Best 33 Camping and Traveling Apps That You Need to Try Today

We live in the digital age, where phones and electronics are used for multiple tasks throughout the day. The following is a list of apps that Campers and Campfires recommends that make traveling and camping more enjoyable.

Gas Buddy – Gas buddy is a free app that saves money when purchasing gas. You can search for locations nearby, or enter a destination that you are approaching and check the prices of gas in that area.  This app will provide a list of gas stations and the price of gas per gallon. You can also use map mode to view the locations of gas stations on a map.  

Trucker Path – There are both free and paid versions of this app, although the free version provides most anything you will need. Trucker Path was developed for truck drivers and provides locations of truck stops and parking. Because driving an RV can be very much like driving a semi when looking for a place to park or refuel, this app is very handy.

Pilot – One of the trickiest aspects of towing a camper is finding a gas station that is easy to enter and exit. Many Pilot and Flying J truck stops have RV fuel lanes. Using the Pilot app, you can search and find Pilots and Flying J’s that have RV fuel lanes, making it easier to stop and refuel. These lanes ensure that you will not end up in a parking lot that is difficult to navigate. Plus, if you have a Good Sam membership or an RV Plus Card, you receive a discount on your gas.

MyRadar – This is a free weather app for traveling. MyRadar allows you to view the radar in your area as well as the entire country. If you are traveling several hundred miles, you will be prepared if expecting heavy rains or showers. It can be dangerous driving through a thunderstorm, especially pulling a camper through high winds. Set the map to show wind speed on the radar so that you know exactly what to expect. In-app purchases are available, but they are not necessary because MyRadar is fully functioning without additional purchases.

Weather Channel – The Weather Channel app is an excellent weather app that can be used alone or in conjunction with MyRadar. It is effortless to search for locations and view the upcoming hour-by-hour weather for the next 48 hours or the daily forecast for the next two weeks.

Oh, Ranger! – The Oh, Ranger! Park Finder contains the largest database of local, state, and national parks. Search by city, and find locations of parks in your area.

There are several useful apps that are specific to camping membership organizations. These apps include Good Sam, Passport America, KOA, Camp USA (Thousand Trails and Encore Parks), Harvest Hosts, and many more. Since these are apps designed to be used with memberships within these groups, we will not cover them in this article. Click here to learn more about these discount programs.

Several camping apps are specifically designed to locate campgrounds. Listed are Campers and Campfires most highly regarded campground locator apps and their key features. When looking at individual apps, decide which ones are the most user-friendly and address your specific needs because many of the apps have duplicate features.

Allstays – Allstays is one of the most popular apps for locating campsites. There are thousands of campgrounds throughout North America that you can search on the app. In addition to campgrounds, locate truck stops, Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, Costcos, and other camper-friendly retail locations. Locations of dump stations and places to refill propane tanks are also available. Campers and Campfires highly recommends this app at a one-time purchase of $9.99.

RV Parky –RV Parky is similar to Allstays in that it features many of the same camper-friendly locations. However, RV Parky is free. Like with Allstays you can search for campgrounds, truck stops, Walmarts, and other retail locations. Another handy feature of the RV Parky app is that you can search for campgrounds based on the services provided such as water/electric, full hookups, pull-throughs, etc.

RV Parks and Campgrounds by Park Advisor – This app has a free version as well as a paid, $7.99 version. The free version provides all the features that you need. This app, like Allstays and RV Parky, provides thousands of campgrounds and includes various filters by which to search. A nice feature of the app is that you can access the weather for your current location.

Campendium – Campendium is a campground locator app. A unique aspect of Campendium is that you can search by discount programs. Filter and only view campgrounds that offer discounts from places like Good Sam, Passport America, and Happy Camper. Campendium displays cell signals for campgrounds that have been reported by recent campers.

RV Life – RV Life is a favorite of Campers and Campfires. Not only is RV Life a campground locator, but it also provides honest reviews. We base most of our camping decisions on reviews from other campers.

The Dyrt – That dyrt is a relatively new camping app with honest reviews. The sole purpose of this app is to provide reviews to fellow campers. It gives the Dyrt on all the campgrounds.

Boondocking – This app lists locations where you can boondock, usually for free. There are over 370 locations in the database.

We love to visit National Parks. If you are not familiar with the National Park Passport Book, it is something that you should explore. All of the national parks, battlefields, monuments, etc. are listed in the passport, and you carry the book to these parks and receive a cancellation stamp for visiting. The passport book gives you a cost-effective method of remembering when and where you visited each park.

Passport – This is the companion app for the National Park Passport Book. Quickly lookup any of the national parks and find where in the park to receive your cancellation stamp. This app has valuable and useful information about all the National Parks.

Chimani National Parks Guide – This free app is the most comprehensive for the National Park System. You can easily search for parks by location or name. Chimani’s map view is a perfect way to check for parks in areas that you are visiting. There is information regarding each park as well as a link to the webpage. Chimani is a must-have app for all National Park enthusiasts.

In addition to the National Parks apps, there are several apps for campers that make traveling more enjoyable. The following are used to find out of the way attractions that make road trips more fun.

Roadtrippers – Roadtrippers is a free app that helps you plan your trip so that you miss nothing while traveling. The app states that with “Roadtrippers you are always only 5 minutes away from something awesome.” While traveling, the app may feature a unique diner or roadside attraction. The free version of the app works great, but there is a premium version for $29.99 per year. The paid version will unlock more features and eliminate ads. If you spend much time traveling and camping, this app is a must-have.

History Here – If you are a history buff, you will love this app. History Here is a free app that is associated with the History Channel. The app will indicate locations of historical significance along your route. Many themes have been set in the app, making it easy to create your own tour, ie, Al Capone’s Chicago.

Roadside America – This is a favorite app of Campers and Campfires. With Roadside America, you will never miss an exciting roadside attraction. The app costs $2.99 and includes a choice of seven United States regions. Additional regions are available to purchase for $1.99 each or add all of the regions for $5.99. If you like to visit fun and unique locations when traveling, we recommend paying $5.99. There are over 10,000 offbeat attractions available in the app.

Diners and Drive-ins TV Unofficial Guide – This is a companion app to the popular television show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The app is not officially affiliated with the series but provides a database of restaurants that are highlighted on the show. This is a great option for those who enjoy Triple D and want to experience unique dishes that have been featured throughout the series.

All Trails – This app is for hikers, runners, and bicyclists. Find the best trails in any location. There are over 60,000 trails in the All Trails database. All Trails has both free and paid versions. With the paid version, a $29.99 per year subscription fee enables you to download maps and use them offline, which is great for when you lack a GPS signal.

GPS is an essential part of any road trip, and there are few apps that campers should have at their fingertips when traveling.

Waze – Waze is a favorite of Campers and Campfires. This free app analyzes traffic and directs you on the quickest route. Just be aware that when pulling a camper or driving a motorhome, Waze does not take into account the size of your rig. The app may take you on some alternate routes that might be difficult to traverse in an oversized vehicle. However, the functionality of the app is great and user-friendly.

Copilot – This app takes RV and camper size into consideration. There is a $29.99 annual subscription fee, but it is well worth the cost. Copilot allows you to enter the size and height of your RV so that you don’t cross under low bridges or other obstacles that make traveling difficult.

Google Maps – In our opinion, Copilot and Waze are better for navigation while driving, although Google Maps has some useful trip planning features. It is effortless to find the distance between two locations using Google Maps. This helps when trip planning so that you can accurately estimate time and mileage when traveling from one destination to the next. Google Maps provides a satellite view of any area. This can be helpful when searching for gas stations that have enough room to maneuver your camper.

IExit – This is an excellent app when searching for types of services, restaurants, gas stations, and stores that are located at upcoming exits. IExit is easy to use and free. We use IExit in conjunction with Google Maps when planning a stop. IExit searches locations at upcoming locations and Google Maps provides a satellite view.

USA Rest Stops – This is a helpful app when you are searching for the next rest area. There are other camping apps such as RV Parky and Allstays that filter for rest area locations as well, but this app can be a little more user-friendly because it is dedicated to finding rest areas.

Crime and Place – This is an interesting app for campers. Crime and Place cost $14.99 and helps you locate areas with high crime. When traveling by camper, it is easy to end up in the wrong part of town with a large rig. This app will ensure that you are always camping in a safe area.

Numerous camping/packing checklists ensure that you never forget an item when traveling.

Packing Pro – This is a favorite of Campers and Campfires, but it is only available on IOS. Packing Pro is easy to use and allows you to create and customize packing lists for any trip. Your packing lists can be synced across multiple devices making it easy for family members to use together.

Camping Trip Planner – This is an Android app that makes creating a camping-specific packing list easy. Create templates with the items that you usually pack, and then copy and customize your list for each trip.

RV Checklists – RV Checklists is specifically designed for RVs and campers. There is a cost of 99 cents. Create checklists for maintenance, trip planning, and camper setup.

These last few apps make traveling more fun.

RV Diary – RV Diary is a travel journal app. It is tailored for camping, so it is easy to log information such as campgrounds and campsite numbers for future reference. You can add pictures as well.

Travel Journal and Travel Log with Photos – While this app is not tailored specifically for campers, it is a favorite of Campers and Campfires. Travel Journal allows you to journal about every place on your trip and store photos by location. The app ensures that everything related to your trip is located in one place.

Skyview – This is one of our favorites to use while sitting around the campfire at night. Skyview is GPS for the sky. Point your phone towards the sky, and it will help you locate planets, stars, and constellations.

Camper Van Beach Resort – This is a game app that can be fun and addicting. Take your virtual camper and travel in this game. There are different vehicles and campers that you can use as you hit the road for your summer vacation.

Do you have a favorite camping app that you would like to share? We would love to hear from you. Please drop us a line in the comment section below!