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Thanksgiving is right around the corner, meaning turkey, football and one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. To make sure your holiday stays focused on family, friends and food and less on airport delays, traffic jams and missed exists, we’ve rounded up seven essential tech travel tools to ease your holiday plans this year.

All you have to do now is sit back, enjoy your time with loved ones and be thankful.

1. Waze

Unless you want to get caught in bumper-to-bumper highway traffic this Thanksgiving, make sure you’ve downloaded Waze onto your iPhone or Android.

It’s no surprise Waze is the fastest-growing traffic and navigation app, because it shares road information and updated traffic updates. Waze lets you know when you’re approaching police, accidents, traffic jams or road blocks so you’ll know to reroute before it’s too late. You’ll save time and gas money with this handy app by your side.

2. Vonage Mobile

Vonage Mobile is a new calling app that lets you make free calls from your iPhone or Android smartphone. Holidays, for many of us, mean lots of time to catch up with loved ones — even the ones you can’t see in person. This app ensures you won’t go over minutes, because it lets you call for free.

If your friends or family are out of the country, Vonage Mobile offers lower rates than Skype for international calling — even if they haven’t downloaded the app. Just select to call “someone who doesn’t yet have Vonage Mobile.”

3. TomTom VIA 1605 TM

If you prefer to stick to a traditional GPS device rather than a smartphone app, be sure to consider TomTom’s latest, the VIA 1605 TM. If you think your smartphone is too small, you’ll surely prefer this device, which has an extra-large six-inch screen, bigger buttons and menus and a vibrant display.

Planning a long road trip for the holiday? Try out different navigation voices to add some entertainment, including Homer Simpson, James Bond or Han Solo. You may also choose the most fuel-efficient routes to save gas money and minimize your damage to the planet. The TomTom VIA 1605 sells for $299.95, so it could also be a nice holiday gift for someone special on your list.

4. Connectify

Don’t be stifled by a slow Wi-Fi connection on the road — use the Connectify router for Windows computers, which speeds your Internet by connecting to multiple networks at once. The software router uses your PC’s built in Wi-Fi card to create a hotspot you and nearby friends can use.

Connectify is a great tool for people trying to get work done remotely, stream movies from a relative’s sub-par network or upload a big batch of holiday photos. Mobile fans can upgrade to Connectify Hotspot PRO to share their phone or tablet’s 3G or 4G connection with all other devices. The Pro option sells for $29.99 for one year or $49.99 for a lifetime package.

5. GasBuddy

The holidays are enough of a drain on your wallet — better not waste money by going to the most expensive gas station in town. GasBuddy‘s mobile app can help with that.

The free app locates the cheapest gas nearby, in list or map view. You can also investigate the gas prices in towns along your trip, by entering a zip code or city. The app uses a crowsourced element, as well — report your findings to other users when you discover a price that’s more or less than what the app has listed. If you haven’t heard a compelling enough reason to download the app yet, check it out for the weekly $250 giveaway.

6. Flight+

Air travel can be incredibly frustrating, but you can minimize the unexpected delays with Flight+, one of the most extensive travel apps on the market for the iPhone and the iPad. Flight+ tracks and displays every flight from all airports around the world, updating information with weather or airline delays.

Even if you’re not flying this holiday season, Flight+ is a great way to track your friends and families’ statuses, so you know when to arrive at the airport for swift pickups. The app is loaded with handy details, such as gate changes and 10-day forecasts.

Image courtesy of Flickr, mackenziephoto

Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/16/thanksgiving-travel-tools/