Gone are the days of traditional caravanning – we’ve moved into the 21st century! And that means more technology. Yes, we’re talking about apps.
To make your journey more enjoyable and smoother, we’ve come up with a list of the best apps every caravanner should have on their mobile device.
We’ve picked the best of the best to help you plan your journey, keep you safe and keep you entertained.
Download these before you go – but remember your devices should be fully charged (pack your necessary charging devices), plan for no signal (some apps do have offline capabilities) and stay safe.
HELP PLAN YOUR JOURNEY
Wikicamps
- PRICE: $9.99
- PLATFORMS: Apple App Store, Google Play, Microsoft Store
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Wikicamps is a must-have for any caravanner – with more than 50,000 listings the crowdsourced database makes finding the right place easy. You can find campsites, caravan parks, points of interest and amenities across Australia. Not only can you find places to stay and things to do, the content is user-generated – meaning you can read reviews and get tips from other travellers. It offers tools for planning your journey, creating travel checklists and exploring new places to stay and see. Thanks to the offline maps, you’ll always be connected and able to access your travel plans.
CamperMate Australia and NZ
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Much like Wikicamps, CamperMate provides reliable information on everything you need while road tripping around Australia. You can find camping grounds, free campsites and services like dump stations, public toilets and showers, road warnings, free wifi, things to do, petrol stations and more.
FuelMap Australia
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS: Apple and Google stores
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Fuel Map helps you find the cheapest fuel prices along your route. You can find today (and tomorrow’s) prices as well as details about each fuel station, including amenities and operating hours.
National Public Toilet Map
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS: App Store, Google Play
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Finding a clean and accessible toilet can be challenging on the road. This Australian Government app helps you locate public toilets across Australia as well as personalise your results (eg find toilets based on your needs such as wheelchair accessible or baby change facilities).
Camping Checklist
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS: Google Play only
- WHY YOU NEED IT: You don’t need to worry about leaving something behind because the Camping Checklist has your back. This app is fully customisable, allowing you to stay on track and organised for your trip. You can even share your list with your travel buddies to avoid packing more than one of the same things.
SAFETY
Weatherzone
- PRICE: Free (offers in-app purchases)
- PLATFORMS: Apple, Google
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Knowing the weather conditions is crucial when travelling – regardless of whether you’re in a caravan or not. Weatherzone offers accurate and detailed weather forecasts. You can set up alerts for severe weather alerts and warnings, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) alerts, forecast summaries and sunrise and sunset time alerts. You can check local weather conditions including:
- Weather observations – current conditions for your location including temperature, feels like, wind, gusts, rain, humidity, dew point, pressure and air quality
- 10-day weather forecast
- Detailed hourly weather forecasts – showing real time changes in temperature, rain, wind, humidity and more
- Calendar forecasts for the next month
- Past 24 hour and historic observations
IFRC First Aid
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS: App Store, Google Play
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Safety is paramount on any road trip. Thanks to the Red Cross, you’ve got access to step-by-step guides for common emergencies so you can provide basic first aid during an emergency situation.
- It’s useful for a variety of emergencies including respiratory difficulties, choking, burns, trauma, loss of consciousness, bites and stings as well as diseases and psychological first aid topics like hyperventilation and verbal de-escalation.
Beachsafe
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Taking a trip up the coast? Or just looking for the right beach for you? Make sure you download the app from Surf Life Saving Australia, which includes locations of patrolled beaches, weather, surf conditions and hazards, plus all the local facilities for all Australian beaches. Beachsafe also has information about rip currents, flags and signs, waves, marine creatures, surf skills and more.
Emergency Plus
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Emergency services can find exactly where you are in an emergency thanks to this Australian-government developed app. It uses a smartphone’s GPS functionality for callers to provide emergency call-takers with their location information determined by the smartphone. The app also provides access to all emergency numbers, as well as SES and Police Assistance Line numbers as options, so non-emergency calls are made to the most appropriate number.
Fires Near Me Australia
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Developed by the NSW Rural Fire Service, this app shares bushfire warnings and incident information. In an emergency, always rely on other communication channels such as websites, information lines and local radio. Check your state or territory’s fire agency website for more details.
Wires Wildlife Rescue App
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: The Wires Wildlife Rescue App gives you access to quick information on how to help native Australian animals that are injured or sick. If you come across an animal in distress, you’ll know exactly what to do!
THINGS TO DO
AllTrails
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS: Apple and Google stores
- WHY YOU NEED IT: For caravanners who love hiking and exploring nature, AllTrails offers a comprehensive guide to trails across Australia. You’ll find detailed descriptions, maps, photos and reviews of hiking, biking and running trails. You can download maps for use without internet access and search for trails based on difficulty, length and user ratings.
Geocaching
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Turn your road trip into a treasure hunt with Geocaching. This app lets you find hidden caches placed by other users all over the world. Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor adventure that is happening all the time, all around the world. To play, participants use the Geocaching app and/or a GPS device to navigate to cleverly hidden containers called geocaches. There are millions of geocaches in 190 countries waiting to be discovered—there are probably even some near you right now.
Netflix and other streaming services
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: Netflix is so easy for on-road entertainment – while it can keep the kids entertained in the backseat, it’s also good for when you’re stuck inside your van during bad weather or you just want to unwind and relax after a long day. You can download content for watching offline, so it’s perfect for remote areas.
GoSkyWatch
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: This one is perfect if you have an interest in stargazing and learning about planets and constellations. All you’ve got to do is (open the app) and simply point your camera at the sky and the app will map out all the star patterns you can see. The app also provides accurate sunrise and sunset times in addition to providing users with 200 images of planets, moon phases and celestial objects collected from the Messier and Caldwell catalogues.
Spotify or Apple Music
- PRICE:
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: No road trip is complete without a great soundtrack, so Spotify or Apple Music are your best friends. You can create custom playlists and listen offline. If music isn’t your jam, you can listen to podcasts or audiobooks to keep you entertained.
Birds – Bird Identifier
- PRICE: Free
- PLATFORMS:
- WHY YOU NEED IT: One of the best bird watching apps in Australia is Birda. It’s a birding social app that turns the discovery and exploration of birdlife and the outdoors into a game by using challenges, leaderboards and fun badges. Birda’s stand out feature, aside from its bird identification features, is its emphasis on community. Think Strava meets Pokemon Go, but for birdwatching!