7 Essential Road Trip Planning Resources

Think of Roadtrippers as the social media of car travel. Before you go, use this road trip planner to find well-known and off-the-beaten-path stops along your route. To save time, you may want to start with one of the pre-planned road trips near you.

When it’s time to travel, you can even share your route with friends. This helps keep several cars on the same path. The app is free to download on Apple and Android devices (but some advanced features may require a subscription).

Is a road trip really a road trip if you stay in the car the whole time? No way. When it’s time to pull over and do some sightseeing, use Parkopedia to find free or affordable parking spots.

Parking can be especially tricky in big, unfamiliar cities and during popular events. Open this app and find a parking spot in a snap. You can even pay within the app!

Most US states have their own apps that report traffic conditions on major roads, but who wants to download a new app every time you cross a state line? Get real-time information about road closures, construction, accidents, and anything else that might affect your travel in this easy-to-use app.

The best part? If the app notices an obstruction along your route, it’ll guide you around it. You’ll love how easy it is to drive on a cross-country road trip.

This site is the Wikipedia of travel—literally. A cousin of the online encyclopedia, Wikivoyage gives unbiased travel recommendations for almost everywhere.

Each page describes the area’s history and culture, as well as need-to-know travel tidbits like neighborhood names, ways of getting around, major attractions, and places to stay or eat.

Look at the bottom of each page for an icon that shows each city as a waypoint on other road trips.

One guaranteed expense on any road trip is gas. Luckily, GasBuddy helps you keep that part of your budget under control. This app shows gas prices at fuel stations near your current location. You don’t have to know a local to discover the best places to fuel up along your journey.

Tip: You can also ask GasBuddy to point you to gas stations with amenities you need, like an air hose to fill up the tires or a car wash to clean off the mud.

On the road, eating time sometimes doubles as travel time. But when you want a break and a great meal at the same time, consult OpenTable. You can even make a reservation from within the app. This is perfect for when you’re hungry but still just outside of town.

And if you’re hoping to bypass the chain restaurants in favor of local favorites? This is the app for you. You may see some nationally known names in here, but unique spots dominate the listings.

Spotify is the best source of audio entertainment to keep you happy over the many miles. You can find user-generated playlists and a huge selection of podcasts on any subject. A paid subscription means ad-free listening and allows you to download any content to your device (helpful in case your route goes through areas without cell service).