Make the most of your summer road trip with these apps

Like many Canadians, I’m embarking on the time-honoured practice this weekend of piling into a car, driving for hours along kilometres of highway, stopping only for bathroom breaks, roadside diners and anything with “world’s largest” in the title. And also like many Canadians, I’ll be carting along my smartphone, unable to fully detach myself from the world of digital comforts.

For those of you who will be taking a similar road trip this summer, you can make them that much easier and more enjoyable by loading up some of these apps before you head out:

How to get there: By now you’re likely familiar with the basic mapping software like Google Maps and Apple’s Maps software. If you’re looking for an alternative, though, try checking out Waze or HERE Maps. Waze gained quite a following during the early days of the Apple Maps fallout, and was a popular alternative for many iPhone users for its social mapping approach. Other Waze users can mark maps in an area to help out other drivers by pointing out areas under construction, heavy traffic, police speed traps and even the cheapest gas available in the area. You can download Waze for iPhone, iPad and Android.

HERE Maps is the built-in mapping software for Windows 8 Phones by Nokia, but is also available for iPhone. When you open up the app and let it locate where you are, you get a listing of a variety of attractions within a couple of kilometres. The biggest advantage from HERE Maps, though, is the ability to download maps of places you’ll be going. Perfect for when you’re traveling to somewhere that the wireless signal is expected to be spotty, or if you want to avoid roaming charges.

What to see: If you’re traveling south of the border, you can take advantage of apps like Roadtrippers that help you find all the coolest stuff to do along the way. Create an account on roadtrippers.com, download the app (currently only available for iPhone) and then you can mark out all the attractions you want to stop at along the way. Roadside America ($2.99 for iPhone) will do the same thing, with a lot more of those quirky roadside attractions thrown in.

If you’re staying in Canada, you can check out some of the best Parks Canada Heritage Sites using the Explora apps available for Android. Download the app specifically for the site you’ll be visiting, like Banff Park Museum or the S.S. Klondike, and you can be taken on a self-guided tour featuring a map, photos, quizzes and more.

Where to eat: One of the highlights of any road trip is the grub you get along the way. If you’re a die-hard fan of foodie television shows, you’ll likely enjoy the Food Network On the Road app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, which highlights restaurants featured on popular Food Network shows like Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and The Best Thing I Ever Ate. You can search by your favourite show, chef, or the area you’ll be traveling to.

If you think you’ll be hitting up a lot of chain restaurants, you’re in luck: many popular restaurant chains feature apps that help you find locations and provide nutritional information. Some chains like Denny’s even offer rewards for using the app; if you download the Denny’s app for iPhone and Android devices, you can join their MyDenny’s program and earn points each time you visit and enter the promo code from your receipt, which can be redeemed for food items and discounts.

So load up your phone before you pack up the car this summer, and hit the open road ready for an app-fueled adventure.

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