Blog Archives

I have taken 5 roadtrips in the last 7 months. Yes, I am nuts. Out of those 7 trips, 4 of them were between Texas and Utah (1,200 miles each direction) and a trip to Park City, Utah at Christmas.  During this experience I have learned a few things.

#1 Don’t always believe your GPS

My GPS sent me through Zion National Park, which is a must see place for all it’s amazing beauty, however it cost me an additional $25 just to drive through it when I didn’t need to. My wonderful GPS also sent me through one of the largest Indian reservations in Arizona where I didn’t see a gas station for about 3 hours. Like a scene from a scary movie, almost out of gas, no cell phone service, not another car in sight, no signal of life anywhere except for the hawks and vultures beginning to fly overhead….Anyways….

#2 Gas station coffee is disgusting but sometimes on a road trip, Coca-Cola and Monsters just don’t do the trick.

#3 There are no radio stations. Period. Not even a decent A.M. station to hear the news or weather!

So with my vast experience in road trips lately, I have come up with a few iPhone apps that helped save the day for me. If you have any great ones to share please feel free to comment below and share the love, because I have a couple more coming this summer. Enjoy!

————————————————–

#1 GasBuddy – This app is fabulous these days especially with gas prices hitting $4.00 a gallon and rising. This app uses your current location to determine the best place to fill up at the cheapest price, and it really works!

#2 Hotels.com – Need a hotel room for the night but not sure where you’re at, the best rates, cleanest hotel, or what’s available in the next town? This app will guide you along the way and get you a great deal, or at least give you some negotiating power

#3 Waze – Find yourself in some big city traffic? Waze will get you through it by telling you what freeways to avoid and how long you’ll be in traffic.

#4 Yelp – If you’re hungry, this app will tell you by category what’s around you and even has reviews

#5 Starbucks – If you’re looking for something a little better than that nasty gas station coffee, the Starbucks app uses your location to tell you the closest location. It’s does lots of other stuff too but when you’re on a road trip, you just need to know where you can get a quick pick me up!

#6 TuneIn Radio – This app allows you to pick up any radio station you want, from local to not so local. It’s awesome!

#7 Shazam – If you are so lucky to pick up a radio station in the middle of nowhere, there’s a chance you might hear a great song but you don’t know who sings it. Or you may be so bored you create a game with your fellow road trippers to see who can name the song or artist. The Shazam app “listens” to the song and tells you all the info you need about it plus gives you the option to download it right from iTunes!

#8 Spacetime – This app is great for many reasons, it tracks and send your location to whoever you want it to go to. So if you break down or get lost, just send your location! (Also great for tracking teenagers)

——————————————————

Now what I would like to see a great app do: 

  ( And if you know of an app for these needs, please tell me!)

#1 Rest stop finder – There are several out there, but they all stink from what I can tell.

#2 Police radar – I need to know when to slow down!

#3 Short cut finder – I don’t trust my GPS

 Facebook me!

  Follow me!