I have tried a lot of apps over the years, and the best apps for motorhome touring in the UK are a much shorter list than the app stores would have you believe. Most of what you find is either a nicely designed way to read reviews you could get elsewhere, or a subscription waiting to catch you out. I keep a small folder on my phone and the rest goes in the bin.
This is what is actually on there in the Swift KonTiki, and why.
Apps for finding campsites and overnight stops
Finding somewhere to park up is the whole job, so this is where I spend the most time. I use a mix rather than relying on one source, because each has blind spots.
Park4Night for flexible stops
Park4Night is the one I open most. It is crowd sourced, so the quality depends on who wrote the review, but recent comments on parking, noise and levelness are gold. I read the three newest reviews before I trust anything, and I ignore anything older than a year.
If you are weighing up cheaper options, I have written about cheap motorhome overnight stops in the UK in more detail.
Club apps and Pitchup for booked sites
The Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan and Motorhome Club both have apps that show their own sites and certificated locations. They are worth having if you are a member, and the certificated locations are brilliant for quiet, cheap stays. Pitchup is my go to when I want to compare independent sites and book quickly, particularly in school holidays when everything fills up.
Navigation apps that understand a big vehicle
Standard satnav will happily send a seven metre motorhome down a lane built for a pony and trap. I have been wedged in a village high street more than once, and it is not fun with a queue of cars behind.
Google Maps is fine for planning, but I switch to a dedicated motorhome satnav app or device where I can enter my height, width and weight. Check the data is current for the area you are in, because height restrictions and weight limits change. If you are not sure what your limits are, my guide to motorhome payload and weight is a good starting point.
Why I still carry a road atlas
Yes, an actual paper atlas. Signal drops out on exactly the roads where you most need it, and a big picture view helps you spot a sensible alternative route in seconds. It also never runs out of battery.
Weather, tides and wind apps
Weather matters more in a motorhome than in a car. High winds on an exposed coast road are no joke with a tall vehicle, and a wet field can turn a pitch into a mud bath.
I use the Met Office app for the general forecast and a wind specific app when I am heading anywhere exposed. If a site is near the sea I also check tide times, because a lovely beach car park can vanish under water. Look at the forecast for the day you are leaving too, not just the day you arrive.
Apps for working from the road
I work from the motorhome a lot, so connectivity apps are a big deal. A signal checker that shows coverage across all the networks saves a lot of guesswork before you commit to a site. I also keep a speed test app handy, because five bars of signal tells you nothing about whether a video call will actually work.
If you want to know how I set up my connection, have a look at my Starlink motorhome internet review and the wider post on remote working from a motorhome.
Offline everything
Download offline maps and your site details before you leave home or the previous campsite. I have lost signal at the gate of a site with the booking confirmation sitting in an email I could not open. Take a screenshot of anything important, including the gate code.
Apps I have stopped using
I have dropped most of the all in one trip planners. They want you to build an itinerary in their format, and real touring never works that way because the weather and your mood change the plan daily. I have also ditched anything that pushes a paid tier before showing me a single useful result.
My rule is simple. If an app does not save me time or money within the first week, it goes. Phone storage and attention are both limited.
A simple setup that works
Here is the folder I would suggest if you are starting out:
- One crowd sourced stop finder for flexible nights
- Your club app if you are a member
- A motorhome aware satnav with your vehicle size entered
- A weather app plus a tide app if you go coastal
- A signal checker and offline maps
That covers nearly everything, and it keeps your phone usable. If you are planning a bigger trip, my notes on planning your first European motorhome trip pick up where this leaves off.
I am always on the lookout for something better, so if you have an app that has genuinely changed how you tour, tell me about it.
