5 apps for summer travel

Summer has officially begun here in the States. Schools are closing and families are planning vacations across our great land. It can be a hassle, but don't fret! Here are five apps to make your adventure more enjoyable.


Sunday Drive (Free)


When my sisters and I were young, my dad routinely stuffed us into the 'wayback' of our Matador station wagon where we sat, sweaty and gobbling Chicken McNuggets, en route to nowhere in particular. Ah, I can still smell the BBQ dipping sauce and leaded gas fumes. Few contemporary families enjoy a Sunday drive, and that's what the aptly-named Sunday Drive for iPhone aims to change.


The attractive, location-based app represents a growing database of user-supplied travel routes, attractions and single-day getaways. To get started, let the iPhone find your location via GPS. A map will load with the familiar blue dot as well as Sunday Drive icons representing logged drives. Tap any one to see its title, distance from your location and length (9.1 miles, for example).


Tap again to review details, like an overall description, standout points of interest, photos and the ideal starting point. Finally, you can mark certain trips as favorites (Facebook login required) and even submit your own. If your submission is featured on the Sunday Drive website, you'll earn ten bucks!


If only we had this app back in the day. I mentioned the fumes, right?


Flight Update ($4.99 or $9.99 for Pro; universal)


You'll be flying to visit Grandma's retirement village in Florida? Grab the SPF 100, Dramamine and inevitable acknowledgment of your own mortality while you install Fight Update Pro. I've used this app for years, and it consistently beats the airport itself at dispensing timely info and completely eliminates paper. Here's how it works.


First, enter a name ('Trip to Florida'), the start and end date plus any relevant notes. Next, tap Add a Flight. A new window appears. This is where it gets good. Scroll through an exhaustive list of airlines to find yours and then enter your flight number (via the conveniently-supplied number pad) and the date. Hit Save, and the app does the rest.


A tidy window appears that lists the airline, flight number, type of plane and status (on time, late, departed, etc.). You'll also find the originating and destination airport, actual departure and arrival times (updated in real time), gate and terminal information as well as the airport's home country and local weather.


Lest I gush like a 13-year-old who's watching Justin Bieber sing 'Baby' from the first row, I'll skim through the remaining awesomeness. There's a handy, at-a-glance overview of flight information, a seating chart for nearly every type of plane, a list of alternate flights should a cancellation befall you and even a super convenient, in-app way to alert family and friends of your status (boarding, en route, landed, etc.) via SMS or email. The Pro version offers integration with Tripit.


Flight Update is among my top 10 iOS apps ever. Now enjoy the Sunshine State. Just don't accept any fancy pens.


MotionX GPS Drive ($0.99 for the app, $2.99 - $19.99 in-app purchase for live turn-by-turn voiceover)


The App Store is home to many GPS-based driving apps, several of which are from the industry's big names. My favorite is MotionX GPS Drive. I've used it for over a year and have never had a problem, plus the pay-as-you-go option appeals to me as a frugal New Englander. Here's why you should check it out.


To get started, tap the Search button to reveal the comprehensive search screen. Here you can manually enter an address or hit a button to find shopping, restaurants, gas, hospitals or more in your area. Once you've identified your destination, tap Nav Choices to opt for live voice navigation or visual navigation. The latter is always free, while you can buy 30 days of live voice (non-recurring) for $2.99 or a full year for $19.99. That's a huge selling point: don't pay for it if you aren't using it.


Finally, tap Navigate and off you go. The visuals are extremely clear and work in portrait or landscape. A number of voices are available (some free, some via in-app purchase), but I've found the default to be perfectly acceptable (I've named her 'Roadsie'). You can zoom in and out with a tap and even play music as you drive via on-screen controls.


There are plenty of options available, like night mode, live traffic updates, favorite destinations and more. You'll find pricier GPS navigation solutions, but MotionX GPS Drive is my favorite.


Best Road Trip Ever ($3.99)


Best Road Trip Ever (BRTE) is another location-based day trip app, similar to Sunday Drive. The main difference is the destinations. BRTE features the off-beat, unusual and atypical destinations that dot the US. Think folk art installations and UFO culture.


They've amassed more than 7,000 attractions for you to explore, including diners and eclectic greasy spoon-type places. Finding an interesting spot is easy. Just tap one of the spots that appear on the map next to your location, follow the directions and go. You'll find lots of photos and even a few videos to get you excited for what you're about to see. BRTE is certainly not for everyone, but those who appreciate the kitsch of a roadside stand in the shape of a doughnut will enjoy it.


The Chimani Guides (Free and $4.99 versions available)


If you intend to visit some US National Parks this summer, grab the Chimani Guides. These fantastic apps are your electronic guide to several National Parks, including Acadia, Cape Cod National Seashore, Yosemite, Cuyahoga Valley and the Grand Canyon.


Of course, you'll find detailed maps and photos -- that's expected. But the Chimani apps also feature audio driving tours and up-to-the-minute listings of scheduled activities. You can even have push notifications let you know what's going on. Finally, sunrise and sunset times will benefit those on a tight schedule as well as photographers anticipating the golden hour.


Honorable mention goes to SpotWorld. It takes the idea of social itineraries, similar to Best Road Trip Ever and Sunday Drive, and sends them into the stratosphere. Users have contributed details on appealing trips all over world. In fact, SpotWorld features photos, audio recordings and articles for more than 500,000 spots all over the world. It's definitely one for the globe trotter.


So there you have it, five apps for summer travel. One for leisurely Sunday drives, one for tracking your flights, one for long road trips, another for discovering the unusual and, finally, a pocket guide to some of America's National Parks. Have fun and enjoy the summer.

Pack your bags: Hipmunk travel search comes to iPad

Travel search startup Hipmunk is bringing its super-slick user interface (UI)– and arguably the startup world’s cutest mascot– to the iPad.

The San Francisco-based company has announced the launch of its custom iPad app, which will be available as a free download in the iTunes store starting Tuesday. The iPad app launch is accompanied by an update to the iPhone app Hipmunk debuted in February. An Android application is in the pipeline, according to the company.

Hipmunk’s head of mobile Danilo Campos recently took me through a preview of the iPad app, and by all appearances, it’s a spot-on translation of Hipmunk’s unique web experience. Just like on the web, flight results are sorted according to those with the lowest amount of “agony,” which is determined by the flight’s duration, number of layovers, and price. The UI incorporates the same visual timeline format for displaying search results that is well known by users of Hipmunk’s website. It also includes a handy option to either book in the Safari browser, or save the selection with a finish code to finalize the booking later from a computer.

“Launching an iPad app aligns with our mission of providing a superior, and fun, travel search experience,” Hipmunk CEO Adam Goldstein said in a press release announcing the app’s availability. You can read more about Hipmunk in my more in-depth interview with Goldstein published by GigaOM earlier this month.

Here are some screenshots of Hipmunk’s iPad app:

Travel essentials: 10 iPhone apps to take on holiday

Summer is here! It’s time to start booking flights and packing your suitcase. Here are 10 awesome iPhone apps to help make the most of your sunshine get-away.

1. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a great starting point when planning a trip away. It’s a really simple and easy-to-use app to find and compare over 600 flights. Just enter the destination details and date and Skyscanner will find the flights for you. You can then filter the results by airline, number of stops, time of day, duration and airport. It will also save your searches so you can go back to them later.

There is an option to book the flights from the app but this is just a divert service. Clicking ‘book’ opens the phone’s web browser and directs you to the chosen airline’s website. This takes a little away from the overall sleekness of the app, but it’s still a good tool to quickly find the right flight.

2. Airbnb

If you’re looking for somewhere a little bit different to stay, Airbnb is the app for you. Airbnb is a community of people with rooms, apartments or houses to rent whether it’s just for the night or a bit longer.

It’s an attractive and well-made app. Before getting started you can watch an introductory video within the app which is accompanied by simple ‘how it works’ diagrams. Then flick between ‘featured’, ‘search’ and ‘host’ to see the places and properties available or choose to list your own place.

The prices vary from place to place. There should be something to fit every budget but if you’re looking for the cheapest of the cheap this might not be the app for you. See our full launch review of Airbnb’s app here.

3. TripDeck

Organisation is key when planning a trip away and that’s where Mobiata’s TripDeck comes in. TripDeck is a handy itinerary manager. Create a ‘trip’ and add relevant flight, transport, accommodation, and activity information. You can also sync your trips with TripIt.

4. LocateMyPhone

LocateMyPhone gives you peace of mind when you’re out exploring the world. Similar to Apple’s ‘FindMyiPhone’ it’s an app that helps find your phone should it fall into the wrong hands. By creating an account using the iPhone app you can then track your phone through the LocateMyPhone website.

What I particularly like about this app and its web counterpart is the speed it locates the phone. It’s immediate. There’s no waiting like with some similar apps. A couple of other cool features are the Google Maps integration and the battery life monitor. The web app allows you to view your phone’s whereabouts over the last 30 days via Google Maps. The home screen of the web app also shows how much battery power the phone has left, indicating how long you have to continue tracking before retrieving it.

The only downside I can see is that this app isn’t free forever. There’s a 30-day free trial and after that you can choose from monthly, 3 monthly, 6 monthly or 12 monthly subscriptions. But at £3.99 a year I don’t think that’s a lot to pay for peace of mind. (Although I should note for iPhone 4 users Apple’s FindMyiPhone is currently a free service.)

5. Beach Locator

Beach Locator by On the Beach LTD is the must-have app for all those beach bums out there. From the home screen choose from ‘point and search’, ‘find a beach near me’ and ‘view beaches by list’. Once you’ve found your chosen beach the app provides information including an overview, photo, facilities and recommendations. You can also rate the beach using the app’s star system after your visit.

One disappointing factor is Beach Locator currently only covers beaches in Turkey, Canaries, Balearics, Egypt, Spain, Tunisia, Cyprus, Greece and Portugal. This restricts the use of the app and also made it impossible to try out the ‘point and search’ feature in the UK.

6. iTranslate

Unless you’re smart enough to be fluent in most languages JJCS sarl’s iTranslate is a very helpful app to have on hand when travelling abroad. It’s an easy to use service with audio translation available for some languages. You can even share you translations via email, sms, or Twitter.

7. Wi-Fi Finder

Wi-Fi Finder by Jiwire does exactly as the title suggests, but what’s particularly impressive is not only does it find Wi-Fi hotspots in your current location but can search for Wi-Fi anywhere in the world too. Then once the hotspots are found you can add filters to the search such as free or paid, or the type of venue such as café or bar. Wi-Fi Finder then provides contact details and directions to the hotspot.

Another cool feature, and one that really makes this app stand out for me, is the option the download the offline database. Very handy when you find yourself in an Internet desert.

8. SoundTracking

Soundtracking by Schematic Labs is like FourSquare for music fans. Describing itself as a ‘way to share the soundtrack to your life’ the app lets you check into places with the music you’re listening to at the time. Like other social apps users can follow each other, share their check-ins with other networks including Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook, and comment on each other’s music.

This app is a great way to make a musical diary of your summer and has received positive reviews from users. My only criticism is that unlike other social music networks, such as Spotify and Last FM, the music is only available in ‘snippet’ form rather than the full track.

9. Socialcam

Socialcam is a new app that lets you film and share video with just the touch of a button. Hit record. Shoot. Stop recording. It automatically starts uploading the video to your channel. Then titles and descriptions can be added, friends can be tagged and the video can then be shared on a number of other sites.

As the app’s only recently been launched there are still a few teething problems. When I first downloaded the app it took a few times to get it to load properly and it still crashes during use, but given the attention to detail with this app I’m confident these bugs will soon be ironed out.

10. Postcard

Finally Postcard by Concierge.com takes the airmail out of sending out your holiday mementoes. There’s no need to sign up, just download the app and hit ‘create a new postcard’. Use your holiday snaps to create postcards to email to friends and family back home.

Now time to start packing! Check out our list of 10 New Gadgets to Maximize Summer Fun.Postcard, Skyscanner, Airbnb, TripDeck, LocateMyPhone, On the Beach LTD, iTranslate, Wi-Fi Finder, SoundTracking, SocialCam

Poema "Viajar! Perder Países!" e "Lisboa: O que o Turista deve Saber" de Fernando Pessoa

Original: Poema "Viajar! Perder Países!" e "Lisboa: O que o Turista deve Saber" de Fernando Pessoa

Em 1988, entre o espólio de Fernando Pessoa, foi encontrado um guia turístico de Lisboa, redigido pelo poeta em 1925 e que, por se destinar aos turistas que visitavam Lisboa, estava escrito em inglês.

Em 2009, este guia serviu de inspiração para o lançamento de “Os Mistérios de Lisboa ou What the Tourist Should See”, um filme de José Fonseca e Costa, com excertos de Álvaro de Campos. Uma redescoberta da cidade pelo olhar de Fonseca e Costa, com toda a imagética pessoana presente e com o fado de fundo. O DVD do filme pode ser adquirido aqui.

Fonte: Fugas

Lisboa: O Que O Turista Deve Ver /What the Tourist Should See (edição bilingue - português/inglês)

de Fernando Pessoa

Prefácio de Teresa Rita Lopes.

Edição/reimpressão: 2007

Páginas: 136

Editor: Livros Horizonte

10,47€

Sinopse: Trata-se de um guia de Lisboa, o Universo fundamental de Pessoa a que chama o seu 'lar', escrito em inglês, propositadamente turístico, despojado de retórica, onde se percorre todo o património importante da cidade, seja ele arquitectónico, artístico, intelectual ou de puro lazer.

É um prazer renovado visitar Lisboa pela mão do grande poeta e verificar que, apesar dos anos que passaram e de todas as alterações urbanas, ainda podemos desfrutar desse prazer de passear pelas ruas melancólicas da cidade branca e reconhecer os locais de que ele fala.

Este guia, provavelmente datado de 1925, inseria-se num amplo projecto de publicações a editar por Pessoa para dignificar Portugal, que ele considerava 'descategorizado' face à civilização europeia e, no caso presente, dignificar a sua capital.

No Google Maps pode ser consultado o trajecto pessoano, com respectivas anotações.

Viajar! Perder países!

Ser outro constantemente,

Por a alma não ter raízes

De viver de ver somente!

Não pertencer nem a mim!

Ir em frente, ir a seguir

A ausência de ter um fim,

E a ânsia de o conseguir!

Viajar assim é viagem.

Mas faço-o sem ter de meu

Mais que o sonho da passagem.

O resto é só terra e céu.

-Fernando Pessoa

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