Wanna get the most out of your vanlife? Then keep reading this article!
There are plenty of free vanlife (RV) apps for Android & iOS that will lease your life a lot. These apps will help you find all kinds of campsites, parking, save money on gas, and plan road trip routes. Plus, you’ll get to find the best activities nearby, and even rent your first RV!
We’ve gathered the 9 best free apps in that category you may try. Take a look!
The Dyrt
Let’s start with an all-in-one app for van life lovers.
This is an active community with over 1 mill members that lets you book campsites and list your own cams as well. The app has one of the widest databases of USA campgrounds—there are over 44K for now, and more are being added regularly. Herewith, the app covers various kinds of camps—the ones for tents, RVs, cabins, and even glamping.
More to that, the majority of the campsites are located near lakes, or popular hiking routes, which is extremely handy. You’ll get to filter camping options by distance, type, rating, and so on. That’s right—all the places come with a rating and a list of comments, so you’ll know what to expect. Plus, the app often offers campsites with generous discounts.
According to the apps’ policy, you’ll have to pay booking fees (which is quite understandable). However, you’ll get the ability to skip those once you’ll become a pro member. In case you wanna list your own campsite, it will take you a couple of taps to do so, and the app doesn’t charge any extra commissions.
You may also check: 11 Best RV Apps for Travelers (Android & iOS)
park4night
Next, we have an app to level up your van trips.
The main purpose of this app is to help motor home and RV owners to travel with comfort and get the best out of every trip. With this app, you’ll get to easily find places to stay over, relax, stop for a picnic, and all that. In other words, all the places you won’t like to miss during traveling.
Herewith, whether you’re an advanced traveler or a newcomer—it’s always fun to uncover some hidden secret places. This app will help you to catch the most beautiful views, visit gardens, forests, beaches, and more. You’ll also get to view the compilation of activities nearby, so you’ll never miss a single festival and all that. The same goes for some active stuff like hiking, windsurfing, and more.
For now, the app already covers over 140K places, and more are on the way. It works across the USA and Europe, so no concerns about that. You’ll get to plan your entire route on the map with all the stops, which is very convenient. The app as has an offline mode, so wherever you are—you’ll have access to it.
Recreation.gov
This is one of the best apps for finding federal campgrounds in national parks, woodlands, and all that.
In the first place, this app is fully dedicated to federal campsites, so you won’t find any private ones here. But don’t hurry to skip the app—it has a lot of good things to offer. As for the campsites, the app now covers over 3,5K spots for you to stop at. Herewith, it’s not only about campsites -the app covers plenty of activities you can try on your route.
There are such activities as fishing, rafting, hiking, and plenty of other outdoor adventures. All the campsites come with a list of interesting sights and objects nearby for you to visit. You’ll also get to view all the prices, features, and all that. The only con here is that there are no comments and reviews, so you’ll have to google them by yourself.
You may add the campsites at your fave and book them with a couple of taps. Once you’ll do that, the app will help to plan your entire route, which is handy. You’ll also get personalized recs on the places you may be interested in visiting. Al these features are entirely free, with no extra sub packs needed.
RVezy
It’s an RV and trailer marketplace that lets you book a perfect vehicle for the next road trip.
The concept of this app is simple—to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors without overpaying. To cope with that, the app brings together the owners of RVs and motor homes with enthusiasts who wanna go on a road journey. The app only functions across the USA and Canada, so keep that in mind.
The app uses your location to find the best RVs from local owners nearby. You’ll get to pick the kind of vehicle you’re looking for, the insurance options, the assistance pack, and all that. It takes you a couple of taps to boo an RV, and it will be up to 40% cheaper than the one from the commercial fleet.
The app also covers a load of a special offers for longer rentals, which is nice. All the vehicles come with individual features—some are pet-friendly, some include an airport pickup and all that. In case you’re one of the owners, you’ll get to rent your RV via this app for free -with no extra charges.
Check also: 7 Best Gas Cashback Apps in 2022 for Android & iOS
Campercontact
Here’s an app that will help you find the best motorhome sites.
This app contains all the info you may need to know about RV sites, campsites, and all that. It will use your GPS data to find the best camp spots nearby, and you can also search near some other locations. Plus, you’ll get to filter the options by the price, facilities, service area, and so on.
For now, the app already covers more than 37K locations, and more are added regularly. You may also pick the campsite according to real peoples’ reviews. The app includes over 550K comments with pics and detailed views, so you’ll know exactly what to expect from each place. You may also add your own reviews to let other travelers know what you think of each place.
The app also lets you save your fave locations to book them later on. You’ll also get to share any locations with your mates via messengers. It will also help you to build the best route to the campground if needed. Herewith, the navigator runs offline, so you’ll be fine even without a web connection on the road.
Hipcamp
If you’re looking for the best outdoor stays for your RV trip—you totally need this app.
Apart from the other apps, this one is more on the glam side, so if you’re into glamping and other fancy campsites—you’ll love it. And, this app is fully dedicated to paid private campsites, so keep that in mind. For now, there are over 300K listings, and more are on the way. The best thing about this app is the amount of information it gives you about the site.
All the hosts come with a small biography and a personal rating, which helps you avoid unpleasant situations without even reading the description and comments. There is also a precise list of what the campsite gives you, along with the location and the best activities nearby. Some campsites offer their own activities, which is great.
Of curse, there’s a comment section that lets you see the photos taken by tourists and read their personal opinions. The app also comes with a bunch of filters you may use while searching. For instance, you may search for pet-friendly sites, the ones with restrooms, free Wi-Fi, and all that.
RV Parky
It’s a fully free app that helps vanlifers to find perfect parking places nearby.
Yeah, the concept of this app is simple, and it doesn’t have many features apart from that, but it doesn’t mean you don’t need it. When it comes to vanlife, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of a parking spot map. At least cause you’ll probably need to park a lot, and sometimes it will happen in areas you’re not familiar with at all.
This app covers all kinds of parking spots—from RV parks and campgrounds to some well-known rest areas you can stay at. Herewith, the app comes with a bunch of filters that let you pick between federal and private parks, military ones, and more. Plus, the app also provides you with a detailed gas station map, which is incredibly handy.
You’ll also get to look for the nearest stores, and there are plenty of those that work 24/7. There’s even a filter that lets you find special RV-friendly stores if needed. The app will also warn you about all the low bridges on the route and help to avoid them. It works across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
GasBuddy
As you may guess by the name, this app is here to help you find gas stations during your trips.
And if you’re thinking: “oh, I don’t need an e entire app t find gas stations, a have navigation for that”—you’re wrong. This is not only the most detailed gas station map—it’s also an app that will save your money. That’s right—it provides you with exclusive discount codes and coupons that help to save on fuel.
All you need to do is to get a free fuel card and buy gas with it. Thus, you’ll save on each gallon, regardless of the station you pick. The app works with all the most widespread stations, s no concerns about that. You’ll also get to sort the nearest stations to find the cheapest gas if needed.
The app also includes plenty of filters that let you search for gas stations with stores, the ones that work 24/7, the ones with restaurants and restrooms, and more. You’ll also get to filter by the type of fuel you need—from regular to diesel. More to that, the app will detect your driving habits and provide you with tips on how to save gas while driving.
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Roadtrippers
And lastly, we have an app that will help you plan an RV trip in detail.
It’s an all-in-one app for travelers that lets you plan an entire route in a few clicks. Here’s how it works—first, you need to log a start and an endpoint. Then, you should add all the extra preferences such as the sights you’d like to visit on the way, the need to find a campsite for a night, and all that. Once it’s done, the app will generate the perfect route for you.
You’ll get to search for activities near specific locations—and the app offers plenty of those. All the activities and sites come with a detailed description and a bunch of comments from real people. The reviews usually include photos, so you’ll know what to expect. Herewith, you’ll also get to find diners, gas stations, stores, and all the other points you may need to visit on the way.
You’ll also get to find a bunch of pre-made trip guides for the most exciting locations. Of course, you may use these guides as an inspo only, but why not try to follow them, right? The best thing is- all the essential features are free. But if you need offline navigation, make sure to buy a pro pack.
