Wireless Wednesday for 2/19/14: With Mitch Evans - Travel Apps and the IRS
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 11:40PM Rick is on the road this week over at Reynold's Plantation in Greensboro, GA. With the spring travel season coming up, we'll take a look at Rick's favorite travel apps and why you need to have then on your smartphone or tablet.
Have a listen:
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Show notes
1. Tripit - Travel Organization app
When it comes to travel planning, Tripit it won't suggest destinations for you, or help you plan the best possible way to spend your time in town wherever you go, but what TripIt does offer is a complete, hassle free way to combine all of your travel confirmations, itineraries, tickets, hotel bookings, rental car reservations, and the rest in one simple view. That view then becomes the central hub for all of your travel needs—no more fishing for a confirmation email to get your reservation number, or wondering what flight number you're on before you check in; it's all right there, and it's all incredibly handy. It'll even let you know if there's a better seat on your flight so you can switch to it
Don't leave home without Tripit
2. Flyer's Rights app costs .99
Did you know that airlines are no longer legally allowed to keep you trapped on the tarmac for more than three hours during a domestic flight delay? If you had the Flyers Rights app, you would. Plus, you'd be able to log your delays in real time, using the app's GPS system and map for future evidence. The app also gives helpful tips about what to do in the event of a delay, and specific information about your legal rights as a passenger.
3. Expedia - helps you find hidden deals
Available on: Android, iOS, Windows 8 and RT, Web
Expedia has been long known as a travel search, information, and booking website, but its mobile apps have some unique deals. Using the Expedia iPhone app or Expedia Android app, for example, you're likely to uncover a few mobile-exclusive discounts on last-minute hotel bookings, in addition to having at your fingertips all the usual flight and hotel search functionality. I also like that you can sort reviews by "recent," "favorable," and "critical" to see if people tend to have consistent feedback or whether the cranky pants guests had too-high expectations.
Available on: Android, iOS, Windows 8 and RT, Web
4. Kayak - an aggregator
Travel search website Kayak.com quickly became a favorite site for finding the best deals on flights in particular when it finally started to incorporate booking services. In its early days, Kayak only handled search (although it was one of the best at that end of the game), but now you can pre-pay for flights, hotel reservations, and even car rentals. Occasionally, Kayak sends you to a partner site to finish the booking process, but less and less so every day. Additionally, Kayak includes in its searches other aggregation services, like Orbitz and Priceline, to truly make sure you find the best deal.
Available on: Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone, and Web
5. Next Flight ($2.99) A little pricey, but could be well worth the $2.99
Next Flight can be worth its weight in gold during a snowstorm, or icestorm likw the South has last week. Whether your flight is canceled, delayed, or you just missed a connection, this app will show you a list of all available flights (from all carriers) for the same day and the next two days. While everyone else is waiting in line trying to get the gate agent to put them on standby, you can help yourself! No flights going out at all? The app also has a search for hotels, cabs, and car rentals.
App of the Week - IRS2Go -
The IRS now has their own official app as tax season i rearing its ugly head.
IRS2Go is an IRS-developed app designed to help taxpayers in several ways. The app lets taxpayers check on the status of their refund, sign up for helpful tax tips or get the most recent IRS Twitter feeds. Download IRS2Go, then connect with the IRS whenever you want, wherever you are.
