The best military travel apps
I was checking out some military-specific travel apps over the weekend, and there are some pretty cool and useful ones out there. I have an iphone 5, so in this article I’ll be highlighting ones available in the Apple app store, but at some point I’ll highlight Android apps. Some are available on both platforms, and I’ll do my best to highlight those. All the below apps are currently free in the app store, except the last one.
Without further adieu, and in no particular order, on to the list:
Allstays military camp site and RV app list covers a little over 200 military campgrounds, FamCamps and RV parks in the United States of America, so if you’re a family that likes to camp and be outdoors, this would be a great app for you. It’s available on either iOS or Android. Here is a video of the app, which lets you find Campgrounds, RV Parks and related services with or without internet, and extensive map filters let you view only what you want to see. I haven’t yet used this one other than navigating through it, but it has 4.5/5 stars. My son is now 3, so hopefully starting this summer we’ll be going camping.
Base Directory app is a well designed app, that gives you a mobile, offline directory of most service’s bases throughout the USA, and also includes USOs. You can check out this link, which is the internet version of this app, and see if you find it worthwhile. Not every base is on there, but most of the major domestic ones are, with amenities and phone numbers.
American military museums is an app that shows over 390 military museums and museum ships featuring the most famous and popular exhibits in all the major cities, towns and ports of the United States. Per the website, “This app lists Military Museums from all branches of the military: The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The App will help you find the best exhibits, featuring information on the most popular of over 390 Military Museums in all the major cities and towns of the USA.” Some of the highlights include:
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I’ve been to Gettysburg many times, and highly recommend it to anyone, so I think this app would be cool for checking out some places that you wouldn’t have normally gone.
MyBaseGuide is an app for both iOS and Android, that’s similar to the above base directory app. According to the website “Whether you’re relocating, TDY or just “on the go”, our mobile app allows you to easily locate information on any one of the one hundred twenty military installations in CONUS, Hawaii and Alaska. The main purpose of MyBaseGuide is to provide military personnel with useful information for a smooth relocation”. I’ve not used this one, but looks very intuitive and easy to use.
One app that intrigues me is the military space A app ($3,99), which lets you register, from the app, for any upcoming space A flights. It also provides local info such as billeting, car rental, dining, BX/PX/NEX info, links to air terminals’ pages, USOs, and more. Per the app, “Take-a-Hop’s MilSpaceA app allows authorized U.S. government users to register for Department of Defense (DoD) military space-available travel. It is the exclusive app for all DoD travelers wanting a quick, easy, reliable, and authorized means to sign up for Space-A at primary DoD departure terminals.” I’ve only personally ever tried to catch Space A flights out of Bahrain, and was never succesful; they were always full. I remember thinking at the time how inefficient it was to have to show up at the terminal to register, and if you could do it over an app, how great would that be? This app has 5/5 stars and good reviews, so it might be worth checking out.
I want to hear from you all, did I miss any other good apps? Do you have any experience with any of the above?
The Ultimate Military Campground Project is a subset of the Ultimate US Public Campground Project. In both cases, data was drawn from the US Military Campgrounds and RV Parks website, with the permission of that site’s owner.
The military-only app (Free!) can be found at:
http://www.appszoom.com/iphone-apps/travel/the-ultimate-us-military-campground-project_idhrs_download.html
The entire US public campground app ($5.99) is at:
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=698323700&mt=8
Ted Houghton
@Ted – cool, thanks for the info!
Military Space-A Flights is an awesome new Android app available on the Google Play store: http://tinyurl.com/spaceaflights
The App consolidates Space-A Flight Schedules for over 60 military bases! Additionally, quick-dial buttons connect you via phone to passenger terminal representatives and/or to automated flight recordings!
The free Fly Space-A app on the App Store shows you the actual flight schedule for most Space-A locations! It is at http://AppStore.com/flyspacea