Traveling with Apps

Post date: Mar 28, 2018 3:34:47 AM

We spent spring break at a two-day conference in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area and discovered again how much we rely on our mobile devices and apps. If, like us, you travel with a smartphone and tablet, you may already be using these apps to arrange for transportation, manage your schedule at a conference, or find a good place to eat.

As we enjoyed breakfast at our hotel, the news was on, but muted. I asked if they could turn up the volume; instead, the manager showed me an app called Tunity, which lets you hear the audio on your phone. Open the app, aim your phone at the Television, tap the button to scan, and it finds the station, and plays the audio through your phone.

Sched – Our Library Conference started using an app called Sched several years ago, so you can sit down beforehand, select your sessions, and then generate a daily schedule. You get an email with your schedule for each day, which you can add to your IPhone’s note pad, add to your phone’s home page or post to social media. At the end of the day, you can also rate your experience. If you need to organize a conference, I urge you to check it out!

Another app I use on the road is Hotels.com: you can check information about your room, manage your booking, check your rewards, or give feedback about the room you got.

Lyft – Lyft is a service like Uber, an alternative to taxis. It is popular with millennials, and it was our young friend, Matthew, who suggested we use it to come downtown for a show at the Brave New Workshop, a live comedy club. So, Mike downloaded the app and used it to request our ride downtown, and within just a few minutes, the car was there. It uses GPS to match drivers with people needing rides nearby, so Mike could see the car getting closer on the app. We got a description of the car and the driver’s name. Our first driver stepped out, smiled, introduced himself and verified that we had requested the ride. His car was clean, and he was courteous, talkative, and a good driver.

We were a few minutes early for our reservation at the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, where we met Matthew and his mother Lavonne and enjoyed a wonderful meal, complete with a slab of carrot cake that proved daunting even to three forks. We could have used an app like Around Me or Yelp to give the restaurant an excellent rating. We frequently use those apps to locate the next gas station, restaurant, or store.

After enjoying the live comedy show at the Brave New Workshop, Mike used the Lyft app again to schedule our ride back to the hotel and our ride was there within five minutes. The driver was equally courteous, friendly, and efficient. He reminded us that drivers get rated, and they work hard to keep those ratings high. By the way, if you haven’t used the app, you enter your credit card information, and all payment is done through the app, including adding a tip. Based on our experience, we would use the service again, since the two rides probably cost less than the parking garage, and it was more relaxing.

Of course, we’ve all gotten spoiled by the built-in navigation on cars; we love driving our Subaru on road trips, and if in doubt, the person not driving may resort to checking Google Maps on our iPhones.

I took my iPhone, iPad and Kindle Fire on the trip. The first day of the conference, I packed a small bag with the iPad and clipped my iPhone to a pocket of my jacket. I took pictures of the presenters and sessions with both devices, uploading them to Facebook. I checked email and Facebook, as well as the conference app Sched throughout the day. In between sessions, I used my iPhone and Fit Bit to track time and steps.

The second day, I left the iPad behind and took the Kindle Fire, which was fine until we got to one session where we needed to access a shared Google Document, which wasn’t possible on the Kindle. So, both of us switched devices, and used the Google Drive app on our iPhones. I prefer accessing documents on the iPad with its larger screen; however, it is great to have the information you need hundreds of miles from your PC at home! If you don’t already do it, loading important travel documents on your Google drive before leaving home is a great strategy.

While my iPad Air is my favorite device to take on the road, I love my Kindle Fire for its small size, and use it to check email, post on Facebook, read books on the Kindle app, or browse the web. I downloaded a new app called JotterPad at the conference, so that I could take notes. I take both tablets on most trips, and when one needs charging, I switch devices.

Mike got his Kindle Fire HD for Christmas, and it may be one of the better Christmas gifts I’ve gotten him. He uses it for Gmail, Facebook, the Des Moines Register online edition, the Courier online edition, and the Kindle app. He likes the small size, overall performance and the value. He told me that if he lost it, he wouldn’t cry, but I’m not convinced, because he almost always has it nearby.

With all of those devices, I travel with a small charging unit and several phone chargers, as well as a dual plug car charger. We’ve come a long way since 2009, when Mike and I got our first iPhones and put the Trac phones into a drawer. What about you? What devices and apps do you rely on when traveling?

Last Updated March 27, 2018