner apps for 2021. When you book a flight, hotel, car or other reservation, just forward it to [email protected] and the app will instantly add it to your master itinerary. Sync travel plans to your calendar or share them with anyone you choose using TripIt. You can also stay aware of the evolving travel landscape with guidelines, restrictions and requirements that can be viewed via the trip itinerary screen in the app.

21 Route4Me Route Planner

Use the Route4Me route planner to plan unlimited routes and add unlimited addresses per route. One of the most downloaded, multi stop route planner apps in the world, Route4Me offers a host of benefits designed for your convenience. The app is used by countless businesses including those in different industries such as service and delivery planning, grocery delivery, package delivery and more. Route4Me is used both by travellers and professionals for the wide range of features and customizations it offers.

Use Komoot to transform your next ride, hike, or trek into an adventure. Use the community recommendations and knowledge to get inspired for your trip and bring your plans to fruition with the easy-to-use route planner. The app offers the perfect route depending on your chosen sport. For instance, you’ll get only smooth asphalt tracks for road bikes, peaceful cycling paths for natural trails, and singletracks for your mountain bikes. Plan your trip down to the last detail thanks to easy availability of useful information like surface, difficulty, distance and elevation profile.

Lakshmi Menon

Born to parents bit by the wander bug, Lakshmi calls her love for travel "hereditary and habitual". Perpetually ensconced with a book in her hand and a mug of coffee in the other, she has been to over 15 countries in her 23 years of existence and is currently saving miles and money for her solo trip to Iceland. Always hustling towards the least trodden path, she has encountered some wonderful people during her escapades and if you ever meet her, she won't stop gushing about them.

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20 Essential Travel Apps for Awesome Road Trips

By Jason Barnette | Travel writer and photographer with 15+ years of road tripping experience

• Last Updated on May 25, 2024
• Published on August 14, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Affiliate Disclosure here .

When I was a kid on family vacation, I sat in the backseat of the car with nothing more than a paper map and a pen to trace our route. I always knew where I was, and where we were going, but nothing else. Today’s world is different; road trips are dominated by mobile apps and GPS devices meant to connect us to the world before we even arrive. But which apps do you really need?

These are my favorite apps that I use almost daily when road tripping. I’ve had most of these for years now, but I’m always looking for something new to develop. Here are my favorite apps for road trips.

Road Trip Planning

Every great road trip needs to start with a plan. That plan may be nothing more than a route from Point A to Point B. But sometimes, a road trip plan needs to include business hours of attractions, various routes to drive, and things to do along the way. That’s where these next few apps come in handy.

Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is the ultimate planning resource for any road trip. The app contains thousands of user-generated points of interest like parks, museums, attractions, and restaurants. The user interface is pretty simple: launch the app, search a map of your current location, or use the search bar for another destination. With the app you can save POIs, create routes, and plan entire road trips.

The app is free to download, and the free account allows you to search, save, and plan your road trip. For $29.99/year users can subscribe to Roadtrippers Plus that allows you to design longer routes and download maps for offline use.

iOS (iPhone and iPad) | Android

Google Maps

Google Maps is my favorite tool for planning the route of a road trip. I begin the process on my laptop by entering a starting and ending point for a road trip, then I click to drag the route to include other destinations along the way. Once I have a route established, I begin scouring the mapping tool for POIs. My Maps is a way of creating fully customized road trip routes and itineraries you can then access through Google Maps.

The app is free to download and use. My Maps is also a free utility by Google.

Roadside America

Roadside America is one of the most fun apps for road tripping. The app is filled with listings for quirky roadside attractions like largest fire hydrant, oldest tree, and a cellphone tower in Mississippi designed to look like the Washington Monument. The app uses your current location to show a list of nearby attractions, or you can manually search for an upcoming destination. Details for each listing include GPS address for directions, hours of operation, and what to expect when you arrive.

The app is free to download and users are allowed to select one region for free. The app divides the US into six regions with each region costing $1.99 to unlock.

iOS (iPhone only)

Fantastical

For the longest time I was just like so many other travelers who kept a loose itinerary scribbled on a notepad. Eventually, I got frustrated with arriving at a museum five minutes after it closed or a restaurant on the one day a week it wasn’t open. I started taking notes in the calendar app and planning itineraries.

Fantastical is without a doubt the most powerful calendar app I have ever used. Using Cloud storage, the app flawlessly links the calendars on my phone, tablet, and computer for easy planning. I can create multiple calendars; I have a calendar for travel times, places to explore, and lodging. It’s also really easy to drag and drop to move items around so I can still be spontaneous, but have a bit of a plan.

iOS (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch)

During the Road Trip

There is no greater travel feeling in the world than hitting the start of a road trip. But the moment the trip starts, so do the necessities. Where is the next gas station? Place to eat? What’s the weather doing tomorrow? These next few apps will help you keep the road trip going once you’re on the road.

Once upon a time I was one of those people who would spend thirty minutes sitting in gridlocked traffic to get to the other side of town so I could save three cents per gallon on gasoline. I’m not quite that picky anymore, but I do still use the GasBuddy app when I’m traveling.

Just two clicks after opening the app will load a map with my current location and all the gas stations nearby. GasBuddy is user-generated content, so someone needs to have inputted the gas prices for you to see that price as you scroll the map. But in my experience about 70% of the gas stations will have a price. It is without a doubt the easiest way to find a gas station and check the price while traveling.

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My Golden Rule for Road Trips is to never travel an interstate highway. However, I realize that’s not always possible or desirable. For those times you find yourself driving hours on the interstate, iExit is a great way of finding food, lodging, and gas.

Think of iExit as a preview of all the interstate highway signs you’ll pass. The app uses your current GPS location and heading to create a list of exits ahead of you. Each exit lists an icon for gas, food, lodging, transportation, and so much more. Click on the exit number and you’re given details of all the businesses along with websites, phone numbers, and even gas prices!

Everybody needs a little music for a road trip! I have been a big fan of Pandora almost since the app first debuted years ago. Although I have tried Spotify in the past, and it has a huge following, I have found Pandora to be the better app for road trip music.

For $4.99 per month, the Pandora Plus plan, which is the plan I use, you get an ad-free experience, unlimited skipping, replaying songs, and higher quality audio. For $12.99 per month, Pandora Premium also allows you to search for particular songs to play on demand. And for those times in the mountains where you inevitably lose cellular signal, both plans allow you to listen to music on four channels in offline mode.

AccuWeather

I once watched a document about how meteorologists generate their predictions for the weather forecast. I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized there were almost two dozen models and basically the person standing in front of the camera just picks one.

Over the years, I have found AccuWeather to be the most accurate for predicting the weather. The radar loads pretty quickly, even in low-signal areas, and the hourly forecast is usually pretty close to accurate. It’s on the first screen of my phone because it’s one of my most-used road trip apps.

One of my favorite features of the app is the weather alerts. Severe weather such as approaching thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and heat are pushed to devices as soon as they are issued. On my Apple Watch, I’ll receive a notification so I’ll know if I need to duck for cover on a trail.

iOS (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch) | Android

Finding Things to Do on a Road Trip

Even with all the meticulous planning and research, being spontaneous is still a great feeling on a road trip. These next few apps are great at helping you find things to do based on your current location, so they’re actually better to use on the road than sitting at home.

It was love at first sight when I discovered this app. AllTrails is my go-to app for finding hiking trails, but there is so much more to the app than just a search engine. This app has grown over the years to be a fantastic planning and recording tool for outdoor adventures.

The app syncs smoothly with their website so you can begin the planning from the comfort of your computer, but hopefully not while you’re at work. The website and app has a search feature to quickly find a specific trail, state or national park, or destination you want to hike. You can also search via map if you know the route you are driving and want to find something interesting along the way.

With the app on your phone and smartwatch, upgrade to their AllTrails Pro plan for the option to download hiking maps for offline use. With their free plan, you can create lists to easily find particular trails later and you can record your hike for posterity!

iOS (iPhone, Watch) | Android

The Outbound

When I first came across The Outbound, I realized I had stumbled upon more than just an app for finding outdoor adventures. It was a community of travelers who thrive in the outdoors, create stories of their adventures, and share points of interest for others to find.

The app has a pretty amazing search feature, and you can also use your current location to search for adventures on a map. The adventures include information on how to get there, where to park, admission if applicable, and photos of previous users who have taken the option. It’s more than just hiking trails; The Outbound is all about getting outside, so the app includes parks, trails, waterways, beaches, pretty much anything that puts the sun on your face.

Google Maps is a great tool for finding business nearby, but what about the menu at a restaurant, ratings at the bar, and photos to get you inspired? Yelp is my absolute favorite tool for finding food, museums, and shopping as I travel.

It’s user-generated content so you know you can trust the reviews, although a few false Yelpers have snuck onto the platform over the years. The greatest advantage of the app is the access to information like photos of the menu, hours of operation, website address, and phone number. Be sure to sort the reviews in order of rating instead of Yelp’s built-in suggestion for the most accurate picture of what to expect.

I was never a big fan of Groupon until I came across the Powder Magazine in Charleston, South Carolina. I was visiting for a week and wanted to check out some of the museums. When I walked into the two-room museum, the manager asked if I had the Groupon discount. As it turns out, for just two dollars more than general admission I could have an annual pass! I used it twice that week and saved money.

The Groupon app uses filters based on your interests to help find discounts on admissions to museums and attractions, discounts on meals (especially for families), and opportunities for discounted packages for travel. I have found guided tours through the Groupon app not listed anywhere else that led to some wonderful times!

Where to Stay on a Road Trip

Sleep in your car, grab a hotel room, or park your RV, everyone needs to sleep at some point on a road trip. I prefer to sleep every night. These next few apps are my favorites for finding a comfortable and safe place to get some sleep, and some of these apps have perks I quite enjoy.

Trucker Path

I discovered Trucker Path during my three years of road tripping in a camper van. The app is designed for truckers, but it works just as well for people who sleep in their vehicle. The app locates truck stops on a map and lists details such as number of showers, current gas prices, and other amenities.

With filters, uses can narrow the list to particular chains of truck stops or even Walmart’s that allow overnight parking. Reviews of the stops are also helpful, even for non-truckers, in deciding if it would be a good place to spend the night.

There are a lot of apps for finding and booking hotel rooms, but I have always used Hotels.com for one simple reason: book ten nights and you get one free. The one free night is worth the average of the ten previous nights, so don’t expect to spend a free night at a five-star resort, but you’ll still get a good deal.

The app has a wonderful search feature using your current location with filters for whittling down the list to find exactly what you want. Details on each hotel includes amenities, types of rooms, and nearby attractions. Sometimes, the app includes discounts for getting a few dollars off the price of a room.

I have booked hotel rooms while sitting in the parking lot and walked inside to find the reservation already registered. It’s usually pretty fast, and after ten years of using the app I’ve only had a reservation lost once.

Pro Travel Tip: Hotels usually do not list every room on third-party booking websites like Hotels.com or Expedia. If you’re browsing a booking app and the hotel doesn’t have any vacancies, it’s possible they still have rooms – just not on the app. Give the hotel a call and see if they have any available rooms.

Using the Airbnb app during a road trip can get a bit tricky. Airbnb has grown as the world’s top resource for short-term rentals, otherwise known as a place to spend a vacation that is owned by an individual instead of a company.

When planning ahead, Airbnb can lead to fantastic lodging options in places you otherwise could not afford. Sometimes the rental includes only a bedroom in an occupied house, but quite frequently the lodging has a private entrance or includes the entire property.

The only downside to using the Airbnb app while traveling is spontaneity. Owners of properties must approve renters, and sometimes that takes a day or two. If the owner does not live on site, it can also be difficult to get access with less than a forty-eight hour notice. When using the Airbnb app to book lodging, plan ahead.

Capturing Memories on a Road Trip

How often do you use your cellphone to capture photos and videos on a road trip? Cellphones have become the most common way to capture memories during all sorts of travel. Although I’m still a DSLR photographer, I use several apps and features with my phone and tablet to capture better photos and videos to remember my trips.

The Photographer’s Ephemeris

The Photographer’s Ephemeris has been my favorite travel app for years. It’s a bit overkill for the average road tripper, but I have it to be essential. The app uses Open Street Maps to find your location and then shows lines depicting the direction of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset.

I use the app constantly while road tripping to determine the best place to see a stunning sunset. When I get close to the last hour of sunlight, I use the satellite image option of the map to begin looking for a scenic overlook with a view of sunset.

I would label this an essential app for anyone traveling through national parks, scenic byways, and coastal areas. Everybody enjoys a great sunset, right?

GoldenHour.One

I use the GoldenHour.One app with a grain of salt, but it’s still useful. At the very least, the app displays sunrise and sunset times along with Golden Hour and Blue Hour times for great photography.

The one feature I use the most is the Weather feature. The app uses local weather reports to determine the chances of seeing a brilliantly colorful sunrise or sunset. On a scale of 1-10, the app will announce opportunities like, “Decent chance to catch a good photo.” However, I will admit the app’s fortune telling are wrong as often as right, but it’s still a good tool.

Have you ever wanted to take manual control of your cellphone camera? For most people, this answer would be an emphatic no. But for those who would like a little bit of control for better photos on road trips, I highly recommend the Camera+ 2 app.

The app allows the user to take manual control of the ISO, shutter speed, and white balance of photos. The user can also manually pick where the camera focuses, especially useful when you want the subject off-center.

The app comes with several pre-defined shooting settings like Portrait, Macro, and RAW. The RAW feature is the one of the best because it allows users to fully edit a photo later for better results.

Pro Camera by Moment

Moment is a company founded on a simple principal: help people capture better quality photos and video on a cellphone. They started with a series of high-quality lenses that screw into custom phone cases, but since then they have expanded with a rather wonderful app.

The Pro Camera app is better camera app than the one that comes with your phone. The app is set for automatic camera settings by default, but more advanced photographers can set custom values for ISO, exposure, and focus. The app also comes with presets for custom settings on demand for special effects. Since buying the full set of lenses, the Moment camera app has become my go-to for photography on the road.

Even the best of photographers need to post-process their images, and don’t let them try to convince you otherwise! The Snapseed app is the best mobile image editing software I have used, and that includes the cumbersome Lightroom.

With Snapseed, it is simple to open the most recent image or quickly browse for a previous photo. The app has the ability to process DNG files captured in RAW format. A full suite of tools are available including levels, crop and rotate, white balance, and about a dozen other tools for special effects. When you’re done editing, you can save a copy or overwrite the original, all within seconds of capturing the photo.

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8 Best Road Trip Apps for Android and iOS

Hitting the road gets better when you have the best road trip apps on your Android or iOS device. These apps let you use the advantage of technology as a copilot on all your trips regardless of where you’re headed.

Gone are those days when traveling solely depended on paper maps or having to always remember the route to your location. These days, we’ve seen offline maps providing an easier alternative. Also, with the help of CarPlay and Android Auto, things get a lot easier.

If you’re planning your next road trip, tons of apps will help you out in so many ways. From navigation to streaming music , finding the next hotel, or avoiding traffic. In this guide, we’ve highlighted the best road trip apps every Android and iOS user should consider.

Best Road Trip Apps for Android & iOS

There’s a lot of familiarity that comes with each app mentioned below. If you can connect them to your cars, you’ll get the best road trip experience like never before. With that said, let’s explore each of the top apps that make traveling easier.

1. Google Maps

Anytime you’re planning your next journey, always keep in mind that Google Maps is there to help out. When it comes to online and offline navigation, this is one of the best apps you can have around.

With Google Maps, you’ll be able to navigate countries and territories without any hassles. This app is perfect because it’s available in over 220 countries worldwide.

Google Maps offers real-time GPS navigation, traffic and transit information. Also, it serves as a road trip app for finding the next gas station, hotels and other lively spots.

Download for Android and iOS

No road trip is complete without the perfect playlist to keep the journey on a smooth sail. Without any doubt, there’s a lot of importance an app like Spotify would do while you’re traveling.

This is one of the go-to music streaming apps that’ll let you handpick the perfect albums and playlists for your journey. You’ll find genres of music from country, hip-hop, rap- R&B, and a lot more.

One of the unique features of Spotify is the offline streaming. It’s a paid feature that’ll let you listen to music offline. In situations where you don’t have internet coverage, Spotify offline mode could come in handy.

3. Roadtrippers

Everyone needs a road trip companion, and with an app like Roadtrippers, it gets way easier. Roadtrippers is an app that lets you plan routes, discover attractions, and locate unique points during your journey.

One of the reasons it might a favourite road trip companion is due to the friendliness. You’ll be able to explore different attractions alongside a friend or family. Well, there are other things Roadtrippers work for.

The Roadtrippers app will also let you estimate fuel costs, ensuring your road trip stays within budget. Besides, it allows collaboration with other fellow travelers; you can also access offline maps when out of coverage.

4. Radarbot

Have trouble with getting fined due to overspeeding? Well, Radarbot is your ultimate solution to avoid situations like that. You’re looking at a handy tool that’ll let you stay aware of the speed limit, speed cameras, etc.

Radarbot offers real-time alerts about speed cameras, upcoming traffic hazards and a lot more. On the app, you’ll find a speedometer that’ll keep you aligned with the legal speed limits.

Other features like voice notifications ensure you can keep your eyes on the road while staying informed. As someone who is planning a trip and wants to avoid fines, Radarbot is a must-have app for you.

Waze is an alternative app to Google Maps, that’s because it goes beyond most traditional maps. While planning your next road trip, there are a lot of benefits you’d get with Waze installed on your smartphone.

This app uses real-time data from drivers to offer dynamic route guidance, traffic updates and alerts on potential road hazards. It ensures your trips go as smoothly as you’ve planned even before they start.

Furthermore, Waze provides turn-by-turn navigation, it access current traffic conditions and gives you info on routes to avoid. Even when there’s a police presence, accidents, and road closures, it’ll keep you informed.

6. GasBuddy

Next up is an important app; it’s a must-have app for road trippers who plan to minimize fuel costs. GasBudy lets you find the cheapest gas prices along your route. This allows individuals to save money and stay within budget.

Aside from smooth navigation and a friendly interface, GasBuddy ensures you’ll get real-time data on gas prices at nearby stations. Also, there’s a trip cost calculator that’ll let you estimate fuel expenses.

There’s also a community where users can report gas prices, it allows other users to stay informed. If you’ve never had GasBuddy on a list of apps for road trip planning, you should install it now.

7. iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Another app that makes sense for planning road trips is the iExit app. It offers a comprehensive guide to interstate exists. While using it, you’ll never miss attractions along your route.

iExit Interstate Exit Guide is the perfect app for making informed decisions about where to stop. You’ll get real-time details on upcoming exits, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and a lot more.

In addition, the app allows filtering results based on users’ preferences. This makes it easy to find exactly what you need. Lastly, you can read reviews and ratings of different businesses before stopping over.

8. HotelTonight

HotelTonight can also be considered as an app to streamline the road trip experience. With this app, you can get last-minute juicy deals if you’re planning to spend the night before reaching your destination.

It is the perfect app to find cheap rooms and unmeasured hotel experiences around you. Thanks to its integration with different businesses, you’ll be about to find the perfect hotel room to spend the night.

HotelTonight lets you decide what’s best for you; you can set preferences, and the app handles the rest. If you’re planning to rest for the night during a road trip, this is one of the important apps you need.

Experiencing an unforgettable road trip only becomes possible when you have the right apps installed on your phone. From navigation to entertainment, the curated apps above ensure you never get to miss out on anything. They serve different purposes during road trips, but you’ll enjoy what they offer.

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Best road trip planner apps

Have a blast and save on gas with our favorite road trip apps.

The weather’s getting warmer, you’ve stocked up on PTO, and your playlist of summer songs  is about at capacity which means one thing: It’s road trip season. In other words, it’s time to load up the car, grab your friends, and hit the open road.

Roadtrippers

Google trips, iheartradio, blink roadside assistance.

Whether you’re planning to camp in the woods or stay in swanky hotels, there are unique aspects to road tripping that require special planning. Unlike vacations, where you’re flying to a single destination, road trips involve preparation such as determining the best route, mapping out your stopover points, finding nearby attractions, and ensuring you’re close enough to gas and roadside services.

Fortunately, there are plenty of mobile apps to help you during the planning phase and once you’re on the road. Here are the best road trip planners, for both iOS and Android-compatible smartphones.

Roadtrippers is perhaps the best all-around road trip app, working as a comprehensive planning assistant that offers everything from creating your route to selecting activities and finding lodging. You can book accommodations instantly via the app, which looks similar to a more full0-featured version of Google Maps . Better yet, it’s completely free for anyone to make use of.

To plan a trip, simply enter your final destination and then click on nearby cities and destinations. From here, the app lets you play around with different routes and activity options until you find your favorite. We recommend using the desktop version for the planning portion, as it’s easier to zoom in and out on a bigger map.

Once the route is locked in, you can then search for various types of accommodations including hotels, campsites, vacation rentals, RV spots, and other places to sleep for the night. Additionally, you can scroll for activities to do including Attractions and Culture, Points of Interest, Entertainment and Nightlife, Scenic Drives, and dozens of other sub-categories. Once you’re on the road, switch to the mobile version to search for food, find nearby gas, locate rest areas, find auto shops, or track down other amenities.

GasBuddy is by far the easiest and most straightforward gas-finding app available. By simply entering your current location, the app shows you up-to-date gas prices within a pre-set local radius. You can sort the resulting stations by price, distance, or price and distance together. There’s also an option to filter stations by whether or not they have certain amenities such as car washes, air pumps, propane fills, restrooms, pay-at-pump features, and 24/7 service hours.

Whether you plan to fill up with regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel, or even ethanol/E85 fuels, GasBuddy clearly lays out which station offers what grade of fuel and at what price. There’s even a map view you can use to zoom out and jump around, viewing gas stations in various parts of the state or country.

Serious savers can join GasBuddy as a member by simply linking their checking account. Once linked, the company then sends a card in the mail which can be used to receive 10 cents off per gallon for the first fill and five cents off per gallon at all future stops. If you’re going to be giving your odometer a workout this summer, GasBuddy is an excellent way to cut down on fuel costs.

Google Trips is a general vacation planner app, however, if you’re going to be hopping from one town to the next, it has plenty of useful features to make the most of each destination.

For instance, searching in the mobile-only app for “things to do” populates a list broken down into tabs such as live music, art galleries, outdoor pursuits, kids activities, and many more. The categories are all location-specific so if you’re in Portland, Oregon, for example, you’ll see options like vintage shopping, indie movies, or made in Portland, whereas if you’re in New York you’ll see tabs like Brooklyn standouts, literary NYC, or Madison Avenue chic.

The app has a similar feature for food and drink choices as well, which includes a summary of what genres of food the city or town is known for and where you can find each type of cuisine. You can save attractions you want to visit in the handy Saved Places tab and there’s a feature called Day Plans that offers suggested itineraries in one, two, and three-day formats.

If you have any reservations, you can forward the emails to your Gmail account and the app automatically syncs them into a reservations tab which allows easy access to confirmation numbers and other info. There’s also a comprehensive Getting Around section that explains what types of public transportation and ride-shares are available, should you choose to park the car for the day, as well as walking and biking paths.

When you get tired of looping through the same playlists on Spotify or Pandora , iHeartRadio offers an awesome way to integrate musical playlists with podcasts, news, and local radio stations. The app is connected to over 1,000 different stations throughout the United States which you can live stream anywhere. If you want to search by region, just enter a zip code otherwise you can surf by genre, selecting from music stations (pop, hip-hop, country, jazz, etc), comedy shows, sports stations, political talk radio, and others.

Under the podcasts tab , you can browse for new shows or save a list of your favorites. There’s an extensive selection of choices including popular series like This American Life, Fresh Air, Serial, Pod Save America, Radiolab, and others. The Playlists tab allows you to create your own playlists or surf for music based on mood, activity, decade, genre, and other categories similar to Spotify. You can also save songs and follow artists in your Library.

The basic app is free but in order to use all its features, you must choose a subscription of either $5 for iHeartRadio Plus or $10 for iHeartRadio All Access.

Blink is a wonderfully convenient app that allows you to access immediate roadside service without requiring a membership. If you run into car troubles, simply enter your location like you would with something like Uber or Lyft, and the app immediately sends someone to help you.

The tabs are broken down into Battery, Flat Tire, Tow, Lockout, and Other, where you can ask for things like fuel delivery if you run out of gas. It’s a 24/7 service with nationwide coverage offered in 99.4 percent of all US zip codes. That means you’re covered just about anywhere you go, at any time, be it day or night.

When you first request service, it doesn’t completely commit you to have to receive what you ordered. The app first shows you your options with a price quoted along with an estimated wait time. From there, you can decide if you want to proceed. If you prefer to talk to a human, there’s a telephone icon in the upper righthand corner of the app that connects you to a representative who can answer questions and book services.

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Using a bike computer is a great way to set goals and track cycling progress. However, if you've done any shopping around, you're aware of how expensive it can be. Mobile apps have even gotten so effective in recent years that we wouldn't blame you for wondering if you need a bike computer at all. Depending on your goals, it may make more sense to forgo the handlebar-mounted devices altogether and use your phone to record metrics.

Many cycling-focused apps measure data like speed, distance, and pace, and help with tasks such as route planning, goal setting, community building, coaching, or other bike-related objectives. Because there are so many available, the one you choose depends on what you want to use it for -- you may even want to use a few separate apps to accomplish different purposes. To help make the decision process easier, here are the best cycling apps for each type of function. The best metrics tracker: Strava

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