Mobile apps have made traveling so much easier. From booking a hotel to finding a cool hike to tracking where we want to go and where we’ve been, it’s changed the way we travel. Take the time to learn the apps and in the end you’re road tripping will be more enjoyable as you’ll spend less time on the planning and more time in the moments.
Places to Stay
We often start with Google as it makes a good entry point to all other apps for determining price and availability and giving us an overview of the area.
Hilton Honors
We use Hilton Honors app because of the points and that means more free nights. We also signed up for the Hilton credit card because of the high signup bonus (130,000 points).
Choice
Choice is a great hotel for discounts. Off season their prices usually can’t be beat. Just make sure the property is 4 stars or above.
Booking.com
Since we have Genius Level 3 unlocked with Booking.com there are times we get a 20% discount on a room plus we earn cash credit for a future stay. Also, sometimes sold out rooms will still have availability through Booking.com
IHG
This is a backup hotel for us. Lots of properties in the US and some times it’s the only decent hotel in an area.
AirBnb / VRBO: We don’t use AirBnb or VRBO as much anymore because of the prices. Their prices tend to be way more expensive than hotels. If you want to stay on the road longer you’re better off in a hotel/motel. Plus hotels being cheaper you can get a free breakfast which can add up.
Hikes
Google Maps
Not as good as other hiking specific apps but since we use Google Maps to track places to visit it’s a good start for us. The shading on a map is good to see parks and other green spaces.
AllTrails
The gold standard in hiking apps. Probably the most complete single app available. Gives lots of information on trails: distance, elevation, reviews, pictures and so much more.
Hiking Project
The app from REI that is only getting better with time. What’s unique is they have a feature where you fully download hiking maps based on a state / country.
Gaia GPS
Not the prettiest of apps but it does get the job done. Lots of functionality and they make recording tracks pretty simple and powerful. Worth checking out even though we don’t use it too often.
NPS
A great reference of all things National Park. This is far beyond the 60 or so parks and gets into all 400+ properties in the National Park System. From trail maps, camping information to general overview, they have you covered.
General
Google Maps
From driving directions to places to stay to locating those hidden gems this is the app we use the most. Learn the features beyond the basics and you’ll see how powerful it is.
Surfshark
Not sure anyone travels anymore without connecting to WiFi at some point. Without securing your connection, with Surfshark, you’re exposing yourself to hackers. Our go to secure connection app.
Dr On Demand
You just never know when you may need meds while on the road. Dr On Demand makes it easy to consult with a doctor and have a prescription filled immediately where ever you are.
Tides Near Me
One of those simple little apps that we use when we’re at the beach. Lets us know when the tides will change and we can plan accordingly.
Yahoo Weather
Yes, I know it’s Yahoo! but it’s actually a very good weather app. Clean UI and very easy to add locations and swipe through them.
Roboform
Stores all of our passwords. We create new passwords for every login so having a handy and highly secure app to recall them is important.
Business & Social Management
WordPress
Our website is powered by WordPress.com. We choose this for the ease of setting up and managing the site. We don’t have to worry about support or servers while traveling, its all managed for us.
Quickbooks
We use Quickbooks Self-Employed to track our expenses while on the road. Add a transaction, take a picture of the receipt and you’re done. Easy peasy.
Gmail
Just made sense for us to use Gmail for our email address. We didn’t want any hassles with email and Gmail is really good for managing an email address and handling spam.
YouTube / YouTube Studio
This is the way we upload when on the road and manage our YouTube channel. At home we upload our full videos from a computer but we often need to do things while traveling.
Microsoft To Do
Wanted to dead-simple app to keep a list, or notes, as we travel. Microsoft To Do does just that. Nothing more than an easy to use To Do list app.
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / TikTok
Lumped this into a single entry as they all do the same for us. Allow use to share, and engage, with our followers. We share differently on each platform so follow us on all 🙂
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