My Favorite Travel Apps

I often get asked "What are your favorite Disney apps?" and my list is always pretty similar - so I thought today I'd go a step beyond that and share what my favorite travel apps are, including Disney apps, of course!

And by the way - these are all FREE!

General Travel:

Instagram: what the stink does that have to do with travel?  Well, if you are a social networking person like myself using Instagram makes things EASY to post across several sites.  Shoot your picture, edit if desired, type in your description and share across Instagram (obviously), Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and foursquare.  In addition you can email it off quite quickly!

Kindle: I always download a couple books before a trip so I have something to read on the plane, or during a relaxing pool day, etc.  There are tons of decent books that are free too!

YouVersion: this is the Bible with tons of daily devotionals/reading plans.  There are many translations in this app, so you are sure to find your preferred version.  Plus, it has an audio version, so you can even listen to it.  Easy to keep on track while you are on the road with a Bible in your pocket!

SimpleTip: This app will split your check for you and show you how much a tip should be on a sliding scale.  You just plug in the total amount of your check, how many ways it should be split and adjust the tip amount and it does the math for you. Incredibly useful.

Flashlight: Pretty obvious what this is.  I cannot tell you how many times it has helped me in a dark hotel room when I didn't want to turn on the lights to disturb Joe and/or Henry.  Also great to find the one black sock that somehow got lost under the bed.

Free Light: This is a reading light.  Now if you are reading the Kindle on your phone you obviously don't need this, but if you have a traditional book, magazine, newspaper, etc. this is a great little app!

HopStop: Handy little app for navigating the transit systems within many large cities.  I used to use this for NYC all the time before I had a hang of the system.

Google Maps: A lot like HopStop, this can be very useful for transit in large cities; however, it's also great for walking or driving directions.  I use Google Maps almost daily to find a store, restaurant, coffee shop, etc. This is especially handy in a city you aren't too familiar with.  Google Maps is amazing.

Urbanspoon: Very useful to find good eats in large cities.

OnTheFly: I cannot recommend this app enough.  If you don't download any other from my list, GET THIS ONE.  This incredible app will search multiple airports, multiple airlines, and even a date range so you can see when and where the cheapest flights are.  It's a lot like Kayak or the like online, but even better because you can view an entire month at a glance if your dates are flexible.  It does not search Southwest if you happen to fly that popular airline.

Yapta: After you have used OnTheFly to find your flight, use Yapta to track it!  Plug in your flight information and Yapta will let you know if you ever qualify for a voucher/refund on your flight due the price dropping.  Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran both refund you even if it drops $1!  I have literally saved hundreds.  They also have a website that will email you if you qualify for a voucher/refund.  Unfortunately this app does not track Southwest - it seems Southwest does not play nice with 3rd parties. ;-)

CruiseFinder: This fantastic app will search by Cruise Line, Cruise Ship, destination and more.  Find a great deal in just a few minutes!

Postagram: Take a picture of yourself on vacation and have a postcard of that picture sent to your loved ones - all from this app.  The first 5 are free and it's only 99 cents per card after that - INCLUDING postage!  You can type in a message and the picture pops out of the postcard for a keepsake.  Seriously cool.

Disney Apps:

This list has shortened up recently as Disney has greatly improved upon their own app, so my #1 recommendation to you is "My Disney Experience".  This free app from Disney does it all.  You can access your entire reservation, dining, wait times, character meet & greet locations and times, maps and more.  You can even make dining reservations on it, and fairly soon you will be able to request and adjust your FastPasses via the app!  We have used this on the past few trips and it really is a solid app.

I know a few people also enjoy Disney trip planning apps, where you can plug in your confirmation numbers and such, but I just make a PDF copy of my spreadsheet planners and put them on my Kindle.  I find it easier and much quicker.  If you don't know how to do that, see my recent post HERE.

So tell me, what are your favorite travel apps?

Workin' hard...

As you all know I am a travel agent, and I specialize in Disney vacations; however, that is NOT all I book!  I have sent clients on various cruise lines, to tropical destinations, on a non-Disney Orlando vacations and more!  All destinations have their own set of courses I can take to become more familiar with their offerings, and I am slowly working my way through them.  I have completed Disney's (and keep up on all their courses, as it is the destination I book most often!), and last year I earned the highest level from Norwegian Cruise Lines - I am Freestyle Certified!  Such a fun name.

About two weeks ago I completed the "Hotel Excellence" course with Marriott  and just today I finished my courses with SeaWorld Parks!

I really enjoy all this training, I have done a number of classes with Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruise Lines as well - but not quite enough yet to earn my designation.  I will be finishing those soon, but first I am going to become a Universal Specialist!  I have many clients that have taken a day from their Disney vacation and headed over to Universal and Islands of Adventure, I look forward to getting to know their product more intimately and visiting myself.

Walking Tour of Pop Century Resort

Today I finally finished a video I have been working on for a very.long.time!  Take a walk through Disney's Pop Century...one of Disney's most popular Value Resorts at Walt Disney World!

2013 Woz Travels

2013 is here and the Wozniak's are ready to TRAVEL!!

Here is what is on our agenda so far:

February - D.C.  We had such a good time last year, we figured it would make a perfect long weekend!  We are taking the train this time, and staying right in the city.  We hope to visit the aquarium and a few other sites we missed...and probably go back to the Air & Space Museum.  Can't get enough of all that nerd stuff.

March - Walt Disney World!  The plans around this are still a bit hazy, but we ARE going!  I hope to visit with my Mom and her boyfriend for a day or two since they live there now, and maybe even squeeze in an off-site adventure...I'm thinking SeaWorld, or Discovery Cove, or perhaps even the "dark side" - Universal Studios.  We'll see!

August - Minnesota.  My Mom is getting married!!  It will be a great time to visit with family and be a part of the celebration.


I know there will be at least one work conference in there, possibly two.  We also hope to CRUISE again this year, and I'll likely have a "girl's trip" in the fall at some point too.  Perhaps a long weekend in Boston if Joe has to go there for work, or a quick trip to Philly.  Time will tell!

I'll try to be good about sharing our adventures... :)

Putting a PDF onto your iPhone

This post is written with my clients in mind; however, I figured others might find it useful as well, so I am posting it here!

I often send a PDF copy of the personalized planner I make my clients, many prefer both a paper copy and the PDF.  I'm a PDF gal myself, it's just SO easy to have it right there in my back pocket.  To know the park hours, crowd levels, dining reservations and more, without shuffling through papers, is ideal for me.

However, sometimes people aren't quite sure how to get the PDF I email them onto their smartphone...keep reading!  If you have anything other than an iPhone, I don't know how to do it - but I'm guessing the process is fairly similar.

So, I just sent you your planner - open your email on your phone.

Click on the email from me.  You can see the attachment at the bottom of the email.  Click on it and it will open.  Sometimes I find I have to click it twice for large files.  I believe the iPhone only partially downloads some of the file at first, then will download the whole thing.  My client planners are usually large - so be sure you are on wi-fi when you first download it!

The planner opens in a Mail window:

And now the important part.  You see the icon in the upper right, an arrow coming out of a box, directly below the battery gauge?  Click on that.  You will get a few choices for other apps.  By clicking that icon, you are saying "Open in..." and then you can choose another app.

If you don't have an app to open it in, exit out and go download the free Kindle app first.  It's very easy to use and a great way to view PDFs because it loads quickly.  Then re-do the above steps until you are here.

Click on "Open in Kindle" (or your chosen app).

That app will directly open, with the planner in it!

On the Kindle, you can zoom in and scroll around.  My planners are more than one page, so you'll be able to see all the pages at the bottom of the screen.  You can bookmark a certain page (the icon on the top bar on the far right), you can click on the box with the arrow again and email it to another person in your party.  It's really slick!

Now you have your planner right at your finger tips!  Keep the paper planner I send you in the mail for your resort room, and this one as your "on the go" version.

I will say, sometimes the Kindle app doesn't open the PDF right away.  It's a bug in the Kindle app.  Just go back to the email and do the "Open in Kindle" again.  Kind of a pain, but, it happens.

Let me know if you have any questions!

New York Botanical Gardens Train Show

Last weekend Joe, Henry and I took the train north to the NY Botanical Gardens for the Holiday Train Show!  This was something I have wanted to do since we moved to New York, and we finally got there this year.

They re-create various buildings from NYC out of plant parts: sticks, wood, bark, seeds, pinecones and fruit. Between all the buildings are train tracks with about a dozen different toy trains running. It's pretty amazing!


Macy's - this was in the queue line just to get in the building


Upclose


With the train conductor

The first room is part of the queue - it's a little tropical paradise, which felt great because the day was a bit rainy and yucky! There are no trains here, but some really great buildings.


Ellis Island




The old TWA terminal (and planes) at JFK. Jet Blue now occupies part of this famous structure.


Almost time to go in!




Some of the buildings we recognized, but many we didn't. There were signs in front of them all, saying what they were and where they were.






Hell Gate Bridge - this one is really close to our house


Coney Island


The NY Public Library (the big famous building) is the structure in the back, the arch is from Washington Square Park.


A bit blurry, but they even recreated the lions in front of the library!


The old Penn Station (it was sadly destroyed)


If you've been to NYC, you might think this is the Post Office across from Madison Square Garden, but it's not - it's the old Penn Station, same architect. Very similar buildings!


I love the detail on the roof of this one.







There was a small exhibit on the side that showed how the artists created these buildings - and had a few non-NYC buildings as well.


First step


Second step and some materials


Viola! Easy, right???


Okay-that one is from NYC... :)

Coffee pot gas station (I cannot recall where it was from), and the cool train that was going around these buildings.


Sorry about it being rotated - I did fix it in my photo program...hmmm!  Anyway, I was excited to see this one! It's a replica of that hotel shaped like an elephant, which they also have a replica of in Boardwalk Inn lobby at Walt Disney World!


This is Nebraska, I've seen it! I think it might be "Dunn Bros" now though if I remember correctly


Another train going around














Pretty flowers....after all we were at the Botanical Gardens!


Henry in front of the skyline


Famous buildings of the skyline - Empire State, Chrysler, Rockefeller, NYSE...


Radio City


I love this - Rockefeller even has the angles and Christmas tree up!




Empire State


Thomas! In January they change out all the trains to be Thomas and friends.


The building we were in at the moment. Kinda cool!


Harlem - the Apollo


The old Yankee Stadium - the lights worked and it played music




Natural History Museum


Guggenheim


City Hall




Brooklyn Bridge














Amazing detail















Back outside we walked a bit over to an area they had set up for kids called Gingerbread Adventures






So pretty.


A little maze for the kids


Kid-size gingerbread house


There were a few of these cool guys around

Inside one of the buildings they had set up stations to learn about the spices that go into gingerbread. The first thing they got was a booklet they could design with glue and seeds.






Grinding spices

We then went to various stations where they would learn about a spice and glue some into the booklet.


At the end there were a few gingerbread creations by various bakeries




Planting wheat

It was a cute area, and maybe he learned something... :)

Back outside we went to the gift shop before we had to get on the train - just enough time for me to buy an ornament!


Pretty.


Inside the gift shop - yummy gingerbread cookies


Candy canes, my favorite


Ornaments - you might not be able to see if very well, but we got a little snow globe one with a train in it.


I thought these were cute.

Then it was back on the train and home. We really enjoyed the Train Show and I'm glad we went! I don't think we will go every year, but, it was something new and different!