This latest version of that list has been curated with the same goal in mind. My goal for the original post was to answer the frequently-asked question of what the best apps for cycle touring or bikepacking are. That’s why – like all my other ultra-detailed posts about aspects of planning a bike trip – I’ve been updating this post regularly since I first published it way back in 2012.

Smartphone technology moves fast, and the app scene is constantly changing. That list would be hundreds of entries long, and the mainstream cycling media have published plenty of listicles in the battle for search engine traffic anyway. This is not a comparison of navigation apps like the ones you’ll find if you search your preferred app store for “cycle touring apps” or “cycling apps”. In other words, I’ll be listing apps that augment all aspects of cycle touring and bikepacking – for example, accommodation and hospitality exchange apps, weather forecasting apps with an outdoor focus, community-generated maps of safe wild camping spots, apps to help with common travellers’ concerns such as budgeting, communication and translation, apps to monitor and conserve battery usage for big days on the road, and an eclectic selection of other apps I’ve personally found useful on long cycle tours. My list therefore represents a suite of apps for life on the road on two wheels. No one app can (or should) serve all of them.

To my knowledge there is no single app that provides a comprehensive range of features for someone travelling by bicycle long-term.Īnd that’s probably because the cycle touring or bikepacking lifestyle is a complex, multi-faceted thing, taking in an incredibly diverse range of activities and needs. But what exactly are the best apps for cycle touring and bikepacking? While I will always encourage you to make your first cycle tour as low-tech as possible, almost every rider today is packing a smartphone by default. Can it sometimes help with certain very specific aspects of life on the road? Yes.

Do you need to take a smartphone on a bike trip? No. Last updated on March 9, 2023, adding new screenshots of the subscription-only features of the official WarmShowers app.

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