New smartphone app shows users how to have an authentic Australian experience

by Jessica Festa on

AUSTRALIA: Where To Go is a new smartphone app that gives insider advice on how to navigate through Australia and see the major sites as well as get off the beaten path. The app is opinionated and does not include all there is to see in Australia, but only what is worth seeing. If a destination makes it into the app, then you will get all there is to know on that particular place.

While users will get bullet-pointed guides on what to do and where to dine and stay, they will also get in-depth profiles of specific venues. To give you a better idea of what you should expect before you go to a destination, the app features photo slideshows. Not only that, but entries are filtered by categories such as water, outback, wildlife, family, etc.., so travelers can plan their trip according to their lifestyle and tastes.

And don’t worry if you don’t have Wi-Fi where you travel to, as this app works offline, too.

Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. $4.99. Click here to download.

The ever-evolving language of travel

by Jessica Festa on

While it is clear that travel itself has evolved in many ways in the past decade or so, it appears that travel language has, too. It is something that seems to happen overnight, without anyone really noticing that new vocabulary words are being invented but using them anyway. Check out this list of some relatively new lingo that has stuck in the language of travel.

Couch Surfing

While at one time we would have just said that we were “staying with friends”, there is now a global resource for travelers that has really made an impact on the niche. Couch Surfing allows backpackers and budget travelers to stay with local people in the regions they are visiting, as well as host travelers who come to visit their native land, for free.

Voluntourism

This is a specific type of trip that allows travelers to not only visit another region, but also help out a cause or organization while they are there. Some of my favorite resources for voluntourism include International Volunteer Headquarters and SE7EN.Agritourism

This type of travel involves staying with locals in a rural area. Basically, it is a farm stay or rural retreat.

WWOOFING

Related to agritourism is World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOFING). It is a global network that connects travelers with organic farms. The gist of the program is that in exchange for room, board, and the chance to learn about organic farming and local lifestyle, travelers help out with the daily work.

Digital Nomad

This term is used to refer to someone who is location independent and can work from anywhere in the world using technology such as smartphones, laptops, iPads, WiFi and other gadgets. Actually, an entire separate article could be written on the new technological terms for travelers that have come about in the past decade or so (hmmmm…).

Flashpacker

Staying on the topic of technology and travel, this term refers to the more affluent type of backpacker. While most backpackers are thought to be on a tight-budget, flashpackers tend to have a large disposable income and also carry lots of tech gadgets with them, such as laptops and smartphones.

Staycation

This type of travel became popular during the financial crisis of 2007-2010 and refers to relaxing at home or taking trips to nearby attractions.

Glamping

This is a type of trip for those who want to experience the great outdoors while not roughing it too much. For example, instead of staying in a basic tent, someone who is glamping will use more high-end camping gear, such as a tent with electricity and an air mattress.

Slow Travel

Slow travel is the idea of traveling more slowly to enjoy each place and experience it in more depth by, for example, spending a week in one city or opting for a vacation rental home.

Mancation

This term refers to a “men only” vacation (think girl’s weekend or all-girl’s getaway for guys). With the trend catching on, travel packages are now catering to this type of travel. Interested in a mancation of your own? Urban Navigator can help you book packages that include things like golf, camping, and hiking.

Wildlife refuge on island of Sanibel, Florida, introduces iNature Trail for smartphone users

by Jessica Festa on

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge has introduced a new interactive smartphone capability for visitors. Called iNature Trail, the program utilizes QR (Quick Response) codes that are located around the refuge, which can be scanned by your smartphone using free downloadable applications like Neoscan and QR Scan. Once scanned, the codes will bring up YouTube videos and other informative resources for an enhanced experience in nature. For example, scanning a particular code could bring up a video of the refuge manager welcoming guests to the area, while another might teach users how to plant a mangrove tree.

According to Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland, out of the more than 550 national wildlife refuges, J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is the first to put in place an interactive trail program like this one.

To get a better idea of how the app works, check out this video:


How smartphones are changing air travel

by Jessica Festa on

According to SITA/Air Transport World’s 2011 Passenger Self-Service Survey, airline passenger use of smartphones has doubled in the past year, making it now 54%. Not only that, but 74% of business and first class passengers had a smartphone on them at the time of data collection. The survey questioned 2,457 air passengers from 70 countries and 73 airlines.

In an article from The Press, they state that the CEO of SITA, Francesco Violante, is calling this type of smartphone enthusiastic traveler the “mobile-centric passenger”. These fliers expect “personal and timely communication from airlines, airports and other providers of travel-related services.”

The data collected by the survey shows that passengers aren’t just using their smartphone for work and personal reasons, but also for travel. For example, 31% of passengers have used a smartphone to check-in for their flight and 17% had used mobile boarding passes. While this percentage may not seem huge, it is most likely because not all airports and airlines are using technology to its fullest capability yet. In fact, 73% of survey respondents said they would like to use mobile boarding passes.

Airports aren’t ignoring this data, as plans for 2014 show, including 97% of airlines planning to offer web check-in, 89% planning to offer mobile check-in, 87% planning to offer bar-coded boarding passes for mobiles, and 63% planning to allow fliers to print luggage tags at kiosks.

While technology isn’t going to change air travel overnight, it is certainly on its way to altering the way people travel and fly. Only time will tell what else technology has in store for the future of travel.

Explore the world with Trazzler’s new iphone app

by Jessica Festa on

Trazzler’s new free iPhone app, called Trazzler, allows people to explore the world through their smartphone.

When the program first opens, users will be asked to take a short quiz that will allow the app to get to know their personality. The test consists of a series of images in which the user will be prompted to click the photos that appeal to them the most. Through the user’s answers, Trazzler can delve deeper into the personality of the user and figure out who they are most compatible to travel with as well as ideal destinations that fit the personality type.

Like a social network, this app makes it easy for you to find your friends who are also using Trazzler and see how well you would fit as traveler partners. Not only that, but users will also be able to read expert recommendations on travel.

The app seems to be getting a lot of attention, as last week more than 30,000 iPhone users downloaded Trazzler. To download the app for yourself, click here. The app is also available on the iPad and iPod Touch.