iPhone, Blackberry, Android and more: Get flight, hotel and car rental info in a snap with KAYAK’s free travel app. The app also includes KAYAK Trips so you can easily manage your itinerary from anywhere.
Technology On Vacation Feature
TECHNOLOGY ON VACATION
Getting away from it all can get even better when you bring your technology along for the ride. Check out our helpful tech tips for great vacations – from packing to getting there to keeping the kids happy along the way.
Stay Connected on Vacation
Can’t bear to go off the grid? Here’s how to keep plugged in while traveling.
Sponsor
APPS FOR THE ROAD
Kayak
uPackingList
iPhone, iPad: uPackingList is a free app designed to turn packing into fast and convenient activity for any journey – business trip, vacation, family picnic, fishing, theme park etc.
Road Trip Lite
iPhone: Turn your iPhone into a road trip expense tracker and keep tabs on gas prices, fuel economy, even repair costs. Road Trip Lite is especially useful for groups to divvy up road trip expenses.
Urbanspoon
iPhone, iPad, Android: If you enjoy food and slot machines, then Urbanspoon is your best bet. This free app helps you find great restaurants based on your cravings. Just shake it until you find a restaurant that looks promising.
Google Sky Map
Android: Discover the night sky just by pointing your phone to space. By using your Android phone's orientation sensors, Google Sky Map can show you a star map from a campground, backyard or creepy truck stop.
My Vacation
iPhone, iPad: Tired of crummy, over-priced postcards getting lost in the snail mail? Now you can create picture perfect postcards on the road and send them to your friends (and frenamies) from your iPhone.
Layar
Android, iPhone 3GS: See beyond the map. By using a combination of your phone’s camera and GPS data, the Layar Reality Browser can identify your location and literally show you the sights you may be missing.
Yelp
Android, iPhone, Blackberry and more: Not sure what to do in your chosen destination? Try Yelp. It’s the fun and easy way to find reviews and see what's great (and not so great) in the city you're in.
Trapster
iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and more: Even the most cautious drivers can sometimes make mistakes. Trapster® is a FREE app that alerts you to speed traps, red light and speed cameras, police check points, and more. But don't speed.
GPSed
iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and more: Record your trips anywhere on Earth using your mobile device. Tracks are traced on Google Maps and stored in an online archive. All you need to start tracking is a mobile device with a GPS receiver.
FREE WI-FI FOR ALL!
Hotels
Typically, the more expensive the hotel, the more expensive the Internet access. Go figure. Luckily, many 2- and 3-star chains like Hampton, Courtyard By Marriott, Red Roof Inn, and Holiday Inn Express offer free high-speed access (it’s not always Wi-Fi, though).
Places with books
You’ll have to be quiet while you’re using it, but many public libraries have free Wi-Fi. Sometimes the local bookstore will have it too, but if you want to be sure, go to Barnes & Noble. It’s free at every location.
Want something for nothing?
Free mobile apps like Wi-Fi Finder make finding free Wi-Fi easy. But what if your phone can’t do apps, or your battery dies? Luckily, there are some common places to get a complimentary connection. Click the arrows below to find out where.
Airports
You’ll have to pay at LAX and Newark, but free Wi-Fi is an increasingly popular offering at smaller airports like Cedar Rapids and Reno. You’ll also find it in Phoenix, Orlando, Charlotte, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, even Anchorage.
Proceed with Caution
Free Wi-Fi has its drawbacks: Signal strength can be spotty, and it’s not very secure. Hackers have been known to set up fake hotspots to steal data, so be certain it’s legit, use a VPN when possible and make sure your security software is up to date.
Restaurants
Hungry for some free Wi-Fi? Most Paneras have it. Many McDonald’s do too. You also might find it at Burger King, IHOP, Krispy Kreme, Schlotzsky’s, Taco Bell and Denny’s (we suggest the Moons Over My Hammy).
Coffee shops
Major chains like Caribou Coffee, Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee & Tea typically offer complimentary Wi-Fi, but many of the independents do, too. Of course, you’ll need to buy a cup of joe (or a $9 scone) so you don’t feel like a freeloader.
WHAT THE PLUG?
Composite Video / Stereo Audio
These solid, dependable A/V cables create sound that you can hear and a picture you can see. Nothing fancy, but life would suck without them (although life would suck less with HDMI...).
Coaxial Digital Audio
Let your receiver do the job it was born to do, and hook it digitally to your DVD or CD player. This electrical connection offers a much sweeter sound. Coaxial. That’s a funny word. Coaxial.
Coaxial A/V Connection or RF
This guy has been known to hook cable or satellite to your TV. It’s also been known to make you bleed if you poke it. Much like smooth jazz, it should come with a warning label.
DVI (Digital Visual Interface)
They made it on digital. You watch it on digital. This high-bandwidth connection bypasses those dreaded analog video conversions (analog video conversion = eating soup with a fork).
Stereo Audio Connection
Basic 2-channel analog connection gets sound moving from your CD player to your home theater receiver. Available in white and red. Operators are standing by…in 1987.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
USB was supposed to eliminate all other cables. By the time it does that, cables will be obsolete. Until then, it gets most stuff into and out of computers, including newer TVs. No bus pass needed.
HDMI
Simply put, this convenient, one-cable solution for digital connectivity means:
High (maximum sweetness) Definition (every little detail) Multimedia (whatever you’ve got) Interface (CONNECTED).
Component Video Connection
If you’re currently using a S-video connection, this tri-colored beauty is a step up. If you’re currently using an HDMI connection, it’s a step down. Like Malcolm, it’s in the middle.
Ethernet
For wicked fast streaming and downloading, run this beauty directly between your Connected TV and your router. It’s reliable. It’s secure. Perfect for long walks on the Interweb.
Optical Digital Audio
Get clearer sound from your CD or DVD player by connecting digitally to your receiver. Optical signal means less interference, thus making explicit lyrics more explicit.
RGB Connection
It’s not just for monitors anymore. If your TV has one, connect it to your computer and play PC games on your plasma. If you have surround sound, even better (for you, not the neighbors).
S-Video Connection
The S-Video squeezes all of the color and light from your VHS, Hi8 or DVD player and pours it onto your screen. If HDMI is an option and you’re using this, it’s time for an intervention.
Switchbox
Perfect for hooking your Atari up to your Zenith. If you’re still using one, put down the Missile Command and come in for an upgrade (and bring that analog TV, we’ll recycle it).
IEEE-1394 Connection
AKA FireWire or iLink. With enough of these, you can connect up to 63 compatible, electronic devices and—theoretically—control them all with one remote. Perfect for control freaks.
