Taking off Travel blog

There was an interesting piece in USA Today yesterday about the development of airport apps – apps that guide you around the airport, covering shops, restaurants, security and check-ins. The apps reviewed were Gateguru, iFly Pro, Flysmart and GoHow Airport, and of these, Gateguru looked the most interesting, especially with planned improvements in functionality. The developers want to include geotagging information that will help travelers identify information such as which lines are moving fastest. Now that’s what I call useful! Have you tried any of those apps?

If not, then add them to our previous lists of useful travel apps:

The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers

The Best Free Blackberry Apps For Travelers

Got an iPad For Christmas? Here Are Some Cool Apps

A few weeks ago, I got a message from one of my Twitter friends asking me to check out Activitravel, a newish travel site. I say ‘newish’ because it’s been running since 2009 (Update: the site was launched in October 2010).  Activitravel bills itself as an “online activity travel guide and community that helps active travelers identify and share information about the best places in the world to participate in various activities”. It was fonded by Oyvind and Trond Gronflaten from Norway, two brothers who are passionate about activity travel.  I decided to check it out.

Easy Sign Up

Plus point number one is that I could sign in via Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Google or MySpace and the site grabbed some basic profile information to start me off.  You can add your Facebook Page URL, Twitter name and site URL as well as some basic information about your site. You also have to state whether you represent a business.

The ‘Went’ List

Once you’ve done that, the next step is to start adding to your ‘went list’ – the list of places you have visited. This also populates a map with pins on the places you’ve been. One of the easiest ways to populate this list is to  click on the two drop down boxes (one for activities, the other for location) that you can find on every page of the site. Once you’ve selected one of each you get a list of the top activities (according to the community) and can add these to your list. Click on the blue die to rate and add. From there you can add more information, highlight top experiences, add photos and see what the experts have said.You can also add activities to your Wish List.

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I know what I said recently about the iPad, and I still believe it. But if I get an iPad this Christmas, here are the travel (and other apps) that I plan to get.

Kayak – most travelers agree that this flight, hotel, car search app (and much more) is an excellent app. From the site: “Flights – Hotels – Cars – Trip Itinerary – Flight Tracker.”

Urbanspoon – this app makes it onto many travel app lists because it makes it easy to find places to eat. From the site: “Can’t decide where to eat? Urbanspoon can help. SHAKE your iPhone and the Urbanspoon slot machine will pick a good restaurant for you to try. See what’s NEARBY to explore your ‘hood in list or map mode. See what your FRIENDS like. BROWSE a comprehensive list of restaurants.”

The Weather Channel – a great way to keep up with the weather wherever you are. From the site: “The Weather Channel takes your weather experience to the next level with full screen maps, extended forecasts, severe weather alerts, and more.”

Skype – This is another no-brainer as I use Skype for 75% of my client communication.  Skype’s iPad app is free. From the site: “With Skype on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, you can make and receive calls, and instant message anyone else on Skype, wherever they are in the world. You can also save on international calls and text messages to phones.”

Kindle for iPad – since I’ve already got a Kindle, this free iPad app is a no-brainer to keep all my ebooks in sync. From the site: “The Kindle app is optimized for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, giving users the ability to read Kindle books on a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. You’ll have access to over 750,000* books in the Kindle Store, including best sellers and new releases.”

Dragon Dictation – I can’t believe Nuance is giving this away free, but as a confirmed Dragon Naturally Speaking user, I’d certainly grab this voice recognition app immediately.  From the site: “Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition application powered by Dragon® NaturallySpeaking® that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages. In fact, it’s up to five (5) times faster than typing on the keyboard.”

Flipboard – let’s not forget about social media. I’ve read a lot of good reviews of this free iPad app for browsing Twitter and Facebook updates. From the site: “Flipboard is a fast, beautiful way to flip through the news, photos and updates your friends are sharing on Facebook and Twitter. See your social media in a magazine layout that is easy to scan and fun to read. Share articles and photos, comment on posts, and like or favorite anything. Customize your Flipboard with sections created from your favorite people, lists and blogs on Twitter.”

Scrabble – I’ve loved this game since I first played at the age of 8, and have had versions for nearly any platform you can imagine, so the iPad won’t be any different. From the site: “The best SCRABBLE ever, designed just for iPad™! Enjoy the fantastically fun game you know and love with stunning HD-quality graphics, quick, easy play and incredible exclusive features.”

What are your favorite iPad apps for travel or leisure?

Find more iPad travel apps here:

• 10 Awesome iPad Apps for Travel
• Top 5 Free iPad Travel Apps
• Five Fantastic Travel Friendly iPad Apps
• Top 10 Best Apple iPad Travel Apps
• 6 Free iPad Apps for Planning Your Next Vacation

Photo: Yutaka Tsutano

Amazon's Kindle - small and light

Ever since the iPad came out, people have been asking me when I’m getting one? The short answer is, I’m not (well, not unless one turns up under the Christmas tree). I’ve had a Kindle for about 10 months and I plan to stick with it. In fact, it’s become  one of my favorite travel accessories for both personal and business trips.

No Laptop Replacement

The first reason why I’m sticking with the Kindle is that I already have a laptop – and I don’t need another one. My little Samsung NC-110 combines portability and utility in a handy package and allows me to work comfortably wherever I go. I love how the iPad looks but it wouldn’t be my first choice for serious computer work.

Second, I don’t need a device whose primary purpose is to make the net all shiny and pretty when I’m on the move. I can use my cell phone for email and browsing (and the color is pretty good) and all I need is a device that allows me to read books – and that’s where the Kindle shines.

A Device for Reading Junkies

I am reading junkie — and I never thought I would like an e-book reader, but I was wrong. Any hard-core reader will know the sinking feeling that comes when you have run out of reading material on a trip or you’re not sure when next you will make a trip to the bookstore or spend a couple of hours browsing on Amazon. The Kindle solves that problem for me. I always keep a store of free to download books on my Kindle to make sure that there is always something to read. It’s also good to be able to shop at the Kindle store right from the device. If I read more magazines, then maybe the iPad would be better, but it’s mostly books for me, so the Kindle wins again.

Read Business Documents

For business travel, another plus is  being able to read Word documents and PDFs on the Kindle. I’d be the first to admit that this is not perfect but if you have a few documents that you want review before your meeting then you can carry them on your Kindle and reduce the weight of your case. And if you’re a social kind of reader and want to tweet or share your latest finds then you can do update Twitter and Facebook with the Kindle as well.

I like the screen too. The E ink has great contrast making books easier to read on the Kindle then when you’ve got one in your hand — and I never ever have to worry about the size of the print.

Lightweight Reader

Best of all – and this is why I won’t travel without it again – the Kindle is light. It’s lighter than a paperback, it’s lighter than an iPad and it’s definitely lighter than a hardback so there is no need to strain back lugging heavy books around or to struggle to prop up your book when reading in bed. I can store  thousands of books on it without adding any weight to my suitcase or briefcase. I’m with the people mentioned in this post on Computer Shopper:

Let’s also remember those who travel often and have little time to read. For them, portability alone may justify the cost of a Kindle, in a less calculable sense.

So that’s why the Kindle is now my must-pack travel accessory. Are you using a Kindle, an iPad or another electronic reading device? Which one did you choose and why?

(Photo by jblyberg)

Today, I’m reviewing trip planning site, Duffel, testing it with a planned trip to Las Vegas next year. Here’s what its creators say:

Duffel is not only a place where you can collaboratively store, organize and archive all these travel ideas and trips, but you can also use them to compile your own itineraries that go hand-in-hand with your favorite travel guidebook.

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