Today in TechTravel gadgets, sites, and services to save money, time, and a whole lot of hassle
I travel across the country two or three times a month for work. As a modern-day road warrior, I know firsthand that the very best tech travel tools on the market today are the ones that save you time, money, and a whole lot of hassle. Here are my top picks.
Top Sites: A new twist on travel tools
1. Ebates
Price: Free
By now, most people know you can score great deals through online travel sites like Expedia or Priceline. But a little insider secret: If you start at Ebates.com and use it to get to those other sites, you not only get bigger savings — coupons and discounts of up to 50% off — you also get back a certain amount of money that you spend. With this bundling of deals and layering of coupons, you basically get paid to shop for everything from plane tickets and hotel and car reservations to luggage or a great digital camera. It's pretty great to get back from a trip and get a big, fat check.
2. RelayRides
Price: Free
If high gas prices are holding you back from hitting the road, take a look at this peer-to-peer car rental service. You can rent out your own car for some extra cash, or use the service to take a less expensive spin while on vacation. You can rent cars by the hour or day, and RelayRides covers insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.
3. Nextdoor
Price: Free
For peace of mind while you're away from home, check out a site called Nextdoor. It's a free, private social network for your neighborhood. I've used it to find a pet sitter, get my plants watered, borrow a bike rack, and even to find a really trustworthy house sitter. This is a site you should know about, anyway — it's one of the coolest social network trends around, providing real value in the real world. All it takes is one person to sign up, then each neighborhood creates a private social network that's only open to the people who actually live there. The site becomes a hub for local events, school activities, plumber and babysitter recommendations, recent crime activity, upcoming garage sales, and even travel resources.
Top Gear: Take it with you
4. PocketFinder
Price: $150 + $12.95 monthly subscription fee
I can't imagine life on the road without this new personal GPS. It's a tiny, pocket-sized location device that can track people, pets, or even lost luggage any time — from just about anywhere in the world. You charge it up, turn it on, and then put the cookie-sized GPS in your child's backpack, your teenager's car, your own luggage, an elderly parent's pocket, or even on your dog's collar. Then you use a free app on your computer, smartphone, or tablet to see where they are.
What's really cool about PocketFinder is that you can set allowable zones — say, for your kids to walk to and from the beach on vacation. If they leave that zone, you'll get an alert. Have a teen who's just gotten a driver's license? Put the PocketFinder in the car and set an alert to see if they're speeding or driving dangerously. I just used PocketFinder to track down my luggage a good two hours before the airlines did, when it was misrouted to Orange County instead of Orlando.
5. Asus Zenbook Ultrabook
Price: $1,000
I've been traveling with this this Asus Zenbook Ultrabook since January, and holy smokes, has it ever lightened my load while keeping me totally up to speed! The Asus Zenbook Ultrabook with Intel Core i7 processor technology is small enough to slip into my purse. It boasts battery life that can make it from SFO to JFK on a single charge, yet it weighs less than the bottle of water I'm carting around right now and is tough enough to withstand a few drops and spills.
6. Sony eReader Wifi
Price: $130
You hear a lot about the Kindle and Nook, but a lesser-known e-reader, the Sony eReader Wifi, has become another constant travel companion since I first reviewed it in January. It's the lightest 6" e-reader on the market today, weighing less than a paperback, and holds up to 1,200 books. It's also the first e-reader to offer wifi public library access and downloads right from the device. I also love the glare-free touchscreen. But the best part? You can read for more than a month on a single battery charge.
Price: $330
I thought I could live with just the digital camera on my iPhone 4S, but recently, Sony took me on a trip to Sedona to test out all its latest digital cameras and camcorders, and I fell in love with this little Cyber-shot. Like many of the gadgets I covet these days, it's small and cute yet rugged enough to endure the kind of real-life gadget hell I put my electronics through. When the Sony folks told me it was waterproof, dust-proof, and shock-proof, of course I just had to drop it in a river, run over it with mountain bike, and throw it against a rock. Sure enough, it took a lickin' and kept on clickin'. I also really like that it shoots seamless panoramic shots and in HD video and 3D.
8. SpareOne phone
Price: About $50 (launching in March 2012)
This emergency backup phone runs on a single AA battery, has a shelf life of up to 15 years, and provides 10 hours of talk time. It's perfect when you travel to another country — just load it with local minutes once you land, and you can kiss those old roaming nightmares goodbye for good. The SpareOne is compatible with networks all over the world and works with any SIM card, as well.
9. A-Solar Power Dock
Price: $105
If you need to keep a charge on the go, this little A-Solar Power Dock is small enough to fit in your pocket and powerful enough to charge your smartphone with a little help from the sun. It sports a durable built-in battery, a small solar panel, and a strong, rubber-finished casing. Leave it sitting in the sun (by a window) for a day, and it can juice up your iPhone in about four hours or your iPad in roughly two hours. It also has a USB port, so it works with Android devices as well.
10. Bose Quiet Comfort 3 noise-canceling headphones
Price: $350
The trick to personal peace on long flights, whether you need some sleep or simply to block out a crying child, is a great pair of noise-canceling headphones. This set from Bose features expertly balanced sound, a rechargeable battery that lasts around 25 hours, and an airplane adapter. The over-ear headphones are still kind of big, but they don't hurt my head after several hours like many others do, and they fold flat to store in a small case.
Happy travels!
Whether you're trying to lighten your load, stay connected, or just figure out where the heck you are, having the right travel tools makes all the difference in the world. Have you found a particular travel gadget that solves a specific problem? What are the travel gadgets you can't live without? Please share your insights in the comments section below.
This article was written by Jennifer Jolly and originally appeared on Tecca
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