Thinking About Vacation? Ditch the Laptop & Download These Apps

The Digital Savant says pack the sunscreen and these apps to help you make the most of your vacation.

By Alain Stephens March 24, 2016 3:11 pm

It’s that time of the year when many of us are beginning to have fantasies of the smell of sunscreen and the sand beneath our feet. Don’t worry, though – summer is just around the corner.

When it comes to traveling in the 21st century, you can go gadget-free or let your devices enhance your vacation. Helping us pick out what should go and what should stay behind is the Digital Savant of the Austin American-Statesman, Omar Gallaga.

Gallaga says follow traditional packing advice – keep it light.

“Unless you have some mission-critical work that you gotta do on vacation, which is not a good idea to begin with, leave the laptop at home,” he says. “You should be able to get by with a phone and maybe a tablet.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– What apps can enhance your vacation, including Snapchat and Periscope

– Personalized recommendations that you can get from crowd-sourced apps like Yelp and Rick Steves Europe’s guided tours

– The benefits of a phone-free trip, from Omar’s experience sacrificing his phone to the Hawaiian gods of lost iPhones