Apps

These are the apps that we use on a regular basis. These apps are all Android because that is what we have. Many will have I-Phone/I-Pad compatible versions also, some won’t. Some will have the same information available online.

Google Maps – free – we use this ALL THE TIME! We use it to scope out gas stations, campgrounds, places to eat, etc. We very, very seldom book into a campground without looking at it on Google Maps satellite view first. We can see if it is a parking lot with electric posts (surprising how many of those there are) or a nicely treed, well spaced campground. We also use it to see if we can get into a shopping center and then back out and onto the highway without major detours. The same goes for finding parking near a restaurant we want to patronize. Even Walmart will get a once over on satellite view so we can see where our best shot at parking will be before we pull in to a crowded parking lot. Sometimes there is a rear or side entrance you can sneak into and avoid the traffic jam.

Gas Buddy – free app – we use this app just about every time we drive. Several times it has saved us 20 cents per gallon. We won’t drive miles out of our way to save a few cents but often a better price is as close as around the corner or at the next exit. We try to remember to use it before we cross state lines. One crossing jumped us 40 cents per gallon which makes it well worth the time to check and stop if needed before you cross that state line. We use the map view to scope out gas stations ahead of us along our route then select one and tell Gas Buddy we want directions. It will switch to Google map view where we can zoom in and analyze whether we can get in and out of the pumps without issue.

Allstays Camp and RV – paid app/free website – we use this app frequently to find our next place to camp, a rest area, a Walmart to stop at, etc. We usually use map view for the state as we can see all the options at once and seldom know the names of the towns we will be near. We can look “down the road” to see what will be coming up on our route then select those campgrounds that look promising. Allstays links to reviews, a map of the area (check the satellite view) and the campground website if available. Touch the phone number on screen and your phone calls the chosen campground.

NOAA National Weather (weather.gov) – we’ve found that the weather data on this site is less cluttered than on weather.com and it doesn’t try to download all those extra videos and ads. It also has those weather alerts that our weather radio gives us. We do not keep any weather program open on our phones as that is a constant data feed.

ColorNote – free app – This app allows multiple lists as either text notes or checklists that can be color coded. We have lists titled: grocery list, shopping list – other, RV chores, to-do internet (since we do not always have access this is a reminder of things we want to do when we are “plugged in”). We use this app frequently. It is our back up brain. You can add and delete lists easily. Our shopping list has all our standard items so we can simply go through those that were checked off from the last trip, touch them, and they are back on the list again. We made lists to go over with the doctor when we were back in town and a list can be used to track all your prescriptions for when something happens and the medical staff needs to know (personally, I can never remember the exact names and doses of everything, especially when I am sick or hurt). You can email the list to someone else. We’ve done this when shopping so one can get the food and the other gets the non-food items.

c:geo – free app – This is a geocaching app. If you are already signed up with a geocaching website, you can link this app to it. It will quickly show you the nearby caches, let you navigate to them (not good enough for most caches but gets you in the ballpark before you switch to the standard GPS), downloads the data for the cache and lets you log your cache – all directly from your phone. No more printing all that stuff off.

CamScanner – free app (can pay for more features – we haven’t needed to) – this turns your cell phone into a scanner. Take a picture of a document (or multiple pages of a document) and it will clean it up, sharpen the picture, crop it if needed, then save it as a PDF that you can send to someone in an email, text message, etc. It also saves it on your phone for future reference. You can download it to your computer just like the photos you take. You can sign a document, snap the picture with Cam Scanner, save as PDF and get it into the hands of your accountant/lawyer/banker/sibling, etc. within minutes. No more hunting for a place to fax documents.