Category Archives: travel tips

technology tuesday: best travel apps

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

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.

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

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)

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!

a week at heathrow

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alain de botton's "a week at the airport"

“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.

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?

technology thursday: travel websites that change it all

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imagine if you could have your friends and family fund your travel. where would you go? the sky is the limit!

imagine if you could have your friends and family fund your travel. where would you go? the sky is the limit!

i thought it would be fun to write a travel technology post each tuesday, complete with innovative websites, apps, etc.  then monday night turned into tuesday night and tuesday night turned into wednesday night,and now i bring you travel technology tuesday thursday!

on this inaugural travel tech thursday, i thought i would highlight a few sites that have helped me travel (and one that i can’t wait to start using).

just googling some info on northern california during a recent train ride from los angeles to seattle (stay tuned for post!)

just googling some info on northern california during a recent train ride from los angeles to seattle (stay tuned for post!)

1. triptease.com – my friend, katie, turned me on to this website, which provides clean, exciting layouts for personal travel recommendations.  anyone can join for free and start creating travel reviews – for hotels, restaurants, cities, you name it – with professional-looking layouts that scream sophistication.  check out jaunt’s recommendations here.  i have found this extremely helpful when planning a trip, too.  type in a city name, and you can instantly learn the hot spots in town from style setters’ recommendations.

a recent post i wrote on a restaurant in dallas on triptease.com

a recent post i wrote on a restaurant in dallas on triptease.com

2. trevolta.com – my friend, katie (and not the katie of triptease.com but another katie of auditing fame), sent me this site last week.  and – holy travel! – does this sound amazing!  basically, it’s like kickstarter for travel.  you create a page with your dream destination, when you would visit, what you would do, and – most importantly – how much money you need to make it happen.  and then you send to people to contribute!  say you’ve always wanted to go to brazil and would just love to go during the world cup next summer.  well, you could write up a post, estimate your cost, and send out to friends and relatives just in time for the holidays so they can fund your trip instead of paying for another bed, bath, and beyond giftcard (not that another bb&b gift card wouldn’t be amazing, as well).  the homepage also mentions “generous donors,” implying that strangers can be inspired by your trip and donate, as well.  the site is still in its planning phase, but it’s rolling out soon. sign up on their website and invite friends to get yourself to the top of the list.

my husband eating corn from the san luis obispo thursday night farmers' market, noted on eatwellguide.org for sustainable food!

my husband eating corn from the san luis obispo thursday night farmers’ market, noted on eatwellguide.org for sustainable food!

3. eatwellguide.org – my inner hippie from los angeles is coming out on this one. let’s say you’re taking a road trip from los angeles to dallas (ok, selfish thought as this was the road trip my husband and i made at least once – sometimes twice! – each year) and you’re sick of eating fast food while on the go.  there’s only so many chicken mcnuggets and $5 footlongs you can eat while being completely sedentary and still feel good about your life.  enter: eatwellguide.org, your quick guide to healthy and sustainable options while driving across the country (or visiting a new city!).  i haphazardly entered albuquerque, new mexico as a search term since this was often where we would spend the night.  the site returned two bakers, one bed and breakfast, two community gardens, six farmers’ markets, and ten restaurants that all promote sustainable food.  so much better than junk food!  and if you’re planning on staying awhile, they also recommend, co-ops, farmers, etc.

i just bought an iphone (after rocking the blackberry for 4+ years), and can’t wait to try some new travel apps during my trip to italy next month!  in the meantime, tell me which travel sites you love!

travel tips: how to pack for fall style

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traveling in the fall or winter can be difficult due to the size and quantity of the clothes required to pack (e.g. those boots needed for cooler weather probably take up a little more room than summer’s teeny weeny bikini and t-strap sandals).  so, what to do?

  • wear your bulkiest clothes on the flight, including your boots, coat, and tote
  • try to bring only one jacket that works for both day and night
  • stick to one color scheme, or bring prints that all work together (note below the gold, browns, and black tones all work together due to the combos in the bags and jacket)
  • remember to keep your clothes appropriate for your travel – if you will be doing a lot of walking (like i do), then pack comfortable shoes.  perhaps replace heeled boots for evening with wedge boots or a flat that is dressed up with a lot of hardware.
  • pack accessories that can dress clothes up a bit so you don’t have to have costume changes throughout the day

see below for some of my fall favorites.  do you have any tips for packing for autumn adventures?

fall-travel-style

1. merona crewneck pullover with bird print from target, $19.99  2. banana republic regalia drop earrings, $39.50  3. burberry leather trim blanket wrap jacket, $995  4. alice & olivia bauery boatneck bell sleeve dress, $237.60  5. clare vivier re bonjour clutch, $143  6. kate spade montreal boots, $398  7. coach legacy turnlock tote in mirror metallic metal, $348  8. the french knot pointy skimmer in suede from madewell, $98  9. j.crew stretch skinny herringbone cargo pant, $98

how to travel on a budget: accommodations

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a stay at the parker palm springs with a deal from jetsetter

a stay at the parker palm springs with a deal from jetsetter

turns out that traveling can be an expensive hobby, especially when your hotel is costing you an arm and a leg. call me crazy, but when i travel, i tend to spend minimal time in a hotel. while i like to stay in cool places with a great atmosphere and helpful staff, the costs can really add up and take over my travel budget. over the past several years, though, i’ve seen an amazing number of resources pop up devoted to budget travel, many of which have really good deals for hotels. here, i’ve pooled together some of my favorites for obtaining cheaper accommodations.

  • subscribe to every budget travel site you can find. my personal favorites are the ones that include luxury accommodations at discounted prices. try jetsetter, tablet hotels, and living social (check out their escapes section). through jetsetter, my husband and i spent a night at the luxurious and quirky parker palm springs for under $160 (to this day, my favorite hotel). my best friend and i were able to score a hotel one block from union square in san francisco for under $180 per night (rarely can you find anything in that area for under $250). and for our honeymoon, i found a great deal on jetsetter for the hotel hera in athens. it was walking distance to the acropolis, subway, and pedestrian mall, our room had a balcony with a view of the acropolis, and, best of all, we paid in USD and were therefore not subject to fluctuations in the euro. amazing.
our hotel in sedona, purchased from a deal on sniqueaway.com (now owned by jetsetter)

our fantastic hotel in sedona (our room had an outdoor shower!), purchased from a deal on sniqueaway.com (now owned by jetsetter)

  • try an apartment instead of a hotel. when my best friend and i were planning our trip to barcelona, we were struck by how expensive meals were. our solution? we booked an apartment for a week instead of a hotel. the apartment gave us plenty of room to spread out, cost less per night than a hotel in a similar area, and allowed us to have a kitchen where we could prepare lunches or snacks from food purchased at the market. this cut down significantly on meal costs, and we were happy to make our own bed fine with not having our bed made each morning. try airbnb for apartment rentals (or rent a private room in someone’s house/apartment for even cheaper), or search local apartment rental sites online.
just washing some dishes at our apartment in barcelona!

just washing some dishes at our apartment in the fashionable el born district of barcelona!

  • travel in non-peak times. ok, so this isn’t rocket science, but its true. a hotel room on a tuesday night is cheaper than one on a saturday night. however, not all of us have the luxury of unlimited vacation days to spare on midweek travel. instead, try traveling during non-peak months. i have a friend who always takes a trip with her husband over labor day; since kids are already back in school (or soon to be in school), she is able to find cheaper flights and hotels. my husband and i visited new york in the middle of december once for crazy cheap prices. it was after the thanksgiving rush, but before the christmas rush, and both our hotel and flights were much cheaper than usual. january and february are also inexpensive travel months.
  • sign up for every hotel point system, especially if you travel for work. points can add up fast, especially if you take advantage of promotions throughout the year. my marriott points from work have allowed me to stay for free for five nights in dc, two nights in seattle, countless nights in random cities for weddings, and one night at the ritz in half moon bay as part of our california central coast trip last year. i don’t have the matching hotel point credit card, but some of my coworkers have seen even more increases in points through that.

those are some of my favorite tips. what are yours?

our personal fire pit at our free room at the ritz in half moon bay - thanks, marriott points!

our personal fire pit at our free room at the ritz in half moon bay – thanks, marriott points!

travel tip: write home!

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receiving mail is one of life’s greatest pleasures (admit it: you get excited when you receive a hand-written letter or invitation in the mail). how many of us, though, actually take the time to write a letter? the world of emails, texts, and ipads have left us no real reason to send mail, other than the joy it brings both the sender and receiver.

sending postcards from my trips is one of my favorite parts of traveling. i love buying cheesy postcards in bulk from tacky tourist stands or finding the perfect photo of a cathedral that is currently ensconced in scaffolding (lookin’ at you, milan cathedral!). my friends and family then get to experience a part of my travels, and with a foreign stamp, postmark, and photo – most of the time for just around one US dollar.

usually the most difficult part of writing to friends back home is determing – in a foreign language – which stamp i need for my postcard. i find it easiest to address the card first, and then show the address – with the country’s name – to the attendant. also, remember to jot down the addresses of your friends and family BEFORE you leave home; just trust me on that one.

happy writing!

book review: so you’re going to travel

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so you're going to travel, by clara e. laughlin, a travel gem!

so you’re going to travel, by clara e. laughlin, a travel gem!

combing through the travel sections of denver’s west side books last week, i found a charming and somewhat humerous (so i thought) book titled so you’re going to travel. written by clara e. laughlin in 1938, the book provides all the information a traverler in the 1930s would need. i grabbed it immediately, and flipped through the pages, laughing at its entire chapter devoted to steamships, sailing day, and motoring abroad.

i had planned to write a post listing some of the more humerous advice ms. laughlin gave in regards to travel. however, while reading it on my flight back to LA, i started to realize something pretty quickly: that clara laughlin was one smart cookie. her advice is perfect, albeit somewhat out of date (i mean, this was written over 70 years ago). i googled old clara, and learned that she founded a travel service company that specialized in travel advice for women, and gave weekly radio talks on travel on the chicago daily news station. pretty great job, that clara had.

great advice for "landing day," when you arrive at your travel destination

great advice for “landing day,” when you arrive at your travel destination

a few things we can all learn from clara:

  • travel used to be incredibly different. this seems obvious, yes, but not obvious enough until i read this book. for example, if you wanted to travel to europe, you had to book your fare on a steamship through a steamship or travel agent (clara’s opinions on steamship agents is one of the more humerous rants in the book). the voyage would take at least eight days, and perhaps up to twelve! this meant that if you wanted to go to europe, you had to budget at least a month to include two weeks of transportations and one to two weeks of actual travel. and while i’m no expert on inflation, it seems like the costs of the trips back then were prohibitively expensive for most of america (unless you were willing to travel in the “no collar” or “immigrant” section, as clara lovingly refers to third class).
  • people traveled for the same reasons they do now. clara’s first chapter explores why we travel, and why we should travel. probably one of the most written-about topics on travel blogs, clara seems to nail it instantly: “perpetual discovery is, i say, the best equivalent i know for the fountain of youth. while we can keep staleness at bay, life is a continuing adventure. we crave new scenes, new faces, new sensations, new ideas; and only travel can give them to us. we’ll bring back new longings, of course; new wistfulness. but those are nothing to be afraid of; for our longings are one measure of our soul, and the trouble with too many of us is that we haven’t enough of them for things that really matter.” i think i would have been friends with this clara.
safety first! a chapter on healthy precautions while traveling.

safety first! a chapter on healthy precautions while traveling.

  • we shouldn’t travel for others. in clara’s second chapter, she discusses the importance of traveling for yourself, and not for your friends back home. what she means by this is that we should find what we, personally, would like to get out of travel, and not be persuaded by tour books or friends’ recommendations to see what we think we should see. this is such a basic concept, but is unbelievably hard to do. for example, i am really not a fan of impressionist art, preferring fauvist, modernist, and surrealist art much more. therefore, it seemed a natural choice to choose the pompidou to visit in paris over the orsay. holy smokes, you would have thought i had spent the entire trip in my hotel room based on the reactions of my friends. you went to paris and did NOT see the orsay? why even go at all?? well, its just not my thing. i love that clara identified this, and stresses to be true to yourself in travels.

i’ll keep you posted as i read more. there is a quite humerous section where she warns of diarrhea when travelling without ever using the word (upset is the word of choice). check it out, and remember to always travel for yourself!

clara has "known many interesting people, and talks delightfully about them!"

clara has “known many interesting people, and talks delightfully about them!”

reading my way around the world

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marfa book company, where i found the history of giant, which was later written into a movie filmed in marfa

marfa book company, where i found the history of giant, which was later written into a movie filmed in marfa

in case you haven’t heard, my husband is now a doctor. not the real kind of doctor, as he likes to say, but the kind that still gets some awesome initials after the name (i’d like to think that “cpa” still counts for something, but so far it’s not working in my favor). these initials (ph.d. in case you haven’t yet caught on) are from his five years spent learning everything there is about government and history. this proves to be a really useful skill when we travel and i say things like “now this country was on which side of the war?”

it's official: he's a doctor!

it’s official: he’s a doctor!

history was always my worst subject (ok, and chemistry). i could never remember the names and the battles, and the years just always blended together for me (is there really much difference between 1225 and 1290?). thankfully, travel is changing that, and making it more real to me than the pages of my former textbooks.

i have found that i really enjoy immersing myself in a travel destination through books, movies, and music. when traveling last summer to monterey, california, i read john steinbeck’s cannery row. not only did we visit cannery row and see the places on which the book was based, but we were also able to visit the steinbeck center in salinas and learn about steinbeck’s life growing up in salinas, and the true stories that inspired the book.

the pacific biological laboratories, fictionalized into western biological labs in steinbeck's cannery row (monterey, ca)

the pacific biological laboratories, fictionalized into western biological labs in steinbeck’s cannery row (monterey, ca)

i watched vicky cristina barcelona before my trip to barcelona. i read giant while traveling to marfa (still a favorite).  i picked up a copy of a moose and a lobster walk into a bar while stopped at a light house in portland, maine. and a tale of two cities made the french revolution come to life much more than that world history class i took as a freshman.  what better way to learn about the people and culture of a place than to read their stories and learn the history that defines the location?

interior of marfa book company, with tons of books on art, texas, and art in texas

interior of marfa book company, with tons of books on art, texas, and art in texas

other suggestions:
– read don quixote when in madrid and alcalá de henares (alcalá claims to be the birthplace of cervantes)
– read the age of innocence when in new york
– watch paris, je t’aime before heading to paris

what are some of your favorite location-specific reads/movies?

update: after writing this post, i was strolling through elliott bay book company in seattle (great bookstore if you are in the area), and came across an amazing resource, book lust to go. this book lists reading options (fiction and non-fiction) based on destinations. since i was about to head to barcelona, i checked the spain section, and it had the recommendation of the shadow of the wind, which takes place in 1945 barcelona, and was perfect for my trip (and long enough for the trans-atlantic flight). book lust to go is exactly what i’ve been looking for – pick up a copy!

visiting park guell in barcelona, as seen in vicky cristina barcelona

visiting park guell in barcelona, as seen in vicky cristina barcelona

map of steinbeck's travels in "travels with charley" at the steinbeck center in salinas, ca

map of steinbeck’s travels in “travels with charley” at the steinbeck center in salinas, ca

how to survive (and thrive!) on a red-eye

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red-eye flights used to invoke strong reactions of fear and loathing from me, as i am completely unable to sleep sitting up. the entire point of the red-eye is that you travel overnight, thus arriving first thing in the morning and reducing any hotel costs for the first night. clearly these are good ideas, but i needed to find a way to actually sleep on the red-eye to reduce my general grumpiness on day 1 of my trips. my recent trip to barcelona – which required a departure time of 8pm and an arrival time in london of 10am, proved the perfect time to experiment, and to much success! read below for some of my tips on arriving fresh and well-rested (and please leave me any of your tips, as well!):

  • sleep! – if you have any trouble at all sleeping on flights, i highly recommend an over-the-counter sleeping aid. i purchased the target version, and was out like a light for most of the trip. though i woke several times, i was so sleepy that i would return to sleep immediately, a large change (in the right direction) from my previous experiences. tip: do not take the sleeping aid until you have boarded your flight. i mistakenly took it in the gate prior to departure for a new york red-eye from LAX. my flight was delayed and it took everything out of me (and a strong cup of coffee) to stay awake for flight updates – lesson learned!. i have also found that a good eye mask will keep out any unwanted light from neighboring laptops or seat screens that keep me awake.
  • get comfortable – most flights will provide a blanket and pillow, but often these are not perfect for everyone. i am fine with the free pillow, but my husband prefers the neck pillow to prevent his head from dropping while he sleeps. these come in inflatable versions, as well, if you are worried about space in your carry-on (always an issue for me!). i also have ridiculously cold feet, so i pack a pair of socks to slip on during the flight.
  • hydrate and circulate – drink lots of water and stand up to stretch your legs every now and then. it’s all fun and games until someone gets a blood clot.
  • take out your contacts – sleeping in contacts causes my eyes to dry out and gives me actual red eyes, which are not so great. i try to not wear mascara, as well, as that proves problematic when i put in my contacts again.
  • bring a “freshen-up kit” for landing – i like to include hand and face wipes, powder, lip gloss, a brush, and breath mints/ mouth wash. nothing fancy, but it makes me feel more like someone ready to explore a new place and less like the grumpy frazzled morning person i usually am!

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1. the reflect kanteen, $29.95 2. inflight comfort kit from flight 001, $22 3. zebra print socks from madewell 4. chic and chilly eye mask from henri bendel, $16.80 5. west 57th contact lens case from henri bendel 6. f1 seat pak in mint from flight 001, $28

travel tips: buy 36 hours

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36 hours from new york times and taschen

36 hours from new york times and taschen

before traveling anywhere domestically, i had gotten in the habit of checking whether the new york times had written a “36 hours” series on the location. in the series, the writer lists what to do when spending a weekend (from friday evening to sunday afternoon) in select US and canadian cities. how thrilled i was last year when my husband told me the articles were combined and published into one book, 36 Hours, 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada (Taschen).

many of us don’t take advantage of the areas just outside our own homes, choosing rather to look at faraway destinations instead of taking roadtrips to explore seemingly random cities around us. no more, thanks to this book. since i purchased it last summer, i’ve referenced it when traveling for work to seattle and cleveland, visiting my brother in pittsburgh, and taking some time off for road trips to sedona, san diego, santa cruz, carmel, and big sur. i’ve also loved reading the los angeles section (there are six guides for LA: los angeles, downtown los angeles, hollywood, pasadena, santa monica, and malibu) and discovering new places in my own city.

for those of you already in love with this book, great news! taschen recently released 36 Hours, 125 Weekends in Europe. enjoy!

excerpt of the dallas article in 36 hours

excerpt of the dallas article in 36 hours