Books – Maps – Apps – Motorhome Insider

I recently upgraded my seven-year-old iPhone 4S to a shiny new model, which has so many gigabytes of space. I hardly knew which motorhome related apps to download to fill it up, so I asked the question in one of the motorhome Facebook groups and then tested out the recommendations. What Are the Best Apps for Motorhomes and Campervan? There are 30+ motorhome and campervan related phone and tablet apps for campsites, wild camping, satellite navigation, television reception and finding an LPG filling station. This was a fun exercise, downloading and testing the motorhome and campervan related mobile phone apps that were suggested. Although I have an Apple iOS phone, most apps worth their salt also work on Android. Many apps are free, with others making either a one-off or annual change. Rather than try and list what is free and what is chargeable, as this changes frequently, I’ll leave you to check that out. Here is my top 12 of the best ones and those I kept on my phone and a selection of the rest. 12 Best Motorhome & Campervan Apps CamperContact Park4Night Search for Sites Co-Pilot for Caravans CampingCard ACSI Campsites Maps.me MyLPG.EU Out & About – Social Camping Wild Camping POI WC Finder Sky Go Radio Garden Live Let’s take a look at over 30 different motorhome and camper van apps that I have researched and tried, for iOS and Android. I have broken down the apps into several categories. OK, here goes: What Are the Best Motorhome Apps for Finding Campsites? You are on the road and don’t have anything booked for tonight. You could wild camp, but the preference today is to find a campsite close by. These apps are designed to do exactly that and are in A-Z order. CamperContact One of the largest databases of motorhome stopovers available, with 25,000 locations in some 50 countries. There are over a quarter of a million user reviews to help with choosing a place to stay. The app lists campsites, motorhome parking locations and service areas. There is a free seven days trial, followed by a subscription. Camperstops The basic version appears to list a limited number of sites and acts as a taster for the pro-version. Some French Aires are included, and each entry shows facilities and often pictures. Each entry shows the GPS location and the cost to stay. CampingCard ACSI Campsites The app for ACSI camping cardholders, with over 3,300 listed offering discounts in the low season. In all, there is access to 9,000 motorhome pitches, from campsites to Aires and car parks. Check our article on using an ACSI card. Campmate from Campsite.co.uk This app mixes up motorhomes, caravans, glamping, and tents, so not all sites found will be useable. Each site entry provides a lot of detail with pictures and prices. The ‘Send Enquiry’ button brings up a form to email an inquiry to the site. You can call the site directly from the app. Although this app works on my iPad, it is really designed for a phone. Loading the app for the first time asks several questions, which is a bit of a nuisance. Campy This free app lists 17,500 motorhome, campervan, and camping stopovers. Entries show a list of facilities with contact and GPS details. You can create a favourites list and share sites with friends. Caravan & Motorhome Club Shows all CAMC sites across the United Kingdom. Each entry shows the details in the printed member's handbook, but more up to date. You can book directly from the app or use the phone number listed to call the site directly. Out & About – Social Camping A useful app for members of the Camping and Caravanning Club which lists camping meets and temporary holiday sites across the UK. The app also lists featured events and is updated by the club and organisers of meets and events. You can search for specific dates or events, with results shown in text and on a map. Each meet and event have a detailed information page. Park4Night I rate this as a must-have for any motorhome and campervan owner. The Park4Night app lists campsites, daytime and overnight car parks, picnic areas and wild camping locations across Europe. The ‘Around Me’ button finds everything close to you where you are, and you can search for specific types of locations. Users can add and update entries. Search For Sites One of the most popular apps and a must-have on my iPad. The app lists over 34,000 sites and overnight stops in some 40 European countries. There are over 50,000 reviews posted by users of the app and each entry has a brief description, a list of facilities and the maximum size of the van. GPS coordinates are shown for each location in the paid version. This is highly recommended. The Best Apps for Motorhome Wild Camping Staying away from campsites and looking for a safe place to stop overnight? These apps can find you anything from a basic car park that permits overnight stops, to harbours, marinas, lay-bys, forests, and lakes. Motorhome Parking Ireland Hundreds of points of interest (POI) in the Republic of Ireland, including Aires, free overnight parking, plus bars and restaurant that welcome motorhomes. Subscribers can add new POIs and the author claims that information is updated daily. Park4Night The app lists campsites, but also many wild locations, from forests to remote roads. Very good for mainland Europe. Search for Sites As well as campsites, the app lists thousands of free stopovers. These can be a car park that allows overnight stays, or a remote patch of road in the Highlands of Scotland. Wild Camping POI Provides thousands of points of interest (POI) across the UK and France. These include wild camping pots, pubs that welcome motorhomes and locations of water taps. Membership of their website is required, although there is a free demo version of the app. The Best Sat Nav Apps for Motorhomes You are lost. Maybe that’s intentional, but at some point, you’ll want to find your way to the next destination. If you are using something like an iPad, make sure that it has a GPS chip. Mobile data or an internet connection will be needed for traffic updates and some require a subscription. Here is a selection of free and paid-for apps to use as a sat nav for your campervan or motorhome. Co-Pilot for Caravans Don’t be misled, as this app is perfect for motorhomes and campervans. I use this one all the time on an iPad Mini 3 mounted on my dashboard and it is my sat nav of choice. The app allows you to enter the length, width, and height of your van, which helps to avoid those narrow roads and low bridges. You can enter UK postcodes and streets, with the app being reasonably accurate. The best option is to use the GPS coordinates, generally available from one of the camping apps. The subscription version adds basic traffic information, although I didn’t find this overly useful. Google Maps One of the most popular apps online, which helps to plan a journey by vehicle, as well as bicycle, bus, train and walking. The main downside for motorhome and campervan users is that you can’t ender the dimensions of your vehicle. It is, however, useful when you are walking around a town you are visiting. Set the place where you parked, so you can find your way back easily. Maps.me Save mobile data with maps.me, which works offline. Use this one while driving, but again like other apps, you can’t input the size of your motorhome or campervan. There are very detailed points of interest, which make this an ideal app when exploring a new town. Maps are updated through the OpenStreetMap project. Free. Waze It isn’t possible to enter the size of a vehicle, but there are some good features. In particular, traffic jam information, which is usually very good. It is sourced by other Wazers (Waze app users) and is generally up to the moment – providing a Wazer has passed the jam. Good verbal prompts from the app and you can enter instructions with your voice, making it hands-free. Only works for vehicles, not one for walkers. Free. 7 More Essential Motorhome Apps For those that don’t fit into one of the categories above. Camper-Pro A directory of over 1,100 motorhome dealers across the United Kingdom and Europe. Search for those closest to your current location and filter by the make of your van. Very useful for emergency spares to and find a local servicing point. The app located all the dealers close to me and users can add new ones as they are discovered. Google Earth Know where you are going? Look with Google Earth at the surrounding area from above. Links to views from Google Street View too. Google Street View A great app for taking a look at your destination, to see how narrow a road may be, or whether the turn into a campsite is a little on the tight side. Google Translate If you are anything like me, languages other than English can be a bit of a mystery. Google Translate can translate to and from over 100 languages. For instance, if you need to communicate in Danish, then download the language pack with the app. You can talk into your phone and hear the translation in Danish. A Danish speaker talks, and you hear it in English. With access to the camera, hold your phone up to printed words or signs and see the translation on the screen. Free. MyLPG.EU Find Autogas LPG stations across Europe. You need to top up your Gaslow or GasIt bottles, well, this app can guide you to the nearest location. Over 45,000 LPG stations are listed. Users can enter the price per litre and confirm that the location still offers LPG. Free. WC Finder If you are walking around a strange town, or don’t have toilet facilities in your van, then WC Finder is a brilliant little app. The closest toilets are listed and marked on a map. Information is basic and the interface a bit clunky, so don’t leave it to the last minute. There are over 600,000 toilets listed worldwide. Who knew this one existed? XE.com Use this app to check the bank exchange rates to and from almost every world currency. You can transfer money with the app. Plenty of charts and analyses if you need that level of information. Free. 5 Best Television Apps for Motorhomes & Campervans For copyright reasons, it may be that some programmes or channels are blocked outside the United Kingdom. Most apps will ask you to declare that you hold a UK television licence, before letting you in. BBC iPlayer A great way to watch live television across all BBC channels in your motorhome. The iPlayer can also be used to watch thousands of programmes and box sets on catch-up. You will never be short of things to watch. ITV Hub Here you will find the standard set of commercial television channels, where you can watch live and catch-up. The ITV Hub+ subscription version removes the adverts and gives you downloads to your device. Channels include ITV, ITV2, ITVBe, ITV4, and CITV, whose content can be viewed for up to 30 days after broadcast. My5 This is the app for the Channel 5 set. These include Channel 5, 5Star, 5USA, 5Select, 5Spike and the Paramount Network. You can watch on live stream or pick and choose programmes and box sets. Sky Go One of a whole host of apps for Sky, Sky Go provides standard subscribers access to channels on the go. Channels will depend on your Sky package. The Sky Go Extra version allows downloads on up to four devices. You may want to look at the other individual apps from Sky, which specialise in specific areas, such as sport. UKTV Play Television on demand from channels such as Dave. Drama, Really, Yesterday and Home. As with the other television apps, you can watch catch-up programmes and box sets, from comedy, drama, crime, and documentaries. 4 Best Radio Station Apps for Travelling Need to check your local radio station? Out of range of FM or DAB? Apps are the way. BBC Sounds Access to every BBC radio station where you can listen to live, pause and rewind. Discover, listen to and download BBC podcasts and music mixes. If you are a fan of the Beeb, this app is good. Free. Radio Garden Live This is a fun app with access to tens of thousands of radio stations. Choose a map, scroll in, move your fingers and the app will pick the radio station for you. You’ll never know what is coming next! Free. RadioPlayer The RadioPlayer app includes almost every BBC national and local radio station, commercial radio and many community radio stations. Free. Tune-In & Tune-In Pro Over 100,000 radio stations from every corner of the globe. Whether you want to listen to the radio station around the corner or the one on the other side of the world, the chances are you will find it here. Free. Safe travels.