The 10 Best Road Trip Planner Apps for 2023
Planning a road trip can be fun but also stressful. Road trip planner apps can take some of that stress away by helping you plan, organize, and manage your travel before and during your trip. Forget about stashing bulky maps in your glove compartment, trying to decide where to stop, or just winging it. Instead, download these apps to give you peace of mind so that you can spend more time enjoying your trip.
1. Automate Your Trip Planning and Organization: Google Travel
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You can count on Google to make your trip planning a breeze. Pre-constructed day plans are available for hundreds of the world's most popular destinations, which you can customize to your liking.
It's one of the most versatile travel planner apps out there, giving you one convenient place to see your hotel, rental car, and restaurant bookings.
2. Find and Book a Last-Minute Place to Stay: Hotels.com
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Whether your road trip itinerary changed, or you haven't decided on a place to stay yet, Hotels.com can help you find a place and book it when you're on the go, even when it's super last-minute. You can sort and filter hotels, see the amenities they have to offer, compare prices, and catch a glimpse of how many rooms are available.
This is the app you'll want to have handy if you want to see in-depth hotel details at a glance and need to find a place to crash ASAP without breaking the bank.
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3. The Ultimate Map App for Planning Your Route: Roadtrippers
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Built for travelers, Roadtrippers helps you create your route while allowing you to discover great places as you plan it out. Add a new place to your itinerary to work it into your trip.
The app features an easy-to-use interface. In addition to covering the U.S., it also covers Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
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4. Find Local Restaurants, Read Reviews, and Make Reservations: OpenTable
Deciding on a place to eat in a new area is quick and hassle-free with OpenTable. See what's nearby, filter restaurants by cuisine, see photos of what's on the menu, make reservations, and get personalized recommendations based on your preferences.
OpenTable is known to be one of the top location-based food apps available, so you know you can trust its information when you're dying for something to eat.
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5. Navigate Like a Local: Waze
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Waze is a community-driven travel app that shows you the shortest possible route to your destination. Like Google Maps, Waze makes real-time adjustments for traffic jams and other obstacles—but Waze is often more accurate since it caters specifically to drivers.
The app syncs with your Google Calendar and can tell you when you should leave for appointments based on traffic. There's also a cool option to record your own voice and use it for directions.
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6. Know Exactly When and Where to Make a Pit Stop: iExit Interstate Exit Guide
Making a pit stop for food, gas, or a bathroom break is easy when you have the iExit app. Using your device's GPS, the app offers helpful suggestions for when and where to stop based on your location along the highway.
Whether you're looking for well-known franchises like Starbucks and Walmart to convenient amenities like free Wi-Fi and truck or trailer parking, this app has you covered.
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7. Find the Cheapest Fuel Nearby: GasBuddy
GasBuddy is an app specifically designed to find nearby gas stations and save money on gas. Use it to find the cheapest gas in your area and filter gas stations by amenities like car washes, restaurants, and bathrooms.
It's the app you want to have if you're serious about finding the cheapest gas around. Information comes from users like you, so you have the most up-to-date prices.
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8. Never Forget an Item: PackPoint Premium Packing List
PackPoint helps you make sure you have everything you need based on where you're going and what you're doing. In addition, the app takes into consideration the length of your trip and the expected weather conditions. Perhaps best of all, this app turns a mundane chore into something that's actually quite fun.
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9. Find Out Where to Park and How Much It Will Cost: Inrix ParkMe
ParkMe claims to be the world's largest and most accurate parking database. It allows you to purchase your parking spot through the app and compare prices across parking providers to help you save more money.
If you're road tripping around major cities in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, this app can be a huge help. You can even compare parking options and prices so that you always get the best deal.
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10. Automate Your Itinerary: TripIt
If you're planning a trip, you'll likely have a lot of confirmation emails for hotels, appointments, restaurants, and attractions. TripIt syncs with your inbox and uses that information to compile an itinerary so that you don't have to scramble for it.
The free version is fine for road trips, but if you ever fly, the premium version gives you the option to upgrade seats and track reward miles.