What are the ‘must have’ apps for caravanning and camping?
I know most of us love camping and caravanning because it means getting away from it all…. but sometimes it’s handy to have access to some tech to keep you in the loop with what’s going on in the outside world or to point you in the direction of your next adventure. We’ve put together some useful travel apps that can help you along your journeys.
From planning, tracking and staying up to date with current conditions. We are sure you will find a travel app that will make your next trip that much easier. If you’re unsure about paying for apps, well majority of these are free, have a free trial version or are low cost, reducing the financial risk of an app that you’re not sure if you will like it or even use it.
Informative Travel Apps
Hipcamp
This great little app can help you find your next camp! Simply pop in the region you are thinking of going to, the dates you want to stay, how many of you are going, number of pets – and up pops a list of options for you. From here you can check out photos and reviews of each camp and then go ahead and book. This app has a collaborative list of National parks as well as public and private campgrounds of which some may only be listed on this app.
Wikicamps
Wikicamps is similar to Hipcamp – it offers information on camps, parks, hostels and more! It gives you suggested points of interest, parking options, water facilities, dump points and maps.
Polarsteps
Want to share your travels with your friends and family? There a few tracking apps around – the one we’ve used before is Polarsteps. This has inbuilt GPS tracking that shows where you are as you travel plus it allows you to add photos and video at each destination so that your loved ones back home can feel really envious! It also has travel guides available that can show you the hidden little gems available to check out in the region. There’s a map that tracks your journey and allows you to go back and relive the memories once you are home!
BOM Weather
Weather conditions can play a crucial role in your travels and keeping up to date with the latest forecasts is a must. The BOM app provides up-to-date weather information and provides 7-day forecasts plus it includes weather warnings and radar so that you can prepare for any potential weather events.
Beachsafe App
Not only can this app point you to your closest beach, but it also provides details on patrol status, as well as weather, swell and tide conditions.
All Trails
Keen walker? Like to go hiking? Or just like to wander around parks? The All Trails app shows you walking tracks in your vicinity and provides information such as difficulty ratings and user reviews – as well as length of walk and estimated times to complete each of them
Strava
Are you a keen runner or cycler and like to keep track of your workouts? This app tracks your course, allows you to upload photos you take along the way, you can share it on your socials plus it has a GPS so your loved ones can see where you are. Plus, if you are in a new location, it gives you ‘heat maps’ so you can check out the most popular routes.
Fuel Map Australia
This is a great database of fuel stations across Australia, which includes current fuel prices being charged at each station. This is a crowd-sourced database where users update the information in real time. For QLD, NSW and WA it also shares real-time prices fed through to the app from Government resources.
Facebook pages
There are a heap of different Facebook groups you can join that can provide great information on travelling, conditions and ideas. You may need to request to join these groups, but they do provide invaluable information.
Some of our favourites are:
- Higgins Storm Chasing
- Country Pub Camping
- Australian Caravanning/Camping Travelling with Dogs
- Simpson Desert Adventure
- Far North Queensland Waterfalls
- Caravan and Camping – Outback Australia
- Free Campers Australia
- Station Hoppers
- Aussie Bush Camping
- Jobs for Families Travelling Australia
- Brisbane Hiking & Camping
But there are HEAPS of pages to choose from – simply put in a search and see what you find!
Fun and Informative Travel Apps
There are also a range of really cool apps that are fun to have ‘just because’. Some of these include:
Star Walk 2
This is an astronomy app that provides an integrative sky map, so you identify the stars and constellations directly above your camp.
Michael Morecombe eGuide to Australian Birds
Fancy yourself a twitcher? This online bird book is a must have to help you identify birds, find out what species are endemic to that region and even includes sounds of bird calls.
Geocaching
Fancy going on a treasure hunt? This app provides clues and hints to help you find geocache items – once you find the items, you sign and date the logbook and then move on to the next one. It’s lots of fun for young and old alike!
FishAngler
Want to find the best fishing spots? Planning your fishing trip and would like to find out the forecast? This app does all of this and more.
These are just a taste of what’s out there – so if you’ve got an interest in a particular subject, no doubt there will be an app that covers it!
If you’ve got any must have apps you use, please share them with us so that we can share it with our other happy customers.