7 Essential Apps to Use on the Road

Once you’ve planned your next road trip getaway, you’ll want to consult these apps along your route. Whether you're out of gas, are looking for something to see along the road, or you want to steer clear of speed traps, these apps will help you out.

iExit

As you travel, iExit tells you what's just around the corner—or at least the next exit. This handy app delivers information on the restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, hospitals, hotels and more at each exit along the freeway.

If you're wondering whether you can wait a few more exits to fill up the tank, iExit delivers this info and more.

Price: $0.99 on iTunes and Google Play

SitOrSquat

If you need to find the nearest restroom while you're on the road, SitOrSquat by Charmin has a database of 100,000 public restrooms across the country.

You can search and view restrooms nearest your current location with ratings provided by users.

Price: Free on iTunes and Google Play

Trapster

If you're a fan of the dashboard radar detector, this is an app you'll probably love. Trapster shows you speed traps, road hazards, and real time traffic reports from Trapster's user community. And with a community of over 19 million users, Trapster's database is pretty good

Price: Free on iTunes, Google Play, BlackBerry App World and Windows Phone app store

GasBuddy

GasBuddy is a clever way to not only save money but also to earn points that go toward prizing and giveaways when your contribute gas price of your own to the app. Like the idea of saving on gas? Check our list of apps to help you save money at the pump.

Price: Free at iTunes, Google Play, BlackBerry App World and the Windows Phone app store

Along the Way

Enter your starting point and your destination and Along the Way will find you interesting places to stop in between, pulling in location information from Foursquare. It will find road stop essentials like gas stations, restaurants and rest areas, but will also point you towards recreation, shopping, nightlife and other activities along your driving route.

Price: $2.99 at iTunes

Roadside America

Roadside America answers the age old question of "how close are we to the world's biggest ball of twine?" With over 9,000 locations in its database, Roadside America showcases the strange and mundane along with fun facts that you might not otherwise have known as you head to your next destination.

The app itself costs $2.99 and includes data on your choice of region—Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, California, or Canada. Want more regions? Unlock additional regions for $1.99 each or all of them for $5.99.

Price: $2.99 at iTunes

Hotel Tonight

Hotel Tonight provides last minute travel deals (sometimes up to 70% off) for hotel rooms, literally, tonight. It can be the perfect app for finding a hotel that evening when you're out on the road—and around one of the locations that the app supports. The intuitive design makes it easy to locate and book a hotel on the fly.

Price: Free at iTunes and Google Play

Now there's nothing left to do but enjoy your trip! And, of course, remember to stay safe—don't try to use your phone while you're driving, no matter how handy the app.

Updated on 5/23/2013.