Remember the days of family road trips where you just stumbled around until you found what you needed? Kids sat in the back of the car (it was probably you, right?) saying, “Are we there yet?”
Now, travel apps can make family trips easier than ever.
This is a list of the BEST travel apps for families, including apps that our family either currently uses or plans to use on our next trip.
Anytime my family and I are traveling, we love the Yelp app to help us find drug stores, restaurants, and more. Have a craving for Chinese food? Pizza? Go to Yelp and find the restaurants closest to you and their ratings.
Expensify – Expense Reports, Receipts, Mileage, Time Entry, Travel
Scan your receipts and track your mileage using GPS… perfect for keeping yourself on a budget. We especially love this app when traveling for business because we can use SmartScan to make receipts searchable.
Kids getting bored and need a quick stop to stretch your legs but want something more interesting than a rest area? Make a trip educational or just more fun by knowing what is coming up at the next exit.
Speaking of rest areas… I hate stopping there for potty breaks. I want a clean, safe restroom with soap in the dispenser. Call me “Picky.” With SitOrSquat, you know the closest restroom and see a rating from people who have used it.
GateGuru, Airport Info & Flight Status
Flying for this vacation? Don’t be left wandering around the airport looking for a place to eat or to let the kids play. Use GateGuru and know where everything is and how the ratings stack up.
GasBuddy – Find Cheap Gas Prices
Even if you are not traveling away from home, GasBuddy can help you find the cheapest gas prices in town.
Waze Social GPS, Maps & Traffic
Our last road trip, we came upon a portion of interstate where the traffic that was completely stopped. Before letting the children out to stretch their legs, we checked with Waze to see what was going on and how long the estimated wait would be.
Why are hotels either super noisy or way too quiet? Sleep peacefully by drowning out the loud kids in the hall with a sleep machine in your phone.
For the person who is afraid they will miss their flight, organize your entire trip within this one app. Forward your confirmations to TripIt and it builds your itinerary. You can even share your plans with other people.
Have a hankering for a particular restaurant? Or just starving and want to know what the next exit has available? iExit Interstate Exit Guide gives you an exit by exit detail of listings for gas, food, lodging, and more.
Searching for gluten free options while traveling can be… impossible. With Find Me Gluten Free, you can easily see the restaurants around you that offer gluten free meals, view the menu, get directions, and call from the app.
My Disney Experience – Walt Disney World
Heading to the happiest place on earth may not be so happy when you don’t know your way around or have to wait in eternally long lines. No more! Be able to see what is happening around the park with a glance and find the rides with the shortest lines easily.
Universal Orlando Resort InPark Assistant
If you are visiting Universal Orlando, be sure to load the InPark Assistant, similar in capability to the Disney app.
Have a BEST travel app to recommend?
Leave a comment! Since we are often traveling, I want to know which travel apps you use.
More Road Trip Hacks
- Make a Find It Bag for Your Road Trip
- Traveling with Kids at Mealtime
- Alabama Road Trip Planner
- 25+ Activities for Traveling with Kids
- US Summer Travel Destinations for Families
- Tips for Camping with Special Needs Children
- How to Pack a Suitcase for Kids
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I would also add a decent navigational app Spyglass into this list. It works great when offline, assuming that you pre-download the maps that you need in advance. It shows your accurate coordinates and your current position on a map, allows to mark locations and waypoints, share your locations with friends and much more.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/spyglass/id332639548?mt=8&at=11lLc7&ct=c