Trip Planning

Must Have RV Apps

Erin Heinrich
ByErin Heinrich

There are many apps and websites available to help with planning RV travel and living. We downloaded a number of apps and use a variety of websites, but some we use much more than others. Here, we’ll provide a list of different resources you might want to look into, depending on your style and interests. Everyone has their own preference for level of technology or ease of use. We tried a lot of apps and really settled into only a few “go to” apps that we always use and then many that stayed on the back-burner until their specific use case proved important.

For the free apps, it is certainly easiest to give them a try. When you find a new app, see if you like the feel and more importantly learn what the app has to offer. Even if you don’t use it everyday, you will likely find yourself in a spot where its the perfect app and its in your toolkit. Just knowing it exists is sometimes all it takes to help you in a pinch (an example would be the rare but urgent need to find a dump station).

Maps – Maps are critical when driving the RV and figuring out where we’re going. You cannot just utilize Google maps or apple maps when you’re towing or driving an RV, as there are many places with low-clearance bridges, tunnels, or rough/narrow roads. If you do not have a specific RV GPS system, like us, you may choose a variety of apps to help you navigate your RV.

Google Maps
We use Google Maps to look ahead at traffic, see what their recommended route is, and see what else is nearby. I find it easier to manipulate, so it’s a good starting point, but you can’t rely on this for RV safe routing. We often download maps for offline use when we know we will be in an area with limited service.

RV Life Trip Wizard (formerly RV Trip Wizard)
This is the map tool we use to confirm our route, avoid bridges and tunnels, and where we have all of our stops identified. It offers an RV friendly routing option, which we always check for sanity. If it matches GoogleMaps or the vehicle navigation system, we will just keep it on in the background in case we hit a detour and need to do another sanity check.

RoadTrippers
We started using this recently to get another opinion when we have choices. This app lets you plug in information about your rig so it gives good recommendations. If looking to purchase the Pro plan, you should consider the bundled package, Roadpass Pro, by TogoRV – togorv.com/pro

Truck Map
Search for an array of services such as dump stations, rest stops, laundry facility, a truck stop that has propane, or what stations carry DEF, this would be useful.

RV Dump Stations
This would come in handy if you’re doing a lot of boondocking and need to find other places to dump tanks that aren’t at your campground. While you can usually pay to dump at a campground (even if you don’t stay there), there are other dump stations around and available if you can find them. A free alternative is to use the RV Dump Sites website.

  • Price – Free on Android, but $0.99 on iOS
  • App Downloads – iOS | Android

Campground Info – We typically use the computer and RV Life Trip Wizard to select campgrounds, but on the road if you’re looking to change sites or look for something else, these apps can give you some basic information

Campendium
Campendium allows you to search by location and type of camping you’re looking to do. You can sort your listing by rating or location, read reviews, and it allows you to search for all types within one site (RV sites, free camping, national parks, etc.).

  • Price – Free, upgrades are bundled with Roadpass Pro for $49.99/year
  • Website – campendium.com
  • App Downloads – iOS | Android

RV Parks & Campgrounds (formerly called ParkAdvisor)
This is a great app to find RV parks and information about them quickly, right from your phone. You can also search for local services like gas stations, restaurants, and rest areas. We have only used the free version, but you can upgrade for even more features.

Harvest Hosts (the acquired Boondockers Welcome)
Harvest Hosts have opened up our camping choices to include wineries, breweries, farms, and other cool stops where you don’t typically have any hookups. We have found great locations and feel much more connected to the local areas when we do. We limit our boondocking (also known as dry camping) to times when we don’t intend to work or cannot find a campground near where we are headed.

CampsitePhotos
When you want to pick a specific site within a campground, you can use this site. They have empty site photos for many campgrounds and often provide good maps of the entire campground.

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