1. Waze
Why it’s useful: The Waze app brings to mind the old days of the CB radio. With its navigation feature, users are able to communicate potential road delays. The app allows real-time reporting of stalled cars, police sightings, accidents, and construction. Users can also add their own tips to assist other drivers.
2. Road Ninja
Why it’s useful: A drive on any United States interstate highway will inevitably bring you to an exit sign that tells which restaurants, gas stations and hotels are located at the exit. With the Road Ninja app, travelers are able to see what’s ahead at upcoming exits – particularly helpful for those with a “hankering’ for a particular restaurant, or those who will only use the restroom at particular places. Travelers can also pre-plan their stops, as the app allows users to view exits from any location.
3. Scout
Why it’s useful: Apps for navigation are a dime-a-dozen. The Scout app, quite simply, is easy – easy to see, easy to navigate. With large icons and simple graphics, Scout has simplified the act of finding gas, coffee, food, or attractions near your current location. All of what you need is easily found on the screen – no fumbling around necessary.
4. Mini-Time
Why it’s useful: Mini-Time is designed specifically for family travel. Users can quickly find information on nearby family eats, family-friendly hotels and attractions, parks, and more – right from the app’s home screen. Also useful are the user ratings and reviews that are included with the app.
5. Trip-Advisor
Why it’s useful: Trip Advisor features an exhaustive list of quality, user-generated travel reviews for restaurants, attractions, and hotels. The volumes of reviews on the website are also accessible on the mobile app, as is the ability to purchase a ticket to an attraction, book a flight, and add your own review.
6. Gas Buddy
Why it’s useful: It’s simple. GasBuddy locates gas stations near your location, and lists the price. This is extremely helpful in an unfamiliar city, as the app can also link to your preferred smartphone map/navigation to get directions.
7. WiFi Map
Why it’s useful: The WiFi Map app does what the name implies – it finds free WiFi near your current location. The app is easy to navigate and pretty accurate. Note: WiFi listings and passwords are user-generated, and available WiFi and reported passwords may change.
8. Overdrive
Why it’s useful: If you need some reading material for your flight or if you’d like to load your child’s device with books for travel, the Overdrive app is a great tool for loading multiple books, free of charge. How? Overdrive is connected to public libraries across the country. With a library card, users can download books (limits are set by the library) from their local public library’s extensive collection for a designated checkout period. Note: As with brick and mortar libraries, some titles may already be checked out.
9. Trip It
Why it’s useful: When traveling, each hotel room, tour bus, flight, reservation, Broadway show (and just about anything else purchased in advance) has a confirmation number or itinerary. The Trip It app allows users to list all trip details and confirmation information in once place, removing the need to keep up with multiple emails and pieces of paper.
10. PackPoint Travel
Why it’s useful: With the PackPoint Travel app, users can, in a nutshell, enter their travel destination and planned activities. The app will then generate a custom packing list that can be edited as needed. Easy!
Bonus apps: We also liked Flight Aware for keeping track of flight statuses, and USA Rest Stop Locator for assistance in locating rest stops near your location.
What would you add to this list?
