10 Apps You Need for Your Next Road Trip
The Pack Up + Go team loves hitting the open road to explore the many cities and natural destinations around the USA!
From shorter journeys, like exploring the Pacific Northwest or taking a Pack Up + Go Surprise Road Trip, to a cross country Road Trip that hits all 50 states - there are many ways to explore by car. Before you leave, install these applications to enhance the trip!
Written by Corinne Hogge
The Basics:
Before you head out on the road, we highly suggest that you have some app standards installed on your phone.
GPS
While we admire those who try to travel without the help of satellites, we think it is a good idea to have a backup app downloaded just in case. You can’t beat the universal standard that is Google Maps for directions, recommendations, and finding new ways when you hit traffic. Their subsidiary, Waze, is another great option for those who want to be more interactive with their journey by sharing real-time information with others using the app!
Fun Stuff:
DayPass
DayPass helps you find activities when you absolutely cannot be in the car any longer.
Their mission is to connect you with amazing fitness + wellness, leisure + recreation locations by unlocking access to luxury hotel amenities, gyms, and spa day pass experiences, without the pressure to stay overnight.
Type in the destination (or let the app pull up a current location based on your GPS), and you can see all of the hotels and gyms that offer day passes to their facilities. While they are currently only in limited cities, we hope they will continue to expand in the future!
Magic Hour
One perk of a road trip is that you can pull over somewhere beautiful for Magic Hour - also referred to as Golden Hour - a term professional photographers use to describe the hour after sunrise or before sunset when the light is at its prettiest.
This app lets you know exactly when Magic Hour begins and ends each day based on your location, helping you time your stop right. If you pay $0.99, you can add locations, allowing you to plan for future Magic Hours + perfect pictures!
Apple Store | (Magic Hour is only available for Apple devices, but Google Play offers similar apps for Android users.)
Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder
Input your location and what types of outdoor activities you’re interested in, and you’ll receive a comprehensive list of all the parks in your area.
Not only can Park Finder help you find out about National Parks and federal recreation areas, but the app also has an extensive database of state and local parks, meaning you’ll be able to find a bit of green space no matter where you are.
This app has recently left the Google Play store, but we hope it returns soon!
Apple Store | (Similar apps for Android users, Google Play.)
The Outbound Collective
Being cooped up in a car for hours on end can often be the worst part of a road trip. Enter: The Outbound, which allows road trippers to find outdoor activities along their route.
Check-in with this GPS-based, crowd-sourced app, which gives local recommendations for nearby outdoorsy activities.
The app will point you to national parks, good hiking trails, secret swimming holes, and more—and the user reviews are fact-checked by The Outbound Collective staff, so you can trust the advice (which is especially important if you’re hiking in an area you don’t know well).
SoundHound
A music identification app that can tell you all about a song, whether it listens to music playing near you or you're humming a tune you just can't get out of your head.
When you hear a song you like but don’t know, open up SoundHound, hit the orange circle, and the app will tell you its name. The app keeps a dated history of the tunes you identify. If you have Spotify or Apple Music, you can even sync your accounts with SoundHound, and all of your discoveries will automatically show up in a playlist called “SoundHound.”
By the end of the trip, you’ll have a curated playlist of your song discoveries that you can play long after you’ve returned home!
Sygic Travel
This app features a huge database of detailed maps aimed at travelers.
The Sygic Travel Maps mobile app displays the best tourist attractions, museums, restaurants, shops, and more and allows you to add possible attractions to your “favorites” list and build detailed itineraries on the go.
With this app, you can keep your schedule flexible and you can change your itinerary as your plans change! In case you plan to drive somewhere that the service isn’t great, you can even download offline resources so you’ll have maps and guides handy no matter what!
Spotify
This app is a no-brainer for road trips.
This audio streaming platform hosts millions of songs plus podcasts, spoken word albums, and pretty much anything you can listen to!
One huge perk of Spotify is that the service is free! However, if you would prefer to listen to without advertisements, you can pay for Spotify Premium for $9.99/month.
Spotify is a Pack Up + Go favorite to create trip specific playlists to jam out to while on the road!
Autio
Autio is a travel app that offers location-based audio stories from coast-to-coast.
It aims to provide a hands-free experience that informs, entertains, and fosters a deeper connection with the people, places, and histories of the land you are traveling through.
Autio enriches your road trip with fascinating stories and knowledge. Let Autio be your guide as you explore new destinations and uncover the hidden histories that surround you.
Apple Store | (Similar apps for Android users, Google Play.)
Planning a road trip involves many factors, and one essential aspect is finding the best fuel prices along your route.
GasBuddy is a reliable and user-friendly app that revolutionizes the way you search for fuel prices. With its extensive network and powerful features, GasBuddy empowers you to make informed decisions, ensuring you get the most out of your fuel budget.
GasBuddy allows you to search for the cheapest gas prices near your current location or along your planned route. With real-time data crowdsourced from millions of users, the app provides accurate and up-to-date information on gas prices at various stations.
Embarking on a Road Trip is an exhilarating experience, and with the right apps by your side, it becomes even more extraordinary.
We've explored a wide range of essential road trip apps that will transform your journey into a seamless adventure.
Start planning your unforgettable Surprise Road Trip today with Pack Up + Go!