The clouds have parted, the air is warm, and the road is calling. For millions of Americans who have the opportunity to take time off work and school this summer, roadtrips are the perfect chance to explore the U.S. via our tens of thousands of miles of interstate highway. While road trips have been around longer than commercial cars (the first cross country road trip happened in 1903 [1] ), modern technology can make the experience a whole lot more fun.
If you are taking your own all-American sojourn this summer, here are 11 apps to enhance your sun-fuelled freeway odyssey.
1) Google Maps
“Hey, where ARE we?â€
Part of the fun of a summer road trip is getting lost in a place that you’ve never visited before. But getting lost is the most fun when you know that you can be rescued any time you choose. The mobile version of Google Maps [2] gives your location in America via GPS, along with a directions feature to get you back to wherever you want to go. Also included is a search feature that can help you find any kind of restaurant, landmark, or facility that you desire.
2) Glympse
“Hey where ARE you?â€
Glympse [3]  is an app that lets you share your location with people you trust. This is a great safety feature, since you can have a trusted friend always know where you are. Even more important, it’s also a cool way to make your friends jealous of your summer travels as they witness you bounce from city to city.
3) Roadtrippers
Sure, you could do your trip On The Road style and just see where the wind takes you. But for those of you who like to plan your trip ahead of time, there’s the Roadtrippers app. Plan a trip by selecting your origin and destination on Roadtrippers.com [4] , and the app automatically syncs to your itinerary. The app even includes the most popular tourist attractions so you can have plenty of stories to tell once you get back home.
4) Gasbuddy
Summer road trips were probably a lot easier back when a gallon of gas cost under a buck. Now that the price of gas is perpetually rising, fueling up can take out a big chunk of your road trip budget. Fortunately, you can cut down your gas expenses with the help of Gasbuddy. Gasbuddy [5]  finds your location and helps you locate the cheapest gas stations. That gives you the power to buy gas like a knowledgeable local even if you aren’t one.
5) Couchsurfer
Trying to find a place to crash? The Couchsurfer app [6] can connect you with millions of people who are willing to open their homes to a complete stranger for a night or two. And all so they can have the opportunity to meet someone from a different walk of life. (Namely: you.) So just be your charming, friendly self and you can save some serious cash on hotel rooms and get to know someone new.
While this is a great way to cut down on lodging costs, you should be diligent about who you crash with. Before you confirm that you’re going to spend the night, check their criminal public records with Instant Checkmate [7] . You don’t want to sleep on the couch of someone with the bad habit of committing assault.
6) Hotel Tonight
Are you simply not the couchsurfing type? Or maybe you just have a few extra bucks to spend and would rather sleep in a comfortable bed? Then as an alternative to couchsurfer you could also get the Hotel Tonight app [8] . This app compiles last minute deals on hotel rooms and lets you book one for up to five nights. It can be a lifesaver when you roll into a new town exhausted and have no idea where to stay.
7) Best Parking
Of course, you’re going to have to get out of your car occasionally. And if you roll into a heavily populated, urban area, it’s going to be a challenge to find a place to park your vehicle for a day or five. But public parking lots bring the same problem as gas: they’re torture on your wallet.
Best Parking [9] can help you make the smartest financial decision when it comes time to store your ride. Just enter your city, what days you plan on parking your car, and you will be greeted with virtually every public parking spot that particular metropolis has to offer. You can even switch from daily rates over to monthly rates if you plan on staying in the same city for a couple weeks.
8) iExit Interstate Exit Guide
Endless open road is exhilarating for a while. But eventually, the lower half of your body starts to feel numb from the hours of sitting and you get the itch to take the next exit. But how do you know whether or not the next exit is even worth getting off? You don’t want to take the next off ramp just because it’s convenient, when there could be a bounty of cool things to do and see just one more exit down the road.
That’s where iExit Guide [10] can help you. It automatically tracks your location on the freeway and tells you what to expect right off of the upcoming exits. If you are looking for something specific (like a Starbucks with free WiFi), you can enter those requirements into the app and it will tell you where to exit. Keep this app and you’ll never wonder if the next exit has a free restroom, a good restaurant, or a place to sleep ever again.
9) Yelp
Of course, it’s hard to tell if that restaurant is actually any good if you don’t have any recommendations. If you want to separate the dive joints from the five star dining experiences, download the mobile version of the popular service rating guide. Yelp [11] compiles reviews from people all over the country, and gives establishments a rating of one to five stars based on these reviews.
10) Food Tripping
A road tripper can’t live on fast food alone. If you want to eat off the beaten path, get the Food Tripping app [12] for iPhone or Android. It helps you locate the raw food restaurants, craft breweries, local mom and pop joints, and other eateries that can offer you unique dishes and drinks. It’s the most handy way to experience the local flavor in a new town.
11) Slacker
Last but not least, you absolutely need to make sure you plan your road tunes. If you don’t want to take the time to make a mix or you’re just sick of the songs on your MP3 Player, consider downloading a free music app like Slacker [13] . You can listen to thousands of songs from across the musical spectrum for free. The app comes with a bunch of hand-curated stations (like Family Road Trip) but you can also create your own based on your favorite artists.
Hit The Road
Any apps that we missed in our list? Do you have any tips on how to have a blast and stay safe on a summer road trip? Let us know!
DISCLAIMER: It is PROHIBITED by law to use our service or the information it provides to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or for any other purpose subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq. Instant Checkmate does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency. The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use this information as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a person’s criminal history. Instant Checkmate does not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review Instant Checkmate Terms of Use [14] .
Links
- ^ happened in 1903 (en.wikipedia.org)
- ^ Google Maps (itunes.apple.com)
- ^ Glympse (www.glympse.com)
- ^ Roadtrippers.com (roadtrippers.com)
- ^ Gasbuddy (www.gasbuddy.com)
- ^ Couchsurfer app (itunes.apple.com)
- ^ Ins tant Checkmate (www.instantcheckmate.com)
- ^ Hotel Tonight app (itunes.apple.com)
- ^ Best Parking (www.bestparking.com)
- ^ iExit Guide (itunes.apple.com)
- ^ Yelp (www.yelp.com)
- ^ Food Tripping app (www.shft.com)
- ^ Slacker (www.slacker.com)
- ^ Instant Checkmate Terms of Use (www.instantcheckmate.com)
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