As any RV’er will tell you, technology makes the RV lifestyle possible. From the “brain” of many luxury RV’s that you can access via an iPad to the leveling systems and intricate operating systems, technology is what separates RV adventures from just about any other form of travel.
This holiday season, we’d like to suggest some really cool apps that we found that will make RV’ing even easier and more enjoyable, beginning with our favorite.
Campground Views
Want an easy way to pick the perfect campsite every time? Check into Campgound Views. With this handy app, you can take an armchair tour of more than 35,000 campsites in over 75 percent of all the receation.gov campgrounds throughout the United States.
Campground Views is like Google Street view, but only for campsites. After all, Google Streetview doesn’t record inside of campgrounds. Google Earth is pretty useless as well when you consider that campgrounds are usually heavily treed, and those shady sentinels of the park block satellite imagery. Until now, RV’ers had to rely on Google Maps and review websites, the latter of which can often be inaccurate, exaggerated, or just plain wrong.
With Campground Views, you have access to over 900 campgrounds and RV Parks, and can make your way around easily to find the perfect spot. You can give one week of access to the app for $6, an annual camping pass for $99 a year, or lifetime access for $499. While the site is free to search on, it requires a membership to access the virtual tours.
The Dyrt Pro
A trip planner like The Dyrt Pro lets an RV’er plan their stays in great detail. Not only can they satisfy a last-minute whim to hit the road, but they can also use Dyrt to find a more scenic route to get there.
The Dyrt Pro offers free access to their huge database of RV parks & campgrounds, either on their website or through their app (both iOS and Android). There, RV’ers can see all of the detailed information available on each location, along with any user-submitted photos and reviews, making choosing a place to stay that much easier.
There’s also The Dyrt Magazine (accessible from their website), which offers plenty of educational and entertaining articles that help RV’ers get the most out of RV life. And they can enter their regular contests to win all sorts of great camping gear!
But the real power of the app/website comes when it’s upgraded to The Dyrt PRO. The biggest upgrade is access to their Trip Planner. It’s great for RVs of all sizes since RV’ers have the option to select vehicle type and enter the relevant specifications (height, length, fuel economy, etc.) and provide input on route-specific options (like avoiding ferries, tolls, or highways).
The Dyrt Pro offers a seven-day free trial and is $35,999 for one year of access to the app.
Campendium
Campendium is the perfect app for the Boondockers on your list. It’s like a trip planner tool, but it is one of the few resources of its kind that includes a comprehensive listing of both private and public campground. It’s a veritable treasure trove of boondocking locations its amassed over the past decade.
Campendium is a free app, but one must become a “ Community Supporter” to remove the ads displayed throughout the site. This costs $49.99 a year.
Campendium also lets you find dump stations and other overnight places to park. It can filter a campground search based on several factors including hookups, rig length, campground type or amenities, and policies (like pet-friendly parks or 55+). Plus, it has thousands of users, which means a steady stream of current, helpful reviews and photos. Both the website and the app are clean and easy-to-use, making it easy to find exactly what they’re looking for want.
Something unique to Campendium as well is that you can filter by elevation. Looking to head to higher elevations and cooler temps? Campendium can point you in the right direction. Want to stay near the best trails? Campendium offers a trail maps feature. It also offers public land map overlays to help RV’ers find hidden gems with overlays of the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Arizona State Land Trust.
Roadside America
If the RV you’re giving to is a fan of off-the-radar attractions, Roadside America is the perfect app for them. This quirky app locates museums, roadside oddities, statues and other places of interest. It features over 15,000 attractions, each with a user field report. Search and planning tools are available to help add some offbeat fun to their next RV road trip.
With Roadside America RV’ers can take an unforgettable road trip with the Presidents of the United States! Find historical landmarks in 50 states, from the official to the offbeat and neglected. They can visit birthplaces, statues, graves, museums, and First Exec entourages — the First Ladies, VPs, wannabes….even their assassins!
Roadside America subscriptions are available for $2.99 for one of seven regions. Each region you add is $1.99 per region ala carte or $6.99 to buy all six remaining regions. The Roadside Presidents access is $2.99 for all 50 states.
We hope this helps with gifts for the hard-to-buy for RV’er on your list.
If you’re not already, have you thought about becoming an RV adventurer yourself? We can help point you in the right direction. Just visit https://motorhomefinders.com/ to start your journey.