A few years ago, I spent a little over a week in Europe. I flew into Amsterdam, spent a few days there drinking beer and cycling around the city, and then proceeded to travel all over the place. I traversed the beautiful Swiss Alps, and enjoyed the food, drink, and edgy bars of Berlin. It was a fantastic experience.
I had booked most of the trip in advance, and got pretty lucky with the accommodations. Planning in advance is important, and us geeks are generally masters of doing so, but… planning everything in advance can also suck the spontaneity out of a trip. What if there’s a place you want to visit that isn’t on the agenda? What if you want to stay in a city longer than originally planned? As with most things, technology can give us a helping hand.
I’m going to assume you have your phone with you when you travel, because really, who doesn’t? I’m also going to assume that you’re smart enough to pick up a data package, because they’re inexpensive and incredible useful.
Remember using paper maps on your travels? Yeah… no thanks.
So here’s the situation: you’ve just spent your one and only day in Amsterdam cycling the canals, and you’ve had a great time. You want to check out the Heineken museum the next day, but you have no hostel booked. The solution? Your phone of course! It’s good for more than just communication and not getting lost in a new city. You can (and should) be using it to book accommodations on the go as well.
Next time you find yourself in a new city with no place to stay, see what apps are available for hostel and hotel booking. They vary from city to city, but some of them cover a wide range of cities all from the same app. I use this hostel booking app, as I’ve found HostelWorld the most comprehensive of the lot.
But enough about me. What tricks do you use to make travel easier using the power of technology? Feel free to leave us a comment below, even if it’s just a recommendation for your favorite travel related phone app.
