‘Tis the season…
Summer’s here and odds are there’s a road trip in your near future. If not, what are you doing? Get busy and throw something together. There are probably some really cool things just a few hours drive away. You can do that in a weekend. Then again, wouldn’t it be nice to at least take Friday off for your little excursion?
But I digress. This isn’t about IF you’re going or WHERE you’re going. This is about making sure your smartphone is up for the task before you get under way (after, of course, you turn around and go back 3 times for things you reminded your kids to get, but somehow still didn’t make it in the car/minivan/SUV)!
First, let’s talk about finding your way, not getting lost, and avoiding the inevitable traffic jams. For this, you’re going to want Waze. Waze is a great GPS app, but the real power is in the community updates. Other drivers are telling you real-time where accidents, traffic nightmares, and even speed-traps are.
Now, let’s not waste any money while filling up. GasBuddy will help you find the best gas prices near wherever you are. Once again, the peer-to-peer sharing is the key.
Wanna find some sweet stuff to check out along the way, try Roadtrippers. This will get you to some beautiful sites, some unique attractions, and if this is your style, some flat-out weird things!
OK, what’s a road trip without some GREAT food? TripAdvisor to the rescue! TripAdvisor gives ratings and reviews for flights, hotels, and attractions too; but for me it’s all about the restaurant reviews. Sure, there are lots of restaurant rating sites and apps out there. But Trip Advisor seems to have fewer morons leaving ridiculous reviews. (Yelp, did your ears perk up?)
Finally, it’s 2014. You HAVE to chronicle your adventure on social media!! Otherwise, how do you even know if it really happened? Instagram is the current undisputed king of this realm.
So, the links are all to the Google Play Store (because I’m biased and all) but every one of these apps is also available on the Apple App Store (because I’m also not a jerk).
What are you waiting for? Start downloading and hit the road, Jack!
Have fun, and safe travels…
