The roadtrip tools I didn’t know I needed.
My most recent roadtrip was an unusual one. Normally if I’m not traveling, I’m busy planning some kind of getaway, but 2020’s plans mostly fell through, as they did for everyone else. It’s been armchair travels and local hikes, and feeling fortunate to live in a town with access to nature and green spaces. But when my 88-year old dad needed to move from his place in Chicago to live with family in Florida, the best solution to avoid exposing him to COVID was a cross-country north to south roadtrip.
We rented an RV, stocked it with everything we’d need so that once we left his driveway, he wouldn’t need to go into a public space til we pulled into my sister’s driveway in Florida. Along the way we relied on two smartphone apps that were new to me, and turned out to be very useful for any roadtrip.
Oh and about that giant table and turkey dinner? You can spot it just down the highway from the giant fork sculpture, somewhere in Tennessee.
Roadtrippers App
We used Roadtrippers to plan the route and find fun stops along the way. Our goal was to find beautiful, interesting places we could drive by, or that wouldn’t be crowded if we got out. If the waypoints were off the main route, Roadtrippers rerouted us on the map, instantly and clearly. For example, we planned to drive through my dad’s college campus, and past the Kentucky Derby. We found an inviting scenic sideroad through the Smoky Mountains (which BTW do in fact look smoky.)
The free version was enough for us on that trip. The number of waypoints are limited in the free version, as are the number of itineraries you can plan. Longer journeys would tap that out quickly. Memberships have an annual fee of $29/year. That covers longer routes, offline maps, live traffic conditions, and “amazing deals!”
Trucker Path App
Less fun but more practical, Trucker Path was the smartphone tool we really needed for this trip. All kinds of features are available, but we used it specifically to find overnight parking where we could sleep. We didn’t want to get too far off our route, and we didn’t need an official campground. This app offers real-time updates on parking spot availability at rest stops, truck stops, and other places where truckers can safely get some shut-eye.
Like the Roadtripper app, Trucker Path has the free version that we used, and a paid version that runs ad-free and offers more functions specific to long-haul drivers. But if you just need to find rest stops, fuel, and overnight parking, the free version is a worthy addition to your roadtrip toolbox.