Car – St. George Express

After writing Travel Tips For The Ultimate Road Warrior, we realized we could do a whole separate piece just about helpful travel apps to download before hitting the road.

So if you’re planning a road trip this summer, or you know you’ll be driving your way back to Rexburg, make sure you try these travel apps and let us know your experience.

GasBuddy

If you’re driving instead of flying, you’re probably trying to save some money. So why not save on gas too? GasBuddy is a mobile app that shows users all of the available gas options nearby and their prices. The app works based on user reports, and GasBuddy rewards users for updating a station’s prices. If you earn enough points, you can enter raffles for prizes, like free gas.

iExit

Think about all the reasons you might need to make a quick pitstop — that’s exactly what iExit is for. Need a nap? Need to grab some snacks? Need to get some cash from an ATM? iExit helps you see what businesses and facilities are coming up on your route and what exit you need to take to get there. The app also lets you search for specific businesses or perks so if you’re looking for Taco Bell, it’ll help you find the closest one. If you’re looking for Wi-Fi or a campground, it can help you find those too.

Google Maps

While there are countless navigation apps that you could use for mapping your trip, Google Maps is easily one of the most functional and simplistic to use. It offers turn-by-turn directions specific to your mode of transportation, so even if you’re riding a bicycle for part of your trip, it’ll get you where you need to go. You can also add multiple destinations if your plan is to hit several locations in succession. Maps also lets you know when places with strict hours of operation close and checks to see if the route you’re taking includes tolls.

Spotify

Road trips, especially cross-country hauls, are a great reason to catch up on all the music releases you’ve missed since high school. Spotify arguably is the most practical way to control the soundtrack of your journey with on-demand music. Spotify provides curated playlists specifically designed for road trips and an enormous library of artists, bands and podcasts to listen to. The app is free, but if you want to ditch the ads, you might want to consider the $9.99-a-month premium subscription ($4.99 for students). And unless you’ve got unlimited data, make sure you download everything for offline listening.

Flush Toilet Finder

It might seem like a joke to include an app that helps you find and rate public restrooms, but Flush Toilet Finder might be what saves you and your shorts from a nasty gas station porta-potty. The app uses location sensors to check its database of more than 200,000 toilets worldwide, and even while offline will show you nearby toilets with information about fees, key requirements or handicap access. With the ability to integrate with Google Maps, you can even get specific directions to the restroom of your choice.

Travel apps to accompany you on the road

Obviously, there are countless travel apps that will help you improve your travel experience. Depending on what you’re looking to do, there might be something out there that these apps just can’t do. But these are some of the best for any road trip experience. If you decide to give them a try, or if you find something you like better, let us know. We’re always looking for cool new travel apps.

All of these apps are free to download and can be used on iOS or Android devices.