7 Must-Have Apps for Your Summer Road Trip

Summer is coming! And that means that many of you are planning your summer vacation and weekend road trips. Whether that means a trip to the cabin, or camping or a jaunt to visit family, there are a few apps that we recommend installing on your iPhone to rock your next road trip.

As always, before taking off on a big road trip, be sure to bring your car into Searles to have it serviced  to avoid any inconvenient and preventable maintenance issues while you’re on the road.

So without further ado, here are our picks for the 7 must-have iPhone apps to rock your summer road trip:

1. Google Maps

   This may seem like an obvious choice, but your iPhone now comes with the Apple Maps app pre-installed. At times the Google Maps app can be far more accurate. Download this app to ensure you have access to accurate maps for the trip. Google Maps also has the ability to show you where traffic is congested and can show you alternate routes to navigate around it.

   

2. Yelp

   Yelp is a popular social network built on user reviews of local businesses including hotels, restaurants and even gas stations. They also have an iPhone app so you can check reviews while on the move.

   

3. UrbanSpoon

   Urban spoon shows you nearby restaurants based on your location and will help you find the best food and dining experiences at over a million restaurants, perfect for any road trip.

   

4. Trip Advisor

   Whether you’re camping, hoteling, looking for local attractions or just passing through somewhere and looking for a bite, Trip Advisor has user generated reviews on it all! Users rate hotels, restaurants and attractions based on a 5-star system and can leave comments and photos of their experiences. You can also use the web version to help you plan your trip ahead of time as well.

   

5. The Weather Network 

   This is a must-have app for any road trip, especially if you’re traveling in locations or at times when the weather can be unpredictable and change quickly. The Weather Channel app provides real-time weather information, plus weather warnings to keep you updated on approaching storms, 3-hour precipitation forecasts, weather news and satellite and radar maps, letting you watch the clouds roll in.

   

6. Songza
   

   Good tunes are a requirement for every road trip! But if you’re tired of your iPod music selection, use Songza! Songza provides playlists for any and EVERY occasion or activity. The Concierge will give you several quick options, or you can drill down into the menu to find playlists built around music genres, activities, your mood or music through the decades. Songza allows you to save your favorite playlists and see what your friends are listening to as well. (NOTE: Be aware that the Songza app streams music, so it WILL use your cellular data when streaming tunes.)

   

7. Instagram
   

   If you love photography and take a lot of photos with your iPhone, then Instagram is for you! Instagram is photo sharing app perfect for sharing the sights and adventures you encounter on your next road trip. The app gives you several filter and editing options to optimize and add creative flair to your images. Be sure to tag your image’s location using #hastags and the locations functionality when posting your photos so that others searching for pics of that location will find your photography! The app also allows you to share your photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr if you’re into social media.

   

Have given your vehicle the gift of its seasonal maintenance service yet? Make an appointment with us here at Searles and take advantage of our Seasonal Service Special! Keep your car young with an oil, lube and filter change, tire rotation, and comprehensive multi-point visual inspection.

Call or visit us or make an appointment online today!