Travel
The best apps all the top Canadian travel experts and bloggers are using
Travel blogger Solmaz Khosrowshahian marvels at Saint Lucia's iconic mountains—the volcanic peaks of the Pitons.
Travel
The best apps all the top Canadian travel experts and bloggers are using
Canada's top travel experts and bloggers dish on the apps they just can't leave home without.
FRIENDS ON THE INSIDE: AIRBNB
"Airbnb essentially gives me direct access to a local in a foreign land. Beyond providing accommodations, many hosts are incredibly passionate about their city and country and will proactively share tips, recommendations and hidden gems. On a recent family trip to Portugal, one of our hosts offered help when we had car trouble, another delivered toys as soon as I messaged her about my toddler and one helped us navigate our way out of a protest through the app's direct messaging service." —Solmaz Khosrowshahian, blogger, thecuriouscreature.com
ITINERARIES MADE EASY: TRIP IT
Natalie DiScala awaits the Honolulu sunset with her son. | Photography: Harley/Flytographer
"I couldn't travel without TripIt. Whenever you book a flight, a hotel, an event or a car service, you simply forward the confirmation to plans@tripit.com and it'll be filed into a personalized and easy-to-access itinerary. I love having schedules, addresses and confirmation numbers all in one handy place, rather than having to sift through emails to find details." —Natalie DiScala, editor, ohtravelissima.com
GET THERE: ROME2RIO
"On the longer trips my husband and I take, our first step in planning is to figure out the spots we want to visit and how long to stay in each. Rome2rio helps us find the best route between them. You enter two destinations and it gives you the possibilities, from public transit to walking to taxis to driving, saving us time, money and stress by recommending the best options." —Linda Holland, blogger, retiredandtravelling.com
SERENE SLEEPS: WHITE NOISE
Jennifer Weatherhead Harrington takes in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert. | Photography: Nadia Bseiso
"This app is my best bet for getting a good sleep anywhere. Sometimes, you hear weird sounds in hotel rooms or outside or it's too noisy on the plane. Other times, believe it or not, it can be way too quiet; So I pick a setting—there's everything from white noise and brown noise to rain and waves—and soothe myself to sleep. I just used it in Mexico City because my room was facing a busy street and I could hear everything that happened in the hallway. It worked like a charm!" —Jennifer Weatherhead Harrington, blogger, travelandstyle.ca
NAVIGATING THE MAZE: WAZE
"I use this GPS app at home to get around, but I especially rely on it when I travel internationally. It's comforting to know how far away the hotel is from the airport—or wherever I'm heading—and to be able to track the cab driver to make sure we're taking the quickest route and I'm not getting ripped off. I frequently point out to drivers that they should take a turn based on Waze…and they think I know where I'm going!" —Kathy Buckworth, travel expert, CHCH's Morning Live
SEEING SIGNS: GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Savvy travel team Dalene and Pete Heck high-five atop New Zealand's Roys Peak, enjoying wonderful views of Lake Wanaka.
"Via a smartphone camera, Google Translate scans foreign text—on, say, a sign—and displays the English translation in real time without needing to be connected to the internet. We use it often overseas—especially for menus and at train stations—and it saves us from things like ordering mishaps and wrong turns." —Dalene and Pete Heck, bloggers, hecktictravels.com
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