There’s no vacation quite like one in which you drive thousands of miles across the country, stopping to see every little attraction along the way. Road trips can be incredibly fulfilling getaways, in that you are able to do much more with your spare time than those who choose one location as their main destination. The difficulties however, tend to come with navigation. Whether it’s traffic, or simply being unsure of exactly where you want to go, the following mobile apps can help you tremendously on your next road trip.

Waze

There are few things in life more frustrating than sitting in traffic, and it is one of the fastest ways to have a road trip go downhill. This is where Waze can help. As an app offering real-time updates on the latest traffic conditions, accidents, and speed traps, Waze aims to make your journey smoother at every turn. It is community-based, so the notifications you’d be receiving are from real drivers in your area alerting you of potential red flags along the way. An added benefit is the feature allowing drivers to share where they were able to get the cheapest gas, saving you money on your trip. Powered by Google, Waze has set the bar fairly high for the rest of the travel apps out there.

Follow – Drive Together

This app is a lifesaver for groups of drivers that can never seem to stay together. It can be extremely challenging staying with a caravan of travelers when dealing with red lights, traffic, and just different styles of driving. Follow establishes one car to lead the pack, and allows all others to track their movements despite what their GPS’s might say. Should the lead car skip an exit that was suggested on your initial route, the app will alert you of their decision and show you where they are headed in that exact moment. The one downside to Follower is that the free version only allows you to add one follower per trip, but upgrading to access unlimited followers costs merely $1.

Openbay

An absolute must for travelers who may not be very confident in their cars’ abilities, Openbay provides users with a network of nearby mechanics, sorting each by the best prices available. Depending on what your car may need i.e. an oil change, replacing a flat tire, or engine repairs, this app gives you the best possible options in your area. You can compare mechanics side by side, and even book appointments through the app, securing your payment even after the job is done. Though you’ll hope to never have to use this app on your road trip, you’ll be happy you installed it when the time comes.

Along The Way

Venturing through an unfamiliar territory? Along The Way provides users with an itinerary of things to do in their respective areas. Whether you’re looking for parks, restaurants, tourist attractions, bars, or stores, this app will show you everything around you to help you avoid wandering aimlessly. What separates this app from the others is its ability to predict where you’re headed, and give the locations of the area’s best attractions coming up on your route. Along The Way is great for travelers who’d rather not turn around to go back to that one destination they passed a few miles ago.

Audible

Depending on the length of your road trip, there may be times where music no longer does the trick in successfully filling the silence. This is where Audible comes in. Powered by Amazon, this app puts hundreds of thousands of audiobooks in the palm of your hand. From iconic authors to stand up comedians, the number of books included in Audible’s library is truly immense, and will provide you with enough entertainment to last you from New York to California.