Make Your Winter Travel Stress-Free With These Apps
If the thought of preparing for travel in the thick of Winter storms makes your heart race, take comfort in bits of tech salvation by bookmarking these sites and apps to help prepare for the coming craziness while preserving your sanity.
- TripIt — Once signed up for the free service, forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt, which will automatically create a master itinerary of an upcoming trip accessible through the web or a mobile device. The itineraries even include the tidbits we seem to forget like weather updates, local maps, and directions.
- Google Flight Search — Book that plane ticket before prices rise any further! Google's flight search engine incorporates travel basics like price point, maximum number of connections, and preferred airline with an easy-to-use interface.
- Hotel Tonight — If there are too many relatives in one house, scan the last-minute hotel deals in Hotel Tonight for a chic getaway at a discounted price. Every day, three hotels in a city reveal their discounted rates starting at noon, and you then have until 2 a.m. to book the deal and take advantage of a peaceful room. Plus, hotel listings in Mexico and continental Europe have just been added.
- My TSA — Can homemade fruitcakes go through security? How early should you show up to the airport for a flight during the holiday rush? Answer the pressing travel questions that could otherwise cause delays or stress by adding the TSA's free iOS app to your device. The app's airport security line estimator may become the most crucial feature on your phone when planning your airport arrival.
- GasBuddy — Hitting the open road instead of the air? Use the free GasBuddy app to locate the cheapest fuel on the interstate. Show your fellow travelers some love, and share the low-price gas station you discover within the app.
What websites or apps do you make sure to reference before braving the airport or freeway?