Smartphone Smarts

     Since I began this blog in 2010, I have been on three trips to the East Coast, one vacation trip each to Chicago, Toronto, and Indianapolis, and countless other ventures of shorter duration and distance from my home.   I also squeezed in a five-month work assignment in Des Plaines, Illinios during that time period.  All of these trips - especially to Chicago, New York, and Boston, were made possible by the use of my IPhone and its various apps.  I traveled alone on these far-away flings, and having GPS capability and good, accurate map applications and other apps proved especially invaluable in these formerly foreign-to-me places.

     I use an iPhone 6 with 128GB of memory, which has proved to be more than adequate for what I need it to do: calls and emails, navigation, photos and video, etc.   As most of you likely know, these devices are virtual Swiss Army Knives for travelers.   For my travels, I use the following apps most often:

--> My Comcast and GMail email clients, for boarding passes, receipts, and other things;
--> Apple or Google Maps - generally reliable, and the transit directions are improving, but not perfect.   I thought it wise to use both in order to get "second opinions" as to routes I may be taking - this is especially true with the newer transit directions these apps are now incorporating; 
--> App of the hotel I'm staying at (e.g Marriott) for check ins;
--> App of the airline(s) I'm flying - most will allow check-in through the phone, and even ticket purchases. 
--> I took Amtrak, so I got the app.  Like airline apps, I can purchase tickets and check on train statuses.  
--> Uber - I'm sold on this.   Lyft should work as well, but Uber has a greater percentage of this market and will likely be easier to access.
--> AirBNB - I’ve yet to use this, but I’m including it here because I sense I will be.   I’ll review it in a future post.  
--> Zipcar - for access to the car-rental features, including access to the cars themselves. 

     Some of these apps listed above, especially those that rely on GPS like map apps, are battery hogs.  I recommend getting a back up battery like the GoPuck and keep it plugged in as much as possible.   Better yet, just take the backup battery with you and keep it plugged in at all times - make it a part of the phone.  You’ll be glad you did, and you won’t be hunting for power outlets nearly as much in places you never really intended to visit.  

Security Considerations: 

     We know that smartphones are juicy targets for thieves, not just for the phones themselves, but for the personal information they can access.  I’ve heard of cases where smartphones are stolen from the hands of people while they were in use.  Here are a few tips for keeping this risk at a minimum for you:

--> Don’t use them on the open street while you’re walking.  This sounds obvious at first, but I have caught myself making this mistake often when using one of my navigation apps - and sometimes, not in the best of neighborhoods;
--> If you’re finding a route, try to commit as much of it to memory as possible before putting the phone away;
-->Most map apps have voice directions (Google and Apple, especially) - use this feature as much as possible.   You can keep the phone hidden on your person and still hear the directions through the built-in speaker, or in your ear piece.   (Speaking of ear pieces, only use one of the ear buds to hear the phone and allow the other to monitor the environment around you.);
--> Don’t put it in a purse or bag - keep it on your person at all times.

Other Things to Consider: 

--> Besides being battery hogs, GPS-based apps are also data hogs.   On a seven-day trip, one can easily burn through one or two gigabytes of data (or more) on their phone plan.   Many providers, like Verizon, allow for the purchase of additional data for specific periods of time.   Consider doing this for the time period you will be away, remembering to set your data streaming back down to what it was prior to departing. 

--> Spur-of-the-moment detours and excursions are part of the fun of exploratory traveling, and I certainly encourage it.   Keep in mind, however, that the more you prepare in advance for your travels in a given day, including figuring out walking routes and transit options, the less you will need to pull out the smart phone.   You'll save battery power, and you lessen the risk of theft.