Maps are great and a solid GPS is definitely needed, but what makes for a smooth road trip preparation for RV trips and camping? RV apps.
Nowadays, there are incredible road trip apps for every aspect of your travels: planning, preparation, navigation, and duration.
Best Apps for Planning an RV Trip
Most of the time, the planning stage of your RV road trip is the most important one. It’s where the biggest decisions about your vacation are made. With so many different options and variables, it can be an equally exciting, frustrating, and overwhelming process.
Luckily, fellow smart road trippers thought ahead and developed some amazing apps for road trip planning. Apps like these can help you make decisions about your trip faster and easier.
1. Roadtrippers (The Best Road Trip Planner App)
This is one of the top-rated road trip apps and specializes in organizing your road trip itineraries and showing you new destinations you previously weren’t aware of or didn’t know could be part of your current plan.
2. Google Trips
While this app is not just for RVers, it can still be an extremely helpful app for planning a road trip. The highlight of this app is that it helps keep all of your plans in one place. It is especially good with planning day trips and showing cities you can explore along your current route.
Best Navigation Apps for Road Trips
Sometimes there are roads that you take on a trip, especially in an RV, that the GPS doesn’t recognize or have in its system or maybe you have an actual map with all the roads but you’re not too good at reading it…
That’s when navigation apps for road trips come in handy. These apps are built for RVers and road trippers who are finding the hidden spots and taking the road less traveled, or not a road at all!
1. CoPilot GPS (App for Offline GPS)
Rather than arguing with your actual “co-pilot,” you can download the CoPilot app which is the best in road trip apps because it offers offline maps. As RVers know, the best spots have less coverage (WiFi and internet service, that is).
The app can also give clear directions and has additional planning features.
With this RV app, travelers don’t have to worry about getting lost or in a bind when exploring. This can be a literal lifesaver to both you and your trip!
2. Google Maps
If you have an iPhone, iPad, or an Android, you already have access to this powerful road trip app. This is best for real-time road tip navigation.
Quick tip: Did you know that you can download Google Maps to use offline, meaning no signal required?
3. Waze (App for Traffic Updates)
This app informs you about upcoming traffic along your route, construction sections, crashes, and other roadblocks in real-time.
This can be very helpful when you’re driving on highways/freeways, through cities, and more populated areas.
Best Apps on the Road
Bringing CDs, boardgames, and snacks are great, but that’s not all you need for a smooth ride while you’re driving from place to place.
1. GasBuddy (App for Saving Money)
To keep your wallet happy, download GasBuddy. It is a great app for saving money on road trips!
GasBuddy will show you the cheapest gas prices in the area so you can choose the most affordable pitstops.
2. History Here
Want to know interesting information about the area you’re currently visiting or traveling through?
History Here is an amazing informative app that can teach you a little bit about the places your travels are taking you to. This is a great app for road trips that is both fun and educational.
It can also act as an actual mini-guide so you can enjoy informative tours of certain areas.
Best Apps for RV Campgrounds and RV Parking
While the above-mentioned road trip planner apps are great, none of them are geared specifically for helping you locate the best RV campgrounds like these RV-specific apps are.
1. RV Parks & Campgrounds
This app has a catalog of over 40,000 commercial RV parks across the United States and it is sorted by ratings and user reviews.
This can really help you choose the best places to stay based on your travel group and your needs.
2. RV Parky
One of the best things about this road trip app is that it was built by a full-time RVer.
This app offers guides to just about everything having to do with an RV owner. This includes RV parks, campgrounds, rest stops, gas stations, and stores.
Best Weather Apps for Road Trips
Knowing the current weather forecast as well as what weather conditions might be heading your way is extremely helpful when it comes to having a safe journey.
1. AccuWeather
A lot of weather apps can vary in accuracy depending on where you are. AccuWeather will provide you with the most reliable weather forecast in the area you currently are.
2. MyRadar
This road trip weather app will allow you to quickly and efficiently see what kind of weather is headed your way. There are no extra components, it’s just straight information on weather.
You can open the app, get what you need, and close it in just a minute or two.
Road Trip Apps Can Save the Day
No successful RV trip is complete without powerful and sometimes simple technology that can help you most efficiently plan your route, save you money, and anticipate oncoming obstacles.
These road trip apps are the perfect RV apps for travelers who want the smoothest and most fun-filled vacation possible!
For more tips and tricks for RVs and camping, check out our blog!