Navigate Your Road Trip Like a Pro with These Tools
Road trips are a great way to break from everyday life, especially during the pandemic. Planning a road trip can be tricky, but with the right tools and resources, you can make it a smooth and enjoyable experience. In this article, we’ll explore some essential tools and resources to help you navigate your road trip like a pro.
1. Navigation Apps
Navigation apps are one of the most critical tools when planning a road trip. They offer turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, and help you find the nearest gas stations, restaurants, and attractions. Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps are all great navigation apps to use. Google Maps features a Street View feature, offering a panoramic view of your surroundings. Waze is perfect for real-time traffic updates and road hazard alerts. Apple Maps is pre-installed on all iOS devices.
2. Route Planning Tools
Route planning tools enable you to create a custom route that includes all the stops you want to make along the way. They can help you estimate fuel costs, plan your budget, and suggest attractions based on your interests. Roadtrippers is one of the best route planning tools available. This website lets you customize your route and features a ‘near me’ function that finds the closest gas stations, food outlets, and hotels. Planetary offers an easy-to-use interface while allowing you to add your stops, choose your route, and save your itinerary.
3. Accommodation Aggregators
Accommodation aggregators search through various hotel and vacation rental websites to find the best deals. Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor are excellent accommodation aggregator tools. Booking.com offers a wide selection of hotels, villas, and BnBs. Expedia often provides exclusive deals and discounts, while TripAdvisor offers unbiased reviews from previous guests.
4. Weather Apps
Weather can be unpredictable. A good weather app helps you plan activities and adjust your route accordingly. Dark Sky offers hyperlocal weather reports, providing detailed information about the weather in your immediate vicinity. AccuWeather provides weather forecasts up to two weeks in advance, making it perfect for planning. Weather Channel is an excellent app for getting weather alerts and updates, as well as checking road closures and traffic updates.
5. Entertainment Apps
Entertainment apps help keep you entertained and energized during long road trips. Spotify offers unlimited music playlists accessible through your smartphone. Audible is perfect for fans of audiobooks while Netflix offers an extensive library of movies, TV shows, and documentaries.
6. Safety Apps
Safety should always be a top priority during a road trip. Life360 allows you to create a private family network to keep you aware of your loved one’s status during the trip. Onstar comes with automated crash response, remote start, and emergency services while SafeTrek alerts emergency services via a discreet silent alarm in case of an emergency.
7. Food Apps
Finally, food is an essential component of any road trip. Yelp offers a wide selection of restaurants and eateries, OpenTable helps make reservations in advance while Zomato offers reviews and ratings from previous customers.
In conclusion, proper planning, research, and access to the right tools and resources make for an unforgettable road trip. Navigation apps, route planning tools, accommodation aggregators, weather apps, entertainment apps, safety apps, and food apps are all essential tools that will help you navigate like a pro. So, next time you plan a road trip, be sure to use these tools and resources for a smooth and enjoyable journey.