Spring is the season of new beginnings, blooming flowers,
longer days and, for many travelers, road
trip season. In the past, prepping for a road trip meant carefully tracing
a route on a fold-up map, burning mix CDs (or tapes!) to listen to on the long
drive and researching stops along the way, but the best thing trip planners can
do to prepare today is download these apps.
Spotify
You’ll be especially grateful for this app when you hit a
rural area with only two radio stations. With Spotify, you have access to a
seemingly infinite amount of music right at your fingertips. Make playlists
before you hit the road, search for new artists and songs as you go, or jam to
playlists made by other members. If audio books are more your style, listen to
everything from the latest best sellers to top-rated travelogues with the
Audible app.
Roadside America
One of the best things about road trips are the roadside
attractions. Finding them along your route is easy with this inexpensive app,
which contains listings and maps for everything from the world’s biggest shoe
house to the largest garden gnome.
GasBuddy
Gas is expensive everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you can’t
save a couple bucks when filling up at the tank. Use this app to find the
cheapest gas in your area so you can splurge more at the next roadside diner.
Yelp
Need a cup of coffee to drive through the night? Use Yelp to
find the best cup in your location. Looking for a hotel with WiFi? You can
search for that too. This super helpful app can connect you with the best
restaurants, accommodations and more for your needs, providing invaluable
insight when you are in a strange land.
Waze
Your old fashioned map can’t tell you that a traffic tie-up
is about to add an extra hour onto your trip, and it has no idea that a speed
trap is waiting around the next bend, but Waze does. This navigation
app does more than just tell you when to turn right and left ? it provides
real-time info based on updates from other Waze users.
Postagram
Keep your friends and family updated on your road trip with
this creative app. Snap a photo with your phone’s camera, then type out a
message and the app sends a real life postcard made from your image to your
pals back at home. It costs .99 cents per postcard, but it is worth it to send
your friends and family such a personalized memento of your trip.?
