Archive for the Category »Technology «

Nov
15th		   Travel Tip Tuesday: How to Best Navigate Airports, & Find Surprising Services
Leave a Comment Category: Airport Security, Technology, Travel Tags:

Don’t ya hate when you have a great idea, and someone beats you to developing it?

A few years ago I wrote up a book proposal  – a guide to the world’s busiest airports with maps and hours of operation for all amenities. Since travelers were spending more time at airports due to longer security checks, I thought it was a great idea. There have been many times myself when I landed somewhere at a late hour and wondered where I could find a restaurant that was open. Or times when I wanted to pick up a gift on the way home, and didn’t know where to go.

Anyway, I shopped the book around to a few literary agents, and they liked the idea.. just thought it might make a better magazine series, or couldn’t figure out if anyone beyond business travelers would need it.

SFO

In comes the “App” age. The airport guide is the perfect app idea. In today’s airports we are experiencing upgraded and even exciting amenities like cutting edge design, charging stations, gourmet food, and massage chairs so there is a lot more we can get excited about.

Airport Charging Station

There are some useful apps out there to help you get through airports, whether delayed, on a layover, or have time to kill waiting for a flight. They can also help you discover  hidden gems in various terminals.

I once had to buy a stopwatch for a shoot, and actually found a pretty great watch store in Denver’s airport… stumbled upon a fun wine bar in Oakland… have spent hours shopping in Heathrow…and even seen a full-service spa offering Brazilian bikini waxes. Good to know.

All of this can be info at your fingertips. Here are some airport assisting apps for you to check out – easy to carry right in your phone!

1) Flysmart App: Free on the iphone. Gives you maps of more than 25 domestic airports and what each one offers.

2) Airports are launching their own apps – look for guides under the airport’s name.

3) Gate Guru – free Android and iphone.

4) ifly Airport Guide -free Android and iphone.

Here’s to never getting lost in terminals again. :)

 
Oct
12th		   Can You Go Unplugged While On Vacation?
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel Tags:

Have you ever taken a trip and not checked email, phone messages, or social media?

On a recent trip, I went completely unplugged for about two weeks. Well, almost. I admit I did carry my phone so I could receive texts from people I told I would be unavailable, and I did send two urgent emails.

The other day, while waiting for a plane, I looked around me and everyone was on their mobile phones texting, talking, or emailing.

According to TripAdvisor, many of us use social media while traveling – 71% check Facebook on a daily basis. Some 60% of us regularly post -sharing photos or other travel experiences – while on the road. So why do we even need a travel companion when you have a whole built in group of friends traveling “with you”, who can provide colorful commentary? Kidding of course.

It is interesting to note these observations about electronic use and how it impacts us, and our travels:

—Scientists who study the topic say too much reliance on technology can inhibit deep thought and cause anxiety.
They say when the brain doesn’t relax, and has too much stimuli, one won’t be as introspective. Think about it: Many of us check our phones in tiny moments of boredom, when we could be having productive thoughts, or deepening relationships with a little chit chat, or admiring the architecture of a foreign place. Also -can you live in the present if you are always expecting an email?

–Scientists also say that the expectation of email seems to be taking up room in our working memory. They hypothesize that when a part of the brain is tied up in anticipation of an email or message, there is less space for new ideas or integrating information. You might not retain any highlights you learn while touring the Smithsonian, for example.

Bottom line: Vacation is supposed to be restorative. Try to go unplugged and you will see – and your kids will appreciate it when you don’t check your phone every 10 minutes during dinner. Has anyone succeeded in doing that?

 
Aug
04th		   Road Trip: You wouldn’t believe what is in your pit stop meals!
Leave a Comment Category: Family Travel, Technology, Travel, health, restaurants, road trip Tags:

My husband and his buddy just took all of our kids camping for a couple days. Camping is a ton of work  -  I give him credit. So I’ll let him slide on the many fast food stops they made on the way there and back due to bathroom stops, hunger pains, and ah yes.. even a flat tire now and then.

Gotta love my 9 year old daughter though. She came home and said “Mom – you wouldn’t believe the disgusting fast food we saw – Del Taco has chicken nuggets filled with mac and cheese (translation: fried mac and cheese) and funnel cake fried french fries.”

That was a moment of pride. Although it still takes work to make my kids appreciate vegetables – even from our garden – this was a sign of a break through.

On this very topic, I was astonished to read an interesting article on how bad some of these meals can be at fast food, or chain restaurants that you may normally stop at while traveling. For instance, the Italian Classic sandwich at Quizno’s has 1370 calories…86 grams of fat (holy cow!).. and 4490 mg of sodium. (OMG  - the recommended amount is between 1500-2200!)

This info is right out of “Men’s Health” magazine – pretty entertaining stuff that will make you think twice before you order those cheese fries at Outback Steak House. Check it out: http://www.menshealth.com/20worst/worstfood.html.

Another interesting article is “The 10 Most Unhealthy Fast Food Items on America’s Menus” http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/06/15/the-10-most-unhealthy-fast-food-items-on-americas-menu/

But fear not you road warriors, moms and dads alike. There is a smart phone app to save you from fried food overloading. The “Good Food Near You” app lets you find healthy (or healthier anyway) meals near your locale. Type in your zip code and up will pop restaurant info and nutritional info about items.

You don’ t have to be neurotic about healthy food to enjoy this – sometimes if you had the knowledge of a healthier meal just around the corner, wouldn’t you choose it over the Kentucky Fried Chicken  right in front of you?

Go to the app store and search for “Good Foods Near You.” It isn’t perfect – users say that sometimes it merely lists the healthiest items at the fast food chains nearest you, instead of knowing of other alternatives. But that’s a start.  And… it’s free.

A Votre Sante!

 
Mar
02nd		   Travel Tip Tuesday: Cool Gadget To Make Your Own Oscar Worthy Vacation Videos
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel, sports travel Tags: , ,

While I was skiing recently, I ran into a man with a camera propped on his ski helmet.

A video camera, about the size of a toilet paper roll. I’m no stranger to these because some of the most creative producers I’ve worked with have used helmet cams, but now the regular consumer can get one for a decent price. A high def, digital, entry level cam starts at about $150… and they can reach $2000 in the more professional quality equipment.

The benefits are you get a unique point of view from this cam – a film technique that lets you see things from the main character or movie makers perspective more naturally. Also – you can photograph anything – hands free! Attach to the helmet, and you can film your kids skiing in snowboarding in front of you in Tahoe, or the cafe scene while you are meandering down Boulevard St. Germaine. Or you can attach it to a harness…

It is an awesome gadget for adventiure travel, especially with sports-related activities. Many of the cameras available are water-proof, so taking them snow boarding, skiing, surfing, or swimming is not out of the question.

There are many brands available, but do you research – some don’t stay attached to helmets very well (or handle bars, or wherever you plan to attach so you can have your hands free). Also – many reportedly have bad audio capabilities – but hey, honestly, it is the exciting video that speaks louder anyway. Some places to begin research – helmetcameracentral.com, bikebling.com, or REI. Check out this super fun example from YouTube: Ski Jumping in Utah:

 
Feb
09th		   Travel Tip Tuesday: Health Conscious Travelers: Mangia!
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel, health, restaurants Tags: ,

Eating around the world can be tricky…especially if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or just a health conscious eater. But now there’s a website to help – www.happycow.net. It has a global directory that offers lists of specialty restaurants in various countries – from Croatia..to Bulgaria…to Sweden. If you are caught up in the Slow Food movement…. want to eat only organic… have allergies…or choose not to eat any dairy, the directory will list restaurants that offer a variety of options. Who knew you could find a vegan friendly, Ayurvedic pizzeria in Rome? Or a juice bar (wheat-grass on happycow.net makes sense…) in Paris?

I tested some of the samples by typing in my home town… admittedly, most of the restaurants that popped up are not ones I would choose to dine in while visiting top-chef-rich Los Angeles, but for those more dedicated to staying on their restricted diets, the restaurant choices are admittedly plentiful.

Personally, I prefer to try the authentic cuisine of the region and experiment with my palette while on vacation, but the website is still helpful. It is hard to eat clog-the-arteries-rich Fettuccine Alfredo every night. The website also gives you catch phrases in different languages that you might need in a restaurant – like “I don’t eat meat, fish, or chicken…” or “I am a vegan.”

For those of you who have diet-related new year’s resolutions… you don’t have to wait until the cows come home to eat healthy while traveling… it is right here: www.happycow.net

 
Nov
08th		   Airlines Not Responding After They Lost Your Luggage or Canceled Flights? Social Media Gets Better Results.
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel Tags: ,

The Wall Street Journal reports airline passengers get better “tweetment” after griping on social media. Click here to find out how :

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304173704575578321161564104.html

 
Oct
28th		   App Adventures: Good For Planning That Magical Trip.
Leave a Comment Category: Amusement Parks, Family Travel, Technology, Travel, Walt DIsney World Tags: ,

Just about as overwhelming as planning a trip to Orlando’s multi-theme park destination of Walt Disney World is trying to pick a park app that works best for you.

The good news is – there ARE actually apps for the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. (If you’ve never been, these are Disney’s different parks all on one “Disney campus” so to speak. )

The bad news: You have to weed through at least 40 apps to find the one best for you. (There are many apps available to both At&T and Verizon customers.)

So -are these electronic Disney directions worth it? And what do they do?

We just spent 5 days at Walt Disney World, and I think the most helpful app features for families to keep everyone smiling are:

1) Wait times – Wouldn’t it be nice to know the rides with no wait time? With kids in Orlando heat, you know it is hard to drag them all the way across the park for that “special ride” to find there is a two hour wait. Instead, there are apps that tell you in real time what the wait is.

2) Maps: Perfect for the mom who’s child waits until the last minute to go to the bathroom – a map that tells you with GPS where the nearest restroom is.

3) Restaurants: A restaurant guide with menus…. so you can check out the kids’ meals and prices before hand.

4) Ride details: Good to know what age one should be to ride… and any height requirements. Circumvent any disappointment ahead of time. Nice.

5) GPS of parking : So at the end of a long day, you remember where your car is! (My tip would be to stay at one of the resorts that have monorail service from the park!! Worth every penny. Save on a rental car.)

The one quality I didn’t see on any apps that would be cool is to allow park visitors to check in at a ride and get an electronic fast pass without actually going to the ride. Perhaps putting a limit on how many passes one can get for each ride would be a way to do it.  If anyone has seen this feature, please let  me know.

Another way to improve the apps – there were a lot of ride malfunctions that either closed rides for a short time, or just stopped moving, but kept the lines open. Info on changes in ride operations would be helpful also.

You can get some free apps that focus on one aspect above- say the wait times only,  just maps, or just hotels,  but there are other apps that include everything together for some $$$.

For $3.99 one that looks good is by Undercover Tourist – offering all the details for every park all in one app (i.e. maps, wait times, GPS, menus, ..) You just have to decide if you want to spend the $3.99 to have all the info in one app, but it is like having a travel guidebook in your back pocket.

**Undercover Tourist also has a free app, but it is called “lite” – without as many important details.

As convenient as these apps make your trip, they DON’T replace researching ahead. There is so much info, and so much to do at Walt Disney World, you have to have a grasp on all the parks and what each offers before you start using your app to make your trip more magical.

Happy planning – as I mentioned before, this is one of the least crowded times to visit – right before Thanksgiving!

 
Apr
28th		   Where I’ve Been: What Do You Think?
One Comment Category: Technology, Travel Tags: ,

So a few weeks ago in the LA Times I read about the website Whereivebeen.com. (I know – where have I been that I hadn’t seen this site before, right?) It intrigued me because the brief article mentioned you get travel bucks to spend on worthy causes the more you interact on Whereivebeen. So..I was excited to checked it out.

Whereivebeen is a website that allows you to share with friends the map of everywhere you’ve traveled or lived. The Facebook application of this site allows you to share with even more people. Whereivebeen also allows regular travelers to give reviews and advice on places they’ve been – which is nothing new to the internet. I personally like Tripadvisor for that..I have found reviews there to be a good gauge of  a favorable or unfavorable experience.

Whereivebeen has been touted as “the travel industry’s leading social networking application,” and I know it has thousands of followers, but am I missing something? Of course, you do get to show off everywhere you’ve been to an audience…but seriously if you HAVE traveled enough to brag about it, marking everywhere you’ve been on Whereivebeen can be a serious time investment.

What’s more, I hope it gets more detailed as the site grows. For example, as I was marking all the places I have been on my map, I found it interesting that the site does not offer places like St. Tropez, Lake Como, Hunter Valley, or some national parks as options to check off. However, it does offer a city like Bakersfield , CA. Last time I checked, there are more travel brochures on St Tropez than Bakersfield.

St. Tropez, France

Two of the best things about this website is that you earn “travel bucks” each time you interact with Whereivebeen – for instance, answer a question or write a review and you earn bucks. The bucks can be spent on things like planting trees or helping with a child’s education in a poor country.

Another nice feature is that you can store in your own page places you’d like to go…which can be helpful when planning your next trip – you have all your desired locations right there.

I am sure some people find the site fun – but it seems like it is for those with a lot of time on their hands – and good for you if you are one of those! I am envious. If there is something more that I have missed, please set me straight…

 
Mar
16th		   Tuesday Travel Tip: What is your favorite travel app for the iphone?
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel

I read all the rave reviews, so I had to try the Apple app Packing (+ To Do) for my upcoming trip.  It is on sale now at the app store – 50% off.

What Packing does is help you organize your life during those hectic days right before a trip. It offers a “to do list”…and lists of items you may want to pack so you don’t forget anything: essentials, clothes, gadgets (like rechargers!!), and toiletries. What you do is choose the items in the app list that pertain to your trip – For instance are you male or female? Are you traveling light? Do you need gloves and a hat? What kind of medications do you need to take? You them categorize it into a trip title you create, i.e. “Visit Home” or “Trip to Italy.”

The program still requires you to think things through, even though your brain may already be laying on that beach. But when you are done analyzing your needs, you can create your own list from scratch or add things to the app’s pre-made lists. Then you have your own personalized check list of things to pack so you won’t forget. (Ladies – Especially helpful when you are packing for a whole family…does any husband ever pack for the kids? )

Once you pack an item, you can electronically check that item off…that way once your luggage is full and you can’t remember if you packed those running shoes,  your iPhone will show you so you don’t have to wade through all your neatly packed items.

If you are like me and make  ”to do lists” several times a day, this is nice because you can be out somewhere, think of something you need to do before you go, and simply add it to your ongoing list right at that moment before you forget. You won’t need to consolidate (or find) all of the paper lists you may have made in the past because it will all be in one place on your iPhone.

There are also checklist items “to do” that involve work issues – like changing the outgoing voice message or setting an autorespond email. And, you can export lists to your iPod touch or another iPhone.

Overall, Packing is convenient, but not life-changing. I don’t know what I expected… I love being organized so I will probably use it, but the bigger problem of forgetting something is still possible, ironically, if you forget to add it to one of their pre-made lists.  Now… if it would only pack for me….

P.S. I’ll be using other apps on my trip and will review those.