Whether you are hitting the road for a trip to the mountains or a beach location with an RV Rental, planning your journey is a necessary step, where planning and camping apps come in handy. To make sure that you visit every place on your wishlist of places that are “Instagram worthy”, you will need some proper prior organization. We can guarantee that this will be your secret weapon to avoid those feelings of regret at the end of a trip, such as “we could’ve seen more places and did more stuff”.
To make sure that you don’t miss anything and have an unforgettable journey, we listed the best camping apps to help you find a site, pack your gear and make the most of your surroundings while outdoors.
1. Roadtrippers
As the name suggests, this is the only map built for travellers. Well, it’s not the only one that exists, but we’re sure that will help you to virtually plan your road trip and find all that you need during your journey.
Through Roadtrippers you can discover millions of amazing and secret locations nearby such as local diners, peculiar roadside attractions, national parks, or even picturesque points. With this app, you will be able to create your itinerary, while you find out the most incredible places to include on it.
2. The Dyrt
Whether you are looking for places to camp in an RV, tent, trailer or cabin in the US, you can find lots of outdoor accommodations at The Dyrt. The app is accessible in both a free and Pro version depending on the depth of info you are looking for (pro version includes trip planner, offline access and exclusive discounts.
Select the camper type you are looking to explore overnight stops for and browse through nearby options. You can also get advice from fellow campers and see recommended places by The Dyrt. All campsites are peer-reviewed.
3. Park4night
This is one of the best RV camping apps for finding unique camp spots. Considered a lifesaver for RV campers across the world, Park4night will help you a lot when you decide to stop somewhere that wasn’t planned (even with organization, it happens sometimes).
Through this app, you will have access to some nice spots suggested by other campers that have been there before. Once you find your spot, you can be a good comrade and share your secret spots with others.
4. Van Secrets
Trying to find some wild and free spots? Fasten your seat belt because this platform will tell you all the secret camping spots all around the world. Van Secrets will let you explore all of the hidden gems through your journey. Regardless of their name, the goal is to share the information with your pals.
Just like the last apps, this is a “community” platform that is being constantly updated, so every traveller can be a trendsetter and add points that aren’t on the map yet. Van Secrets also gives you some useful details about places with toilets, showers or even Wi-fi.
You can check their website here!
5. Waze
Getting lost, hitting a street with non-ending traffic, or finding a collision on the road, are probably some of the worst headaches for travellers.
Keeping your van on the right path (and probably on the best one) is easier when you’ve got the Waze app. While using your device’s GPS, the app will offer you some really helpful suggestions for pit stops. Just like the last apps, Waze is built on social interaction but it lets you decide which route is best for you and which one you want to take.
This app will not only give you directions and live traffic updates, but it will also advise you with shortcuts. Also, say goodbye to those unnecessary speeding tickets, because Waze will warn you about the speed limits and traps.
6. Maps.me
This app is also a lifesaver for every traveller that likes to hit the road, perhaps because more than any other device, maps are the camper’s constant assistant.
Maps.me has a significant and important tool – it works offline! That’s right, even if you are in the middle of nowhere (the best feeling, we know!), you don’t need to worry about which way you have to turn.
You just need to download previously (the only time you’ll need an internet connection) the area and/or country of the maps you intend to use and you are good to go. The best of all? You can have some extra budget for some beers because it’s all free!
7. Parkme
Those who dare to explore the road with a van, know that even though it’s the best feeling ever, one of the main frustrations is never knowing where to park a vehicle of that size. With the app Parkme, you’ll never need to worry again about finding parking when you’re arriving in a new town.
This app will show you available garages and street parking nearby or in any other location, you choose on the map, along with the cost for every option. Parkme will inform you about how many spaces are left in the garage or on a specific street.
Also, it’s a really good app for those who have short-term memory and always find themselves looking for their car, because you can mark the location of your parking spot in the app.
8. First Aid
An app you wouldn’t think you need until you end up in a compromising situation. The First Aid app helps you find clear steps on what to do in case of health emergencies or accidents while camping.
The app also helps you learn about first aid skills with videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice and tips on how to prepare for emergencies, from severe winter weather to road traffic accidents.
One of its many best features is the ability to use this app offline as all the information you need is hosted on the app itself, making it super fast and easy.
9. Tourlina
For all the solo women travellers who love taking journeys on their own, can now connect with like minded women across the world through a women only social networking app. Tourlina is an app with verified travel members, allowing you to connect with adventure-seekers with similar interests.
You can meet female travellers, meet local women or even find your travel buddy based on common interests. The app is created with the intention to network women solo travellers worldwide. Like popular networking platforms, you can swipe left or right to find your travel buddy based on your interests and can plan or chat with your new buddy once you match on the platform.
10. Sky Map
You might have, at least once, looked up into the sky and wondered “what am I looking at? is it a star, is it a planet?” but with Sky Map in your palm, you would skip right through this guessing game and marvel at the beauty of the night skies.
Sky Map is a hand-held planetarium for your Android device. Super fun to have while camping with kids and adults alike, to identify stars, planets or the nebulae. The app uses your phone’s GPS to automatically locate items as you aim your phone, but it also supports manual tracking that doesn’t require the GPS to be enabled. You can download and install Google Sky Map for free from your phone’s built-in Android Market app.
Night Sky is an excellent alternative to Sky Maps for iPhone users to look up stars, constellations and satellites in your own beautiful personal planetarium!
Whether you need camping apps for planning your adventure, for finding your way around a traffic jam or even for finding the local secret spots, these apps will help you prep for your next journey. Try some of these options next time you head the open road to make sure you have a smooth and trouble-free roadbound adventure.
About the Autor
Pernille Hembre
Curious metropolitan who loves travelling and activities in the wild, from snowboarding, to hiking and surfing. Since renovating her first van in 2016 she's been hooked to the vanlife and outdoor adventures.
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