Summer is finally upon us which means it’s time for cross country adventures, trips to grandmas, beach vacations, and everything in between. If you’re planning on driving to your destination there are several apps you can install on your smartphone device before you leave, which can help make your trip go smoother and help you to save money.
Before you hit the road you’re going to want to plan out your road trip and RoadTrippers is an excellent resource to do just that. The app helps you find restaurants, hotels, and diners along your route. You can also find different roadside attractions, scenic points of interest, and the different national parks along your route so you don’t miss a thing. Once you’ve found everywhere you want to stop the app allows you to save all your points of interest in a trip plan. You can even sync your plan across multiple devices so everyone is on the same page.
Waze is a free app available for IOS and Android devices which provides you with the best driving route possible. According to Fred Martin Nissan, Akron, OH, this very popular crowd-sourced traffic app provides you with real time traffic updates including speed traps, accidents, road hazards, and just plan old heavy traffic. As you drive along you can also report any road conditions as well. Is that speed trap no longer there? Simply update the app to let other drivers know. The app can also help you find the cheapest gas along your route so you can save money on your big trip!
GasBuddy is here to help you find the cheapest gas near you. Long road trips cover a ton of miles which means you’re probably going to go through a couple tanks of gas before you get to your destination. While gas stations right along the highway are super convenient more often than not they come with a higher price tag. Instead of paying a premium you can just use GasBuddy on your Android or IOS device to find the cheapest gas station. Just like Waze the app is crowd-sourced base so you know you’ll be seeing the current price per gallon.
Drive an electric vehicle and therefore don’t need to know which gas station as the best prices? Check out Plugshare instead. This app allows you to look up charging stations closest to you. Plugshare also lets you leave and read reviews of the charging stations.
Unless you’re taking back roads all the way to your destination, you’re going to come across tolls. While single tolls are usually inexpensive it can add up over the course of a road trip. So it’s a good idea to check out TollSmart. This app allows you to look up the prices of all the tolls along your expected route. The app even lets you create a vehicle profile so it can calculate the cost of vehicle-based toll rates. TollSmart even allows you to compare the price of tolls across different routes so you can choose the cheapest route and save money!
Another notable toll assistant app is TollGuru. This app helps you plan out the cheapest and/or fastest route. The main difference with TollGuru is that the app can estimate the overall amount you’ll spend on gas. All you have to do is enter in your vehicle and check the MPG fuel efficiency rating. You can also enter in exact fuel prices to better estimate your cost.
