In this digital age, our lives can be made easier by handy smartphone apps. And when better to take advantage of the extra help than when driving in an unknown place? So if you’re looking to book a car rental holiday in Australia, you could seriously benefit from one of our top 10 useful driving apps.
Airport Car Rental App
Of course, the first step on an Australia road trip is booking the car. The Airport Car Rental App, available on iOS and Android, can quickly solve that problem. Search vehicles of all types from a range of rental suppliers, which offer pick-ups in and around the airport. It covers locations across the globe and offers a secure booking engine, so you can make a reservation with just a few taps of the screen - last-minute or well in advance.
Fill My Tank
Available on iOS, this intelligent App is for those times when finding a gas station becomes urgent, or you are looking to minimise fuel costs. It crowd-sources gas prices and shows them for 5000 servos across Australia. You can sort based on distance or cost, and even add your own price updates to make the app better for all drivers - how cool is that?
Cheap Parking
An independent car park comparison app, this is available on both iOS and Android. The creators have developed a system in which prices are updated in a number of ways - feeds from companies, manual audits and user feedback, so the information is accurate and helpful. Finding the closest or cheapest carpark is very handy in an unfamiliar place!
Spotify
It’s likely that Spotify doesn’t need much of an introduction. It can be bought on iOS or Android - and there is a free service which includes ads. However, the premium service is inexpensive and perfect for a road trip. It can be used to play any song, any time, in a mobile or tablet, and most importantly it can be used offline. Driving in Australia is certainly much more fun with some good tunes.
Road Trip
Designed for iOS, the Road Trip App is the best way to track mileage and fuel prices, so you can make accurate predictions for your holiday budget. It costs US$6.49, but there is a free Lite version which is great for a holiday trip - it tracks fuel economy and consumption without the extra features. The simple user interface makes it easy to input data and read the statistics from your trip.
MotionX GPS Drive for iOS
Most smartphones have a basic GPS and voice guidance system, but MotionX for iOS takes the genre up a notch. For those driving in a foreign country, one of its best features is the ability to preload maps for offline use - invaluable when you do not have data. It does all of the things a GPS will do, plus more. These include live traffic information when online, community contributed alerts and integration with social media. It also offers a range of voice options to make for pleasant and fun listening. There is a membership fee, but it is certainly worth it for those who drive frequently - and you can use it all over the world.
Along the Way
One of the most difficult aspects of travelling, especially in a new country, is knowing the best places to stop and eat or sightsee. Uncover local gems with Along the Way, an app available on iOS. It will help you locate any particular type of restaurant or attraction - just enter something like “pizza” or “art” to see the possibilities. Input your route to find out what’s ahead, instead of just in your current vicinity, making it simple to plan your day.
Animoto
Any successful road trip comes with an inordinate amount of photo and video memories - and who has the time to make a scrapbook? Animoto, on iOS and Android, puts them together into a video with your chosen holiday anthem, so you can share them quickly and have a lovely memento to look back on. The videos are easy to personalise with different styles, clip trimmers and captions, along with numerous songs from the music library. The basic option is free, while subscription options offer even more features for advanced video creation.
GPS Location Tracker
On all platforms is the GPS Location Tracker app, a great safety option for those heading out on the road. Install the app to your device and your family or friends can follow your Australia location on the FollowMee website (www.followmee.com). If you are unable to contact loved ones, they can at least see where you are and whether you are on track with this app, which costs just US$8 - a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
For some family entertainment in the car, download the Road Trip Scavenger Hunt for iOS. This fun app costs US$0.99 and is a great way of keeping the kids busy on the road. The fantastic user interface means the young ones can keep score. You can choose to search for objects or words, and both categories are loaded with a huge range of things you are likely to see on the road.
Make your next road trip a breeze with these 10 great apps for driving in Australia!
Ready for an Aussie adventure? Grab a car rental and check out our rental options for an Adelaide Airport car hire, a car hire from Cairns Airport, a Launceston Airport car hire or pick up a hire car from Melbourne Airport. Australia not your destination of choice? Jump over the ditch and grab a New Zealand car rental from Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport or one of the other many locations on offer.
