Quick or You'll Miss It!
Ahh, last minute travel. You either have to love it or hate it. I think it depends a lot on your personality, because some people have the personality that suits not knowing where you’re going to be tonight, while other people (like me) have to plan in advance.
That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the benefits of last minute travel, which are, namely:
- Quite often fantastic deals and opportunities
- An extreme sense of serendipity
- Did I mention great deals?
I’d like to suggest to you a few tech tips for the geeks (and non geeks) out there to help in your last minute traveling adventures.
Mobile Apps
You’re gonna want a smart phone for last minute travel, because, well, it just makes saving all your reservation and information easier.
I suggest you grab a copy of TripIt app so you can quickly email it your itinerary, and it will save everything for you. (Bonus points is that you can go to their website and look things up too.)
Also, if you tend to travel with one regular air carrier, I suggest you download their airline app if they have one. Air carrier apps are good because 1) you can check/change/reserve seats sometimes, 2) get your mobile boarding pass that won’t flip and flop like it does in the mobile browser, 3) check for flight delays.
You might also consider also grabbing one of these personalized magazine apps so you’ve got something to read on the way there and back.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks are a little cliched in these days of social media, favorite tweets, and like’ed Facebook statuses. But, browsers still have them, and I highly recommend them. If you want to travel last minute, you have to know where to look for the last minute deals! A few suggestions:
- Last minute travel deals from Expedia rock. They have such a huge inventory, so they’ll cover you for everything – flights, cars, hotels, cruises, etc.
- Groupon and Livingsocial are also good checking for last minute deals, although I’d probably call these “short term” deals – they aren’t always available for use straightaway.
- Google is great to use, just type into the search “last minute” plus the name of your destination, accommodation, or attraction and see what comes up. It make require a few minute’s search, but it can be a pretty useful tool.
Gadgets
As mentioned, a smartphone is a must have accessory for any last minute travel. But, I’d suggest you plan on packing a extra charger or backup battery that is always charged up so you can keep in communication without having to worry!
Also bring your Kindle or iPad for some reading on the go. Always nice to have.
Last but not least, don’t forget the low tech solution: a water bottle. Leave it empty, then fill up after you get through security. It’s just a classy touch.
Photo by WTL Photos
