All around the area is the sound of vans being loaded full of suitcases, coolers, activity kits, and happy families. It's vacation time, and we thought that we would share some of our favorite vacation planning tools with you in the hopes that they will make your trip even better. I've done several road trips with my family, and believe me, the (modified) saying "an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure" is very true here.

From early planning to on the road to keeping everyone
entertained,
you can leave
that atlas at
home. Just
grab your smartphone and your tablet, and you are ready to roll! (Most of these are available both online and as an app: W = Web-based, M = Mobile apps, B = Available as both!)

Before You Leave:

• TripIt (B): TripIt is a tool that helps you create your itinerary and keeps all of your reservations organized. It will take your flight, hotel, and rental car email confirmations and organize your trip. You can subscribe to your friends itineraries and keep up with their plans as well! You have the option to make your trips public or private as well as to add multiple travelers to your trip.
• Kayak (B): Whether you need a car to go on your trip or a hotel in each destination, this is my site of choice. It has repeatedly produced the best rates for me in all categories!
• Springpad (B): Similar to Evernote, but I prefer it because it caters more to the personal organization. You can create notebooks for each piece of your trip or one master notebook with separate lists, notes, etc. It is an organizational powerhouse and a must for our house when I plan anything—especially road trips!
• Roadside America (B): Want to know where the World's Largest Ball of Twine is? Got it. World's Smallest Horse? Check. Any good road trip must include finding the fun and unique out-of-the-way places along the way. You can plan ahead or live life by the seat of your pants as you pull into town!
• DayZipping (B): Need something to do close by once you've reached your destination? Let DayZipping help! Just enter your location, and this site will give you ideas for a day trip right around you and show how much it will cost. This one's great even for your own hometown!

On the Road:

• GasBuddy (B): Gas is expensive, so you want to know where to go to get the cheapest tank possible. If you're not already using this at home, make your road trip your inaugural use. Just launch the app, and it will locate the cheapest gas near you based on your geolocation.
• AAA (B): Tried and true classic, AAA has modernized it's offerings. No need for paper TripTiks anymore—there's an app for that! You can also search for AAA-rated restaurants and best deals on hotels while you're on the road. I never travel without this app.
• RoadAhead (M): This is my new favorite road trip app—an absolute must if you're traveling with kids. Need to know what restaurants or bathrooms are located at the next exit? This is the app for you. No more getting off the road to find out that McDonald's is actually 5 miles down the road.
• Sit or Squat (B): Speaking of endless bathroom stops, how can you tell if that particular bathroom is decent enough to, well... sit or squat? This is from our friends at Charmin (and they KNOW bathrooms) and will come in handy whether you're on vacation or not!
• Waze (M): Part GPS, part social game, part traffic and police alert, this is not my primary GPS, as it doesn't always have the most up-to-date directions, but the more you use it the more it learns, and I definitely launch it once I'm on the road. It has real-time notifications of traffic conditions, speed traps, or accidents thanks to other users logging the info in as they're coming upon it.

I'm Bored!!

These are apps to help keep everyone entertained during the long stretch of highway:

• Pandora (B): I'm sure you're familiar with Pandora by now. No more fighting over what's on the radio—let everyone have their own Pandora account, create their own stations, and then earbud up; everyone can ride in peace. Except the driver—he still gets the radio; earbuds and driving are not a good mix.
• Audible (B): Literally millions of book titles to download. For a small monthly fee, you get credits that will let you download a predetermined number of downloadable book titles. There are also free titles to download as well as podcasts, newspapers, and magazines.
• Netflix (B): Take your Netflix on the road! Watch your favorite movies, shows, and cartoons all on the road. The only issue that I have with Netflix on the go is that only one device can be logged in at a time. So to help that, I also have...
• Hulu (B): I find that there are many more options for shows (especially) on Hulu. You can get the free version which has ads, or pay a monthly fee where you'll still have ads, but not as many and a lot more options for shows and movies.

Welcome to Town! Now that you're here, what will you do first?

I hope these suggestions help make your next road trip the best ever! I'd love to hear what some of your favorite ones are—feel free to leave them in the comment section!