We just returned from a two-week road trip down the West Coast all the way to San Diego, California from Vancouver, BC. I used all of these apps at least once on our trip and I was glad to have had them downloaded and logged in to ahead of time!
I didn’t include maps and messaging apps because those are a no-brainer, you need those for sure.
POSTMATES
I’m not sure what the name means, but this app is like Skip the Dishes here in Vancouver. Get food delivered to your hotel from nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food joints. When you’re tired of eating out every night, sometimes it’s just nice to order in and relax on your hotel patio. We ordered pizza for our kids one night and we went out alone (ahhhh, date night!).
UBER
Another one many of you probably have and use, but for us Vancouverites, it’s not an app we use here. Download and register a payment method before you leave. We used it twice for date nights out without the kids and once with all five of us when we were sight-seeing in the city and our car was left at the hotel.
OPENTABLE
This app is used to make reservations at thousands of different restaurants. We used it twice on the trip to make reservations at the sought-after restaurants we wanted to be sure to try.
BANKING
Download your bank’s app and register your accounts before you go so you can easily check balances, transfer funds and check on any issues while away.
THEME PARKS
We used the Universal Studios app while in the park to check show times and wait times for rides!
YOUR PHONE PLAN
I use the MyRogers app to check data usage during the month, and especially when traveling as I used my phone SO MUCH in the car on the road.
YOUR VEHICLE APP
I use the MyGMC app to start my car, unlock it and lock it and check on data usage for my in-car WIFI plan. I was so happy to have this app when Mike walked down to the car in our huge Las Vegas hotel to start loading our stuff in but forgot his key in the room. I could unlock the truck from up in our room so he could get it done without having to walk all the way up and back.
SKYVIEW FREE
This app shows you stars, planets, and constellations, even satellites in the sky wherever you point your phone. It’s pretty neat to see different sky views from different parts of the world! I also love that It tells me if what I’m looking at is a planet or a star.
MR. BORDER
If you’re crossing the border, you can see how long your border wait is likely to be, real time, with the Mr. Border app.
HOTELS.COM
I book all hotel stays on hotels.com and used the app several times to pull up what hotel I’d booked in each city. Especially when you’re just traveling home and can’t recall exactly where you’d booked and what the address or amenities are, this app came in very handy!
GOOGLE HOME
I bought a Google Chromecast ($45) for the car for the girls to be able to stream movies, Netflix and YouTube to our in-car entertainment system and needed this app to set it up to connect to the devices I wanted to use and the in-vehicle WIFI network. I will say that I purchased 10 GB for the car pre-trip and it lasted for only a couple of days so it’s not something I would really recommend.
KINDLE
I used the Kindle app to download a few new books as soon as I’d gotten through the one paperback I’d brought so I could continue to read in the car. I was glad I had logged in and been prepared in the app before we hit the road.
NETFLIX
This one I didn’t use but the kids did a lot. They all used the app on their own devices to download their favourite shows and movies ahead of time so they could watch in the car and in hotel rooms or dinners out.
Here’s to your next road trip!
