Staycations are all the rage, but if you are feeling a little cooped up this summer, nothing feels better than letting your hair down, rolling down the windows and hitting the open road.
Before you hit the road though, make sure you got your coffee breaks covered with the free CoffeeSpot app. This app instantly finds all the coffee shops closest to your current location, and you can even filter results by distance or by coffee shop name such as Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, Krispy Kreme and more.
Next, if you are hitting the road with more than one friend or family member, avoid any undue fights by becoming well-versed in the language of “shotgun.” Download the free Rules of Shotgun app and remember: “The shotgunner must be in clear sight of the car, and shotgun can be called regardless of whether the driver is in sight of the car.”
Once you have coffee in hand and the shotgun position fully loaded, make sure to designate one passenger in charge of the Trapster Free Speed Trap Alerts app. This is a user-generated app to alert travelers of speed traps, red light cameras, police check points and more.
Know the rules of the road and more by downloading the State Lines app ($2.99). This app is full of information from each state, including default speed limits, cell phone and texting bans, right on red rules, radar detector bans and more.
If you are traveling with man’s best friend, check out the free Fido Factor – Dog Friendly Guide. This app helps you find all the dog-friendly restaurants, bars, park and lodging no matter where you are. It also has a listing of pet stores and services for all your pet’s needs.
Amuse yourself or play a rousing game of Road-Trip-Bingo (99 cents) with your car mates. Simply shake the app for a new card and then get five in a row, but instead of letter and number combinations, you are looking for traditional road trip items such as speed limit, detour, no parking and deer crossing signs.
For a more difficult version of road trip bingo, check out the LicensePlate Bingo app (99 cents). Try your eyes at spotting the random license plates and then be the first person in your car to get five in a row, criss-cross, T-time, frame or blackout.
If you are stuck in the Midwest and at least 21 years old, hit the crossroads of America with the free Indiana Winery Guide app. Who knew Indiana had more than corn to offer? This app is filled with wineries all over Indiana, including specific trails for ambitious road warriors to visit multiple wineries in one region of the state.
Feeling a little gangster? Head up to Lake Michigan and check out the Chicago Gangland Tour app ($2.99). This app helps you follow in “Al Capone’s bloody footsteps” all over the Chicago area, including sites such as Capone’s grave site, home and wedding.
And last but not least, find out which of your car mates is a sissy man or a real man with the 99-cent iPeeInABottle iPhone game.
