We’ve all been there: you’re on a road trip, you’re having the time of your life, you’ve got your music blasting and the windows rolled down. Then… you check your GPS. Your current route is taking you an hour and a half out of your way.
You could have avoided that mistake if you’d just planned ahead! Believe it or not, planning out every step of your road trip doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. There are tons of apps out there to help make road trips easier. I bet some of them are things you haven’t even thought of yet!
To make it easier for you to choose which apps to download before your next road trip, we’ve come up with our top ten favorite road trip apps. Some of these are free, some cost money, but they all pay off in how much easier they make your life.
Best Apps For Rv Trip Planning
Although we retreat to the great outdoors to escape from the daily grind of email and work, mindfully-applied technology can enhance our adventures. Fortunately, from trip planning to RV checklists to finding the perfect hiking trail—there’s an app for it all. Love campers and trailers? Come join our community group.
Unlike in say, 2012 or so, the problem today is that there are too many apps. Search for “best camping app” or “RV app” and an array of options will appear, all claiming to be better than the last. So we’ve done the hard work—read: downloaded and deleted a ton of apps—to determine the best of the best when it comes to road trips, RVs, and camping.
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When possible, we tried to find apps that are available on both iOS and Android. We’ve also prioritized well-reviewed and proven apps over brand-new, untested ones. That being said, the user experience of apps can change quickly based on updates (or the lack thereof). So if you love something and don’t see it here, please let us know.
We’ve divided up this guide into eight different categories that can help you plan, navigate, and enjoy your road trip. Behold, the ultimate guide to the best RV and camping apps.
A white camper trailer in a desert. There are people in the trailer lounging on a bed.
Want to hit the road in a modernized teardrop? Check out this sleek $9,000 version. Courtesy of Polydrop Trailers
Planning
InRoute Route Planner
Details: Figuring out the best route can be challenging, but InRoute Planner makes it easy. The app lets you optimize waypoints for fastest time, or you can add up to 150 locations with a manual reorder. Interactive charts show elevation, curviness, and weather, as well as helpful info like the sunrise and sunset times. You can also export routes to Google maps, GPS devices, and Waze.
Cost: Free for the first 7 days, then it costs $3.99 monthly or $29.99 annually for Pro or $14.99 for Premium. Available on iOS
Roadtrippers
Details: If you’ve always wondered what stops to make during your road trip, Roadtrippers has the answer. The app helps you find quirky roadside attractions, scenic points, and parks, and you can save trips or places as you go. The free version only includes up to seven waypoints, which is a bummer, and content is best in more populated regions.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android devices
Google Trips
Details: Although Google Trips is also used for other types of travel, it can still be helpful for road trips. The app gathers all of your reservations from your emails in one place and provides day plans organized on a map from top travel destinations.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
Roadside America
Details: If you can’t get enough of the weird attractions found on America’s highways, this is the app for you. You can expect reports, maps, and photos to under-the-radar destinations.
Cost: $2.99 on iOS, app includes one of seven US/Canada regions, with the option to purchase more.
A Packing List App
Details: When you camp a lot, packing is a major hassle. These apps makes it easy with the ability to create, reuse, and export packing lists. You can create and manage categories and even set up reminders and notifications so that you don’t forget essential items.
Cost: We like this app on iOS and this one for Android
high-roof 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter van
If you’ve been dreaming of #VanLife, check out this Class B Sportsmobile camper van that sleeps a family of six and has plenty of storage for gear and food. Photo by Lucy Beaugard
Navigation
Google Maps
Details: If there’s any general app that’s best for navigation, Google Maps is it. With over 220 countries and territories, real-time GPS traffic and transit info, and info on the best bike routes, it’s a no brainer.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
Waze
Details: Use this app for navigating traffic and getting real-time arrival estimates. It works best in or around big cities, and sometimes we compare routes and times to Google Maps for accuracy.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
CoPilot RV
Details: Designed specifically for RV owners, CoPilot provides reliable offline navigation that calculates your route according to your vehicle size and class (heigh, weight, and length). This helps to prevent dangerous run-ins with low bridges or propane-restricted tunnels.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android
Two small camper trailers in red and yellow.
It’s not all about the giant RVs; look at this cute is a travel trailer—called the Meerkat—made by Little Guy Trailers in Southern California. Courtesy of Little Guy Trailers
On the Road
Gas Buddy
Details: Sometimes you need to know where the next gas station is, but it’s even more important to know which gas is cheapest. Gas Buddy helps you locate stations with the lowest-priced gas—no matter the type—and you can filter search results by location, brand, and amenities like restrooms.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
Audible
Details: It can be hard to pass the time as the miles tick by, so use the Audible app for the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, audio shows, and original series.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
Tune In Radio
Details: When you want to tune in to local radios or listen to NFL, MLB, NBA, or NHL games on the go, use this app. It streams 100,000 radio stations for free.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
inflating camper trailer
Love easy camp set-up? The Air Opus is a self-inflating camping trailer that inflates in just 90 seconds. Courtesy of Air Opus
Where to Camp
Reserve America
Details: Reserve America is the website that manages online campsite reservations for most state and local government park lands campgrounds in North America. You can search by location, dates, and site type. If you create an account, you can also save favorited campsites and organize your top choices with helpful category lists.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
Recreation.gov
Details: Although not as seamless and easy to use as Reserve America, Recreation.gov is another crucial tool in booking campsites. That’s because sites on federal land are not bookable on Reserve America, instead you have to use recreation.gov.
Recreation.gov is the primary booking platform for national parks. Even if you find something on another platform, you will likely end up at Recreation.gov for booking. We like the map feature on this app and you can filter by amenities, site type, and availability. Pro tip: Most national parks release their campsites six months in advance. But if you missed the boat on Fourth of July, there are usually still reservations available in late August and September at even the busiest of national parks.
Cost: Get the app for free on iOS
AllStays
Details: Another comprehensive camping app that lets you book 30,000 campgrounds, RV parks, and even free parking lots to stay in—we’re looking at you, Walmart. The best part of the Allstays app is all the filters; adventurers can narrow their selections by types of camping, how much it costs, elevation, electric and water hookup availability, and even whether there is fishing, hiking, or a pool nearby. We’ve found that Allstays can be especially helpful for people with RVs who need to find campsites near RV dealers or dump stations.
Cost: Available as AllStays Pro on a web browser starting at $32.95 or on iOS for $9.99.
Hipcamp
Details: We’ve long used Hipcamp as a kind of Airbnb for camping, scoring great spots on private land during hard-to-book holiday weekends. Now Hipcamp has debuted a new app with more than 300,000 campsites, glamping accommodations, and RV sites. Filters make it easy to narrow searches, and a last-minute feature lets travelers book options for the same evening or upcoming weekend.
Cost: The just-launched app is only available for iOS, but it will soon be available for Android as well.
iOverlander
Details: This nonprofit, 100 percent volunteer project aims to help people around the world find places to stay on the road. The database includes camping, hotels, restaurants, mechanics, water, propane filling, and you can search the listings or browse everything on a map.
We find this app very useful, especially when we’re traveling off-the-grid or beyond the normal routes.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android devices
Harvest Hosts
Details: While other sites let you book a campsite without paying a membership fee, Harvest Host is a different model. A membership provides access to a network of more than 900 wineries, breweries, farms, and golf courses across the U.S. where RVers can visit and stay overnight for free. You need a self-contained RV as host locations do not provide any hookups or bathrooms, and you also can’t use tent-trailers, tents, or outdoor kitchens.
Okay with these rules? If so, you’ll get access to stunning, quiet spots that are miles away from traditional campsites.
Cost: $79 per year on iOS and Android
Campendium
Details: Developed by a team of full-time RV travelers, Campendium features 27,000 RV and tent campsites with plenty of reviews to help you figure out which site is best. Join other campers to see a ton of info on the campsite of your choosing, like photos, GPS coordinates, camping fees, and whether or not the spot has cell coverage. After you’re finished camping, log in to leave your own reviews and help future campers know where to go.
This is a great app to find campsites and see crowdsourced information, but note that you’ll use external links to actually book your site.
Cost: Available on iOS for free
USFS and BML Campgrounds
Details: You forgot to reserve a campsite and now you have nowhere to go on a busy holiday weekend. Instead of staying home, use this app to find more than 5,800 United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management campgrounds throughout the U.S.
Most of these campsites are either free or much cheaper than more developed campgrounds, and the app shows the campground, weather, elevation, and more.
Cost: $.99 for iOS users
The Dyrt
Details: We like The Dyrt because this streamlined app does a good job of helping you find and read reviews about campsites. You can filter by type of site but we also love that you can filter by how you get to the site—drive-in, walk-in, hike-in, and boat-in.
User-generated photos are helpful, and popular camping spots see a lot of reviews. To incentivize people to write reviews, The Dyrt offers prizes and money to campers.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android devices
RV Parky
Details: Built by full-time RVers on the road, this is a comprehensive app that lets you see RV parks, campgrounds, rest areas, gas stations, and stores. The RV parks are either commercially owned, public parks, KOAs, Jellystone, or Casino properties.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android devices
A red yurt with a small staircase leading to a wooden door. There are wildflowers in the foreground and mountains in the background.
If glamping is more your style, check out our round up of vacation rental yurts. Courtesy of YMCA of the Rockies
Tech and Help
Togo
Details: Need something to organize all the tasks associating with owning an RV? Togo fits the bill. The app works to track maintenance, find service centers, set up notifications, and create checklists while packing for a trip.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android devices
Wi-Fi Finder
Details: If you’re planing to work on the road, knowing where you can find good Wi-Fi is key. This app has offline functionality so you can download maps for the places you’re traveling to. It also only features verified hotspots with info on the type of venue and speed.
Cost: Free for iOS and Android devices
Bubble Level
Details: Tired of setting up camp just to realize your RV isn’t level? Use this app and ensure a good night’s sleep simply by holding any of the phone’s four sides against an object.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android devices
People are also camping in “skoolies,” or converted school buses. Interested? Take a tour. Courtesy of Going Boundless
Trails and Guides
REI Co-op National Parks Guide
Details: This top-notch app provides trail data and hike descriptions for the most-visited National Parks in the U.S., like Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and more. The data is available offline, and your phone uses its built-in GPS to show your location on maps. There’s also a curated list of family friendly hikes.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android devices
Lonely Planet
Details: If you’re traveling near or in a city, check out this Lonely Planet app for expert city guides that are easily downloaded. Maps and recommendations work offline and you can also bookmark your favorites.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android devices
Parks Canada
Details: Travel to our friendly neighbors to our north and you’ll be grateful for this app. New updates make the user experience much better, and the app lets you find parks, see trail maps, and explore campgrounds.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android devices
Oh Ranger
Details: While other apps feature just national parks, this app is a comprehensive database of every national, state, and local park in the U.S. You’ll be able to see where the parks are near you and what you can do—think hiking, horseback riding, or water sports—once you get there.
Cost: Free on iOS
All Trails
Details: This well-reviewed app gives you access to more than 75,000 hiking, backpacking, and running trails around the world. You can also filter by type of trails—think dog-friendly spots or trails suitable for kiddos.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
MTB Project
Details: Other apps may claim to show you mountain biking trails, but no app is better than this one. You’ll find offline maps, full GPS route info, elevation profiles, interactive features, photos, and topographical trail maps. The go-to app for bikers, everywhere.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
The Outbound Collective
Details: Enter in a location and the Outbound Collective provides an array of adventure-oriented activities. Local hot springs, under-the-radar hikes, and plenty of photos make this app a fun choice. We really appreciate the comprehensive, quirky filters; some of our favorites include bodysurfing, kiteboarding, yoga, cliff jumping, adult beverages, and wildflowers.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
A silver mini van. The roof has a pop out inflatable sleeping area. There is a black pattern painted on the van.
Looking for a camper that fits in your garage, can function as a daily driver, and still sleep two to four people? Here are five options. Courtesy of Recon Campers
Weather and Safety
Accuweather
Details: Weather can make or break an adventure, and we think Accuweather does a good job of keeping you up-to-date on what storm is coming next.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
First Aid by American Red Cross
Details: Available in English or Spanish, this easy-to-use app provides step-by-step instructions to guide you through everyday first aid scenarios. Videos and animations are helpful, and there are also safety tips to help you prep for weather disasters.
Cost: Free on iOS and Android
A Compass App
Details: Sometimes it’s the simple things in life, like having an accurate, live-saving compass when you need one.
Cost: We like this free one on Android and this one on iOS
A Survival Guide
Details: The first-aid app above can help you clean a wound, but what happens when you need to build a shelter or determine if a plant is poisonous? Download a survival guide app just in case.
Cost: We like this free one on Android and this one on iOS
A white and tan camper with an inflatable orange tent on top of the camper. The camper is parked in a grassy field.
rv trip planner app
RV trip planner apps offer the easiest way to plan an unforgettable road trip. They help you find campgrounds, great boondocking spots, and wonderful sights and experiences along the way. Even more importantly, they can help to ensure you have a safe arrival at your destination. The best part is that these days many of the best RV trip planners come in a convenient app so they’re right at our fingertips, wherever and whenever we need them.
If this sounds like something you need, keep reading for our list of the road trip planner apps that we use all the time.
⬆️ ⬆️ Of course, you can watch the video above if you’re more visual. ⬆️ ⬆️
Table of Contents hide
1) What Is an RV Trip Planner?
2) What to Look for in RV Trip Planner Apps
3) Our Top 5 RV Trip Planner Apps for Easy RV Travel
3.1) The Dyrt PRO
3.1.1) Why The Dyrt PRO Is Great
3.1.2) Get A Deal On The Dyrt PRO
3.2) RV Trip Wizard (part of RV Life Pro)
3.2.1) Why RV Life Pro Is Great
3.2.2) Get A Deal on RV Life Pro
3.3) Roadtrippers (now part of Roadpass Pro)
3.3.1) Why Roadtrippers (and Roadpass Pro) Is Great
3.3.2) Get A Deal on Roadtrippers/Roadpass Pro
3.4) Campendium
3.4.1) Why Campendium Is Great
3.4.2) How To Get Campendium
3.5) Allstays
3.5.1) Why Allstays Camp & RV Is Great
3.5.2) How To Get Allstays Camp & RV
3.5.3) What Is Allstays Pro?
4) Honorable RV Trip Planner Mentions
4.1) Boondockers Welcome
4.2) Harvest Hosts
4.3) Ultimate Campground (App)
4.4) Gas Buddy
5) Wrapping Up About RV Trip Planners…
What Is an RV Trip Planner?
Sure, plugging your destination into Google Maps can usually get you to where you’re going, but following a direct route on smartphone navigation apps might mean you miss terrific sights along the way!
An RV trip planner is a most useful tool for your road trips.
An RV trip planner allows you to know in advance where you want to stop to enjoy new adventures and experiences, and can also alert you to any upcoming issues based on the size of your rig.
Enter, RV trip planners. These apps or websites let you plan every detail of your trip. For example, you can search for campgrounds using a trip planner, noting pricing, amenities, and more.
An RV trip planning site can also help you find sightseeing opportunities along the way, adding a lot of value to your road trip experiences.
RV trip planners are also useful for routing your trip. Some trip planners let you enter height, weight, and length specs for your RV. They’ll then automatically determine a safe and convenient route for you to take — no worrying about steep grades, low overpasses, or bridges that can’t support your rig.
Finding the services that RVers need is another important aspect of RV trip planner apps. Whether it’s fuel, propane, repairs, dump stations or other RV-specific services, many trip planners include the ability to locate them.
What to Look for in RV Trip Planner Apps
Not all RV trip planner apps are created equal. For the best plan, these are our must-have features:
Campground Planning:
A trip planner that lets you plan your stays in detail is essential. If you wait until the last minute to find an RV park, you may be out of luck. We generally recommend booking your RV park stays in advance, and a reliable trip planner makes identifying where you plan to stay (so you can get it all booked) a lot easier.
But even if you like to leave your exact planning to a last-minute whim, a planner app can be even more important, since they provide a vast database of potential places to camp.
Scenic Opportunities:
We also recommend looking for a trip planner that helps you find scenic stops along the way. When you’re driving long distances, you pass so many incredible sights. If you use a regular GPS, you could miss something outstanding simply because you’re not aware that it exists.
Routing Tips:
It’s nice to have an RV trip planner that helps to guide you on the road. For example, being able to find big-rig-friendly gas stations can be a big help, especially for drivers who appreciate a little extra room to maneuver. And having the option to find an RV-safe route, including overpass heights, bridge weight limits, and propane restrictions is also high on our list of priorities for RV trip planners.
Our Top 5 RV Trip Planner Apps for Easy RV Travel
Following are some great RV trip planners that offer most or all of our must-have features… and that we use ourselves for planning our RV trips.
The Dyrt PROThe Dyrt Logo
The Dyrt offers free access to their huge database of RV parks & campgrounds, either on their website or through their app (both iOS and Android). You can see all of the detailed information available on each location, along with any user-submitted photos and reviews, making choosing a place to stay that much easier.
The Dyrt Website is a great place to start planning your next RV trip
You can get started planning your next RV trip for free using The Dyrt, but the real power comes from upgrading to The Dyrt PRO
There’s also The Dyrt Magazine (accessible from their website), which offers plenty of educational and entertaining articles that help you get the most out of RV life. And you can enter their regular contests to win all sorts of great camping gear!
But the real power of the app/website comes when you upgrade to The Dyrt PRO. The biggest upgrade you’ll get by doing that is access to their Trip Planner. It’s great for RVs of all sizes since you have the option to select your vehicle type and enter the relevant specifications (height, length, fuel economy, etc) and provide input on route-specific options (like avoiding ferries, tolls, or highways).
The Dyrt PRO Trip Planner Tool
The Dyrt PRO Trip Planner makes it easy to plan your next RV trip!
You start by picking your starting and ending points, and you can then plan your trip from scratch, adding all of the stops/waypoints you want. Or you can let The Dyrt recommend a trip for you… which is our favorite way to get started. Just tell the app how long you like to drive in a day, and it will create a starting itinerary, choosing highly-rated RV parks for the stops along your route. From there, it’s easy to add in the rest. You can even use it to find gas stations big enough to accommodate your rig.
Once you’re done planning your trip, you can download maps for offline access (great if you don’t have cellular coverage the whole way) and even export the route to Google Maps for easy navigation throughout the drive.
The Dyrt PRO’s RV trip planner is the newest entry to the field and doesn’t have as many features as some of the others later in this list. But that’s actually one of the reasons we like it so much. In just a few quick clicks we can have a suggested route with intermediate stops laid out for us. It’s super quick and easy to get started using and isn’t as intimidating for people who aren’t all that tech-savvy.
In addition to the Trip Planner, upgrading to PRO also gets you map overlays for BLM, US Forest Service, and National Park Service boundaries. For anyone who likes to get off the beaten path a bit, knowing that you’re safely within the bounds of a BLM area can be a huge help.
Last, but certainly not least, are discounts. The Dyrt PRO enables you to take advantage of reduced rates at participating RV parks and campgrounds, saving you between 10% and 40% on your stay. Just a couple of nights of savings easily pays for your whole year of access to PRO. But the savings don’t stop there… PRO access also comes with discounts on outdoor- and camping-related gear from well-known brands.
Why The Dyrt PRO Is Great
Letting The Dyrt PRO plan your trip for you is a breeze. It’s a great alternative to spending hours scouring the internet for the best campsites. With The Dyrt, you can automatically find top-rated RV parks on your route. You’ll save time and, most importantly, you’ll know you’re heading for the best park for your situation, with all the amenities that are most essential for your needs.
Get A Deal On The Dyrt PRO
You get all that The Dyrt PRO offers for just $35.99 per year after their normal 7-day free trial. But we think that 7 days isn’t all that long to really kick the tires on a tool with so many features.
So we’re thrilled that The Dyrt is offering RVgeeks viewers a full 30-DAY FREE TRIAL! One month is easily plenty of time for you to really get to know everything The Dyrt PRO has to offer. You do need to provide a credit card number to sign up, but after using it, if you decide it’s not right for you, you can cancel any time within the 30-day trial period and owe nothing. But we’re pretty sure you won’t want to!
SPECIAL
The Dyrt Logo
The Dyrt PRO 30-Day Trial
Use the “Go To The Deal” button to access the website, then click the “Redeem Your Gift” button found there to start your FREE 30-DAY TRIAL (a credit card is required, but you can cancel at any…
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RV Trip Wizard (part of RV Life Pro)
RV Trip Wizard logo
RV Trip Wizard has been around for a while now, and has always been a fantastic tool. It’s a web-based trip planner, offering a comprehensive set of features to make planning your next RV trip as easy, and rewarding, as possible.
Like The Dyrt PRO Trip Planner, RV Trip Wizard lets you build out a trip. Its map-based interface makes it easy to browse around an area you’re planning to visit, locating RV parks (with reviews that are powered by CampgroundReviews.com), overnight parking options, fuel stops, rest areas, dump stations, and more. And RV Trip Wizard is great at helping you to find fun and interesting things to see and do along your route.
RV Trip Wizard trip planning
RV Trip Wizard’s map-based interface, and powerful tools, make RV trip planning easy.
As part of your trip planning, if you enter the details of your RV (height, length, weight, etc), your driving preferences (avoiding tolls, average distance/time traveled per day, etc), and your expense preferences (camping fees, average fuel cost, etc), RV Trip Wizard will give you everything you need to ensure your trip will be on budget and won’t leave you exhausted from having traveled too far.
The only potential downside to RV Trip Wizard is that it’s SO complete. It can take a while to get your bearings and figure out how to use everything that it offers. Luckily, they have a built-in feature tour, and access to tutorial videos, to help you figure it all out.
All of that, alone, would be well worth the annual cost. But because RV Trip Wizard is a part of the RV Life Pro suite of tools, it gets even better. For the same price, you now get access to even more.
RV Life Pro offers access to many useful apps
One subscription to RV Life Pro gets you access to many useful tools.
First up, and perhaps most valuable for helping improve your next RV trip, is the RV Life RV Safe GPS. Taking into account all of the same RV details you can use in RV Trip Wizard, the RV Safe GPS will provide you with a route that avoids low overpasses, propane-restricted tunnels, steep grades, and bridges that your RV might be overweight for. And because of the integration between the two, you can plan your whole trip in RV Trip Wizard, and access that trip from the RV Safe GPS so you know you’ll get everywhere safely.
As if those two tools weren’t enough, you also get access to (for the same single price of admission) Maintain My RV… a great way to track all of your RV’s maintenance needs. AND get notified about upcoming tasks, so you make sure you don’t miss anything.
Why RV Life Pro Is Great
Our favorite thing about RV Trip Wizard is the fact that we can customize it to show us all of the features that are most important to us. Being able to find dump stations, rest areas, and overnight parking is very convenient. And a terrific bonus to all of that is the sightseeing aspect of the app. Many other trip planners focus on only the big picture, but RV Trip Wizard takes care of the little details that make your trip more enjoyable and less stressful.
And, even better, the fact that RV Trip Wizard is now a part of the RV Life Pro suite means that one subscription gets you access to even more: RV Trip Wizard, RV Safe GPS, Campground Reviews, and Maintain My RV. And who knows what else will be added to the package moving forward?
Get A Deal on RV Life Pro
The RV Life Pro package has so many features we love. But what we love even more is the fact that we can now offer our viewers a discount. Sign up for an annual subscription to RV Life Pro using our coupon code and you’ll save 25%.
SAVE 25%
RV Life Pro logo
RV Life Pro 25% Discount
RV Life Pro membership provides access to a suite of valuable tools (each one separately worth the cost of the whole package), including: RV Trip Wizard (trip planner); RV Safe GPS app (for…
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Roadtrippers (now part of Roadpass Pro)
Roadtrippers is a great road trip planning option.
Roadtrippers is the last of the full-fledged RV trip planning tools that we use. To start, you can sign up and use the tool for free, if you only want to plan trips with no more than 5 stops/waypoints. Which is great! It means you can take your time and figure out if Roadtrippers is the right tool for you.
Another great feature of Roadtrippers is the fact that it’s available on the web AND as an app (available for iOS and Android). So you can use the device that works best for you at the time, but still have access to your trip planning wherever you need it.
The trip-planning features that Roadtrippers offers are straightforward and easy to use. Just plug in your start and end points, adjust the slider for how far off your route that you’re willing to drive for points of interest (the map will show a shaded area that extends beyond your planned route so you can see what falls within that distance), and begin exploring. As you scroll along your route, you can zoom in and out to see what’s there to see and do.
RoadTrippers makes RV Trip planning fun!
We love the interface Roadtrippers has for planning our RV trips.
You can also add overlays to show camping, popular attractions, points of interest, food and drink, and more. Search for services, including fuel stations, rest stops, and other auto/RV services.
As you continue to build your itinerary, it also shows your estimated travel time, mileage, and fuel costs for the entire trip. Adding a stop is simple, and with reviews and ratings for campgrounds, you can easily find the best places to stay.
Just like with the first two tools we listed, though, there’s more power to be had if you pay for their subscription level service, called Roadtrippers Plus. In addition to allowing you to create longer trips with more than 5 waypoints (up to 150!), the upgrade offers offline maps, live traffic updates, additional map styles, discounts from their travel partners, and no ads.
Roadtrippers Trip Collaboration option
Share the excitement AND the planning using Roadtrippers’ Trip Collaboration feature
One of the unique features you get by upgrading is Trip Collaboration. It allows you to work on a trip with anyone you’ll be traveling with, even if they don’t have Roadtrippers Plus (though they will need to sign up for the free level account). Now all of your travel companions can participate in the planning, adding/editing/deleting waypoints so that your final itinerary has something for everyone.
But because Roadtrippers is now a part of Roadpass Digital (by the way, Roadpass Digital used to be called ToGo RV, which is pronounced “TOE-go”… just so you know… which you may have noticed we didn’t when we shot the video ????), subscribing to RoadTrippers Plus ALSO gets you access to Roadpass Pro. That brings with it the ToGo RV Safe GPS app and access to one of our very favorite trip-planning tools: OvernightRVParking.com.
If you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, having to stop at an RV park or campground for the night can be a pain (checking in, hooking up, and undoing it all the next morning) and unnecessarily expensive if you just need a safe place to park for the night to get some sleep. So having options like Walmart lots, truckstops, Cabela’s, Cracker Barrels, Bass Pro Shops, and many other easy-in-and-out stops for the night can be an essential part of helping you get safely get to where you REALLY want to go.
OvernightRVParking.com has one of the largest databases of those options… and since they confirm the details with locations added to the list, you can rest assured knowing you’re allowed to park overnight.
Why Roadtrippers (and Roadpass Pro) Is Great
By itself, Roadtrippers is an amazingly powerful RV trip planner that’s also surprisingly easy to use. The fact that you can sign up and use the tool completely for free (upgrading to Roadpass Pro let’s you plan trips of up to 150 waypoints!), means there’s no reason NOT to use it. But if you need (or just want) more great features, upgrading definitely brings a lot of value… from improvement to Roadtrippers itself (more waypoints, offline maps, live traffic, etc)… to the extra value that comes from the other Roadpass Pro apps (RV Safe GPS and OvernightRVParking.com).
Get A Deal on Roadtrippers/Roadpass Pro
Clearly, we think the upgrade is worth the already-low cost ($49.99/year as of the date we published this post), but why not make a good thing even better? Check out the details of the discount that Roadpass Digital is offering RVgeeks viewers:
SAVE $10
Roadpass Digital logo
Roadpass Pro Discount
Upgrade your RVing experience with Roadpass Pro. One annual subscription gets you access to Roadtrippers Plus (a comprehensive trip planner), Campendium (for finding free boondocking spots all over…
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Campendium
Campendium is not an RV trip planner but will help you to find free and paid campsites.
Campendium isn’t an RV trip planner tool like the other programs on our list, but it’s still worth including it here. While it includes a comprehensive listing of both private and public campgrounds, Campendium’s true strength is in the unmatched treasure trove of boondocking locations it’s amassed over the years.
If you’re planning a trip and you want to include some great boondocking spots, Campendium will serve you well. Even if you only intend to boondock occasionally, using Campendium can cut down on your overall expenses. Even just a few nights at a free campsite can save you hundreds of dollars. And since Campendium is free (although you can become a Community Supporter in order to remove the ads displayed throughout the site), you really don’t have anything to lose.
Campendium also lets you find dump stations and other overnight places to park. You can filter your campground search based on several factors including hookups, rig length, campground type or amenities, and policies (like pet-friendly parks or 55+).
Why Campendium Is Great
Campendium is the go-to resource for finding remote boondocking sites. They have thousands of users, which means a steady stream of current, helpful reviews and photos. Both the website and the app are clean and easy-to-use, making it easy to find exactly what you want.
Best of all, Campendium is absolutely free!
How To Get Campendium
From any device, you can access Campendium’s website at https://campendium.com, but you can also use their app on your iOS devices (sorry, no Android option at this time).
Allstays
Allstays is a must-have trip planning app.
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet, we have one more favorite RV trip planner for you: Allstays Camp & RV. Again, this isn’t an actual trip planner, where you can map out an itinerary for your trip. But Allstays Camp & RV is a great choice for finding RV parks, truck & rest stops, dump stations, supplies, RV service, and even low bridges!
You can read reviews from other users and see campground photos. And the feature that makes it especially easy to find what you want is the ability to filter for a campsite based on specific amenities: tent sites with showers; RV parks with a club discount, 50 amp electric and LP; or even truck stops with a Subway.
Also, the listing data is stored locally on your phone, which helps to reduce data usage and prevent slowdowns when you’re in a remote spot with bad cellular coverage. The map still needs to load wirelessly, but information about all of the locations (campgrounds, truck stops, dump stations, etc) is still accessible… even if the map won’t load.
Why Allstays Camp & RV Is Great
For a one-time app purchase of just $9.99, you get lifetime access to a resource that can help you find locations not listed in other apps. We also appreciate the offline capabilities of the app, which has saved our bacon a number of times when we needed to search for campgrounds even when we didn’t have cell coverage.
How To Get Allstays Camp & RV
As with Campendium, you can access Allstays from any device by going to their website at https://www.allstays.com. Once there, choose the “Camping” option from the menu, and you’re on your way. Also like Campendium, Allstays is only available as an iOS app, so if you’re on Android, you’ll have to use the web-based version in your browser instead.
What Is Allstays Pro?
If you prefer doing your trip planning on your laptop/desktop computer, Allstays Pro may be for you. It’s not free (currently it requires a subscription of $34.95/year… reportedly going up soon), but it does offer some advantages over the free website version and even the app.
Allstays says that Pro is faster than the app and website; has no ads; offers better privacy; allows full-screen maps; can be used offline with Google Earth; provides more filters; has layers for traffic, biking, and transit; and offers over half a million search combinations.
If that sounds interesting to you, sign up to get Allstays Pro. But if not, the free website will definitely get the job done.
Honorable RV Trip Planner Mentions
While the five apps/services listed above are our primary, go-to apps for most of our trip planning, there are still others that we pretty regularly. These are apps that, while they may not “technically” be trip planners, are incredibly helpful for planning a trip… and to use while you’re on the road.
Boondockers Welcome
RV parks, boondocking sites, and overnight parking spots are all great. But sometimes you just want something a bit different. How about staying (legally) on someone’s private property, instead? And for FREE (other than the annual subscription to Boondockers Welcome)?! That’s what Boondockers Welcome is all about.
“Hosts” offer their available spot… in their driveway, the back yard, or wherever they’ve got space. We’ve stayed at some awesome spots (our first was in Australia!) and have met some amazing hosts as a result. And while “Boondocking” is, well, part-and-parcel with the whole point of the service, many hosts offer electrical hookups or water if it’s available.
Several times over the years, Boondockers Welcome locations have been our only option if we wanted to stay close to where we wanted to go.
Sign up using coupon code “RVGEEKS15” at boondockerswelcome.com and save 15% on your first year’s membership
Harvest Hosts
Another “non-traditional” option, Harvest Hosts focuses on providing access to unique overnight experiences at wineries, breweries, farms & orchards, museums, and other attractions. Again, other than the annual membership cost, you don’t pay camping fees to stay at a Harvest Host location. Instead, they ask that you patronize the host’s business. Which, considering the variety of locations that are available, isn’t all that much of a hardship!
Stock up on some farm-fresh cheese? Sure thing! Buy some wine? Don’t mind if we do! And our RV is right over there, so we don’t even have to drive home.
Think it sounds interesting? You can also save 15% on your first year’s membership by clicking on this link: harvesthosts.com
Ultimate Campground (App)
It’s amazing how many different apps it can take to find just the right spot to camp. Even with the incredible power of all of the tools listed above… we often find ourselves turning to the Ultimate Campground app to find campsites that aren’t listed anywhere else. It specializes in public lands, so you’ll find a lot of boondocking spots here.
You can use it on your laptop via their website… but we prefer the app on our smartphone/tablet. The apps aren’t free, but they’re not expensive, either. Android users can purchase a single app that gets you listings in the US and Canada. But for iOS, they’re separated into two distinct apps (US version and Canada version).
Gas Buddy
No trip is going to last very long if you don’t fuel up every now and again. And while the trip planner apps will show you fuel stops along your route, if you want to make sure you’re saving money when you fill up, then Gas Buddy is for you.
Even if you’re driving a diesel, and you’ve heard about those programs that are supposed to save on fuel at truckstops, you’ll usually still pay less by using GasBuddy to plan your fuel stops. That’s because truckstops charge some of the highest prices in any given area. So getting a discount on a highly inflated price may seem like a big savings, when it might not be.
We also hate using truck lanes, since they’re usually slick with diesel fuel, which we can then end up tracking back into our RV. And also we don’t like blocking up busy truck lanes with our RV. When professional drivers are out there working for a living, we hate to hold them up when we have all the time in the world.
You can use Gas Buddy via their website… or you can download the app (iOS and Android). It’s free… AND it’ll save you money. Win-win, if you ask us!
Wrapping Up About RV Trip Planners…
If it sounds like having multiple apps is a lot to manage, it’s actually pretty easy. While they’re all great, each app has its own strengths, and once you get used to them, you’ll have a good idea of which apps make the most sense for your travel style and the type of trips you like to plan. We use all of these apps at different times, depending on where we’re headed, often checking several of them on the same trip.
Using an RV trip planner helps you to have a much more enjoyable trip overall, and quite possibly a safer one. You won’t have to worry about finding gas stations, points of interest, or RV parks. Any of these apps and websites can help you in planning the best RV trip possible.
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