Germany marks 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall — where to commemorate

by Melanie Renzulli on

This year, Germany marks the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, a barrier that isolated East Berlin from West Berlin for almost 30 years and was a powerful physical symbol of the Cold War. On August 13, 1961, authorities in East Berlin ordered the construction of the Wall in order to stem the tide of Germans moving from Communist East Berlin to Capitalist West Berlin. When it was completed, the Wall was 28 miles long, 12 feet high, and included gun towers, razor wire, and land mines on its eastern side.

To commemorate this historic anniversary, visitors to Berlin can learn more about the Wall in three poignant ways:1) The first place visitors should go to learn more about the Wall is the Berlin Wall Memorial, which contains the largest remaining sections of both sides of the Wall, a documentation center, and memorials to the many victims who died trying to escape East Berlin.

2) The German Historical Museum is currently hosting an exhibit of the photography of Thomas Hoepker and Daniel Biskup, two West German photographers who used their lenses to document life in East Berlin during and after the Berlin Wall. Aptly, the exhibit ends on October 3, Germany’s Unity Day.

3) Finally, of course, there’s an app for that. The Mauerguide is an app that relies on GPS to guide users along the original path of the Berlin Wall. In addition to its maps and handy walking instructions, the Mauerguide includes political and historical information about the Wall, film clips, and interviews.



[Photo credit: Thierry Noir via Wikipedia]

Five Tips for Successful Last-Minute Hotel Booking

by Paul Brady on

One of the best things about a road trip are the last-minute detours, whether that’s stumbling across an antique car club meeting in Western Massachusetts or deciding to speed to Boston to see a million people cheer for a hockey team. Even along my planned route, I don’t even have a place to stay for the night when I pull into a city, hotel or otherwise. Sound crazy? With new internet tools and some winning strategies, a last-minute hotel stay is not only possible-it can be an unexpected money saver.

Here are my five tips to successfully booking at the last minute, to keep your plans flexible and keep your travel budget in check.

Load your smartphone: Web-booking tools are great for last-minute shopping, but you can never be sure you’ll find wifi when you crack open your laptop. Instead, download booking apps that are always on. I’ve been using Hotels.com for its broad selection of properties and its buy 10 nights, get one free loyalty program, but others are available. HotelTonight is an interesting option that announces deep discounts on three hotels per city per night. In only a few cities so far, it’s one to watch.

Shop smart: Local boutiques and quirky properties are fantastic, but when I’m booking at the last minute, I prefer to shop by chain. Brands like La Quinta and Quality Inn may be inexpensive, but they have a consistency guaranteed by the flag flown out front, meaning I’m sure I’ll find free internet, free parking and free breakfast when I arrive. You can’t always say the same for one-off hotels that may otherwise be perfectly nice.

Look for deals: Because a hotel can’t sell a room for yesterday, they’ll often offer a discount if they still have a vacancy for the evening. On Hotels.com, I’ve seen offers of 15, 20 and even 25 percent for the night-of. Don’t be shy about taking advantage of the hotel’s predicament! Hard bargainers can even try calling the hotel directly to negotiate, but remember that properties still have bills to pay and have a limit to how low they’ll go.

Check the reviews: Of course a booking site or app will tell you a property is a winner: They’re selling you the room. Even at the last minute, I like to pull up a few second opinions. Hotel reviews are Tripadvisor’s bread and butter, but other sites, like Yelp, have marginally more intelligent comments. Google’s “place pages” for hotels-the info that pops up on your smartphone when you search for a specific property-aggregate web commentary, making for easy comparison shopping. One thing to remember: photos, unlike anonymous commenters, usually tell the truth. I didn’t book the Holiday Inn Express in Cleveland, pictured above, until I’d seen some convincing photos.

Be patient: Even with from-your-phone booking, it can take time for a reservation to arrive at a hotel. In Providence, Rhode Island, I walked into the Biltmore hotel just five minutes after booking a room. When I learned my reservation had yet to appear, I said “No problem” and got some work done in the lobby. A few minutes later, my room was ready-and a front desk employee had upgraded me to a suite for understanding. All the more reason to keep booking last-minute.

National Geographic offers Dreams of Burma

by Kraig Becker on

National Geographic Traveler and Fotopedia have teamed up to deliver yet another fantastic travel app for the iPhone and iPad. Entitled “Dreams of Burma,” the new app manages to captures the spirit and culture of the Southeast Asian country in a host of images, maps, and other features that make it the next best thing to actually being there yourself.

As you would expect when Nat Geo and Fotopedia get together, photography will play a central role in what ever they produce. That is definitely the case with this app, which comes packed with more than a thousand stunning images from Burma. Those images offer everything from intriguing glimpses inside ornate local temples to breathtaking views of some of the stunning landscapes found throughout the country, however it was the photos of the people, going about their daily lives, that left the biggest impression on me.

Your favorite images can be used to create slideshows or set as your desktop background on your device. Built-in connections to email, Facebook, and Twitter also allow you to easily share the best photos with friends and family as well. The app also features a “Trip Builder,” which lets you create your own Burma getaways, both real and virtual. There is also a forward written by Traveler Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows, as well as interactive maps and a comprehensive search feature as well.

This new app is available now and is completely free. It does require an Internet connection to pull in much of the content however, so be aware of that before you use it on the go. Other than that, I can’t think of a single reason why anyone who considers themselves a traveler, and owns one of Apple’s i-devices, wouldn’t have this app installed. Get it now by clicking here.

National Geographic iPad app offers 50 Places of a Lifetime

by Kraig Becker on

There is no doubt about it, the iPad has changed the way we consume media and altered how we define what a magazine is. Those of us who use Apple’s insanely popular gadget have gotten use to the idea that our “magazine’s” now include audio, video, and interactive elements that just aren’t possible in the print versions. This is demonstrated perfectly in a new app from National Geographic, which highlights their list of the 50 Places of a Lifetime compiled by Nat Geo Traveler.

As the name implies, this new app spotlights some of the greatest destinations on the planet, which are broken down into five categories. Those categories include “Urban Spaces”, “Wild Places”, “Paradise Found”, “Country Unbound”, and “World Wonders”. Selecting any one of those items will present you with a list of 10 places, which stylishly appear on the screen complete with animation and music. From there, you simply navigate through the individual destinations by swiping left and right. Scrolling up and down presents the full article on the location, offering insights to that place, and why it deserves a spot on the list. It is all very intuitive, and easy to use, with gestures that are second nature to any iPad owner.

The individual articles that accompany the various locations are typical Nat Geo fare. That is to say, they are well written, insightful, and will likely inspire you to want to visit the places being described. The stories are penned by the likes of Bill Bryson, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and George Plimpton, amongst others, who share their personal thoughts on what makes these places so magical. Places like the Serengeti, the Seychelles, and Venice, Italy.
The trademark National Geographic photography makes an appearance as well, of course. Stunning images accompany the travel essays, bringing each destination to life and offering tantalizing glimpses of what travelers can expect at these places of a lifetime. As you would expect, the photos are one of the highlights of this app, and many of them will have you drooling all over your screen.

Other features of the app include videos, interactive “fast facts,” expanded photo galleries, and the always popular Nat Geo maps. I was particularly fond of the 360-degree panoramic images which take full advantage of the iPad touch screen, and built-in checklists that allow you to highlight the destinations that you’ve already visited, while adding others to your own personal bucket list.

The app weighs in at a whopping 464 MB in size, which means it takes awhile to download. If you intend to read it while on your next vacation, be sure to download it well ahead of time. Once installed, everything is self contained however, which means you won’t need an Internet connection to take advantage of everything it has to offer.

The best part of this great app? It costs just $1.99! Where else can you get this kind of interactive content for so little money? Even a print magazine cost more than that! You can find it on iTunes by clicking here.

[Image courtesy of Victor R. Boswell, National Geographic]

Good travel apps, just in time for summer

by Chris Owen on

Planning that summer vacation, road trip or trek? Some new apps for your smart phone might be just what you need to help those summer vacation plans work out for the best.

Window Seat is one of the coolest new ones. After loading your flight plan just before take off, Window Seat alerts you of stuff below as you fly. This one is an offline, inflight map that uses predictive technology which knows the location of all commercial flights in the contiguous U.S. based the assigned route and airtime.
Coming up, IBM is working on a system that predicts traffic that has not happened yet. Destined to show up in an app Designed for commuters, the Smart Traveler app is being tested in California.

“In a technology advance that will ultimately help drivers around the world avoid rush hour traffic jams, IBM Research has developed a new predictive modeling tool that will allow drivers to quickly access personalized travel recommendations to help them avoid congestion, and save time and fuel” IBM said in a press release.

For example, IBM monitors incoming 911 calls, tagging the originating location via GPS then considering the effect of all those fire trucks, police cars and ambulances on traffic.

“By actively capturing and analyzing the massive amount of data already being collected, we’re blending the automated learning of travel routes with state-of-the-art traffic prediction of those routes to give travelers timely information that can help them make decisions about the best way to get to their destination” added IBM.

Finally, My Campmate is a great app for anyone hiking, fishing, camping or just someone who gets lost a lot. In the middle of nowhere, tired of fabulous food cooked in the wilderness and just want to find a grocery store? My Campmate finds it for you, drops a pin in it’s map and off you go.

Users can also compile a group of “Mates” they travel with often, split the cost of the trip with the touch of one button or locate yourself in relation to your campsite. No need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs anymore.

Flickr photo by Lars Plougman

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