This site contains affiliate links to products or services that I recommend. Any purchases made through these links don’t add anything to your purchase price. It helps me keep the lights on and bring you quality travel tips. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for your support!
While I’m getting ready for our next big road trip I thought I’d share a little about my favorite road trip apps, helpful planning tips, and tools. In this technology age, there are so many helpful travel planning tools that will save you time and headaches. These seven apps are game changers as far as I’m concerned and definitely worth a try to see how helpful and valuable they are.
Have you had a chance to read about my 2-month cross-country road trip? If not, learn about it here, and come along on the journey. I’m also working on a detailed travel planning book that will give you step-by-step instructions on how to plan a road trip from start to finish. If you want to be the first to hear about that and other insider travel tips, sign up for my email newsletter here.
Get my best travel tips in your inbox!
Join my mailing list
Thank you!
Thank you for joining my mailing list! Watch your inbox for cool stuff from Traveling with Purpose.
Let’s start from the beginning of the planning process, after you’ve decided where you want to go and for how long.
Table of Contents for this Post
Toggle
Start with Creating an Itinerary
I’m a bit old school with this, but the most important step in planning any road trip is to create an itinerary. I don’t feel the need to do this for a weekend trip, but generally, anything that will be a week or more.
Yes, I’m one of those people. In the past, I was an event planner, project planner, and executive assistant overseeing all kinds of details. I’m a visual person, and I know I can’t keep it all in my head. This is my safety net and really takes the stress off of trying to remember everything I want to see and do.
Save for later on Pinterest 
Pin it
My Favorite Road Trip Apps
I have a few longtime favorite travel apps that I use in town and on the road. I’m sure there are many others out there that I need to explore, but these have served me well so far in my road trip planning.
Critical details are saved online on Roadtrippers, my favorite road trip app and often downloaded to paper (in the event that my phone or laptop is broken, if I don’t have cell service or whatever). Have you ever been on a trip and dropped your phone damaging it beyond repair? I have. My printed itinerary has been a lifesaver many times.
Map of our two-month USA road trip on Roadtrippers
One of the best road trip apps I’ve found is Roadtrippers. I do much of my initial planning on my laptop on the Roadtrippers app. It’s good to start as far in advance as possible. I do all the research on destinations, points of interest, and timing. I can search for places to see, unique attractions, parks and nature, etc. in the app. I gather all the information and add critical details to my itinerary. It’s perfect for estimating travel times and alternate routes as well as finding fun places to stop along the way.
Save $5.00 on Roadtrippers with my Promo Code
Use code: TWP5OFF [Hint: it’s the letter “O”, not the number zero]
This handy tool can help you create your trip itinerary with suggestions for interesting stops, places to eat, campgrounds, RV sites, and so much more. It even allows you to collaborate with friends. For more details about features and plans, I wrote a full post on 12 Reasons Why You Need the Roadtrippers App here.
If you’re using Roadtrippers, you won’t have trouble finding gas stations, but that app doesn’t tell you what the prices are. If you’re really trying to stay on a budget the Gas Buddy road trip app can be a great help in finding which gas stations have the lowest prices nearby. If you have the app you can also update fuel prices if they’re wrong on the app, so other Gas Buddy users can get the most updated information. Prices can change by the hour, so I try to do this when I’m traveling because I realize what a great help it is to me when others do it.
It’s also helpful when you’re in rural areas where stations are few and far between. Sometimes when you’re on a highway it’s hard to know which turn-offs have what you need, so Gas Buddy can help you find those hard-to-find stations. There are also other features and rewards that I haven’t used yet. This road trip app is worth checking out even if you just want to find the best fuel prices when you’re on the road.
If you’re looking for unique accommodations and great deals then this app is for you. Even if you’re the kind of traveler who waits to book your lodging when you’re on the road, the Booking.com hotel and road trip app is the perfect tool in your hands. The links here will take you to their “Deals” page to get the best discounts available right now.
This popular app is available in 43 languages and offers more than 28 million accommodations listings. Lodging options include unique luxury resorts, homes, apartments, cabins, hostels, guest houses, villas, and other unique places to stay. 24/7 customer service is always available. This page shows the wide variety of lodging styles available – even glamping sites. Take it for a spin to see what cool places you can find for your next trip.
You may not use this road trip app on every journey, but it’s wonderful when you’re going to be in a big city, going to an airport, or where free parking is scarce. The great thing is that you can check prices for the area, and then reserve space well in advance.
You can pay for a spot in a specific parking garage or lot on the date and time of your choosing through the app. Then it’s all set when you get there. You just show the attendant your reservation on your smartphone and you know there will be a spot reserved for you. I’ve used it a bunch in Washington DC. and cities on the East Coast. I’ve used it in Phoenix too, for event parking.
The cool thing is that if you live in or near a city, you can also use SpotHero on a regular basis. You can reserve airport parking, event parking at stadiums and arenas, and even monthly parking in some areas.
Road trip apps for the weather are great for planning what kind of clothes to pack in advance. They’re also good for getting a bit of an overview of your daily drive. You can find hourly forecasts or long-term forecasts. Storm and other emergency alerts are helpful too. Especially if you’re traveling through tornado or hurricane country. I’ve even seen information about wildfires and flooding on this free road trip app.
I love using The Weather Channel app every single day, but especially when we’re traveling. Sometimes we change our plans from an outdoor activity to an indoor one based on the forecast. I love the radar weather maps so I can see exactly where the rain or snow will be at a certain hour. It’s pretty accurate for hourly planning, but weather can change unexpectedly so don’t count on it 100%.
I’ve been a fan of Tripadvisor for a long time! It’s so easy to find unique things to do and great places to eat with a few taps on the site, whether you’re on your mobile or laptop. I post photos all the time for places I’ve eaten and unique places I’ve stayed. You can see my reviews there too.
One of their newest features is the “Things to Do” section where you can buy tickets for attractions and interesting experiences around the world. This road trip app is great for booking things ahead of your trip or for searching for things to do a day or two before you arrive when you realize you have some extra time to do something fun.
If you’re using the Roadtripper app you’ll be able to find public restrooms at gas stations and rest areas, but that road trip app doesn’t list every public toilet if you’re walking around in a big city for example. The free “Where is Public Toilet” app claims to have more than 280,000 listings worldwide. When you install it you can choose from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, or Oceania databases. You can also download the worldwide data if you’re a world traveler.
“Where is Public Toilet” app is available for free on Google Playstore and allows you to search with criteria like distance from your location, accessibility, baby changing facility, sharps disposal, payment required, etc. You can also add a toilet location if you find one that’s not on the map. It’s a kind service to other folks who are looking later. I wish I had this app when we were in England. There were a few times when it took a while to find a public restroom and most everyone we found charged money to go in.
The Apple Store has a similar app called “Flush Toilet Finder & Map“
Save for Later on Pinterest
Other Essential Road Trip Planning Tips
My Best Road Trip Tips for USA Road Trips
How to Avoid Road Trip Planning Disasters
Booking your trip? Here are some of the resources I use myself:
-Book great deals on flights with Cheap-o-Air
-Discover cool lodging with Booking.com
-Reserve your vacation home rental with VRBO
-Book your car rental with RentalCars.com
-Buy your travel insurance with InsureMyTrip
-Book unique travel tours with Get Your Guide and Viator
-Find delicious culinary experiences with EatWith
-Find even more of my favorite travel resources here.
When you use these links I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps me pay the bills and allows me to continue to create and share free tips and advice to help you travel better. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cross-Country Road Trip Songs and Artists
Please visit:
Our Sponsor