Two Must-Have Travel Apps {and They’re Free!}

Whether we are traveling across six states or right in our very own neighborhood, these two free travel apps are go-tos for us.

I often say my phone is like my brain.

And I’m not exaggerating.

Because between storing my calendar, my contacts (who knows anyone’s telephone number anymore?!), and the various apps I use to make my life easier, it totally does most of my thinking for me.

Or at least makes life a little easier.

Two of my most often-used apps when we’re in the car are Waze and Google Maps.

Super user-friendly, which is important because me and technology are totally not besties.

And free, which is, of course, awesome.

I discovered Waze about a year ago and after I gave it a few test runs, I promptly ditched my old-school GPS.

First of all, it navigates like a pro.

It has gotten me to Philadelphia.

Points down the shore.

Vermont.

Baltimore.

And many places in between without issue.

Well, ok, we did get lost trying to find a hotel in Philly, but one blip in over a year, I can forgive.

But beyond that, it is a user-driven app, which means things are getting updated real time by drivers like you who are out on the same roads.

Users can add notices about construction, traffic, police cars, road hazards, weather conditions, road closures, and the like.

Which makes it a million times better than just your average plug-in GPS.

Download it, you won’t be disappointed.

The other app that we recently discovered and started using is Google Maps.

But not for the “maps” portion of it.

Once you have the app open, in the search box you can type in something like “food,” and it will immediately tell you all the food establishments, from convenient store to fine dining, in your local proximity, and give you directions to each destination.

Same thing if you’re looking for things like a gas station, a bank, a doctor, hotel, what have you.

Which is pretty awesome when you’re in an area that is not familiar to you.

When we started heading home from Vermont during Spring Break, we hadn’t eaten breakfast (long story), and by noon, we were ravenous. I pulled over, used the app, and found this adorable and amazingly delicious country deli right off the highway.

Another free app that more than justifies the space it will take up on your phone.

Specifically for travel, we also love the Roadside America app, and this post highlights some of my favorite photo apps.

How about you? What are YOUR favorite apps?