Are Audio Tour Apps On Your Travel List?

We have loved traveling since the start of our relationship. Since we’ve pretty much always been on a budget, we’ve gotten pretty good at frugality and finding ways to make the most of our travels. Smart phone apps have really helped up our game, and we have a few favorites!

So, when researching for a trip to Hawaii in 2017 for our oldest son’s high school graduation trip, I found out about tour apps and got a bit excited!

These are perfect for when you have your own car, or already plan to have a vehicle in an area. I have a folder on my phone just for the various apps for exploring. Here’s a few of my favorites.

For Hawaii, I found an app called Shaka Oahu for $5. It provided turn by turn directions guided by GPS that knew where we were and queued up. It could even run without connection, which was perfect. It played Hawaiian music on our journey and we saw all the stops on the big tour bus trip, plus a few extra. It also gave us a head’s up for bathroom and food stops, which was nice. The prices have gone up since then, but while researching for this blog, there Shaka Guide website shows they have added several more tours, and on the Mainland U.S., as well. While the price has gone up, they offer state bundles and it is still a great value when you compare to the tours for more than one family member, and having the ability to go at your own pace.

The National Park Service App also has guided audio tours, too. They have many to choose from at parks all over the country. We used a free one recently when we toured Gettysburg National Military Park. While it isn’t music and GPS triggered, there are signs for the audio tour and you just play that track when you see the sign. It is neat to get the history and information, but then have time to explore with your family at their pace. It just seems to meet our travel style, and our family’s budget so much better than group tours, or more expensive private tours. (The other National Parks app you see in my folder’s screenshot above is a hiking trail guide, which is also pretty useful, but like All Trails, be sure to download when you have a connection so it is usable offline).

We also have the GPS My City App that has great walking tours to navigate around cities and can be like having a guide, but avoid paying large fees or being in a big group. It also charges a fee, but has bundles for tours, so may be a great option with thousands of cities to choose from!

I know there are a lot of other options I have seen on various websites and other blogs, but these three I have tried and can attest to. If you have others you use and would recommend, let us know in the comments or tag us on their Facebook page so we can check them out and follow them, too!