The Independence Day holiday week is right here, and millions of American families are heading out on the open road. Where past generations depended on paper maps and Mad Libs, the march of technology has given us new tools for kids and parents alike. Here is a list of apps and games for road trips are accompanied with standbys and alternates to match up with your specific travel needs.

When you're on the road, you will find walkie-talkies is so useful, here are three popular apps that simulate the PTT experience on the iPhone are Voxer, HeyTell and Zello (all free).

Voxer Walkie-Talkie PT

Voxer® is a Walkie Talkie app for smartphones. Send instant Audio, Text, Photo and Location messages to one friend or a group of your friends. Your friends can listen to your message while you talk or check it out later.

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Zello Walkie Talkie

Zello is the place for free live private and public conversations.

Join millions of people who use Zello instead of texting. You can use it one-on-one with a friend, for a live group call with your family or soccer team. The Zello app can even replace 2-way radios at work.

HeyTell

HeyTell® is a cross-platform voice messenger that allows you to instantly talk with friends and family. No account needed—just start the app, choose a contact, and push the button to start talking!

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Eyes on the road, please! If you want to automatically alert your friends or family at your destination that you're making progress, check out the free En Route!. The app will automatically update your selected contacts with your expected arrival time and optionally share your location as you go.

En Route!

En Route helps groups coordinate in real-time, can reduce wait anxiety, improves time management and can mitigate some forms of distracted driving.

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Find My Friends

Find My Friends allows you to easily locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Install this free app on your iOS 5 device and sign in with the Apple ID you use with iCloud. Adding a friend is easy – just send a request to see their location. Once your friend accepts using the Find My Friends app, you will then be able to see that friend’s location on a list or on a map.