February 10, 2010
I have traveled with laptops for years and still can’t find one that is perfect. But thanks to technology, it is getting closer.
First, the screen has to be a decent size. The 10” netbooks are cute but not large enough to open wide Excel spreadsheets or programs like Tweetdeck. Moreover, they are not loaded with enough power for full-time work.
At the other extreme, there are now 18” laptop screens. However, they are much too large – not to mention too heavy – for airline travel.
Weight is also an issue. Most laptops with 14” screens weigh over 6 lbs with some of the larger ones about 10 lbs. That’s fine for Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
February 3, 2010
Travel and Twitter combine beautifully! I used Twitter this past weekend to ask my ‘tweeple’ about places to stay and romantic restaurants in Sedona, Arizona. My husband and I are heading there for Valentine’s Day weekend. I received great suggestions for both, made my selections and am ready for the weekend!
I could have first researched for these things on TripAdvisor or other travel review sites, but I decided to first start with Twitter. It only took a few seconds to send a couple of tweets on what I was looking for, and the suggestions started rolling in not only from the Scottsdale Visitor’s Bureau, but from many people who have previously trekked to Sedona. How cool is that? Once I received a few recommendations, I used TripAdvisor to confirm (or not) the suggestions. My research time was cut down to a 10th of the typical time I used to spend reading reviews. I saved time, hopefully selected some great places to stay and dine, and I met a few new friends on Twitter. A triple win!
If you’re looking to follow 50 great Travel Twitterers (I am very honored to be included in this list), head over to http://tweepml.org/50-Travel-Twitterers-You-Should-Follow/. With a ‘Select All’, you will easily be able to follow all 50 in a heartbeat.
Happy Tweeting!
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
February 2, 2010
Last week, Steve Jobs gave a keynote speech introducing Apple’s answer to the tablet computer – the iPad. Watching the announcement online, I was both pleased and disappointed with the new Apple iPad.
The size and weight are wonderful. It is quite easy to travel with a 10″ screen that weighs only about 1.5 lbs. The built-in keyboard and numeric pad seem easy to operate and the battery life of 10 hrs – one month on standby – is extraordinary. I also like the multi-touch, similar to the iPhone, as well as the bright color LED-backlit screen.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
November 7, 2009
For all the many years I have traveled (40+ weeks each year), I have relied on CNN to keep me up-to-date with the happenings of the world. No matter where I travel, CNN is like an old friend…always there for me and always reliable (sounds like my dog, also!). But seriously, most travelers I talk with say that they tune into CNN while on the road as their primary news source. While the city, state or country may change, the news show stays the same. For many of us, we like this reliability. Watching local news shows is great for traffic and weather reports, but it can be difficult to relate to the local news. Headline News (now HLN) is great for quick updates on the news that we can get before leaving our hotel rooms in the morning, and CNN International is there for us as we travel the globe.
Since I have been watching CNN for so many years, I was excited to take the tour of the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta today.
While I did not run into the real Larry King or Wolf Blitzer (just their cardboard look-alikes), 
it was great to see the studios where so many of their shows are broadcast from. And when CNN comes calling and has me, the Smart Woman Traveler, on their show, I am already familiar with their studios!
What was very interesting during the CNN tour was seeing several producers at their desks busy with Twitter and Facebook. Not once in our walk-through did we see any of them pick up their telephones. The system for discovering and reporting on the news has certainly changed with the influx of social media.
You can follow @CNN and @CNNBrk for breaking news on Twitter and the CNN Fan Page on Facebook.
And CNN, contact me at @smartwomentrav to schedule road warrior stories from the female perspective!
Posted by Carol Margolis under Television & Movies, Web/Tech |
September 28, 2009
With over 20,000 tweets per minute, Twitter can offer a wealth of information. From interesting industry stories to great deals offered by an airline, there is no shortage of tweets about travel. But if you are looking for information on a city you are traveling to, sorting through this constant stream of 140-character posts to find a relevant post can be daunting. This is where Twaller comes in.
Twaller does all of the searching and sorting for you. Pulling together applicable tweets based on keywords, hashtags, and user locations, Twaller then sorts them into categories and specific cities to make it easy to find what you are looking for. Say you want to find a good place to eat in Barcelona, some fine shopping in Chicago, or what the weather is like in Mumbai, this site makes it easy to find what you are looking for.
The site is still in Beta, meaning that they are actively working on improving it and adding more features, but we wanted to give you a head’s up on this promising service. We would like to see more corresponding tweets to the categories (right now you just see the three latest), the ability to click through to the actual twitter post, and a better flow to the site.
Twaller shows a lot of promise. We hope that you can find some useful information for your next trip through their service.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
September 22, 2009
During the countless time spent in security lines, have you ever wondered to yourself how many miles you’ve traveled, or how many times you’ve flown between New York and D.C.? Flight Memory can keep track of your trips and display fun graphs and interesting statistics of your travels.
Flight Memory is free to sign up. Once you have an account, you can input all of your future or past flight information. How much you input is up to you, so you can detail all the information you have (Delta Flight 85, Leaving MCO at 9:15 AM, Arriving ORD at 10:45AM, Oct. 13th, 2009, on a Boeing 757, sitting in First Class with a window seat for a business trip) or you can just put in what you can remember (I flew from Phoenix to Seattle back in 2005) and Flight Memory will take care of the rest.
It can be a bit laborious to put in all of your previous flights, especially for the well traveled, but if you are a numbers nut then the payoff is worth it. Not only can you keep track of your longest and shortest flights (in terms of distance and duration), but you can find out how your travel milage stacks up to the circumference of the Earth or the distance to the Moon. It can also tell you, if you didn’t already know, your most frequent airports and routes taken, as well as the airline you fly the most.
But the coolest feature of this site is the poster you can have made of your travels. I wish I had this when I was showing my kids all of the places that I was traveling to! You can even order a personalized world map documenting all of your trips and statistics. Show off all of the cities and countries you’ve conquered in your travels!
Flight Memory is free to sign up and is a great way to put all of your travels in perspective.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
August 11, 2009
At Smart Women Travelers, we've added another online resource under the "Flight Resources" category for Luggage Limits. Luggage Limits allows you to keep current with the airlines' allowance for luggage on your next flight. Find everything from the maximum carry on size to the cost of a 5th checked bag and save time and hassle on unexpected fees for your upcoming trip.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
July 10, 2009
We just posted a new article on Smart Women Travelers, rounding up the latest and greatest iPhone Travel Apps. Let us know which ones are your favorites!
Travel Apps For The iPhone
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
June 1, 2009
We've posted a new resource on Smart Women Travelers under the "Flight Resources" section entitled "A to Z Travel Rolodex". Executive Travel Magazine has put together a list of valuable links to find seat maps of airplanes, currency converters, wi-fi hotspots and more.
So visit Smart Women Travelers' Online Resources page to find what you're looking for when it comes to Travel!
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
April 21, 2009
Over at healthcareadministrationdegree.com, they have put together a great list of things to remember while on the road; everything from the general (#10. Avoid Peer Pressure) to some tips that may slip your mind (#77. Find Out Local Emergency Numbers). You don't need to give up your workout routine or lose any sleep over the change in time zones.
101 Fitness and Nutrition Tips for Business Travelers
Posted by Carol Margolis under Web/Tech |
