Don't Even Think About Going On Your RV Trip Without Installing These Apps First
Getting out on the open road for a relaxing RV trip is a great feeling. Whether it's the rolling countryside, mountain vistas, or just the meditative act of driving long distances, it's rewarding in many ways beyond just having a home on wheels. But part of the experience of seeing new places is exploring the stops along the way. As a newcomer to these places, you're not going to know where the points of interest are, where to get great gear, or where to find the best campsites in the area. Fortunately, with the right trip apps on your phone, you can find everything you need, from the best burger in town to where the closest RV hookups are.
What becomes obvious quickly is that when you go on a trip in your RV or affordable camper van, it's all about planning–especially when you have multiple stops to make on your journey. Check out these apps that we downloaded and tested for iPhone that were highly rated on various RV camping news sites and were made for setting up the perfect vacation.
Campendium
Campendium is an app that's a great resource for RV enthusiasts for planning your trip and where to stay next. It offers tons of information for campsites in both national and state parks along with info on where you can go boondocking (camping outside of regular campgrounds with no hookups). What's cool is you can use your location to find out what's in your immediate area so if you need to change plans on the fly, you can figure out a good place to set up camp. They also have a blog where you find stories about things like camping gear and strategies for boondocking.
What's particularly useful on Campendium are the user reviews of locations. RV campers just like you will tell you where they camped and their experience at different sites. They'll include things like how crowded a site is, cell reception info (important to all campers), and you can even view pictures of the sites where they stayed. Unfortunately, this app doesn't let you book campsites from within the app and is not as good at telling you nearby amenities in the towns you've passed through as other apps in this category.
The app and website are free, but you can sign up for a yearly subscription that will remove all ads.
Allstays Camp & RV - Road Maps
Allstays is one of the most popular apps for campers for a good reason: it helps you find campsites, parking lots, rest stops, RV hookups, and more, even when you're offline. You'll be able to get the info on nearly 35,000 campsites and suitable camping locations across the U.S. and Canada. This app is perfect for planning your next adventure, so you know what you'll get at each stop in your journey, like where to find propane, whether a campsite has shower access, and a lot more.
The free version of Allstays will get you basic campground information like sites near you and a map of all locations in the area, but you won't get crucial user reviews. With a subscription of $34.95 a year, you can read reviews from other campers (and add your own), filter all the services at each campsite, and find places where it's legal to park for the night. You can even check site availability and book your stay at nearly 5,000 campgrounds in North America right from within the app. Where this app is a little anemic is in finding places of interest that are off the beaten path, but there are other apps in this category that cater to those needs.
If you're looking for a comprehensive camping app that covers most of the bases, this is great.
Roadtrippers - Trip Planner
Any great road trip begins with planning your route, finding cool spots to check out, and knowing where to go to get great food along the way. Roadtrippers is unique among RV camper apps in that it will tell you where all the fun points of interest are in the places you pass through. You'll be able to map a path through the best scenic views, roadside attractions, and even hotels for when you want to get off the road for a night or two. You can also use pre-made trip guides to inform your route so you get to see all the best views along the way.
Unfortunately, it's important to note that the free version of Roadtrippers will only let you map out routes for three stops, showing all the interesting things along the way. For longer trips (which most probably are) of up to 150 stops and to get all the roadside attractions, you'll need to pay $2.49 per month or $29.99 per year. Also, by paying the subscription, Roadtripper will give you custom routes better suited for an RV. You'll also be able to see maps offline (huge for any RV traveler), get traffic conditions on the road, and remove all ads from the app.
Gas Buddy
RV and campervan apps are great for planning trips and exploring the outdoors, but with today's gas prices, it's crucial to also know where to find the cheapest gas available. Gas Buddy solves that problem by giving you the best prices in your area. You can search by location, price, and even whether a station offers restrooms. The app also tracks your driving habits, giving you advice on how to better save on gas.
Using Gas Buddy, you'll quickly come to find that if you only drive a few blocks further, you'll be able to save a lot on gas. When you do find that bargain price, you can let other drivers know about the deal within the app. One cool added extra for this app is that you can complete daily, weekly, and monthly challenges to earn points within the app. You can then spend these points to enter into a drawing that could get you a free $100 gas card. While Gas Buddy is great for gas prices, you're going to need other camping apps to get all the information you need when going on a trip. Still, with gas prices what they are these days, every little bit helps.