Getting ready to  hit the road in your RV or travel trailer? You may be looking for some help or advice in planning your route, maybe you could use some information about places to stay, or even some information on the best place to buy gas? Well, I’m here to help with the tools that I used during my 83 day trip around North America. I traveled almost 14,000 miles in 83 days and only had one campground reservation. AND, I never found myself without a safe place to sleep at night! I also never ran out of gas.

Are you curious about how I did this? Well, I’m sharing my RV trip planning software with you. Five of them are websites and the other five are apps that I used on my smartphone. Also, almost all of them are FREE!
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Campendium

This site is full of information like RV Campsite reviews, dump station locations, photos and travel blogs. You can create your own profile for free and enter information about your camping equipment and other preferences that will then be ready each time you log in. There are quick links for National Parks, National Forests, and State Parks, or you can search for information regarding specific locations. There’s also a link for free camping sites with reviews!

Google Maps and Google Earth

I relied on Google Maps so much that I often went over my monthly phone data. Later on in my trip, I only used Google Maps when I got closer to my final destination to avoid having to find a big enough spot to turn around! Google Maps is also a great tool for trip planning. I start by deciding how many hours I would like to drive in a day, and then I plan out each day of my trip using my home as the starting point for the first day and finding a spot on my route that is the same number of hours away that I want to drive in a day. The only times that I had problems with the accuracy of Google Maps driving times was when I was in the mountains and my RV went slower than the speed limit, or when I was in a heavily populated area. Otherwise, I have found that their estimates are always pretty accurate. I do add extra time for bathroom breaks and stopping to eat or to stop for something interesting along the route!

Google Earth is a great way to determine the elevation of a route that you are planning to take. I zoom in on the location and then track the cursor along the route to see exactly how steep the route may be. By creating a path, you can move your mouse over different parts of the path to see how quickly the elevation changes.

Good Sam

This is the one program that is not free. I am a member of the Good Sam club, and have had their travel assistance program for three years. During that time I’ve never needed to use travel assistance, but have slept better each night knowing that it is there in the event of an emergency.

The Good Sam Club offers several member benefits such as discounts at Camping World or Gander Outdoors and also discounts at participating Good Sam campgrounds. While I use these features often, I have also used their Exclusive Good Sam Trip Planner. When searching for a campground you can specify a certain state and then filter the results for the features you are looking for. Features such as internet access, swimming, and open all year are a few of the filters available.

You can also save your searches to refer to while you are on the road!

Campground Reviews

The website has search options for several different countries, and for each state in the US. There is also a forum where you can go for information about towing, technology on the move, RV destinations, and more. The site has reviews from members so you know that you are getting good information, and you can contribute your own reviews! The app has some different features such as articles, campgrounds near you, a even a weather widget!

Free Campsites

While not all of the sites are free, if they are coded red on the map there is a nominal fee. You can search throughout the country, but the real benefit is when you are out West and looking for free campsites on BLM land. The Bureau of Land Management has areas set aside for free camping up to 14 days. There are no frills, no electricity, no water, no dump stations, no bathrooms. The views are often spectacular and at certain times of the year, you may have an area to yourself.

RV Trip Planning Apps

In addition to websites, there are plenty of smartphone apps for Andriod and iPhone to help with all of your trip planning. Here are some of the apps that I use on a regular basis.

Allstays

Wanting to stay at a WalMart overnight? AllStays Overnight Parking WalMart is the app for you! WalMarts are listed on the map and they are easily color coded. Red means they do not allow overnight parking and yellow means there is possible parking. You can also filter the searches to only 24 hour WalMarts or those with gas stations. Many WalMart’s are ending the free overnight parking and even installing systems to prevent RV’s and larger trailers from entering their lots Please remember to use the spot as a sleeping place only. Don’t set up awnings, or make it appear that you are camping there! It’s also a good practice to ask the manager for permission first, and to make a purchase in the store before you leave.

My Pilot

Good Sam Club members get discounts at Pilot and Flying J truck stops, so this app works perfectly to find the best gas prices and get a free cup of coffee! Search filters can show you which stops have laundry, RV Parking and dump stations, propane, and other amenities. You can also compare price per gallon at any Pilot or Flying J located on the easy to use map.

Park Advisor

When I made my Big Plans to travel around the country in 83 days, I found several apps that would come in handy to help me find a place to sleep each night. Park Advisor displays truck stops, WalMarts, KOA Kampgrounds, state and national forest campgrounds, dumping stations and even Cracker Barrel restaurants, Costco’s, rest areas and casinos! Clicking on a location will tell you how many miles away it is and also provides links to navigation, a website, or one click calling, making it a snap to contact an overnight stop! Users can also leave reviews to help others decide whether this stop is right for them.

Fuelly

Fuelly is more than a website that tracks your gas mileage. Once you have entered your vehicles, and you are able to enter several different vehicles that you own, you can set up reminders for routine maintenance and record notes about your vehicle.  (picture of Fuelly) The units of measurement are in both gallons and liters, so people living outside of the United States can use the site. There is also a forum with car reviews and an area to post or look for items that are for sale. There is also an extensive list of tips for saving money on fuel.

RV Life

This app uses location settings on your smartphone to list campgrounds that are nearby, within an hour, or allows you to search an area that you would like. Members leave reviews on the site about the different campgrounds. Also included is a section listing timely RV related articles from different sources, magazines, websites, and even YouTube. You are also able to save your favorite campgrounds to make a personalized list!

With so many free sources of information available, planning your trips is so much easier! With many sites offering reviews, you can get information about which places fit your needs best. Then there are tools to help plan your route, keep you on the right path, and even keep track of your vehicle’s gas use and maintenance! With more tools becoming available each year, you are able to spend less time planning and more time enjoying! So plan to hit the road on an amazing adventure this year!

If you would like to go RVing, here’s Everything You Need To Know!