If you are hitting the highway in the next couple of weeks for Christmas, or traveling by car any time during the year, there are a couple of travel apps you need to make your trip smoother.
I have been using these three travel apps for a couple of years now and can’t wait to share them with you.
Waze
Waze is the ultimate map GPS app. Where the typical GPS app just provides you different routes to get to your destination, Waze does that and so much more. It includes notifications about:
- Construction areas
- Police spottings
- Vehicles on the shoulder of the road
- The speed limit and the speed you are driving
- Accident locations
This information is user-submitted, so you always have the opportunity to give a notification a thumbs up or thumbs down. If a police car is no longer in a certain spot, just give it a thumbs down, and Waze will make the correction.
When connected via Facebook, you can also see where your friends and family are located so you can sync up arrival times and meet-ups.
Download the Waze iPhone app here and the Android app here.
GasBuddy
Nothing is more aggravating than stopping to fill your car up with gas and then seeing gas 10 cents per gallon cheaper 5 miles down the road. You can avoid that annoyance and save money by using GasBuddy.
GasBuddy shows you gas prices in your current area, along your route and in the entire state.
It also has a trip cost calculator feature that helps you estimate the cost of your trip by entering in your starting point, destination and vehicle information.
Download the GasBuddy iPhone app here and the Android app here.
Yelp
McDonalds and Subways are very easy to find on a road trip, but if you would like something different, it may be hard to find. That’s where Yelp comes in to save the day.
You’ve probably used Yelp to see restaurants and reviews in your area, but have you used Yelp while traveling?
Yelp allows you to search for restaurants in your current location or along the route you’re traveling.
You can search for a particular restaurant (Chick-fil-A and Jason’s Deli are popular with my family) or a certain type of food like tacos, Italian or subs.
If you really want to use Yelp to help you have a great trip, you can also search for places like gyms or spas when you get to your destination.
Download the Yelp iPhone app here and the Android app here.
For my best tips on saving you time, money and energy, sign up to my free guide, 25 Ways to Reclaim Your Time.