Whether your road trip travel style is to be a totally spontaneous or a super pre-planner, it’s a good idea to have road trip resources readily available on your mobile device; particularly if you’re planning to go solo. It can give you a piece of mind to know your road trip needs are a click away (providing you have wifi/data if the info isn’t downloadable). If you like camping, glamping or staying in hotels, finding a great place to eat or knowing the best exits to take a break and fuel up, this list of apps will have you covered for your favorite road trip travel style needs.

The Best 20 Apps for a Great American Road Trip

Road Trip Preparation

1. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers will help you plan your route - the distance, the time it will take, and your estimated cost for gas. it also comes with guides and can show you places to stay and things to do on your designated routes. The app is free, but there is an in-app paid pro version.

2. Tripit

Tripit enables you to go to one place to organize all of your travel details. It’s great for trips with many moving parts - especially with flights and car rentals. You can have the reservations auto-sent to the app if you have a gmail, outlook or yahoo email address or you simply forward the reservation confirmation to their designated email address.

3. Packpoint

PackPoint (now integrated with Tripit) will organize what you need to pack based on length of travel, weather at your destination and any activities planned during your trip.

4. Toll Guru

Toll Guru is the way to go if you want to figure out the cheapest, the fastest and preferred routes for your road trips. It can help with budgeting and ensuring you have enough cash for your route when you hit the road.

On the Open Road

5. Google Maps

One of the best parts of the Google Maps app is assigning all of the places you want to go, where you’e been and what you loved with flags. And you can download the map in case you don’t have service.

6. Spotify

You want the epic playlist for your road trip inspiration and you may find yourself in patches where you don’t have wifi/data. With an upgraded Spotify plan you can download your music and never be without your favorite sing along tunes.

7. Gas Buddy

Want to know the best places for gas at the cheapest prices on your route? Gas Buddy is your app.

8. iExit

iExit helps you identify which of your basic needs for the perfect pitstop.

9. Park Me

Park Me helps you find the cheapest and closest parking in your designated area; especially helpful after hours of long driving.

10. AAA [or emergency roadside app like Blink roadside assistance]

If you are planning a solo trip, it is especially smart to have a plan in case something happens to your vehicle on the road. If you don’t have a membership to a program like AAA roadside assistance, consider an app like Blink to have an efficient way to get roadside help.

11. Golden Hour

You may not love driving in the dark. And you might love to take photos during the golden hours of the day. The Golden Hour app provides you with the exact times of day when you can expect sunrise and sunset golden hours.

12. Flush Toilet

If you are not the rustic type and want a toilet that flushes during your road trip, Flush Toilet finder is the quickest way to find a public restroom. Fun note - this app also works for your international travels too!

Where to Stay

13. Hotel Tonight

Hotel Tonight is your last minute hotel deals app. If you are more of the spontaneous type, this is a great way to roll into town and find the type of hotel you like at the best price.

14. Airbnb

Airbnb is a great way to rent an entire home or a room in someone’s place. If you’re on a budget or really interested in getting an insiders perspective on an area, staying at an Airbnb accommodation could be the ticket.

15. Hipcamp

Hipcamp is similar to Airbnb, but exclusively for camping and glamping! You can book unique camping experiences at campsites, ranches, vineyards, public parks and more. And they have reviews!

Where to Eat

Yucca Fries at View 180 - Enchantment, Sedona, AZ

16. Open Table

Open Table is a solid way to find reputable restaurants, see the costs, and make reservations without doing tons of research. Many times reliable restaurants will use this app, taking out some of the guess-work.

17. Yelp

Yelp can be used for more than just restaurants, but if you are looking for cheap-eats, this can be a solid way to find smaller establishments and hear what the neighbors think of them.

What to do

18. Road Side America

If you are looking for cool and quirky places to stop and take photos, Road Side America is the app for you. This app does come at the $2.99 price-tag with more inside app purchase options, but it’s a great way to get to know what is typically not located in your Google Maps app and make fun memories.

19. Trip Advisor

Trip Advisor is a solid app for researching what to do, where to go, and what to eat and cross-referencing what you might find through search engine research or recommendations. Places that heavily rely on tourism will often depend on your reviews to help keep them in business.

20. Alltrails

Alltrails is the largest collection of hand-curated trail guides. If you are looking for a great hike and aren’t sure about how to find it, what the difficulty is, or where to go, this app will be a support.