Helpful Van Life Apps

If you’ve been along for the ride for the past year, you definitely know that I’m making this up as I go along. I wasn’t blessed with all the van life knowledge of the universe nor am I getting into this because I have friends who do it. That means I’m learning as I go and you’re along for the ride! I have to research pretty much everything but I also want to share the knowledge that I’m gaining. If you are thinking about living the van life or have decided to take the plunge, I’d like to help you along in any way that I can. If you’re just enjoying the ride, you still might enjoy some of these apps as they have some very useful information!

This list is a compilation of many, many van life websites recommendations. These aren’t my recommendations yet – just a list of what I’ve found! I’m including a little bit about each of the apps so that you can decide if its something that might be useful to you. When I get more familiar with each of them and finally hit the road, keep an eye out for an updated list of my favorites and what I recommend personally.

Click the name of the app to see more information or download any of the van life apps below.

Travel Apps

Flush – This app is like Google Maps but the most exclusive because its only for toilets. A helpful van life app for anyone who maybe doesn’t have a toilet in their van or for anyone who might have some IBS hanging around an likes to know where a public restroom is when they are out and about.

This app has both the benefits of exploring the world for toilets as well as finding toilets nearby. You can see if a toilet has been listed as accessible, needs a key, or has any fees associated with using it. Its crowd-sourced information, so users can add in bathrooms they find along the way.

Opensignal – This app has been included in every list of van life apps I’ve seen. It allows you to check your internet speed straight from your phone so you know what your connection is like. This can be helpful determining what kind of access you have and it also contributes to the crowd-sourcing of the app. You can see areas where people have service and what kind of service they have, which is another tool to help you find a place to stay, particularly if you work on the road.

TrustedHousesitters – This one is really cool and it seems like a similar concept to WOOFing. You basically pet-sit someone’s animals and in return you get to sleep in their house. For pet lovers of all kinds, this seems perfect! There is also access to international pets, so you aren’t just limited to the US. You can see both the place you’re staying and the pets and I’m already really excited about this!

Camping Apps

Campendium – This is an app to locate camp sites along with dump stations. It lists the type of camping (including dispersed), amenities, if tents are allowed, and if there is cell service. There’s also a review feature to review the camp site and it includes if there have been fees reported for usage. You can also see photos of the location so you know what to expect. This is great for a nervous Nelly like me who is terrified of being arrested for things I didn’t realize were illegal.

Campspot – This app also lists campsites but it appears to be more focused on developed camping like RV parks. It lists availability of the sites and what the pricing is. It also lists both park policies and amenities available. You can see reviews and ratings of the sites of fellow travelers as well.

Hipcamp – If you’re interested in AirBnB style camping, boondocking, or just less populated campsites, this app is for you. I found sites not listed on other apps. There was focus on agri-tourism and some of the sites were looking for folks to pitch in on their dreams. It seems like a great place to remain off the beaten path. All the sites I found did have a price associated with them. You can read reviews, see pictures, and take a look at available dates.

Recreation.gov – Here is where you can find designated campgrounds with individual campsite listings. It look like its good for national forest and national recreation areas. Because it lists individual campsites, you can see what the view is like from each site. This would be great for me because I’m picky about my view! I also found tree cutting spots for the holidays and picnic areas. Among the amenities you can see available are accessibility, capacity, proximity to water, and electricity. These locations all appear to be paid sites.

The Dyrt – Here’s another app to find a campsite. The capabilities on this one seem to be best used when you subscribe to them, but you can still locate sites without paying. When you subscribe to Pro you can also get various discounts on places to stay. There’s also reviews and descriptions of the area and campsites are listed with their amenities, including Wi-Fi and cellular service. If the information is available, its pretty cool that you can see which carrier has service in each campsite. This is especially important for those of us working on the road.

iOverlander – This app has a cool function that allows you to keep track of where you’ve traveled. I’m a big fan of documenting my travels so I can enjoy looking back at it in the future, so this is a cool feature. This is another crowd-sourced app that appears to be really useful to find areas to park overnight. Sometimes that’s all you need on your trip, so its nice to be able to find options.

Recreation Apps

AllTrails – This is a great app for anyone who loves to walk, hike, and do stuff outdoors! I’ve used AllTrails for most of my hiking needs for most of my adult life. You can search by trail name or by location. You can also sort by easy, moderate, or hard difficulty ratings. It isn’t just limited to hiking, either. You can find scenic drives, mountain bike trails, snow shoeing, and even places that offer good bird watching opportunities. This app also has real-time trail navigation capabilities (say, in case you lose the trail) as well as the ability to download trail maps to access in the event you lose cell service.

Gaia GPS – This is a GPS app that gives you elevation, topo, a compass, and allows you to record and plan trails (even from a car). You can even check the speed you’re traveling at. If that isn’t what you’re needing, you can also search for trails. This seems like a really fun app to use while adventuring. Especially if you find an area you love, you can easily map it!

Community Van Life Apps

Sekr – Exploring this app was seriously cool. We are absolutely in van life living with this one. You can see who is nearby, read their profile, and connect with them. Community is important! This is also the first app I’ve seen list State Wildlife Areas (SWA) for dispersed camping. You can even search by amenities like overnight parking, showers, and trash/recycling. There is specifically even a community section where you can find upcoming events and groups to be part of! (Oh, and you can put in what kind of living situation you have…there’s even a VW van option! Clearly, the van life app of all van life apps, if you ask me.)

Vanly – This app includes a community of people specifically hosting places for people to park their van, RV, or skoolie. Hosts are able to check off which amenities they offer and it can be something as simple as a driveway or land with restroom and shower access. This specifically relies on people willing to host, so if that’s you – this is a great opportunity to help out the van life community. There’s space for house rules, reviews, and you can even see which cell phone carriers have service at the site.

Hopefully, this has been helpful to you and you found some fun new van life apps to help you along your journey. If I missed any, please please please comment them so I can download them and check them out!

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