It’s mid-summer and may be time to get on the road or catch a flight to start your vacation. I’ve had opportunity to travel lately and have found that there are some excellent smart phone apps “not to leave home without”. These are some my favorites but there are many more from which to choose.
Yelp is one of the most well-known. It’s useful for finding places to eat in unfamiliar cities. Sure you can find the national chains but searching through Yelp will help you find a restaurant unique to the region. It provides helpful reviews along with links to make reservations online where available.
The travel app TripAdvisor has been growing and is another that provides valuable information not only on food establishments but also on lodging, airfare and most anything to do with travel. I like it for its “Things to do” lists and reports from recent visitors. These reviews steer one away from the normal tourist traps. Specialized lodging apps such as Hotels.com and LastMinute.com are especially handy when your schedule is more impulsive and find yourself needing a place to stay on short notice.
The lowest rates can typically be found on these sites as well. Needing to fuel up? Bring up GasBuddy to locate the cheapest gas in the area. The Weather Channel app is very popular and when traveling it can fill you in as to what to expect at your destination. Check the forecast for chances of rain, the predicted temperature highs and lows and even the expected conditions including delays at airports. Speaking of air travel, flight trackers such as Flightaware will provide you instant data about inbound planes and connecting flights. Finally, one of my favorites and most used apps is WAZE. It not only navigates to destinations but will provide the best routes around traffic. And who wants to spend their vacation stuck in traffic? One tip, as part of vacation planning, program and save places you will need to travel to such as the airport, your hotel and other places you’ll visit.
I know they say to “unplug” when you leave for a vacation to reduce stress. But I found that using these apps can help take the stress out of planning and traveling. Use them wisely.
Ted Saul is a business coach that assists with Business Plans and Project Management. He holds a master certificate in project management and has earned his MBA from Regis University. Ted can be reached on LinkedIn, TedS787 on Twitter or emailing Ted@tsaul.com.
