With spring in full swing, now is the perfect time to start planning for a road trip or two.
Road trips are all about enjoying the open highways and being surprised by what you find along the way to your destination. But that doesn't mean they can't be made better with a little planning.
There are many apps that offer travel help -- so many, actually, that it's hard to know which apps to take with you. These seven apps are must-tries before you hit the road.
1. Waze
This community-based travel and navigation app lets travelers share and receive information on traffic conditions in real-time.
You can get alerts before you approach hazards, like accidents and traffic jams, among other things. The app also includes gas prices to help you save money on the road.
If you're looking for a little impromptu fun on your road trip, Roadside America is a must. The app lists thousands of attractions, from the biggest ball of yarn to the weirdest roadside museums.
Travelers can check maps for offbeat locations or events in their surrounding areas, before or during their trip; they can search for attraction by name, city or zip code.
On iOS.
3. Gasbuddy
Gasbuddy will let you search for the lowest gas prices around you -- particularly helpful while you're on the road.
4. Foodspotting
Find, recommend and share your favorite foods and restaurants on the road with this app.
Travelers can use their location to help find restaurants recommended by friends and fellow foodspotters, search for particular dishes by name or cuisine, bookmark restaurants they want to visit and share pictures of favorite meals.
The Oh Ranger! app is great for lovers of the great outdoors. Once you share your location, the app can locate nearby parks or find available outdoor activities.
The app has a comprehensive database of national park, state park, local park and public landmark, giving travelers a long list of options and choices.
On iOS and Android.
Along the Way helps travelers find restaurants, bars, parks, shopping centers, etc. during a road trip.
The app doesn't only show places around you, it uses your location to show places along your driving route, saving you the stress of backtracking or going on a different route to find a spot you're looking for.
On iOS.
7. Glympse
Glympse is a location-sharing app that makes it easy to coordinate meeting up with friends and family.
You can share your location from the moment you leave the house, and your recipient receives updates about where you are in real time. Once you arrive at your destination, the updates expire (and the app stops sharing your location). Glympse gives you complete control over who you can see your location and for how long.
