This is Caitlin's presentation from Travel Buzz, an event hosted by the Boston Expat and World Travelers meetup group. Travel Buzz focused on helping both novice and pro travelers find ways to travel cheaper, longer, and more boldly.
5. A magical thing called the cloud
● Greatly simplifies file storage
● Essential for backing up photos, critical documents
○ Programs like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud
○ Consider using two-factor authentication
○ Some (I believe) have a set of emergency
passwords you can print out to access yr account(s)
in case your phone is stolen.
● Things to store:
○ Digital copy of passport, visa/other critical paperwork
info, medical insurance information, emergency
contacts, credit card phone numbers (in case cards
are lost/stolen), bank phone number.
○ Certain trip planning apps will also store + password
protect credit card numbers, sensitive data
6. Airfare + Internet = ...
Well, it's better than it used to be.
Methodology:
● Use a comparison search site as a baseline.
○ My favorites: Skyscanner, Momondo
○ Kayak, Fly.com are also good starting points.
○ Look at the connecting cities/airports.
● Do a matrix search.
○ Yields lower prices? Note airlines, airports.
● Go to individual airline website(s).
○ Search for the journeys that yielded lowest price.
● Airline not based in the U.S.?
○ Use native TLD (ex: co.uk, co.kr, .fr, etc.)
○ Price will be in native currency...is it less?
7. When flight prices still suck...
There are a few things to which I inevitably resort:
● Break it up. Connecting flights through a hub airport?
Book two RT tickets instead of one big ticket.
○ This can work better if you're flying through a
European or Asian budget hub. (Search for flights
out of airports like Stansted, Beauvais, etc.)
● Flex your dates.
● Wait. Last minute is (sometimes) the best minute.
○ Set up alerts if you don't already have them.
● Go anywhere!
○ Skyscanner has an "Everywhere" destination option.
○ Google Flights lets you see all prices for a region or
continent.
8.
9. Quick case study: BOS - BKK
Popular destination
International hub airport
Standard two-week vacation period
Leaves mid-week (cheaper)
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19. Watch this space!
Cambridge is home to at least two of the
companies leading the way in travel tech and
data analysis.
● ITA Software is just down the street, and Google Travel
operations are based here.
● Hopper Travel still in stealth mode, but also based in
Cambridge.
○ Has given a few data-related talks.
● Keep your eyes peeled for travel-tech talks.
○ Many posted on Meetup, many given at MS NERD
Center.
20. Accommodation +
● The Web offers tons of great alternative accommodation
options that are cheaper than hotels:
○ Airbnb, Couchsurfing, home exchange
○ Hostelworld/HostelBookers (not just for hostels!)
● Not into budget accommodation? That's cool.
○ Last minute deals: Hotwire, Hotel Tonight, Priceline
○ Use the same tactics you do for flight searches; if
you're abroad, use that country's native version of a
deal website (ex: hotwire.co.uk) to see if prices are
better in local currency.
● Other ways to save money, get perks:
○ Give 'em PR help. Most chains have FB pages,
Twitter accounts; they'll often have contests.
○ Leave reviews, helpful feedback
21. Tiny computers...in your hand
● Smartphones are great.
○ You don't need to jailbreak them or buy $
international plan. Stop. Please.
○ Turn on airplane mode as soon as you leave U.S.
soil. Leave it on. Forever (outside the USA).
○ WiFi is your friend. It's usually available in hostels,
hotels, modern cafés, other hotspots. Now you can
use it on the London Tube platforms.
○ Many apps targeted at travelers don't require
network access to use. This includes a few
translation and map apps.
● If you don't have a smartphone, that's cool. You can
travel without one (shock/awe).
22.
23. APPS
● Kayak Explore, ITA's OnTheFly
● FlightAware (free), other flight tracking apps
● Google Maps, Apple Maps (j/k on that second one)
● City Maps 2Go - works offline
● TripIt, Evernote, TripRider
● Hotel Tonight, Hotwire, Airbnb, Priceline
● Free Wi-Fi Finder
● WhatsApp (Skype, Google+ Hangouts)
● XE Currency
● Mint.com, Expensify
● Camera+, Snapseed
● Google Translate, Jibbigo, WordLens
24. Obligatory slide about security
● Password-protect those phones!
● Public computers
○ Don't access your banking stuff.
○ Don't log into accounts tied to a credit card.
● Open WiFi can be your lifeblood. It's also insecure.
○ Login credentials can be stolen. Don't access
sensitive data or sites over public WiFi.
○ Password-protected WiFi networks are safer.
● Need to bank, pay bills access sensitive info?
○ Use secure connections. If you're in an inhabited
area, many hotels will sell you a day pass to
business centers.
● In general: Make sure websites you access have the
proper domain; look for https.
25.
26. In summary
Technology is great. That said—
You don't need it to experience, discover,
connect, or do anything else that really matters.
So if you don't have it, don't understand it, or
don't like it...
Don't worry.
