🗺️ 9 Apps for Road Tripping in the USA: Navigation, Gas, Food & More
Deel
Many times we hear people say: “Roadtripping is for experienced travelers, not just for me”. When we tell them several easy-to-use apps make it so much easier. At that point, a new world opens. We’ll be diving into some apps to make your travels more convenient and sometimes cheaper.
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🚏 Table of Contents
- 🌲 AllTrails – Find the Best Hiking Trails
- 🏞️ National Park Service – Your National Park Guide
- 🍽️ OpenTable – Easy Restaurant Reservations
- 🗺️ Google Maps – The Ultimate Navigation Tool
- 🚌 Token Transit – Hassle-Free Public Transport
- 🏨 Booking.com – Find Stays on the Go
- 🎟️ GoCity – Save Money on Attractions
- ⛽ GasBuddy – Find the Cheapest Fuel
- ✈️ ESTA – Entry Requirements for Non-U.S. Travelers
🌲 AllTrails – Find the Best Hiking Trails
AllTrails is a must when going into national parks or if you’re just looking for great hikes in the area you’re in. The app offers detailed trail maps, difficulty ratings, and user reviews for hiking, biking trails, and scenic walks. It ensures you find the best routes near your road trip stops, helping you explore nature confidently. You can watch and save trails in the free version of the app. If you want real-time navigation when you’re hiking, you need to pay.
The only subscription is a yearly subscription of $35.99, which is worth it, the real-time navigation is welcome in the middle of nature. It also comes with more map details, offline maps, alerts when you go the wrong way, and preview 3D flyovers. When visiting more than 3 national parks, the Annual Pass is a must to keep it less expensive. You can combine these in a combination that saves you $15.99. All the trails in our books are from AllTrails or are made with AllTrails.
🏞️ National Park Service – Your National Park Guide
The National Park Service (NPS) app is really handy when exploring the national parks. The app provides official information on all US national parks, including maps, activity recommendations, and most importanty real-time alerts. The app is perfect for roadtrippers looking to visit iconic parks and plan their stops efficiently. The app is free.
🍽️ OpenTable – Easy Restaurant Reservations
OpenTable is one of our go-to’s when looking for restaurants & bars. You can see them on a map and in a list, the map makes it easy when you’re on the road. The list is more convenient when you’re looking in a particular area. It is also really useful in busy tourist destinations where tables fill up fast.
Because of OpenTable we were able to make last-minute reservations in San Francisco & New York. Besides making reservations, the app tells you when to leave and has a GPS tool that gives you directions to the restaurant.
🗺️ Google Maps – The Ultimate Navigation Tool
For us, Google Maps is the ultimate navigation tool. It helps to avoid traffic, while you can make your routes upfront to make sure you drive the scenic route you want. Sometimes you want the faster route without traffic other times you want the scenic one. Google Maps offers both.
It’s also easy to find fuel stops along the way although for this we like to use GasBuddy. All the routes we make in our books are made with Google Maps. This way we can assure you of the most wonderful route.
🚌 Token Transit – Hassle-Free Public Transport
Token Transit simplifies public transportation by allowing users to purchase and use digital bus passes in various cities. This is useful for road trippers who park their car and want to explore urban areas without driving.
The app is really useful if you’re in busy cities where it’s not recommended to drive if there’s no need to. It also makes city tripping easier since you don’t need a car or an expensive cab. Miami can be easily explored using public transportation, with day passes too good to let down.
🏨 Booking.com – Find Stays on the Go
Booking.com speaks for itself. Still, it’s the easiest way to book hotels on the go. It’s easy to find hotels, motels, and vacation rentals with flexible cancellation options. The cancellations are a plus when you’re on the road and don’t want to book everything upfront.
For the more special and unique kind of stay, you better look at Airbnb. All the hotel recommendations we make come from booking.com. This is because if you stay with one platform, you can join the loyalty program which gets you discounts in the long run.
🎟️ GoCity – Save Money on Attractions
GoCity is in most cities the app to go to. It provides discounted access to popular attractions in major cities through digital passes, helping travelers save money and skip long ticket lines. They offer 2 different types of passes. The Explorer Pass allows you to choose how many attractions you want to see. You have 60 days from the first day of use.
The All-inclusive pass is more expensive and is a pass for several days where you can visit as many attractions as you want. Be aware that some activities are only available in 1 specific pass.
⛽ GasBuddy – Find the Cheapest Fuel
GasBuddy helps you to find the cheapest gas prices along the route, saving money on fuel costs can easily make a difference in the end. It also includes trip cost estimators and fuel efficiency tips, making it an essential road trip app.
✈️ ESTA – Entry Requirements for Non-U.S. Travelers
ESTA is an essential app for non-U.S. citizens planning a road trip in the United States. It helps travelers apply for and check the status of their travel authorization, ensuring they meet entry requirements hassle-free.
📍 Hit the Road Like a Pro!
A road trip should be about adventure, not stress—and these apps will make your journey smoother, cheaper, and more fun! Whether you're finding the best scenic routes, saving on gas, or booking last-minute stays, technology has your back. Download our Free apps guide here.
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