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The Thrifty Traveler: Maximizing Your Smartphone’s Travel Potential

The Thrifty Traveler: Maximizing Your Smartphone’s Travel Potential

By Myscha Theriault, Tribune News Service (TNS)

Many of today’s smartphones provide more computing power and storage space than those of us nearing the age of 50 ever thought we’d see. Factor in improved photography capabilities and longer battery power, and it becomes easy to see why those who aren’t required to travel with more elaborate equipment are choosing to make them their tech item of choice for shorter getaways. Especially with gate security specialists requiring people to power up all devices on a pretty consistent basis. So how does your average person function with one on the road, capturing as many memories as possible while still keeping their device safe and secure?

Sharing: Posting YouTube videos and after-event images is all well and good, but for aging grandparents and other relatives who want to be part of a younger family member’s milestones, new possibilities for live streaming provide the ability to experience things like out-of-town gymnastics competitions and first-time dolphin encounters in real time. A popular phone application for this is Periscope. Easy to use for both the broadcaster and the viewer, this free app allows travelers to share everything from a trip down a ski slope to the winning of a ribbon at the national science fair. Aunt Marge and Grandma Betty can even contribute commentary online from several states away.

Security: Once you’ve incorporated all of the apps and contact data to turn your smartphone into your own personal command center, it becomes even more critical to keep it safe. For travelers who enjoy experiencing local nightlife from the road, having a hands-free way to make this happen can be problematic. Old-fashioned waist packs can ruin the outline of your favorite dancing dress or add unwelcome bulk to a pair of flat-front casual dress pants.

If you prefer regular clothing rather than the specialty travel pieces that come with hidden compartments, one affordable solution is the strap-on storage slots from PortaPocket. Lightweight and easy to pack, they can be worn on your upper thigh under a skirt or strapped to your calf under your dress pants or jeans. While it isn’t necessarily a solution for those times when you want to be snapping photos all night, it is an easy way to tuck it out of site during a trip to the restroom and avoid having to take a pocketbook or backpack onto the dance floor.

Inclement weather and marine activities can also pose a danger to your cellular phone. Considering the number of times we’ve nearly dropped ours in deep water and the amount of cash we just threw down for our two new ones, we decided it was time to search out protective cases that would work for us. The brand we were previously in love with doesn’t make them for the larger style devices we have now, which meant digging around for something that was a bit more universal.

We finally settled on the ones by Voxkin, which only sunk us about $15 a pop. They keep out water, allow the use of head jacks, can be worn around the neck for a photo walking tour and promise the possibility of broadcasting a live snorkeling session from our exotic destination of choice. Truth be told, they are a little clunkier than the ones with which we previously became enamored. However, they seem to do the trick thus far, so we’re going to hit the road with them and see how it goes. If they end up being a bust, there are others on the market to try.

Shooting: Holding out your phone at shoulder height and strolling the streets for a live vacation broadcast is all well and good. For the first five minutes. At that point, you’ll begin to appreciate the amount of time your hair dresser spends in that position every day in a way you never thought possible. That’s when having something to attach your phone to a tripod the same way you do your larger camera will become an instant priority.

Universal smartphone mounts are a simple and affordable solution for single telescoping poles, tripods and even selfie sticks. We snagged ours at a sidewalk kiosk here in the Tampa Bay area for $5, but I have seen them online for as low as $2.50. As far as camera peripherals go, that’s a price point that’s pretty tough to beat. Ours was pressed into service almost immediately from the top of a bridge in Titusville, Fla., when a cargo supply mission for the International Space Station launched from Cape Canaveral.

(Trekhound.com founder Myscha Theriault has sold her home, all her furniture and most of her other belongings to travel the world full time with her husband. You can follow her adventures on Twitter via @MyschaTheriault.)

©2015 Myscha Theriault. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Highways Agency via Flickr

 

The Thrifty Traveler: Hotel Tips For Winter Holidays

The Thrifty Traveler: Hotel Tips For Winter Holidays

By Myscha Theriault, Tribune News Service (TNS)

Due to a delay in some of our international vaccination protocols, my husband and I are spending the bulk of this winter’s holiday season hotel hopping in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area while we decide upon the first destination for our international adventure. If the number of other couples and families we’re noticing is any indication, this is apparently a popular travel choice.

Bnbfinder.com founder Mary White concurs. “Many of our B & Bs have a long history of being sold out between Christmas and New Year’s, indicating that the popularity of traveling during this time is a trend that’s here to stay,” says White. “They provide guests a special experience, which is one reason why they’re in such high demand. The 1785 Inn in New Hampshire, for example, has sold out nearly every year over the holidays in its 31 years of business, and the Inn at Westwynd Farm in Pennsylvania reports a 100 percent occupancy rate for more than 10 consecutive years.” Whether you’re spending your December getaway at a resort or a more intimate boutique establishment, there are a few things that can make the experience more streamlined.

Amenities: While a gym, pool and spa top my personal favorites list, the truth is a hotel stay for the holidays is much less stressful with practical amenities and perks as well. Particularly if you are doing it with the kids in tow. Personally, I think suites with adjoining rooms are the way to go for family hotel stays during winter break. Having even a small living room area with a desk and wet bar allows differently aged family members to be up earlier or later than others, and provides a place to set up a micro-sized Santa experience after the kids go to bed in their own room.

I also don’t recommend going without a fridge in the room, preferably one of the taller models with a separate freezer compartment. Not only does this let you keep your vodka on ice around the clock, but separating fill-in microwave goodies such as meatless nuggets and vegetarian lo mein from perishable produce snacks becomes notably more streamlined. Even if there isn’t a microwave in your room, there’s typically one available near the morning coffee and continental breakfast station.

Snacks: I like going out for a holiday meal or romantic evening cocktails as much as the next girl. That said, I also don’t always like to feel pressured to rush out the door in the morning or have to find the energy to go out and forage for snacks after a long day of sightseeing. That’s why having a snack stash available in the room is one of my favorite travel strategies. It makes it easy to fill in if you oversleep in the morning, and keeps kid-friendly food on tap for the bedtime munchies.

Teens can typically be satisfied with microwave popcorn or a multipack of holiday muffins, but grownups in search of a little extra style might consider a chilled bottle of sparkling wine, some high-end chocolates and a tray of miniature baked goods. During a November anniversary getaway, my husband and I enjoyed a tray of tiny pecan tartlets, cruelty-free Prosecco and hummus with crudites in between our various outings. Funds saved from purchasing these items at the warehouse store were redirected towards a carefree night of frozen drinks at the nearest beach bar and a foot-pampering pedicure.

Activities: To a certain extent, your activities selection will be driven by your choice of destination and accommodation venue. Cooking classes, skiing, snorkeling or even dune buggy rides are possible depending on where you choose to go. Things such as inclement weather, children’s bedtimes, and Santa prep however will require you to spend at least some time in the room, and having a few indoor activities in your hip pocket will help keep family drama to a minimum.

One thing to consider is making sure your holiday gift giving fits both your itinerary and the size of your space. Chances are, if you’re opting for a destination experience, you’ve already decided to forego inundating your family members with excessive gifts. With this in mind, couples can choose to exchange one small, intimate present each. Jewelry, gloves, warm socks or scarves are all classic choices, as are travel-sized fragrances. Children can enjoy streaming movies with a seasonal theme while wearing gifts of snazzy new winter pajamas. Electronic chapter books for older children and printable coloring pages with new crayons for the little ones will also keep your offspring entertained while providing you with a little peace of mind.

Preparation: Preparing for your time at the hotel is only part of the equation for homeowners. Getting your house ready to be empty for a time takes effort and planning as well. According to a recent home hazards poll conducted by Allstate Insurance Company, three in five Americans will be traveling away from home for the holidays, spending an average of five nights out of town. Many of these people will forget or neglect to take certain steps to secure their home against theft and weather damage.

According to this same survey, only 16 percent of holiday travelers will bother to leave a faucet dripping to prevent frozen pipes. A scant 23 percent will set a timer for house lights, and only 30 percent of these same travelers will have a neighbor stop by to bring in their mail. Savings is another motivator when it comes to preparing your house for a trip. Unplugging unnecessary devices, turning off your hot water heater and readjusting your thermostat are all simple ways to save a few bucks while you head over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s.

(Trekhound.com founder Myscha Theriault has sold her home, all her furniture and most of her other belongings to travel the world full time with her husband. You can follow her adventures on Twitter via @MyschaTheriault.)

©2015 Myscha Theriault. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Nick Ares via Flickr

 

The Thrifty Traveler: Skip Vacation Drama With Proper Travel Documentation

The Thrifty Traveler: Skip Vacation Drama With Proper Travel Documentation

By Myscha Theriault, Tribune News Service (TNS)

Finding yourself away from home or out of the country without the necessary paperwork can make you the unwilling star of your own personal docudrama. Such was the case when a recent banking snafu had me chatting with three different departments trying to verify my identity and solve an unexpected problem after finally checking into our hotel room after a long and challenging day on the road.

Fortunately for me, the document they were demanding was only a cross-city drive away in a lock box rather than an international plane ride followed by multiple bus transfers. Also fortunate was the fact they finally agreed to let me answer a few additional security questions rather than forcing me to make a lengthy round-trip drive to access an ATM card I never use due to the purpose of the account to which it’s attached. Still, it was a wrinkle neither my husband nor I saw coming, and an excellent reminder to add scanned copies of all account cards to our list of cloud-stored documents before hitting the road for our international travel adventure.

Your passport and tickets aren’t the only critical documents you need in order to take off for parts unknown. Following are a few types of documentation that can result in undue travel stress if left at home.

Medical: Part of my husband’s travel reality is always having a copy of his current eyeglass prescription. While he always travels with a back-up pair, adventure travel involves a constant risk of something happening to both sets. Since he literally can’t see very far in front of his face without them, having a digital copy of the prescription to print in the event of an emergency is crucial.

Food allergy mom Robyn Nickerson Skvorak finds extra EpiPen documentation to be a critical part of her travel plan. Her son Joey has severe contact reactions to a number of common food allergens, but the boxes EpiPens come packaged in are quite bulky and difficult to pack. Her solution? Have the pharmacy staff print out extra labels. Says Skvorak, “This way, you can wrap them around the pens.” The mother of two also carries her son’s food allergy action plan and a doctor’s note documenting each of his allergies.

Injectable medicines in general are something for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend carrying documentation. According to the CDC website, carrying a note on letterhead stationary from the prescribing physician is advised. This travel tidbit is something Ceci Romero Al Fahad learned the hard way. As a traveler who needs to carry a significant supply of insulin and needles, Al Fahad was taken by surprise at the Houston airport when the security agent checking her bag demanded documentation for her medications. After being held aside for a fairly lengthy time, the security supervisor finally cleared her for the flight. However, the experience made a significant impact. Says Al Fahad, “Needless to say, I now carry my prescriptions with me.”

Banking: Front and back scans of all credit and ATM cards, routing information, copies of identification documents as well as written procedures and access codes are a good idea to have on hand when traveling. Having such items stored securely in the cloud will enable you to solve most problems from anywhere in the world, provided you have reasonable access to reliable Internet and phone communication.

If you’re going to be on the road for some time, you might also want scanned copies of any business EIN forms, articles of incorporation, trust documents and similar paperwork. When coordinating the sale on a piece of out-of-state real estate recently, my husband and I had just sold our home and were in the middle of our first professional house-sit. Having scanned copies of critical papers and access to a printer and scanner enabled our attorney to finalize everything upon our approval. While the morning of the closing was a bit hectic with the last-minute checking of line-item amounts, we were able to give written approval and head out for a day of sightseeing. All without ever having to travel back to New England for the actual transaction.

Professional: If you’re going to be traveling for any length of time, you may find it necessary to pick up some work along the way. This is when having access to professional paperwork is a good idea. Diving and teaching certifications, scans of your college degrees and digital copies of any technical certifications are all helpful to keep in your personal cloud. A master document with access information for all professional sites is also a good idea. For me, that includes things such as sites where I upload digital content to sell, places where I submit freelance assignments and paid subscription sites that feature job feeds relating to my skill set. For you, such a document might look completely different.

Bottom line? If you’re taking off for more than a few weeks and don’t have anyone maintaining a home office while you’re away, your list of recommended travel documents is likely to be quite lengthy. If you are exploring the world indefinitely, chances are you’ll need to update and edit this list fairly frequently as well. The good news? Eventually, having back-up copies of all critical documents becomes second nature for those who embrace this lifestyle. Once you get the hang of looking at every new item in your life as something that will need to be tweaked to suit the life of a nomad, these chores will simply become part of your regular to-do list.

(Trekhound.com founder Myscha Theriault has sold her home, all her furniture and most of her other belongings to travel the world full time with her husband. You can follow her adventures on Twitter via @MyschaTheriault.)

©2015 Myscha Theriault. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: Liisa via Flickr