technology tuesday: pinterest, a (hopefully) soon-to-be app, and a must-visit website

Posted on January 21, 2014 by jaunt blog

i’m pretty pumped about this week’s technology tuesday. a dream-come-true, a (hopefully) soon-to-be app, and an extremely helpful website…enjoy!

a snapshot of my work-in-process pinterest maps. currently only of the US, but expanding to my international pins soon!

pinterest maps – as you may have read on jaunt’s twitter a couple of weeks ago, i’ve been busy mapping jaunt’s pins. what does this mean, you ask? well, basically heaven. over the past year, i’ve pinned so many great sites – both from jaunt posts and also from other pinners. i try to group them by location, but it can be hard to visualize and find everything quickly. enter: the pinterest map! i can now add a location to pins, and they are placed on a map for each board. mapping existing pins is extremely time-consuming, but i’m hopeful for quick mapping/pinning in the future. for now, you can check out my US boards (i’ve mapped each state separately), as well as my world board, which will have each pin on it and mapped. so helpful when planning a trip that crosses borders, goes off the beaten path, etc. transform those pins into reality, people!

roundtrip app design from the terminal velocity series at fastco design

roundtrip app – my friend, stephanie, shared this app-in-process with me a few weeks ago. just in theory for now as part of the terminal velocity series from fastco design, it seems similar to the tripit app, which i reviewed here a couple of months ago, with added perks like budget tracking during vacations, alerts to leave your house for the airport based on current traffic situations, and notifications of weather changes to help you pack in advance. the app is still in the works (at least let’s hope so), but you can check out the proposed design and features here. cross your fingers that this puppy makes it to market soon – the sleek design is enough for me to download ASAP.

check out seat guru's website or app for the best seat on your flight.

thought you wanted seat 14a? think again – limited reclining and very cold! however, extra legroom! check out seat guru’s website or app for the best seat on your flight.

seat guru – now a part of the trip advisor suite, seat guru has been a fan of mine ever since i started traveling for work. type in your flight number, airline, and plane model, and this website will tell you which seats are best to reserve. you may think that front-row business class seat is the best for added leg room, but it’s actually across from the restrooms and there is no window in this row. or perhaps the window seat you originally wanted is in a row that is difficult to exit if your aisle buddy is asleep. i check seat guru during every reservation now, and would not leave home without it. though i’ve always visited the website, there is also a free app now.

i love receiving new tips and suggestions for technology tuesday, so please send me any great travel tech advice you’ve come across! until next time…

happy new year!

Posted on January 7, 2014 by jaunt blog

hiking through the woods in hot springs village, arkansas while visiting family.

hello, again! and happy new year! it seems like ages since i last posted. after a fantastic christmas hiatus, jaunt is back! warning: i am about to enter my busiest time of year at work and, therefore, the posts may be fewer and far between. as jaunt tends to help relax and motivate me, though, i may just find that i post more!

these past few weeks have left me a lot of time to think about new year’s resolutions (i know, i know), and i think there are a few worth mentioning:

more art from nasher sculpture center’s dallas-wide exhibit – this time at fish trap lake, as seen while exploring dallas with family in town.

live healthier – this one is a no brainer for some, but actually very difficult for me. if it was up to me, i’d read all day curled up on my couch while snacking on lemon bars and egg nog. as it turns out, that dream of a life is not so healthy for me. luckily for me, i do not have a trust fund to allow me to read all day (sad) and a generous neighbor gave me a free treadmill! late-night walks: here i come! walking in my guest room doesn’t seem to embody the adventurous spirit of jaunt, but my upcoming months will be spent working until late at night, and now we’re just talking about a safety issue.
live simpler – after our move from los angeles to dallas, we were able to upgrade the size of our home. with it came oodles of free space – a blank canvas, but also an impossible feat to fill immediately. remembering that i do not need things to define me is a good lesson, and also allows me to be more particular with what i fill my home. which leads me to my next resolution..

part of the nasher sculpture exhibit, as seen at the dallas audubon center while exploring with family in town.

travel more – it would seem that traveling more not be very simple. however, i read a study once (i cut it out and put it in my travel journal) that proves that people that spend their money on memories (i.e. traveling together) are happier than people that spend their money on tangible goods (i.e. clothes, electronics, etc.). of course. traveling more could turn out to cost more money, but not if i take smaller, simpler trips. my husband and i spent some time this past month driving through arkansas, oklahoma, and texas, and i am overwhelmed by all of the places i’ve added to my list! these are easy trips that don’t take much time or money, bring me closer to my friends and family, and allow me to explore. this goes hand in hand with my next resolution…
spend more time with great friends and family – social media has us keeping up with too many people in our lives, and not enough with those who are dear to us. this year’s goal is to spend more time with my family (so lucky to be so close again), and my best of friends. and since people are happiest making memories, i’ve decided to plan a few trips – a couple of family trips this summer, a trip with my bestie perhaps, a trip with friends and the husband…even if just a quick night trip to town nearby, memories will be made, and adventures will be had.

help me stay true to these, and fill me in on some of your new year’s resolutions!

buckstaff bath house in downtown hot springs, arkansas – as seen while visiting family over the holiday – must go back and explore!

holiday travel gift guide: the kiddos

Posted on December 16, 2013 by jaunt blog

1. madeline in london, $13.35 2. cardboard people from kidsonroof, €24,90 3. octopus luggage tag, $9 4. kid’s travel journal, $10.95 5. tiffany & co. fifth avenue box, $100 6. feed the world cookie cutter set, $10

christmas is literally next week…are you ready? just in case, i have a few more gift guides up my sleeve. i would have loved to have posted these earlier, but i actually do have a day job (shocking, i know). this week: the kiddos! i had so much fun putting this one together because the thought of inspiring kids to travel is such a great one. i still remember my first travel journal i wrote during a trip to disneyland with my cousins and aunt and uncle – i still read it! these gifts will have children dreaming of faraway lands in no time, and realizing there are different cultures than just their own. bon voyage!

holiday travel gift guide: the men in your life

Posted on December 10, 2013 by jaunt blog

after shopping for your best friend and mother, it’s probably time to find some gifts for the men in your life, especially those that travel for work. one thing i’ve learned from my husband is that he likes to keep travel simple. these gifts will help him do just that. from the obvious travel umbrella, manicure set, and garment bag (though what a garment bag that is!), to the less obvious 36 hours (read my rave here) to help him easily find where to eat/drink/see in any US city while traveling for a day or two for business. he can later unwind in the hotel room with this small bluetooth speaker and jot down notes from the day in the voyager notebook, which includes pockets for tucking away business cards and concierge notes. business travel never looked this good.

1. voyage travel journal, $11.86 2. 36 hours from the new york times, $39.99 3. rei travel umbrella, $35.50 4. gentleman’s hardware manicure set, $29 5. white wing garment bag, $495 6. bluboom bluetooth speaker, $68

holiday travel gift guide: your mother

Posted on December 5, 2013 by jaunt blog

1. bedandbreakfast.com gift card, any denomination 2. tory burch olea floral mix pom pom scarf, $165 3. sugar paper cabana stripe notebook, $16 4. travel america calendar, $26 5. the original flea bag, $440 6. julia child’s ‘my life in france,’ $16

the holiday gift guides continue (check out tuesday’s guide for your best girlfriend), with today’s finds for the women in your life: moms, grandmas, sisters, etc. while a couple of the items are splurges, i just couldn’t resist adding them – especially the flea bag tote that i spotted in denver last year and had to track down. for more reasonably priced travel-themed goods, check out the ‘travel america’ calendar (i may add this to my own wish list), and julia child’s “my life in france,” which i am reading now and cannot put down. mrs. child remembers her time spent living in france after the war, and her adventures in cooking for the first time. if we could all have the joie de vivre of mrs. child – how much fun it would all be! finally, a favorite of mine is the bedandbreakfast.com gift card. this is just forcing someone to take a weekend jaunt somewhere. how luxurious. happy giving!

holiday travel gift guide: your best friend

Posted on December 3, 2013 by jaunt blog

1. jonathan adler british flag coaster set, $48 2. stela 9 allende weekender, $282 3. gold dipped state necklaces by dogeared, $58 4. neiman marcus jewelry roll, $98 5. copper etched leather pouch, $48 6. taschen travel guide box set, $60

i’m not sure how, but the holidays are upon us! finally! this is my favorite time of year, and i thought i would celebrate with some travel-themed gift guides. studies have found that spending money on experiences (e.g. travel) provides much better happiness returns than spending money on things (i knew it!). booking a trip for you and your loved one sounds like, oh, the most perfect gift. but if you’re looking to spend a bit less, check out my gift guides for travel-inspiring finds.

first up: the best friend. if you’re looking to get away for a quick weekend with your partner-in-crime, this weekender, copper pouch, and jewelry roll should help you pack all your must-haves, while the taschen travel guide box set will help you figure out what to do once you arrive. if staying closer to home, these delicate gold-dipped state necklaces (confession: i received the california necklace as a gift and can’t stop dreaming of palm trees and orange sunsets) and british flag coasters help you dream of future trips.

next up: stay tuned for gift guides for moms, jetsetters, children, brothers who travel for work, and more.

travel tips: how to make the most of business travel

Posted on November 19, 2013 by jaunt blog

strolling past the floralis generica (giant silver flower that opens and closes) in buenos aires during a work trip during a break to explore.

i travel a fair bit for my work; mostly domestic travel, but every now and then i get the opportunity to travel internationally. since travel is, oh, just my favorite thing to do ever, i always want to take advantage of these trips to see new sites and experience the new place. but that can be difficult when your primary reason is business, and not pleasure. to help, i’ve compiled a list of things that will help add some jaunts to your business travel.

remember you are there to work. it’s great that your employer is sending you to france for a week, but they probably aren’t going to like it too much if you show up late each day after staying out too late the night before exploring on your own. remember that work is your priority when you travel for business, and that you have earned this right. don’t screw it up by slacking off while you’re there – you may not be invited back.

understand your itinerary in advance. work with your colleagues to understand how your days will be structured. will you have a break during any days, or perhaps a dinner where you are on your own? if so, take advantage of that time to explore on your own. on a recent business trip to verona, we had a two-hour break before dinner. after catching up with my emails and to-do list first (see #1), i grabbed an umbrella and headed out to explore the old part of the city on my own, which brings me to my next tip:

a quick jaunt to the river in verona after wrapping up work for the day

plan ahead. understand where you would like to visit should you have the time. know where the sites are in relation to your hotel or office, so that you are ready for a quick jaunt should the opportunity arise. i had mapped out the sites i wanted to see using CityMaps2Go before hand (see more on this app here), so i was able to head out immediately and not stop to plan during my precious down time.

a quick photo of verona’s castle bridge while walking back from our office to our hotel

use your colleagues. are you meeting with people based in that area’s office? ask them for recommendations for excellent restaurants or parts of town. they know the area best and will be able to point you to the best spots that aren’t necessarily on the tourist radar. have them join you for meals to point you to the local dishes, and learn about their culture over drinks and dessert. some of my favorite moments while traveling for work are the relationships i’ve made with colleagues and clients.

trying brazil’s famous local feijoada with brazilian coworkers during a work trip to brazil last year

try to extend your trip. if able, see if you can add a day or two on the front or back of your trip. if the flight cost is the same, and you’re willing to pay for the additional nights at the hotel, many employers will not mind. i was unable to do this for my most recent trip (again, see #1!), but i was able to do this last spring when i visited argentina. we arrived a day early and explored on our own, and were able to get a good night’s sleep prior to early meetings the following morning.

checking out the brownstones of brooklyn heights during a weekend in nyc following a work training in manhattan the previous friday

what are some of your business travel tips, or some of your favorite business trip destinations?

technology tuesday: best travel apps

Posted on November 12, 2013 by jaunt blog

the palazzo maffei in verona, as found via the CityMaps2Go app

i never thought i would write about technology with travel, but i enjoyed writing my technology thursday post about favorite travel websites so much, that i just had to continue it. technology tuesday sounds quite a bit more pleasing to the ear, though, so tuesday it is.

after switching over to the iphone recently (ironically, the new blackberries that i love are not supported by my firm’s ancient email system), i decided to explore a few travel apps for my trip to italy this past week. after doing a bit of dedicated and diligent research (i googled “best travel apps”), i found three that are ah-mazing and greatly improved my travel experience:

tripit – i had heard of this for awhile now (you may have already been using this for years – i’m a little behind the times), and it sounded too good to be true. the app organizes all of your travel confirmations (e.g hotel, airfare, rental cars, etc.) into one easy-to-read itinerary, complete with all confirmation numbers, departure times, travel agency phone numbers, and more. it is extremely easy to use, as well: simply email your travel confirmations to the app’s email address, and within 30 seconds your itinerary is uploaded, organized, and ready to go. a couple of features i really enjoyed included that a) it was free (there is a version you can pay approximately $5 per month for added features, but i found those unnecessary) and b) i could send multiple confirmations for the same trip, and it still organized them together (e.g. i booked my hotel in a separate confirmation, emailed it to tripit, and it seamlessly organized it with my flight and gave me directions from the airport to my hotel.

the easy-to-read itinerary front page, with the more detailed information page. scroll down on both for confirmation numbers, customer service lines, frequent flyer miles, etc.

gate guru – this little guy earned major points in my book. it syncs with your tripit (yes!) and knows from your itinerary which gates/terminals you will be arriving into/departing from. based on this information (which updates continuously for free, and which is a service that you must pay for on tripit), it lists all the amenities near your particular gate. if you’ve read my about me page, you know that terminals without mcdonald’s threaten to ruin my airport experience. gate guru was able to navigate me to the nearest mcdonald’s, airline lounge, atms, restrooms, etc., and gave me the ability to rate and review them, and share them with other users. it also provides maps of the airport, which came in quite handy trying to navigate the check-in counters in frankfurt.

the gate guru app home page, and more detailed page with amenities in the frankfurt airport

CityMaps2Go – i tend to shy away from apps that aren’t free, but this one at $2.99 is a complete steal. i do not have an international phone plan, so when i travel, i’m at the mercy of wifi hot spots or data already saved onto my phone. CityMaps has maps from all over the world, as well as lists of popular restaurants, tourist attractions, hotels, and more. further, it syncs with wikipedia to bring you more information on tourist sites. before my trip to verona, i downloaded the verona map from CityMaps (you only want to download what you need; otherwise they would take up entirely too much room), as well as the wikipedia package for the sites. i then was able to pin on the maps each of the tourist sites i wanted to see, as well as my hotel, restaurants i had reserved, etc. when i arrived in verona (without any phone service), i whipped out my phone, grabbed an umbrella (unfortunate day of rain), and jaunted around the cobble-stone streets reading all about the sites without getting lost. i also tried downloading maplets, a similar app, but found it inferior for international maps. and since i have phone service in the US, why would I need it for domestic maps?

the downloaded map of verona, pinned with my must-see tourist sites (yellow), my hotel (blue), and a restaurant at which i had reservations (green), along with the wikipedia page for one of the tourist sites (see photo at top of post)

do you have any favorite travel apps? if so, please share!

my jaunts: the coast starlight

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jaunt blog

view of mount shasta in northern california from the coast starlight

about a year after i moved to LA, los angeles magazine mentioned huell howser as one of their top 50 favorite things of LA. not one to miss out, i instantly googled huell, and learned he was a popular los angeles tv personality (he has since passed away, RIP HH), with multiple shows on public television that chronicle his travels through california. i instantly fell in love. huell was an extremely charismatic man, who was paid to travel through california, meet people, and talk about their adventures on television. dream job!

after setting up a series recording for all of his shows (he has many), i learned he would be appearing at train day at union station. sounds nerdy, but we went and met huell! we also were able to tour many of the trains at union station and learn of the routes. it is here that i learned of the coast starlight, the amtrak train that travels from los angeles to seattle over a 36 hour period. sold.

meeting huell howser at los angeles’ train day at union station

two years later, we boarded the coast starlight at union station, found our roomette, and off we went! our car attendant brought us champagne as a send-off, which only helped to reinforce the fact that we had made an excellent decision. since we had a sleeper room (“room” is a bit of a stretch, but the space served us well), we had access to the parlour car, which included personal dining (with a delightful and witty waiter, greg) and arm chairs in which to relax and enjoy the views. we also visited the sightseer car, with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dramatic landscapes.

a champagne send-off on the coast starlight in los angeles. all aboard!

the early afternoon of day 1 was spent enjoying the breathtaking ocean views of the southern and central california coast. though we had taken a trip through central california earlier that summer, the train meandered through the rarely seen views from vandergriff air force base, which is off-limits to drivers. a guide who formerly worked on the base peppered us with some interesting tidbits about the area and the base. we enjoyed a wine and cheese tasting in the dining car that afternoon (all included in the price of our ticket), which included wine and cheese from regions we passed on our route.

coastal views in central california, just north of santa barbara

when we woke up on day 2, the scenery was completely different: deserts and coastal cliffs now turned into mountains and pine trees as we travelled through oregon and washington. we met more of our fellow travelers (i had no idea such a large train community exists!), and swapped stories from our respective hometowns.

views of oregon on the second day of our coast starlight train ride

the most memorable part of the trip, though, was the relaxation that ensued. on a train, i was trapped. i couldn’t work (wifi is available, but only works about half the time), i couldn’t run errands, and i couldn’t worry about delays (and there were many delays; definitely do not make plans at your destination for the four-hour period after you are scheduled to arrive). instead, i spent time reading, chatting with my husband, and meeting people from all over the world. i enjoyed the diverse views, and finally had some time to think, without caring about the urgencies of my everday life. how often do our trips afford us that luxury?! next up: the empire builder line from seattle to chicago. montana, here i come.

the dining car in amtrak’s coast starlight

who should go: explorers, those looking for some time to relax

who should not go: the high maintenance

what to read: a murder on the orient express, agatha christie

what to watch: darjeeling limited

what to pack: rooms are small, so pack light. a scarf and cardigan will protect you from the changing temperatures on different cars. a camera is a must.

a week at heathrow

Posted on October 30, 2013 by jaunt blog

“there is no one, however lonely or isolated, however pessimistic about the human race, however preoccupied with the payroll, who does not in the end expect that someone significant will come to say hello at arrivals.”

we are told to never judge a book by its cover, but it is hard not to do so with alain de botton’s ‘a week at the airport,’ which has a crisp photograph of heathrow airport in london at night and from a distance, the airport at which de botton was allowed to spend one week carte blanche. the book is short, separated in sections of departures, airside, and arrivals, peppered throughout with photographs of his experiences from photographer richard baker.

i purchased the book in brooklyn after being immediately arrested with the cover and the idea. to spend an entire week in an airport seemed at once exhausting but also intoxicating. we so often hurry through airports rushing towards our flight, exhausted on arriving after a red-eye, frustrated at canceled trips due to dubious weather changes. terminals see all range of emotions, eloquently described by de botton with his stories of both the anguish over a traveler’s missed flight when the aircraft was still parked fifty feet away, and the homecoming triumph of a father hugging his young son who he hadn’t seen in months.

chaos at the airport in buenos aires after cancelled flighs, angry passengers, and flight crews who discussed the flight status in front of me, not knowing i understand spanish.

when flying home, i always look for familiar faces at the gate as i deplane, expecting friends and family to randomly be boarding the next flight (since we live in the same city) rather than the more probable line of people connecting to a flight from another location. i rarely eat at the nicer restaurants, preferring an egg mcmuffin to the finer establishments lining the halls with the perhaps surprisingly stunning front-row views of people outside of their element, mostly alone, forced to find their way in an often unfamiliar and confusing landscape. what a gold mine!

de botton’s week at the airport provides not only insightful observations of the goings-on at an airport – coupled with photos that bring the writing to life – but also creates in the reader a yearning to go back to these airports with a different view. we expect so much from our travels (is it too much to ask for a trip to change our lives?) and our time at the airport – which bookends our travel – can reflect our expectations in surprising ways.

do you have any great airport stories?

jaunt: one girl's search for adventure

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