Frequently Asked Questions

Just Ahead delivers professionally written and narrated audio tour guides for vacationing drivers who want a better travel experience. Just Ahead’s audio guides use a smartphone’s GPS to deliver customized and hands-free audio tours based on drivers’ locations. The app, guides, and built-in maps work without an Internet connection or phone service and contain more points of interest and stories than any other GPS audio travel apps.

What tours does Just Ahead offer?

You can view all of our tours on our website here. We’re always coming out with new ones, so be sure to check back frequently.

How much do Just Ahead guides cost?

The Just Ahead app is a free download, and each destination guide is available as an in-app purchase. Please download the app for our latest pricing.

Do your guides work without WiFi or cell phone service?

Absolutely! Just Ahead does not require cell phone coverage, WiFi, or an Internet connection, except when you first install the app and guide. Once the app and guide are installed Just Ahead utilizes your smartphone’s built-in GPS to know exactly where you are on the road, and delivers stories and maps relevant to your exact location. Just be sure to download the Just Ahead app and purchase your audio tour guides before you go on your trip or when you are in a location with Internet service. After downloading, the guides will work perfectly offline.

Is there GPS in the park?

Many people confuse GPS with Internet access. Remote places frequently lack Internet or mobile phone service, but GPS access is just about everywhere. GPS is provided by a series of satellites high in the sky and thus blankets the entire planet with coverage.

How do I start the guide?

Once you have downloaded the Just Ahead app and made your guide purchase from inside the app, just open the guide and press the “Start tour” button. Just Ahead will take it from there and automatically use your smartphone’s GPS to play entertaining and useful audio stories as you drive. Just Ahead even knows when you stop your car or take a break, and it will pick up right where you left off as soon as you’re ready.

Are Just Ahead guides easy and safe to use while driving?

Yes, Just Ahead guides are hands-free and require minimal interaction. Start the guide and Just Ahead will take care of the rest, automatically using your smartphone’s GPS to play the perfectly timed audio stories and information as you drive down the road. Since Just Ahead audio tour guides are hands-free, drivers can keep both hands on the steering wheel without having to glance down to read guidebooks or maps. Just Ahead lets you travel safely and experience nature at the same time.

Just Ahead also helps drivers avoid getting lost. Just Ahead’s guides and built-in maps provide helpful suggested directions and also work without phone service or WiFi, while most other mobile mapping apps, including Google Maps, require Internet access. You should always carry paper maps as a backup, though, just in case any technical issues arise.

How do I download Just Ahead?

Instructions for the Apple AppStore

You will need Internet access in order to download.
Go to the App Store.
Search for Just Ahead Audio.
Press GET and then INSTALL.
Wait for the app to download and install.
Open the Just Ahead app.
Press Find a Guide and select your guide.
Press Download Sample to begin a free trial, or press the price to purchase the guide.
Your audio tour will begin downloading.
Once complete, tap on the guide picture, press Start Tour, and follow the instructions to connect to your car stereo.

Instructions for the Google Play on Android

You will need Internet access in order to download.
Go to the Google Play store.
Search for Just Ahead Audio
Select: Just Ahead: Audio Tour Guides
Press INSTALL.
Press ACCEPT.
Wait for the app to download and install.
Press OPEN.
Press Find a Guide and select your guide.
Press Download Sample to begin a free trial, or press the price to purchase the guide.
Your audio tour will begin downloading.
Once complete, tap on the guide picture, press Start Tour.

How does your free trial work?

After downloading the Just Ahead app and choosing your tour guide, press the Download Sample button. After the guide downloads, press Start Tour, and you’re off and running. If you haven’t started your trip yet, you can manually operate the free trial by using your fingers to pinch and expand the map in order to zoom in. You can then select various points of interest and press the location’s play button to listen to its story.

Are your guides accurate and professionally produced?

Just Ahead audio guides are accurate, authoritative, and offer the highest-quality content right when you want to hear it—all narrated by professional voice talent. Our guides are researched and written by award-winning travel and adventure writers, not filled with fragmented, crowdsourced opinions and inaccuracies, to give travelers and their families an entertaining and educational travel experience. As evidence of our high-quality content, we were honored to receive the 2014 North American Travel Journalists Association Award for the Best Travel App.

When will Just Ahead be available for Android?

As of May 19th, 2015 Just Ahead on Android is now available in the Google Play store.

Do you have an iPad or tablet version of your app?

Yes and no. We love our iPads and we know road-tripping travelers do too, but Just Ahead requires a mobile device with built-in GPS to work correctly. Unfortunately, many iPads don’t have GPS. iPads with 3G/4G/LTE have a built in GPS and work great with Just Ahead. WiFi only iPads unfortunately do not have a GPS and thus won’t work with Just Ahead.

Is Just Ahead good for children?

Yes, all of our guides are family-friendly. Just Ahead audio guides are ideal for families because they help create shared experiences, conversations, and memories that will last a lifetime. Just Ahead also helps children learn about their environment in a fun and engaging way.

How long are Just Ahead guides?

Just Ahead’s in-depth audio guides contain more points of interest and stories than any other audio travel guide apps. A typical guide has several hours of audio and hundreds of locations where we share stories and information. In some guides, Just Ahead’s points of interest and stories cover more than 350 miles of roads.

Why does Just Ahead only have guides for US national parks?

Just Ahead started with US national parks because they are treasured natural assets that are visited each year by 273 million people from around the world. In the future, we intend to go beyond the parks and offer guides for other major road trip destinations, including California Highway 1, Route 66, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Hawaiian Islands, and many others.

What should I do if I have technical issues?

Visit our support web page at: https://www.justahead.com/support.

What languages do you support?

Just Ahead guides are currently only in English, but we are evaluating translating the guides into additional languages. Feedback in this area is appreciated.

What is the best way to listen to Just Ahead?

For the best audio experience, listen to Just Ahead through your car stereo. If you can’t do that, don’t worry; Just Ahead plays just fine through your speakerphone.

My background music keeps playing every time a Just Ahead story plays, even when I have it paused or stopped. What can I do?

This unfortunately is something we cannot control, some car manufacturers have set up their car stereos in very unusual ways, but we do have a few workarounds.

1) Instead of connecting your phone to your car stereo just play the audio through your phone speaker. This eliminates the car stereo from the equation and the background music should stop playing. Another way to listen to Just Ahead would be to use a separate bluetooth speaker, like a Jawbone Jambox or a Braven BRX.

2) Another alternative is to download this file and add to your music collection. It is an 18 minute long audio file with no sound. Start it playing a set it to “repeat song”. This way you have a blank audio file playing in the background that will repeat over and over again and not disturb your just ahead audio.

We wish there was a better solution, but unfortunately some car manufacturers have set up their car stereos in very unusual ways.

I love Just Ahead’s audio guides. How can I tell the world about them?

You’re too kind! We’re glad you love the guides, and we are always thankful when customers write reviews of Just Ahead in the App Store. You can also like our page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/justaheadapp) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/JustAheadApp — @justaheadapp). Please also feel free to share our Facebook posts and photos with your own Facebook friends. How you tell others is up to you, but know that we appreciate it. Thank you.