As a company that obsesses over designing and building high-quality RVs, we’ve got kind of a soft spot for travel. Especially road travel. There’s no better way to see the expansive beauty of the U.S. than by driving, watching the scenery change in real time out your window. After all, while other countries may have RVs, where else can you drive from rainforest to desert? From snow-capped mountains to white sand beaches without crossing an international border?
The thing is, with so many miles of roads and untouched nature, seeking out the best routes, campsites and stops along the way can sometimes feel overwhelming. Especially if you’re new to RVing. New RV campers may feel like the learning curve is steep, and in addition to plotting the perfect road trip, they have to learn how to use the various functions in their coach, calculate gas mileage, reserve campsites (which often get sold out), and more.
That’s why we’re pleased to recommend a service that helps campers across a range of challenges. Meet Roadpass, a service that offers multiple travel apps united by a single login, with a variety of free and paid features and perks. Roadpass connects four apps, Roadtrippers, Campendium, Togo RV and RVillage. Let’s take a look at why you might want to download each one of these apps before your next big trip.
ROADTRIPPERS
As the world’s #1 road trip planning tool, Roadtrippers has helped more than 18 million people plan trips spanning 16.9 billion miles. This easy to use app allows you to plot a road trip on a map with turn-by-turn navigation as you drive. Unlike Google maps, it can search for stops and destinations between two points and in the direction of your travel. That means if you need an emergency Target trip, you won’t have to backtrack to a town you just passed. Roadtrippers will serve you a result according to your parameters, such as how far off your route you’re willing to travel.
But where it really excels is in suggesting novel, off-beat or creative destinations for you to choose from. When you search a town or region, you can select filters to narrow down the results according to your preferences, with categories like Sights & Attractions, Activities & Experiences, and Bars & Restaurants. But within those categories, you can get even more specific. Under Sights & Attractions, for example, you can specify preferences for things like Landmarks, Filming Locations, Cemeteries, Roadside Attractions, Scenic Points and more.
PAID MEMBERSHIP
Roadtrippers blends the best of traditional map and navigation services with a spirit of fun and adventure. If your family loves stopping to take a photo with the World’s Biggest Ball of Yarn, taking scenic back roads, or just getting to know local culture wherever you go, Roadtrippers is a great choice. With the free version of the app, you can discover extraordinary places, browse a library of pre-written guides, plan your route with a limited amount of stops and use the app to navigate from place to place.
The paid version of the app adds unlimited stops to your route, along with RV routing (in beta testing), offline maps, the ability to collaborate with friends, family and other travel partners, and removes ads from the experience. If you don’t need the RV-specific features of the other apps in Roadpass, you can sign up for Roadtrippers Plus for $29.99 a year.
CAMPENDIUM
Imagine this: Instead of looking up campsites on one site, cross-referencing with reviews on another site, and looking up yet another site to explore the state and national parks in the area, you can open one app and do it all. Campendium does just that. Created by campers for campers, it offers the most comprehensive camping database around. You can search tens of thousands of camping locations, from government owned park campsites to KOAs, RV resorts, free dispersed camping sites and more.
Real campers leave photos and reviews on each campsite, so you’ll always know if a location is everything it seems – or if it doesn’t live up to expectations. Campendium covers more than 32,000 campgrounds across the U.S., Canada, and Baja, Mexico, and all of the above features are available completely for free.
But the premium features really make Campendium a cut above the rest. With a paid account, you’ll have access to smoke maps (for staying safe and up-to-date during forest fire season), cell coverage map overlays for each carrier, trail maps, public land overlays, an elevation filter and more. Plus, you can save favorites from your search results, keeping all your “someday” destinations in one convenient spot.
You can sign up for a free Campendium account on their website, but a paid membership is only available through Roadpass Pro. On the plus side, at $49.99 a year, the four-app membership fee pays for itself with one night at a Campendium-recommended free dispersed campsite instead of a campground. How’s that for a win?
TOGO RV
With a library of RV knowledge stored in one simple app, Togo RV is the perfect companion for any new (or experienced) RV camper. The app simplifies RV ownership by helping you stay organized, inspired and equipped with tools that focus on improving the RV experience.
FREE MEMBERSHIP
For example, the free Togo RV membership includes access to digital owners manuals for a wide variety of RV models, maintenance and camping checklists, and free online courses by RV experts. Learn the basics of how to safely operate your RV and all its functions in on-demand videos you can carry in your pocket. You can also search for nearby mobile technicians and local service centers, and receive recall and service alerts for your RV model.
There’s a section to help you navigate shopping for new or replacement tires for your RV, truck and trailer across popular tire manufacturers, so you can drive and tow with confidence. And if you need an impromptu spot to park your RV for a while, Togo RV has a list of 15,000 businesses and locations that allow overnight RV parking on their properties.
PAID MEMBERSHIP
The paid membership comes with all that, and adds RV-specific GPS navigation with details about weight limits, low overhead clearances, grades of terrain and propane restrictions, so you’ll never be caught by surprise on the road. You can also create customizable checklists to help you take care of your RV’s specific maintenance needs.
As the paid membership is only available through Roadpass Pro, there’s one more perk that ties into the Togo RV app, and that’s the discounts. With the Pro membership, you’ll have access to more than $5,000 in savings on gear, tires and accessories – ideal for outfitting your RV with equipment to make your next trip safer, more convenient, and more fun.
RVillage
Rounding out the Roadpass bundle is the RVillage app, which allows you to connect with RVers, wherever you go. It’s the internet’s largest and most active social network of RV owners, enthusiasts, dreamers and nomads.
When you share your location with the app, it can connect you with nearby resources and RVers, giving you a sense of community in any new location. More than 500,000 RVers use RVillage to chat about RVing and camping, swap tips and tricks, share stories, organize get togethers and meet-ups, and more. Unlike other social networks, on RVillage, everyone already has something in common, and this warm and welcoming community of campers is unlike anything else out there.
RVILLAGE BLOG
The RVillage blog also runs features like interviews with real RVers, an advice column, recipes and on-the-road cooking tips, and a section called RV Mishaps that helps you deal with life’s unexpected emergencies as they come up.
With a Roadpass Pro subscription, you’ll have access to the exclusive Gold Member Group on RVillage, along with discounts on RVillage Rally attendance, and a free insurance evaluation with their partner, RV Advantage.
ROADPASS PRO
Signing up for a Roadpass account is totally free, and will streamline your access to all four apps mentioned above by letting you log in with the same credentials. But Roadpass Pro, available for $49.99 a year, gives you all of the perks we detailed, from premium features and services, to custom conveniences, to discounts on a variety of equipment every camper needs. And you can try it free for seven days at the link above before you make up your mind.
We think Roadpass and its suite of apps offers unmatched value for Heartland owners. In a sea of information online, it can be hard to know what’s up to date and trustworthy. With Roadpass, you won’t have to wonder anymore. So here’s to taking the trip of a lifetime – and making it easier than ever. Happy camping!
