Hey friends, welcome back to Grand Adventure!
I'm your host Marc Guido, and today we're going to look at 10 of our
favorite smartphone apps for RV camping and travel, so stick around!
Now cellphones, have certainly come a very long way in a very short period of
time. My first cell phone was this giant Motorola bag phone that I'm sure looks
very familiar to a whole bunch of you. But today's modern smartphone is
actually a very powerful, tiny handheld computer that's a lot more powerful than
the PCs I owned just a few very short years ago, so it makes total sense for
the RV traveler to leverage the capability of a smartphone by using apps
to help make the camping experience easier and more enjoyable. Now, the most
expensive part of RV camping (unless you're camping right next to home) is
your fuel expense, and for that reason we make ample use of Gas Buddy. Gas Buddy is
a free app for both iOS and Android that uses user-submitted gas prices to help
find the cheapest gas in any area. Here you can see that the price for regular
gas nearby has a 65-cent spread between the lowest and highest prices. We prefer
to sort by price.
You can also sort by a different grade of gas, or even diesel. Clicking on the
map button will display station locations, and clicking on an individual
station even includes driving directions.
If you're traveling, you can check prices in any area along your route with the
search feature. Just type in your destination in the app will display fuel
prices along your entire route. That way, you can decide where it's best to fill
up.
Now speaking of maps, we use the free Google Maps for not only driving
directions, but also to find interesting things to see and do along the way. We
use the free Google Maps for driving directions, finding points of interest,
locating businesses and determining their hours, and much more. We've even
used it to find a mobile RV tech when we broke down on the side of the road.
Google Maps is terrific for finding things nearby to see and do as you
travel.
Need a laundromat? Find one nearby, check out photos, determine when they're open,
and get directions right to the front door.
If you're traveling beyond cell service, you can even download maps with points
of interest, capable of producing turn-by-turn driving directions without
access to the internet. Google Maps is available for both iOS and Android
phones and tablets. And speaking of offline maps, our favorite mapping
software, our favorite mapping app for outdoor recreation maps is Backcountry
Navigator. Now unfortunately for you iOS users, this one is Android only. It is a
little bit pricey as far as apps go at $14.99; however, that's a lifetime fee and
the developer needs to pay licensing fees for the different map layers that
are available in the base program, so it's only fair that the developer gets
to pass those licensing fees along to his users. You have access to multiple
map sources, including street maps, satellite imagery, and our favorite: the
shaded CalTopo 24K series.
If you'll be out in the boonies you can even download specific areas to your
phone for offline use. We like downloading both topo maps and
satellite imagery for any area we'll be boondocking in, to help locate campsites.
But who knows if you're going to have cell signal when you get there? That's where
the app OpenSignal comes in. OpenSignal is a free app for both iOS and Android
that lets you see user reported cell signal reports and speed tests right on
a map.
You may limit the app to display just your cell carrier and preferred network
protocol. Here we're going to select Verizon 4G only. The app includes a
compass function to show the direction of the cell tower, useful if you have a
cellphone booster with a directional antenna. You can even see on a map where
the tower that you're connected to is located, helpful if moving your camp a
little bit will improve service.
A similar free app for you satellite TV viewers is Satellite Director. Now, this
one is also Android only, but we're sure that you iOS users can find similar apps
for your iPhone. This is handy for figuring out where to point your
satellite dish. First wait for a GPS fix,
then select the satellite you're looking for. Because we're on DISH Network we'll
select one of the Ecostar western arc satellites.
Then simply rotate your phone until you lock onto the cyan dot -- that's the
direction of the satellite. If you're looking for a place to stop for the
night, Roadbreakers is the app for you. This free app for both iOS and Android
was developed for truckers, but it's perfect for RV travelers as well.
It shows places where you can asphalt dock for the night, including Wal-marts,
truck stops, rest areas, on-street parking, and more. Different categories of
overnight locations have different colors. All include a satellite view, and
many include user reviews.
Google Maps isn't the only app we use to find interesting things to see and do. We
also get ample use out of Roadtrippers. Although there's a premium
version, we use the free Roadtrippers app for iOS or Android to find cool things
to stop and see along the way. You can check nearby, or plan ahead. Clicking on a
point of interest will reveal user reviews and much more.
Another free app for both iOS and Android with similar functionality is
Trip Bucket. We use Trip Bucket to help find interesting things to see and do,
and places to visit nearby.
Again, clicking on a specific point of interest will reveal detailed
information including visitor reviews.
But what about the weather? We're weather geeks, so we're not fans of
dumbed-down weather apps like The Weather Channel and AccuWeather.
We'd actually rather see what's going to happen, and for that there's no app
better than FlowX. Right now, FlowX is only available for Android, but you can
register for the beta version on iOS. The beauty of FlowX is that it lets you see
right on a map what different weather models like the GFS and Canadian models
are predicting. All you need to do is select which parameter you're going to
map, and then swipe left to right or right to left to move through the
timeline. Thinking about moving, but wondering where it's expected to be windy? Wonder
no more. Select wind as your parameter and then
see wind speeds.
Worried about rain? Select precipitation as your parameter, then go see.
And last, but most certainly not least is our favorite directory for finding great
places to camp, and that's Campendium. Now at the moment, the app is only
available for iOS users, so we actually pinned the mobile version of
Campendium's mobile website right to our phone's home screen.
We use Campendium to locate anything from free boondocking sites to luxury RV
resorts, and everything in between.
As digital nomads we particularly appreciate the fact that Campendium
users rate their cell phone signal with each and every review. You can see
photos, check the last price paid and read detailed user-submitted reviews.
Clicking on the GPS coordinates will open the location in Google Maps, so you
can zoom in and switch to satellite view to get an up-close-and-personal view
of the lay of the land. So if you'd like to install any of these apps on
your own phone, we'll put links to help you do so right in the YouTube video
description down below. Now, also down below is the comment
section and we would certainly love your feedback on this episode of Grand
Adventure. Now, we put out new outdoor adventure
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please remember, life is nothing but a Grand Adventure.
We'll see you then!