Tech to Improve Your Travels

Traveling has changed dramatically in recent years. In 2016, it’s no longer just a case of grabbing a backpack, picking up any guide book whilst at the airport, and jetting off to a new country in the hope that it will meet expectations. Now, you can plan everything down to the tiniest detail and work out routes and schedules way before you’ve even arrived at your destination.

The plethora of incredible and useful technology out there is a huge bonus for travelers. Though we are likely to use the same items in our day-to-day lives, much of this tech can help turn a good adventure into a great adventure. With today’s tech, you can say goodbye to missing out on a great festival because the guide book is outdated, being bored out of your mind at an airport, or getting incredibly lost because your map-reading skills are not up to scratch. And to help you with all of this, we’ve put together a list of great tech to have when traveling.

camera-1370201_1280

Apple Watch

Try as we might, staying ‘off the grid’ is a nice idea but one that is hard to stick to for longer than 24 hours. As so many transactions and messages are completed online, we simply need our smartphones at all times. That said, the smartphone now has a smaller and more nimble cousin in the form of the smartwatch. Though there are several companies with their own version, the Apple Watch is arguably the most powerful and advantageous of all them all.

iphone-1032783_1280

Not just a cool-looking watch with the ability to track fitness levels and direct phone notifications to your wrist, the Apple Watch also has many apps that are beneficial to the traveler. Google Maps is an obvious friend to any nomad, but the TripAdvisor app is also fantastic in recommending hotels, restaurants, and attractions for wherever you might be staying. Expedia too, is a great app to have on the Apple Watch for its up-to-date flight info on terminals, gates, and departure and arrival times.

apple-1039117_1280

With the likelihood of the Apple Watch 2 being released in September, current owners of the original Apple Watch may well be looking to sell theirs off a lot cheaper than retail price. With this in mind it’s a good idea to check sites like Chrono24 and pick up a second-hand (and far more affordable) smartwatch.

DSLR Camera

Though a bit more bulky than regular cameras, bringing along a digital SLR camera is valuable for many reasons: For one, you may well only be visiting your destination once in your entire life, so why not capture some mementos in the best picture quality? Two, if you’ve got a blog, then your readers will expect the goods; not grainy, blurry images that were taken on your phone. A DSLR that can record video is also a great advantage, as travel vlogs are rapidly becoming the go-to place to find out info on your destination before traveling. Take a look at this guide and discover cameras that are great for both photos and video.

photographer-410326_1280

Amazon Kindle

Finally, instead of filling your backpack with all seven Harry Potter books and three different travel guides, simply packing one device that can hold all of them is a far better idea. An Amazon Kindle is a great aid for a traveler, not just for finding out info regarding your destination, but also to stave off boredom when you’re waiting in an airport or train station; or even just to take some time out and relax after a heavy day of sightseeing. There are even some Kindle books you can get completely for free.

kindle-381242_1280