Vacations, even simple weekend getaways, can be full of adventure — that’s part of the great appeal, after all — but if you value a delicious, high-quality meal along with your adventure, then check out these four apps for different travel needs that can direct you to the best places to savor a great meal.

• When you’re stuck at the airport. Usually, airports are not known for their culinary quality, although that’s changing in some places. Yelp and TripAdvisor (available in your app store) are both great apps for finding the best food available at your airport — and you can get lists of restaurants in the airport and see reviews from fellow travelers. (Free, iOS and Android).

 

• When you want to know what you’d love. App developers have a knack for creating complex algorithms that essentially “get to know you” by analyzing your previous food choices. Foodspotting (free, iOS and Android) delivers up choices based on specific dishes you’ve indicated you loved (or hated) before.

 

• When you’re looking for advice from the experts. If you’re suspicious of crowdsourcing opinions on the best food, why not consult those who know best? ChefsFeed allows you to pick a major city (featuring major US cities, plus several Canadian cities, and London, with more coming soon), and up pops dishes that top chefs in that city would recommend from their favorite restaurants. (Free, iOS)

 

• When you want to know what the heck you’re eating. You might like a little mystery when you’re ordering in a foreign country — but maybe not too much, right? WordLens started as a standalone app and is now a part of Google Translate. It uses your phone’s video camera and optical character recognition to make translations in real time when you hold your phone up to the text. Even better? It doesn’t require a network connection to work, so when you’re visiting that quaint little hill town in Umbria, you can still know what’s on the menu. It’s currently available for Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese. (Free, iOS and Android, each language pack is $5.95)

 
Make the most of your trip and the food you enjoy while on your next adventure! Give one (or more!) of these apps a try and let me know what you think.

New York Times writer Susan Heller famously said, “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”
 
Even when we have great intentions, it’s easy to overload our suitcases. We wind up dragging a lot of stuff around. There’s more to keep track of; it winds up being a lot of physical and mental clutter. And, of course, we wind up paying a ton of extra fees for the additional weight and luggage.
 
So, rather than viewing efficient packing as a practice in minimalism, I like to think of it as a challenge that helps you make the most of every vacation: you have what you need, you’re freed up to not have to lug around a bunch of extra weight, and you can put that saved money towards a special souvenir, a nice dinner out, or another cool experience.
 
So what are the secrets that seasoned travelers use to guarantee expert packing? Here are the top 6:
 

1. Remember the 80/20 Principle — that is, 20% of what you pack will be 80% of what you actually wear. If you’re like most people, you’ve already noticed this. You pack four pairs of shoes, but you really only wear one pair every day. You pack three sweaters and a shawl that you never use, because you wind up just wearing your favorite light jacket that goes with everything you own. 

2. Don’t pack for every possible situation. Pack for an average day. There’s no way you can cover every contingency. Look at the forecast, the average temps and weather for that time of year, and go with that. If there’s a freak week of rain in what’s normally a sunny season — unless you’re headed to an extremely remote area that sees few travelers, it’s very unlikely that you won’t be able to purchase a rain coat or an umbrella where you are. If there’s a cold snap, there’s probably also a store nearby with just the thing you need. 

3. It’s okay to wash. If you’re going to be gone for three weeks, pack enough clothes for one. If you’re a hardcore DIYer, almost every resort or town in the world has a Laundromat or laundry service. If you’re feeling like you want  break from daily tasks and routines and you’re really looking forward to the luxury of having other people pamper you, have your clothes laundered and folded for you. It’s still often cheaper than luggage fees!

4. For warmth, go with layers over bulk. Pick several thin layers with insulating, wicking fabrics — merino wool is a great one — over a big jacket. Heavier items like jackets and sweaters don’t offer the flexibility. They’re just hot, and when the sun comes out, then you have to cart around a huge coat. But a compact zip-up fleece can roll up easily into a bag or backpack in the afternoon and then come back out again for that sunset walk on the beach. 

5. Think: mix and match, simplified palette, and multi-function items. If three tops match three bottoms, you’ve got nine possible outfits. Add in a Swiss-Army-Knife travel item like the popular Chrysalis Cardi, and you’ve got one item that converts into eight different things. As travel blogger Fred Perotta says: bring pieces, not outfits. 

6. If you’ve got to have something bulky and heavy -- wear it, don’t pack it. Hiking boots, down jacket, that awesome cable knit wool cardigan — these might very well have a great place on your trip, but they shouldn’t be in your suitcase. Wear them on the plane. You can easily pack several versatile layers for the space that one sweater would take up.

 
If you’re ready to pack for an adventure, I’d love to talk to you about it. I know we can find a place that’s just right for you — and I’ll even give you insider tips packing suggestions for your specific destination! You can reach me today!