Traveling with kids? There’s an app for that.
In fact, there are thousands of apps for that. Some will help you navigate your way to your destination, some will tell you about the destination once you arrive, others will help you find the best restaurant for your family budget and still others will keep the kids entertained during those long car and plane rides.
Here are a few that will make travel easier for parents and more fun for kids:
Mom Maps: This free app uses GPS to provide an extensive list of parent-recommended local parks, playgrounds, restaurants, museums and indoor play areas. Information includes tips and reviews so you can find a spot that best suits your child’s interests and needs.
Flashlight: This app comes in very handy in a dark hotel room when you’re trying to find the bathroom without waking everyone or you want to stay up and read after the kids go to sleep.
Sit or Squat: This app is key for any parent in the throes of potty training. It tells you where the nearest bathroom is located.
Trip It: This app cuts down on the paperwork by allowing you to keep all your confirmations organized in one place. All you have to do is forward your airline, hotel and other confirmations to your Trip It account.
Road Trip Bingo: This one costs 99 cents, but it would be worth it during a single-parent trip when there’s no one else available to play the classic road trip game. This app lets the kid(s) shake the screen to start a new game and then start looking for signs, cars, buses, animals and trees. When they get five in a row, they win.
Voice Changer: Sure, you could download apps that help your kids learn math or read better, but what could be more fun for the whole family than recording your voices and playing them back with one of 18 sound effects?
Whatever apps you choose, don’t forget the smartphone charger. The fun only lasts as long as the battery.
