This post is really focused on a few simple tricks to enable you to hone in on the travel options that you have that are best for you. And by that, we need an already knew two services and ideas that will make your job easier.
Choosing your travel
Many of us are in a position of being able to choose between price and convenience. And, let’s face it, convenience is often the most appealing. But it goes without saying that saving even a little bit will reward you further down the line with other options where you can spend your hard-earned money.
One of the most obvious ones is taking the train, versus flying. Sometimes, when you visit another country where you are not familiar with the customs or the language, flying seems the least daunting. However, more and more, rail facilities in countries are focussed on accommodating those who do not speak the language or are not familiar with the locale. In this day of digital products, most of the kiosks that you find in train stations will offer different languages that makes it much more simple for you to buy tickets and find information. And, and almost all but the smallest places in the world, you will find people that speak your language, or English as a default. Often times there is that shyness reticence about speaking poorly in another person’s language, but it goes without saying that they appreciate the effort and, more often than not the experience can turn into a pleasurable and sometimes funny event.
And as we mentioned a number of times on the site, you can never go wrong using the wonderful Google translate tools. Investigate them if you haven’t. They not only allow you to speak into your telephone and translate into Over 20 Languages, but they also have the ability of using your camera to translate text that you find on products, documents and other written materials. And, as some may not know, you can use the Google translate languages offline by downloading them before you leave for your destination.
Travel resources
What used to be known as GoEuro, the newly renamed company Omio offers a fast and convenient way choose from any of the options in Europe for travel, whether it is Planes, Trains or buses. The site has been around for decades, and has some of the most current travel information that you can find on the web. It works in multiple languages and offers real-time quotes that you can count on.
Also, related to trains, Google is getting better and better at offering real-time data on traffic and trains within your location. Once again, you can download Google Maps to your phone which will give you driving routes and some information about your location. If you are not online, you obviously will not get real-time information (such as accidents or delays) but it is still probably the best tool to use for driving, trains and walking.
Another terrific tool that is a compliment – and sometimes a replacement – for Google Maps is Navmii. Somewhat of a crowd-sourcing product, you can download the app for free and download the relevant maps to your phone or tablet or PC for pretty much everywhere in the world, including sites of Interest, stores, petrol stations and hospitals. It works on Android and iOS products and is constantly being refreshed by its added base of users. The only comment regarding the product is that it is somewhat heavy and using the resources on your phone and can sometimes be a little slow real time, but we have found that using both Google Maps and Navmii have been able to get us where we want with little or no trouble.
If you’re planning on traveling through Europe, be sure to check out Lastminute.com. They not only feature travel deals across a broad spectrum of products, but they also can dazzle you with tourism and entertainment deals. This site has been around almost as long as the Internet, so it’s definitely worth a try.