11 best apps for going on a road trip

Going on a road trip? There’s an app for that!

Planning a road trip can be stressful because there are so many moving parts, but we’ve collected the 11 most helpful road trip apps that address all aspects of hitting the open road.

Whether you’re looking to book a campsite or trying to find the cheapest gas or picking out the perfect mid-drive hike, these apps have got you covered. These apps will even help you find offbeat attractions on the road. If you’re looking to plan out a family road trip, or just looking to explore with friends, here are 11 road trip apps that will make road tripping a lot easier.

1. Waze

Waze is a must-have for any road trip. It’s a navigation app that’s known for its live traffic updates. One if its best features is that it shows where cops are hiding, so you can avoid getting a speeding ticket. Nothing kills the mood of a road trip more than a speeding ticket!

Waze is powered by Google Maps, and is far superior to its owner Google as well as Apple Maps. It show you your current speed, as well as alert you of other possible dangers on the road. Treat it like a game and report things along the way, such as wildlife and road hazards like cars parked on the shoulder.

You can download Waze in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Waze “does not sell, rent or lease your personal information to third parties,” but it may share your “unique identifier for advertising.” You can read its full privacy policy here.

Waze is the elite navigation app.
Credit: screenshot: waze

2. GasBuddy

GasBuddy compares gas prices for you, so you don’t fill up your tank only to pass a cheaper gas station a couple miles down the road. You can add your destination and GasBuddy will show you all the gas stations on your route as well as their prices and distance out of your way.

You can download GasBuddy in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

GasBuddy collects user data to improve user experience and shares your mobile data, driving data, and location data with their business partners. You can read its full privacy policy here.

GasBuddy relies on users reporting gas prices.
Credit: screenshot: gasbuddy

3. Venmo

Speaking of gas prices, Venmo is the perfect app for splitting the price of gas and other expenses on your road trip. The free app allows you to transfer money to and from your fellow roadtrippers.

You can download Venmo in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Venmo does not sell user data and only collects data to improve user experience, you can read its full privacy policy here.

Download Venmo for easy money transfers.
Credit: screenshot: venmo

4. Spotify

No road trip is complete without the perfect soundtrack, or podcast if that’s more your speed. Spotify is a music streaming platform that has it all, it even has a “Classic Road Trip Songs” playlist.

You can download Spotify in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Spotify collects user, usage, and plan verification data. You can also choose to share voice data, payment and purchase data, and contests, surveys, and sweepstakes data with Spotify. Spotify also collects data from third party sources which include authentication partners, technical services partners, payment partners, and advertisers. Spotify uses user data to improve user experience and “for marketing, promotion, and advertising purposes.” Spotify “may process certain personal data to help Spotify understand your interests or preferences so that we can deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you.” You can read its full privacy policy here.

Spotify has a playlist for every road trip mood.
Credit: screenshot: spotify

5. Guides by Lonely Planet

If you’re planning on hitting multiple cities on your road trip Guides by Lonely Planet is for you. Rather than buying a guide book for every city you’re going to, you can pay $4.99 for one month of the app which saves time and space. The app has curated collections like top experiences, free stuff, and museums for over 8,000 cities across the world. You can also search for things like food and coffee in a city on the app for recommendations.

You can download Guides by Lonely Planet in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Guides by Lonely Planet does not sell user data and only collects data to improve user experience. It only shares user data to third parties for commercial purposes with your permission. You can read its full privacy policy here.

Use Guides by Lonely Planet to explore all the cities on your road trip.
Credit: screenshot: guides by lonely planet

6. AllTrails

AllTrails will address all your leg stretching needs. AllTrails shows all the nearby hiking trails with detailed ratings, descriptions, and directions.

You can download AllTrails in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

AllTrails does not sell user data and only collects user data to improve user experience, you can read its full privacy policy here.

Taking a hike is the perfect way to break up a day of driving on a road trip.
Credit: screenshot: alltrails

7. National Park Service

No road trip is complete without a stop at a National Park. The National Park Service App allows you to search any National Park and tells you the basic information of the park as well as what to see, things to do, where to stay, and where visitor centers are. There are also self guided tours on the app.

You can download National Park Service in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

National Parks Service does not sell user data and only collects anonymized user data to improve user experience, you can read its full privacy policy here.

National Park Service has guides for all of the US National Parks.
Credit: screenshot: national park service

8. Roadside America

Roadside America is an app that costs $2.99 and shows offbeat attractions like the Bolo Tie Museum in Arizona. Just enter your route into the app and it will show you all the weirdest attractions along the way. The attractions are ranked from the best to mildly interesting and you can choose which rankings appear on your map.

Roadside America is only available on iPhone, and you can download it for iOS in the Apple App Store.

Roadside America does not sell user data and only collects anonymized user data to improve user experience, you can read its full privacy policy here.

9. The Dyrt

Doing a bit of camping on your road trip? The Dyrt shows you all the campgrounds and RV parks in an area and streamlines the booking process. It’s perfect for planning your accommodations on your road trip. The pro version costs $2.99 a month.

You can download The Dyrt in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

The Dyrt collects user data to improve user experience and relies on partners to provide most of their services. You can read its full privacy policy and the privacy policy’s of its partners here.

Just enter the location you want to camp and the Dyrt will show you all the campsites in that area.
Credit: screenshot: the dyrt

10. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is an all in one road trip app. You enter your route and can see hotels, attractions, recreation, places to camp, landmarks, and more on your route and create an itinerary. You can also access pre-made road trip guides. The pro version costs $29.99 annually.

You can download Roadtrippers in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

Roadtrippers collects user data and shares it with third party advertisers, you can opt out by emailing [email protected] You can read its full privacy policy here.

A must-have app for any road trip.
Credit: Screenshot:ROADTRIPPERS 

11. AAA Mobile

The final app is perhaps the most useful for your road trip, AAA Mobile. AAA members can book roadside assistance and accommodations that have a discount for members through the app. It also shows nearby gas stations.

You can download AAA Mobile in for iOS in the Apple App Store or for Android in the Google Play Store.

AAA Mobile does not sell user data and only collects data to improve user experience, you can read its full privacy policy here.

Book roadside assistance through the app.
Credit: screenshot: Aaa Mobile