Summer is coming to a close and many families are squeezing in last minute vacations over Labor Day Weekend. One of the best weekend vacations to take in the Mitten state is a good, old fashioned road trip!
AA Muffler & Brakes knows that planning for a road trip, and being prepared while you’re on one, is very different from planning for other types of travel. While on road trips you have to be prepared to handle car problems, bad weather, traffic, and other situations that may prevent you from reaching destinations on time. Unexpected detours may need to be taken, and while we love planning out where we will eat and sleep during any vacation, mapping out each and every pit stop on a road trip is a bit impractical. Road trips require that you are prepared to roll with all the punches thrown at you, and in 2017 what better way to roll with all those punches than an app? AA Muffler & Brakes has compiled a list of free apps (available in both the Play Store and App Store) to help close the summer out with a smooth Labor Day Road Trip!
This app helps you find new restaurants along your route with open tables. You can reserve a table at one of the apps 20,000+ restaurants located across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. OpenTable’s app lets you view restaurant menus, reviews, and photos. No more worrying about available seating when you plan your next road trip (or even just your next night out).
In a perfect world, you’ll have your overnight accommodations all planned out and nothing will go wrong for those long road trips. But even the best laid plans can hit a speed bump or two and if you find yourself suddenly in need of last minute accommodations - HotelTonight is the app to have. This app offers its users last-minute discounts on any vacancies as well as same-night accommodations from top-rated hotels.
This handy app will use your phone’s location to tell you what exits are coming up in real time. You can search these exits for restaurants, campgrounds, hotels, rest stops, WiFi, and more. The app will also show you gas stations and gas prices, as well as display locations on a map.
If you ever find yourself passing through a major city, you can use this free app to search for highly-rated, unique restaurants. You can filter your search by destination, price, amenities, type of food served, and more. Plus, a new version of the app is in the works to give roadtrippers even more options and features!
Never get stuck in gridlock again! Waze is both a traffic and navigation app that is updated in real-time by other Waze users. The app gives you turn-by-turn directions which compensate for any reported road hazards, accidents, or traffic jams.
If your Labor Day road trip is going to be a long one, you’re going to be making frequent stops at gas stations which can get expensive. GasBuddy is going to help you save some serious pocket change by using your location to direct you to the closest (and most inexpensive) gas stations. Gas prices are crowd-sourced by other GasBuddy users. The app rewards its users for reporting those price updates with points that make them eligible for prizes like free gas, which are raffled off at regular intervals.
One of the most useful resources for planning a smooth roadtrip, Roadtrippers, helps you find diners, hotels, restaurants, parks, roadside attractions, and so much more. Plus, you and your road trip buddies can plan out the trip in advance on the app or its web portal. You can save locations, pit stops, and breaks into a “Trip Plan” and sync that plan across multiple devices for easy access no matter where you are.
Happy Labor Day and safe travels from AA Muffler and Brakes!