As we traveled cross country on our 2600 miles, 10-day family road trip to Ontario, Canada we found our smart phones indispensable in making our trip a little smoother. With the assistance of GPS capability, a map app, the RoadAhead app and Yelp applications, we were able to enhance the overall organization and quality of our time on the road mostly by avoiding the formerly common incidents of not being able to find a restaurant, gas station, rest stop or lodging when we needed it.

I have found RoadAhead to be an oh-so-smart road travel tool. The GPS enabled app is set up to determine your location and tell you exactly what is to be expected at upcoming exits off major freeways and highways in the United States, in such detail as to tell you how far off the freeway the business is (such as gas station or restaurant) and it can even compare gas prices at gas stations at other exits. Plus it shows the location of  rest stops and picnic areas (to let the dogs out too!).

As we traveled cross the United States, we found this app invaluable. It made it extremely easy to decide where we would eat, have bathroom breaks, refuel and find a hotel.

RoadAhead (a free app, btw) links to Yelp for local business reviews, ratings and the establishment’s general information. Yelp has been around since 2004. If you are not familiar with it, it is time to download the app to your smart phone. It provides yellow pages’ type local listings by business type (anything from mechanics to restaurants, to clubs to hair salons) though the really useful part is that Yelp gives real ratings and comments from real users. This is particularly useful when you find yourself in a location that that you are not familiar with. You can do it the old-fashioned way by going up to a stranger and asking them where to eat, but this app might just be more reliable!

With all this great technology I really wonder how my parents did it. What I do remember, however, from my family road trips are a lot of ripped maps, crosswords and having to relieve ourselves on the side of the road. Ah, memories…

I’m in love with Paris, which is nothing original; Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker were all here before me. I figure I’m still in pretty good company with Mick Jagger moving up the street and Johnny Depp seen haunting our ‘hood.  It is not lost on me that these people are all known for their somewhat wild lifestyles. I’ve been told that its a personality thing, but I prefer to blame it on Paris.

Like some religious fanatic, I love this city so much that I now proselytize on its behalf, which means twice a week I can be found on some park bench or at a local café, iPad and Panasonic Lumix in hand, recording all the things I love about this city. Things like; the department stores that host art exhibits, scarves, Frenchmen , the food (and how to eat while without exploding), style and quite simply, the lifestyle.

I write for The Girls Guide to Paris. The Girls Guide is a great site that encourages women to get out there and go… either alone, with friends or with family, just go! For people who are afraid to go it on their own, the Girls Guide organizes week long tours of the city, led by women, for women. If you’re happy to travel on your own, but would like to break it up with a one day tour, The Girls Guide has those, too. There are ideas for shopping, dining and hotels.

One of the things that make this website so unique is the blog. Did I mention the blog? The one I write for twice a week? To be fair, I am not the only writer and like the city itself, I feel lucky to be in such accomplished company. All of us bloggers have embraced our passion for Paris, pulled up stakes and moved to the City of Lights. We share our tales of negotiating cobble stoned streets in high heels, memorizing the names and shape of all 300+ cheeses and mastering the art of flirtation. Amy works at LVMH and gives us the scoop on the latest in fashion trends, while Cynthia, from the BBC, keeps us up to date on the cultural scene.

And then there are the ten downloadable pdf tours that feature the city by neighborhood, or theme. My personal favorite is the chocolate tour. Can you imagine anything more succulent than a day spent tasting chocolate… in Paris?

The Pink Ladies drive Renault Kangoos that are pink inside and out, making them highly visible. Passengers sign up as members, and fares are either pre-paid, paid by credit card or with a ‘pink account’, which is convenient for members and safe for drivers. Booking is done over the phone, and a text message is sent to the customer to let her know the vehicle is approaching, which means she doesn’t have to wait outside. Drivers are trained in self-defense and will wait outside a customer’s home after a drop-off to ensure she gets in safely.

The phenomenon is spreading globally: there’s recently launched Forsche in Bombay, whose taxis include conveniences like wet wipes and perfumed talcum powder to freshen up on the way to a work meeting, nail polish remover and nail clippers and women’s magazines. Nice detail: Forsche’s female founder is former amateur rally driver Revathi Roy. Expansion to Pune, and starting a driving school for women is next on her agenda (no website yet, unfortunately). In Moscow, Pink Taxi and Ladies Red Taxi are vying for female business. Still leaves a lot of cities to bring this service to!

via Trendwatching

The VocationVacations concept was created by Brian Kurth, during one of his long daily commutes on Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway. Numb from his lack of passion for what he did for a living and staring at brake lights, he wondered what it would be like to be a wine maker, a tour guide or a dog trainer. Brian wanted to explore his dream jobs through a company offering working adults short-term “internships” while on vacation. But with research, Brian realized such a company did not exist. A business idea was born.After first test-driving a dream job in the wine industry, he created his ultimate dream job by launching VocationVacations® in January, 2004.

My dad did that, the wine making thing, in Hungary. And after spending a gazillion dollars on his dream project, he ended up selling his post-communist-now-magnificently-renovated winery and chateau a few years later. He soon found out that the wine making business was cut throat, not the romantic imagery that he had succumbed to when he first bought acres of vineyards. A vocation vacation, had it existed at the time, might have helped him better assess the massive undertaking that awaited him. Nonetheless, as fthe  family members that got the privilege to visit the winery without having to operate it, we only have dreamy memories of our sejours in that enchanting environment. BTW, this was the place, the Szent Gaal Winery. An oasis. But, I digress…

In Vacation Vocation’s own words: “VocationVacations is the only company of its kind. We offer our clients (“vocationers”) one- to- three day, hands-on, dream job immersion experiences under the tutelage of expert mentors. Our mentors are passionate about what they do and are committed to sharing their knowledge and experience with individuals who dream of walking in their shoes”.  See the current offering of Dream Job Holidays right here.

Hummm, I’m might just try my hand at being a restaurant critic. I’m good at critiquing!

The GoCar is the first GPS-guided tour car that launched in San Francisco in April 2004.  As the “first ever storytelling car”, it’s evidently the most fun way to tour San Francisco, San Diego and Miami.

The GoCar looks like a tiny yellow two-seater car, but is actually a three wheeled moped that carries two passengers required to wear helmets. The “integrated” tour guide system provides running commentary in a choice of five languages. The GoCar takes you to spectacular places few visitors get to see on their own. It’s like having a local show you around. This little car can go where the tour buses can’t.  It also allows you to tour at your own pace. The GPS tour guide will make suggestions for good stops and direct the driver if he or she gets lost.  Gone is any excuse to be a stupid tourist!