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Have you ever wished you had a personal tour guide while driving along the Beartooth Highway? Or perhaps it would be nice to have someone in the car who could narrate the scenic drive through Acadia National Park. This wish can become a reality with Guidealong.
This is our new favorite tour app. It provides entertainment and insight into some of the best places in the country and beyond. Let’s learn more!
What Is GuideAlong?
Formerly known as Gypsy Guide, GuideAlong is an audio tour guide app. It provides the best things to see and do, trip planners, and suggests half-, full-, and multi-day itineraries. It also plays as you drive, allowing you to freely explore in your time frame.
These audio tours provide information about some of the best places in the country, as well as international sites and road trips in Canada and Australia. Listen to behind-the-scenes stories about the history, geology, hikes, wildlife, and cultural traditions along the route.
What Locations Are Included in GuideAlong?
GuideAlong provides audio tours for five regions: Australia, Canada, Hawaii, U.S. East, and U.S. West. Some tours are offered in bundles, which can help you save money if you’re touring one particular area for several days or weeks.
For example, you can buy the U.S. West Tour Bundle, which includes Arches, Canyonlands, Beartooth Highway, Big Sur and PCH Highway, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, and more. You can access these tours anytime, even if you’re not visiting all these places. Your purchase doesn’t expire.
Or you can purchase individual audio tour guides such as the Hawaii, Big Island Tour, or the Icefields Parkway Tour in Canada. There are six audio tours for Hawaii, 14 for Canada, one for Australia, 12 for U.S. East, and 25 for U.S. West.
How Does GuideAlong Work?
Once you browse the list of options and select the audio tours you’d like to purchase, complete the checkout process. Now the tour is yours forever. If the guide is updated later, your tour will also be updated for free. Then, when you’re ready to play the audio tour guide, it’s an easy one-tap button.
GuideAlong can play through your phone’s speaker or be paired to your car. This isn’t a subscription service. When you purchase an audio tour, it’s yours. You can play it as often as you like, use it immediately, or save it for a future trip.
Do I Need Cell or WiFi Signal?
Thankfully, you don’t need a cell or WiFi signal to listen to the GuideAlong tours. Since cell service is limited in many of these regions, this is a huge advantage over other software. The app uses your phone’s GPS chip and a satellite signal to determine your location.
However, we recommend downloading the GuideAlong app and tours before you travel. Then, all the content, like audio tours, maps, and images, is ready to go when needed.
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How Much Are the Audio Tours?
The GuideAlong audio tour guides range in price depending on the location and number of tours included. For example, the U.S. West Tour Bundle we mentioned earlier costs $89.99. It consists of 18 tours that you can purchase individually.
The Appalachians Bundle includes three tours: the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Shenandoah National Park. It costs $64.99. This particular tour bundle has over 1,000 audio points along your route among the three tours.
Learn about Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, Asheville, the Oconaluftee Farm Museum, Cades Cove, Old Rag Mountain, and more.
Utah’s Mighty Five bundle costs $31.99, the Northern Parks Bundle costs $49.99, and the Grand Circle and California tour bundle costs $54.99, just to give you an idea of the bundle pricing. Individual audio tour guides start at $4.99. Most of them range from $9.99 to 14.99. The Calgary to Banff Tour is provided to users for free!
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What Customers Are Saying About GuideAlong Audio Tours
Customers are delighted with GuideAlong. One happy user wrote, “This app is excellent. We used it in Yellowstone, and it was just the right amount of information about the park and about logistics while not being overly intrusive. I highly recommend it.”
Another reviewer said, “Buy it. Buy them all!! We bought the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore tour, and I am so glad we did! I cannot say enough about how pleased we were with this tour! The audio was super easy to set up, and the whole car could hear over the Bluetooth in the car. It’s worth every single penny. I’d give them TEN STARS if I could!”
Personally, we started using GuideAlong this summer and love it. We purchased the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver Bundle, which includes eight different tours. We listened to all of them and are looking forward to more in our future travels.
The narrator has a perfect mix of humor and education. We love that the tours are set up to allow your trip to be flexible. You can skip certain areas if you’re short on time and not miss any significant stops, as GuideAlong calls out both options.
One of our favorite features is that it also works with our music. If you have the GuideAlong app open with a music app (we use Spotify), it will lower the volume of your music, give you information about the area you’re in, and then increase the volume again when it’s done.
You’ll Want to Add GuideAlong to Your Road Trip Apps
If you’ve never tried GuideAlong, it’s time to download the app and start browsing. The tours are fun and informative. The narrators are personable and do a fantastic job connecting you to the places you’re visiting.
Plus, GuideAlong is user-friendly. You don’t have to worry about cell service or figuring out how to connect it to your car. It’s super easy!
Which GuideAlong audio tour will you download first?
