Category: Technology & Apps

Say it isn’t true; breaking up with an app is hard to do

1girlwhotravels Technology & Apps March 9, 2017 1 Comment

I hope you are sitting down! I have some bad news for you. Our beloved Worldmate app is breaking up with all of us! All functionality will be no longer be available effective the 31st March. Sigh! We worked so well together and we were all so familiar with all the features. After the 1st of April you will not be able to add new trip reservations to the app. However until September 2017 you will have access to view all previously added trip reservations.

After a glass of wine I began the search for my new guy; ahh I mean a new itinerary trip management app. I checked out several apps that are available and I am currently “dating” a new app called TripIt. I tested it with loading a few reservations and so far the functionality seems to work well. Don’t tell anyone but it has some additional features that will be incredibly helpful. For example; it will allow you to connect multiple email addresses to your account and automatically forwards the reservations into the system. However it does not support automatically deleting any reservations that have been cancelled.

Do you have any favorite travel itinerary apps to recommend?

Seek your adventure!

3 hot travel apps!

1girlwhotravels How to, Technology & Apps December 2, 2016December 2, 2016 0 Comment

Ladies and Gents I hope you are sitting down and ready to download some awesome apps! My love for travel has overtaken my timely new blog posts as I have traveled on 17 flights in the last few weeks. My apologies everyone!

All 3 of these amazing hot apps are FREE!

Rome2Rio:

This app provides you with a quick price comparison on transport options between any 2 cities you enter. The transport options included vary based on destination but could include flights, trains, bus, ferry, rideshare, taxi and estimated cost to drive. While it does not take into consideration the date of travel it will quickly give you a general sense of the time and cost for each option. It links to accommodations, attractions, and finds google ads with links to recent sales.

Here is an example: Bangkok Thailand to Siem Reap Cambodia.

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LoungeBuddy

This app gives you a quick overview of your options for lounge access based on your itinerary. While you may recall that I currently do not have status with any airline. However I do have lounge access though several different credit cards and one time passes. Once you have entered into the app which credit cards, elite status, lounge club memberships you currently have you are ready to roll.

You simply enter your itinerary including the airports, airline, and cabin class. It will provide you a list of lounge options that have you may have access to and specific details on where they are located in the airport. It also includes details regarding hours of operation, amenities, reviews and if you are allowed to bring guests along with you.

If you you are interested in a $10 credit, use my referral code VXSJUD85U6 when you visit loungebuddy.com.

Postagram

This is an amazing app that lets you create a custom postcard with your personal photos and personalized text. It will be sent via US Mail and be delivered within 5-7 days. No more searching for the right postcard or stamps in foreign countries! In addition the photo pops out of the postcard for a 3 x 3 inch photo to tuck into your purse or post on your fridge. All this for only 99 cents a postcard!

I still highly recommend 2 of my favorite apps I blogged about last year: check out Worldmate & Triposo

Seek your adventure!

Momondo.com saves you big $$$

1girlwhotravels Flights, How to, Technology & Apps June 29, 2016March 7, 2017 0 Comment

Sunset dance in Palau — Amazing sunset in Palau

This past weekend I was able to put my travel knowledge into action to save hundreds of dollars! My neighbor was in a dilemma for booking flights on an upcoming international business trip. While his employer has no required airline carrier, he has a personal preference and wanted to surprise his wife with a ticket to join him. The flight prices were on a steady increase, ideal flight times were quickly diminishing and his preferred airline seemed impossible.

Here I come to save the day with my travel acumen and of course I am wearing a cape!

I encouraged him to try utilizing the travel search engine called momondo.com. Well within 2 hours he stopped by to tell me he booked the flights on his preferred carrier, with excellent departure times, and it was over $400 cheaper than he had seen anywhere else.

Momondo.com found the perfect flight and I enjoyed the victory lap as a dinner guest at the neighbor’s home.

Seek your adventure!

New York Times Travel Show – Book your own flight to Cuba!

1girlwhotravels Destination ideas, How to, Technology & Apps January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 3 Comments

NYTimes travel show This past weekend I attend the New York Times Travel Show in one of my favorite cities. I love New York! This is the largest travel show in North America and it was impressive. I can hardly wait for next year’s event.

Here are the highlights of what I learned from the seminars, exhibits, vendors, etc…

CUBA

You can take yourself. No Group required. No special visa required. Identify travel activities in one of the 12 categories. As Arthur Frommer the “grandfather of travel” says book your own flight.

Best airfare prices

Domestic travel book at miminum 57 days advance
International travel book at minimum 171 days advance
Sunday is cheapest day of the week to purchase average 19% lower
Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly
skyscanner.net & momondo.com consistently showed lowest airfare prices

2016 Top Destinations

Colombia – new airline from Miami called Viva Colombia with low prices
Iceland
Chennai & Kerala India
Canada – amazing exchange rate!
Japan – amazing exchange rate!
Champagne France – amazing exchange rate and drink real champagne all day!
Celebrate 100th anniversary of National Parks
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Washington DC
Russia – amazing exchange rate!

Seek your adventure!

2 Must have travel apps!

1girlwhotravels Technology & Apps, Travel Guides November 19, 2015December 1, 2015 2 Comments

Here are 2 of my favorite mobile apps that I utilize on a regular basis for travel and yes they are FREE!

Worldmate: It will store all of your flights, hotels, train reservations, car rentals etc. It is super easy to utilize. You simply email your confirmation details to trips@worldmate.com and it stores everything together. It allows you to export your trip details to share your itinerary with family, friends, or anyone else who might want to know where in the world you might be. It supports online check in and alerts you if you don’t have a hotel reservation for any dates in your itinerary. You can access it via the website or mobile device. It does everything but make your coffee!

Triposo: It provides a mini travel guide for many destinations around the world. I typically download the specific city or country I am going to weeks in advance so I can “save” my list of places I want to visit. My favorite feature about this app is that it allows you to access maps offline with GPS feature. In other words, I don’t have to find wifi or utilize expensive data plans to access GPS map functionality. This is extremely helpful for those rambling streets that change names and you suddenly find yourself lost. It also provides suggested walking tours or customized walking tours including places from your “saved list” which is an amazing feature! This can literally save me hours of work trying to find the places I want to visit on the map and coordinate options to plan out my days.

My Island Hopper Bonanza voyage begins this weekend!!! I will be traveling just over 19,000 miles in 11 days. Phew! Thank heavens I saved my air miles and I will be in business class the entire journey drinking champagne. I will have more frequent posts during my trip so watch this space. For all my loyal subscribers I respect your email inbox and you will continue to receive only 1 email per week.

After my years working abroad spending Thanksgiving away from family I have made travel is my new tradition. I have spent Thanksgiving in some amazing locations including Iguazu Falls, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Bali and for that I am forever grateful. I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are few highlights from last year’s Thanksgiving in Bali.

Seek your adventure!

It is all Greek to me?

1girlwhotravels How to, Technology & Apps November 12, 2015March 7, 2017 2 Comments

Have you ever struggled to read websites in a language that you do not speak? I often find myself doing research for a trip and looking up local events on a website I cannot read. Good news there is a quick and easy solution! Many of you may already use this but past weekend I was talking with a friend who was not aware of this trick so I thought I would share it.

Thank goodness for Chrome translate option for your browser. You simply complete the setup then every time you visit a website that is not in a language that you are familiar with it will ask if you want it to be translated. It actually will save your preferences.

Check out the cute little YouTube video in the link and you will be reading Japanese websites today. Please keep in mind that not everything will translate perfectly but it will most likely get you 90% of the way there.

Bon voyage.  Gute reise. Ασφαλή ταξίδια. Viaggi sicuri. 안전한 여행  Säkra resor. 
Bezpečné cesty. Teithiau diogel. आशा है आपकी यात्रा सुखद हो

Or as they say in English ” Safe Travels”. For the first person to identify all of the languages above without utilizing a translator I have a prize for you.

Seek your adventure!