For RV enthusiasts with a penchant for using gadgets and apps to enhance their journey, we’ve got an RV travel guide full of tech-savvy travel tips! From getting where you’re going to connecting with friends and family, we’ve got ideas sure to make your adventure even better.
GPS
It’s hard to say just how many beavers Lewis and Clarke would have skinned for one of these handy tools. A Global Positioning System is a device that uses satellite signals to determine where you are and how to get to a destination that you enter, making RV trip planning easier than ever.
Older versions tend to need latitude and longitude coordinates, but updated software in newer GPS devices can make life very convenient by allowing you to enter addresses and search for nearby restaurants, attractions, and landmarks. GPS units can be pre-programmed for directions to and from your destinations or help you find your way on the fly.
One of the best features about GPS units designed for driving is that they speak the directions to you so that you don’t need a navigator in your passenger seat and can keep your hands on the wheel with your attention on the road. There are even GPS units that now allow you to choose the voice it uses to speak the directions!
Keeping in Touch
With the various ways to connect to the internet while traveling, there are very few instances where staying in touch isn’t feasible while you’re on the road. Public and private wifi hot spots, satellite internet, and smart phones with personal hot spots have revolutionized connectivity on the go.
Facebook is one of the social media sensations that rocked the world. By being able to create a profile and connect to friends and family from almost anywhere on the planet, Facebook has become the leader in sharing your life with others. Its robust and all-inclusive design has internal messaging like email, an instant chat feature, a “wall” of updates that you and your friends post on and share links from, event planning features, lots of options for protecting your privacy, and much more awaiting your discovery as people use it in new ways to connect themselves with their interests.
Twitter is another social media site that allows people to connect to, engage with, and entertain people from anywhere with an internet connection. Twitter is based on a platform of expressing what you’re experiencing in 140 characters or less, sharing glimpses or “tweets” of your life with “followers” who sign up to see what you are saying. Using mobile apps in conjunction with a social media site enables the most diverse connection between you and the world you connect to both in person and in the digital landscape.
Mobile Apps
All the rage right now is the concept of using mobile applications to share where you are and what you’re up to. Easily integrated into social media platforms, mobile apps are designed to enhance both your real-world and online interactions. Here are a few favorites:
Instagram is an excellent new app for photo sharing. Simply take a photo with an iPhone, apply a filter to convey the feeling you want the image to have, and share it through Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr.
Google Maps is like a built-in navigator when used on a web enabled cell phone. While it won’t speak the directions to you like a GPS, you can program addresses in to get directions and track your progress with a blue dot on the map that represents your current location.
Foursquare is a terrific mobile app for exploring cities. You use the app to “check in” at area establishments, see where your friends are by connecting to other Foursquare users through Facebook and Twitter, give and get inside information on neat places around the city, and if you check in at a location more than anyone else, you become the Foursquare “mayor” of that place and may receive rewards for being a loyal customer. Some businesses even offer special deals exclusively though Foursquare!
With so many new options for traveling, exploring, and sharing your adventures, don’t put off yours another minute! For more RV travel guides and ideas on RV trip planning, take a look through our other blog posts. For information on more traditional but entirely necessary aspects of traveling, such as RV insurance and gas price estimation, visit our insurance products page and take a look at our other resources for travelers!