I’m a tremendous fan of a good road trip. I’ve driven across the U.S. on three separate occasions, and love the experience of taking in all the oddities and experiences you get to have along the way.
In the case of my cross-country trips, those trips all happened with my dog, which also made them a bit complicated. When I needed a hotel, I always needed a pet-friendly one, which isn’t as easy to find at 11pm in the middle of America as you might think.
There’s also the whole food factor at play. Sure, you might want a burrito right now, but can you find a burrito on your route? From experience, I can tell you the perfect place will always be at the exit right after you give up your search and eat a sub-par fast-food burger instead.
Yes, there are plenty of apps out there that can help you find this information, but most present it as what’s near you, not what’s specifically on your route. So while that restaurant might be 8 kilometres away, it might add 45 minutes to your journey. Nexit is a new navigation app that makes finding that perfect spot a little easier. It’s currently available for iOS and is coming to Android soon.
On the surface, it’s a basic turn-by-turn navigation app, so it can help you get from point A to point B.
The search functionality in the app; however, is where it really shines. You can search for things like exists with a burrito spot and a cheap hotel with pool, or a plane with gluten-free food that also happens to be near a gas station.
While useful in the moment when you have specific needs, it can also be helpful when you’re trying to plan ahead. For instance, you can use the app to see what your lunch options will be two hours into your route, or where the nearest restaurant with a kid’s play area is three hours into your journey.
It’s not an everyday navigation app, but for those times when you’re going on an international trip and could use a little help, it can be super useful in helping you find the right spots when you need them.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.