Digital World – Let’s get travelling

Whether you are planning the trip of a lifetime or a quick break during the school holidays, here are some digital tools to help.

Planning your trip
If you want to be super-organised, or are planning your trip with other people, you can use a tool like Trello to create to-do lists, checklists and assign tasks with desktop and app versions. Or choose from one of the many apps for travelling, such as PackingPro.

Where to go
Online travel sites like TripAdvisor have hotels, holiday rentals, things to do, restaurants and flights. The app version is easy to use and, if you create a profile, you can create new trips and save your wishlists as you go. You can access offline saved travel guides on your device. The reviews and travellers photos of accommodation are well worth a look.  Also try Wikitravel for a crowd-sourced travel guide.

Airbnb continues to grow in popularity, offering cheaper accommodation and an authentic experience by staying in a local’s home. The tool itself is easy to use, but keep a careful eye on any special conditions and extra costs.

Getting around
Google Maps can be your best friend when navigating unfamiliar streets. You can even go for a virtual walk on Street View to familiarise yourself first, and keep an eye out for 360 tours of everything from restaurants to tourist attractions.

Capturing and saving memories
Check out apps to improve photos on your phone. Pro tools for smartphones include Snapseed, VSCO Cam and FiLMiC Pro. Pull together your stories with Storify.com, or create a scrapbook on Pinterest.
Don’t forget to save your memories. Along with any cloud-based back ups you already have, you can save and share large files with WeTransfer and Dropbox. While away or when you get home, back them up again on a portable hard drive.

Happy travels! See more links and videos with this digital column at localmattersne.wpengine.com