Taking off Travel blog

Welcome to a new occasional feature on the Taking Off Travel Blog. Like most of you, I’m starting to think about my summer holiday, which this year I’ll be taking Stateside, visiting relatives and catching some sun. But what are the must have travel accessories I’ll be taking with me? That’s what this new feature will be all about.

I’ll tell you what the accessory is, why it’s a must-have for me, outline some of the main features and, if I have one, tell an anecdote about it. The first one is coming up tomorrow.

If you have a favorite travel accessory you’d like to share, I’d be happy to consider a short post on it. Just email me on sharon at parkrideflyusa.com to submit your accessory (with a photo if you have one).

Politically incorrect as he is, I’ve always had a soft spot for James Bond. Though many of my male friends were oohing and aahing over the Bond girls, my interest was in the gadgets and the travel. So allow my to indulge myself in considering what it would be like to travel like James Bond.

James Bond’s Countries

The settings for James Bond films provide a fantastic list of places to visit and are often shown to great advantage, especially in the opening scenes. Who can forget the spectacular ski chase in the Austrian Alps, which opened The Spy Who Loved Me (with Roger Moore)? That remains one of my favorites, though check out the MI6 fansite for others. As the map shows, James Bond has covered the world, from the US to Japan. The lesson? To travel like James Bond, be prepared to go to lots of countries, including war zones. Don’t worry, though, the hero always escapes with his life. Read more »

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)

I love looking at new gadgets and there are some great ones on this month’s list.

Get Fit

There’s no reason to slack on fitness just because you’re on a business trip. On my last trip, I saw dozens of people get up early to use the hotel’s fitness room. If you’re lucky enough to have good weather, then walking or jogging are an option – and that’s where the Live-Lite comes in. From Perception Digital, this device measures steps and your heart rate, ensuring that you stay on top of your fitness regime.

Ergonomic Elegance

I don’t know about you, but I often travel with an external keyboard for my laptop to save my wrists. The trouble is that it takes up a lot of space. However, I may not have to do that for much longer, since Goldtouch has released a foldable ergonomic keyboard, the GoldTouch Go! It only weighs a pound and is supposed to be comfortable to use – $139 seems a small price to pay to avoid tendonitis.

Mouse Phone

For me, the Skype Travel Mouse comes under the category of ‘neat, but do you really need it?’ It’s a mouse that slides open to reveal a phone keypad. It also has a decent sized LCD display at 128×64 pixels, and is $35 plus shipping. The fact that you only need to use a single USB port for both mouse and phone is undoubtedly a plus, so it could be worth a look.

Charge It All – Or Almost

The Charge4All is yet another device that allows you to charge multiple devices from a single power connection. It won’t charge your laptop or anything else that needs high voltage, but it will charge MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras and the like. It’s $29.95.

Swiss Army Drive

You’ll need to pack these in your checked baggage, but the SwissFlash and Presentation Master Swiss Army Knives have all the usual array of gadgets as well as a flash drive with a maximum capacity of 32GB. There are also versions with built in laser pointers. Prices range from the low 60s to over $300.

New In Japan

We can’t wait for this one to hit our shores. It’s a credit card sized digital voice recorder – perfect for taking voice notes on the move (that’s if you haven’t already got it built into your phone). Rumor has it that you can record up to 30 hours of digital voice with this compact gadget.