Travel Guide: Helpful Apps to Plan an Impromptu Road Trip (California Road Trip part 1)
The travel bug bites me, almost every day. Constantly dreaming of places to go, and adventures to have, the love and urge to travel is a STRONG one! As such, we rented a car (a fast one!!) and drove around where we pleased. Now, not having a plan is not usual the way I like to go, but not knowing where the road would take us was part of the adventure!
We did our research so we had a some ideas of what we would like to see, and which apps were most useful! We used the following apps for our road trip, and they all come highly recommended for those that like to keep things on-the-fly!
RoadTrippers (https://roadtrippers.com/) was designed for just this purpose. Using this app in the planning process was great, as it showed you highlights you might want to see in the areas you are going to. You can plan to visit sights you would want to see, and also discover what's around you when you're near!
Hotel Tonight (https://www.hoteltonight.com), is exactly as the name says! Book your hotel room the same night you will be staying. It gives you availabilities, and since they are last-minute bookings, they are generally a much better deal than their regular price. In Santa Barbara, we booked a hotel right on the beach during dinner around 9pm, and checked in at 9:45pm. The convenience and ease of booking cannot be simpler.
Gas Guru (available on android, and iOS)shows you where the cheapest gas can be found. Tracking your location via your smartphone's GPS, it will show you all the gas stations that are open and their pricing. I've used this in several different states, and it has not let me down at all! When you're doing long-distance road tripping, the difference between 2.89 per gallon and 3.89 per gallon is massive! Gotta pinch those pennies.
Other great ones are Trip Advisor, Yelp, and Google Maps, but they are are my day-to-day staples anyway. Pretty much just speak for themselves!
What are your favorite apps to use while traveling?
Ps - Stay tuned for Part 2 for pictures and tips down the Californian Golden Coast!!
