It’s another holiday in the books as the calendar turns to September, the weather turns downward, and travelers’ eyes across the country turn to the next holiday. As you begin to book your Thanksgiving flights, we here at Our Space hope to make your next trip even easier – because what word better describes holiday travel than simple? On this Two for Tuesday, we look at two mobile apps that are revolutionizing the way you travel.
There are few things I love more than sitting with my granddad and listening to him share stories of his life of travel. At the age of 82, his memories of flying around the world in his twenties and beyond look much different than mine. From employing a travel agent to book all of his flights, to high-priced tickets and an implied flight “dress code,” flying was much more of a luxury during the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, you can hop all over the country for less than $100 per flight and plan your entire trip with just the tap of a touchscreen. Technology has changed the travel industry, enhancing the experience to make it easier and faster. Companies develop new apps daily to push the boundary of convenience even further. These can store all of your boarding passes in one convenient place for easy access, or allow you to use your fingerprint to pay—all you need is your smartphone!
After a recent two-month trip to Europe, I realized that there are a number of useful travel apps serving purposes way beyond booking the actual airline ticket. Here are two apps that I found along the way that I wish I knew about from the start!
Packing List Travel Companion
If you’re like me, you probably have a bad habit of over-packing, which results in extra luggage weight and a lot of unnecessary items. I spent a majority of my two weeks in Italy wondering why I packed 6 cardigans and 4 pairs of jeans – especially given the 98-degree weather.
Then I discovered PackPoint. This is a free app that allows you to simply type in your destination, the date and the length of your stay, why you’re going (business or pleasure?), and what activities you may be interested in. It then generates a personalized packing list for you, including toiletries and all other necessities.
So before you pack your next suitcase, do yourself a favor and download this app, even if it’s just for a weekend trip to Seattle!
Travel Budget & Expense Tracker
As my eight-week trip came to a close and I found myself down to my last $10, I wondered how I managed to burn through all of my spending money. Then I came across this handy little app – better late than never!
Trail Wallet is another free app store that makes tracking your expenses on the go a breeze. It tracks your trip dates, allows you to set a budget, provides a breakdown of your daily and monthly spending, and delivers up-to-date information on your expenditures and remaining funds, all while giving you the option to switch between currencies as you travel between countries.
I will be a dedicated user of this golden app from now on and you should be too, even as an everyday budgeting tool. Maybe then I’ll think twice before buying that $6 cup of coffee.
Cover Photo Source: Cienpies Design / Shutterstock
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Our-Space-The-San-Jose-Group.png[/author_image] [author_info]Jessie Lackey is a Junior Executive at SJG. She was born and raised in a small Southern town, but plans to make an impression on the big city. When not in the office, she is winning kickball championships, doing freelance art, or planning another adventure. [/author_info] [/author]