Travel Tech :: Selfies Made Simple

[trip style = any]

If you're not into awkward vacation selfies marred by an arm dangling across your snap, or if you'd rather not ask a stranger to take your photo and later find out it's blurry, you need to know about the perfect app for that.

Over the past few weeks my love for my iPhone app, TimerCam {equivalent on Android = TimerCamera}, has been burning bright. Having been in WA on an end-of-summer vacay with Mr. Trip Styler and our pup, and now on Oahu with my sister, this app has been invaluable for marking memories. I recommend you download it in all its freeness. {It was Japan's number-one photography app in Feb 2012 and they're always ahead of the game!}

Unless we're talking about the new Nokia with a 41 megapixel camera, a smartphone is not the ideal tool for capturing memorable moments at landmarks like Australia's Whitehaven Beach or Croatia's Dalmatian coast, but as the saying goes, your best camera is the one that's WITH you.

Trip Styler Tip :: There's a time and a place for vacation selfies. Self-timer camera apps are best used in non-touristy areas where you're sure nobody will snatch your phone {unless of course you're aware of an iLeash, which I am not}.

Here's a recent photo I snapped using TimerCam:

{Ignore my poor choice in bicycle-esque bottoms; I didn't know the moment would strike for a family photo.}

To set up the shot, press on the screen to ensure the light and focus are right, tap the timer [5 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 30 sec] and click the camera icon to start the timer.

More Travel Apps chefs feed – what top chefs like to eat in their own city magicJack – a free calling app Instagram – as a travel tool TomTom – navigate abroad without using data

[photos by @tripstyler using TimerCam]

I Just Called, To Say, I...

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"I just called, to saaaaaaaaaay, I loooooooove you. I just called, to saaaaaaaaaaay how much I caaaaaaaaare..." - Stevie Wonder

There's something to be said for proper conversation. Clearly, Stevie Wonder agrees.

When emailing or iMessaging your loved ones on vacation isn't enough {or typing on a tiny screen is making your digits tired}, there's always the option to talk on the good ol' phone, for FREE, sans international calling plan.

Recently my sister was in Croatia and I was in Austin. We talked the whole time via iMessage, but when our conversation demanded more than short-burst updates, we called from opposite corners of the globe for a proper gab.

If you want the *option* to call someone you care about while traveling, here's how to do it:

The 411 :: Making Free Calls From Your Smartphone On Vacation 1/ Find WiFi 2/ Download the magicJack app for free calls to U.S. and Canadian phone numbers, or any magicJack phone number anywhere in the world {iPhone // Android} 3/ Make the call {no sign-in required}

PS - Google Talk is another complimentary way to call regular phone numbers from your computer, and Skype-to-Skype calling is still free.

Have you had success with any other free calling apps or services? Do tell.

[photo of/via @tripstyler]

Trip Styler Tutorial :: Build A Day

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Question: Do you push your vacation to the 55th moment taking a red-eye home {only leaving time for a cold, wake-me-up shower before work}, OR do you sacrifice a day and return 24 hours early to re-acclimate?

I've done both, but I find I'm a better, happier traveler---during AND after my trips---when I know I have at least a day of downtime when I get home. A day to catch up on life AND sleep before returning into the rat race pace.

When I don't leave a day, time compresses leaving little margin for error. If I don't sleep well in the hotel bed, too bad. If my flight is delayed, too bad. If I get sick while away, too bad. There's a lot of IFs in travel, and without a buffer day, these almost inevitable IFs can mean the difference between approaching the week on empty versus full {and aren't vacations supposed to refresh?}.

The idea of needing a vacation from a vacation is one that's often joked about post-travel. Depending on the trip style, sometimes we run ourselves so ragged, or can become so stressed with various travel situations we come home tired rather than teed up. To this end, I recently read an article in United Airlines' Hemisphere Magazine which noted that 24% of Americans need a vacation when they return from a family trip. I'm surprised this number isn't higher. On the flipside, I suspect the percentage would be lower if a few buffer days were built in.

What reinvigorated my build-a-day thought process was my return home from a one-way road trip in Southern USA. I had a blast, but because I was on assignment, I had zero downtime, so now I feel like a need a vacation {translation: sit on a secluded beach with a good read and spontaneously appearing mojitos}.

As I write this post on the flight home, I'm taking deep breaths knowing I didn't build a day to recover into my schedule. My bad.

Trip Styler Tip :: Plan a buffer day for all the sexy things in life: laundry, stocking up on healthy groceries, exercising, or whatever it is that'll make you approach the week with a sense of peace and balance. In my experience, a down day at home is an e-s-s-e-n-t-i-a-l part of the vacation experience. If you build it, your serenity will come.

Do you build a "home day" into your travels?

[photo by @tripstyler]

Shoulder Season Travel Strategies

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Whether or not the weather got the memo {I've heard tales of snow storms in the East}, Spring has sprung. For many hot-ticket destinations, particularly in Hawaii and the Caribbean, April marks the beginning of shoulder season, meaning you can save an arm AND a leg {pun totally intended} on travel!

Trip Styler Tip :: shoulder season logic can be applied to any destination. For example, April is an incredible time to hit the slopes as many ski resorts still have snow, the crowds have thinned, the weather is warm and the prices are off-peak! Or take Europe, visiting in May and October offers similar benefits.

Smarty Pants Travel Strategies 1/ Bank on shoulder season savings to go farther, or take more smaller trips. For example, a few years ago in April I flew to Hawaii from Vancouver for $400 {return}, and I saw similar prices advertised recently. This trip would normally cost 700+ for flights.

2/ Sign up with a service like Yapta or TripIt Pro to get notified if your flight goes down in price. I just got $98 dollars back on a flight using this method.

3/ Airline or Credit Card travel points. a) You MUST collect airline/hotel points and travel credit card points. Triple the fun {and savings}. b) Redeem points in low season to get more for your money. For example: I'm about to book a trip to Argentina with the American Airlines points I've accrued to fly in business class at the cusp of shoulder season. In low season the trip is 60,000 points, in high season the trip is 200,000 points.

4/ Get on the travel app train. ---> Last-minute savings are NOT a thing of the past. Apps have reinvigorated spontaneous travel with a ton of services that offer day-of savings.

5/ Monitor fare sales like a hawk. For example, vacation destinations get fewer bookings in shoulder season, yet many airlines still fly those routes, which means they need seats sat in!

More Travel Savings Strategies The Six-Week Rule :: the sweet-spot for flight bookings Six Ways To Save On Airfare :: score the lowest airfare for your next trip How To Book The Best Flight :: without hours of research The Airfare Dance :: key findings from Kayak.com’s Chief Scientist Travel Tips for ANY Trip Style :: 11 trip tips

[photo by @tripstyler]

Trip Styler Tutorial :: Jet Lag

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You can't conquer jet lag, but you can commandeer it.

I recently read an article in T+L where the writer took multiple long-haul flights to test various jet lag cures---or so the products promised. He concluded none r-e-a-l-l-y work. Trying multiple methods, products, pills, tinctures {and cocktails of all four}, I'd agree. You can't beat the clock. Eventually, we all need sleep.

My conclusion is there’s no cure for jet lag aside from trying your darndest to get on your new time zone’s clock, ASAP. Going transcontinental in a matter of hours means there'll be moments when you’re operating on empty. Moments when you’re so tired your eyebrows feel like bricks. Moments when your mind is stuck in a pea soup-thick fog. In these moments of head-bobbing exhaustion, remember: this too shall pass sooner than later!

How To Commandeer Jet Lag 1. Mentally prepare to be dog-tired or uber-awake at unfamiliar hours. 2. Push through it as if you’re running a marathon. 3. Get onto the local schedule asap. Ex. If you land at 10pm, go to bed. If you land at 7am, *try* to stay awake until evening. 4. Take 30 min power naps if you need a pick-me-up. Catnaps help a lot.

Trip Styler Tip :: I'm a fan of natural jet lag relief versus downing sleeping pills with chardonnay, so in addition to this four-step process, I take melatonin {and calcium} to help me sleep. For the record, it was a 25-year veteran pilot who suggested it as tried-and-true coping mechanism.

Finally, when you’re in the thick of jet lag know that you’ll have on and off instances. One minute you’ll want to sleep for 24 hrs straight, and the next minute you’ll be as awake as a rooster about to sing at first light. Not even the most seasoned globetrotters can avoid this, and the only way to catch up is through perseverance and sleep.

PS - If you're thinking of knocking back a bubbly or deux on your international flight, it's true what experts say: alcohol does make jet lag worse, while water makes it better.

Related Jet Lag Strategies KinderHop :: Time Zones, Jet Lag & Kids

[photo via @tripstyler]