Use your mobile phone when traveling

By Chris McGinn

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Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, your cell phone or smartphone can be more than just a way to stay in touch with the office. Your phone has innovations that can save you time and money and keep you safe when you are on the move.

Where am I?

Among the top uses for travelers are GPS and mapping services available from your phone.
While paper maps are great for showing the big picture, online versions are constantly updated and easy to access.

AAA's new mobile service available on select networks provides audible turn-by-turn directions, access to AAA Tourbook travel guides, and transmission of your GPS coordinates to AAA roadside assistance. You can also access AAA.mobi for free on your phone or Web-enabled device to locate driving directions, TourBook Guide information and local event details.

In addition, Google's popular Google maps are accessible from your phone and can even provide traffic data in select cities.

Use this feature to figure out where you are and how to get where you are going on foot, by car or using public transportation. You can also query for the nearest restaurant, dry cleaner, grocery store or other specific location.

Mapmaker Rand McNally has gotten into the business with access to its Web site as well as programs you can install on your phone. One of those is Rand McNally Navigator, which offers speech recognition for address entry and real-time traffic and Rand McNally StreetFinder. Rand McNally Traffic is also available to keep you ahead on the road in 94 metro areas.

Taming the tank

As gas prices continue to rise, saving even a few pennies per gallon can add up on a long trip. A number of services help you find the best price or plan your trip to save gas.

AAA offers fuel cost calculators that figure fuel costs based on the make and model of your vehicle and your destinations.

AAA, MSN and other sites offer fuel price finders to help you locate the cheapest pump within a zip code.

Other sites such as My Mile Marker help you keep up with your actual gas expenses based on information you text from your mobile each time you fill up at the pump.

Up, up and away

Airline travel gets more complicated daily, but you can simplify your travels by using a myriad of services available from carriers and travel websites such as Orbitz and Expedia. Orbitz TLC has the typical features such as your trip details, flight numbers, weather etc, but what is unique is its social networking aspect.

The service lets users update others with “on-the-ground” information regarding security wait times, traffic snarls, parking availability, taxi lines and more. You simply text information to mobile.orbitz.com, and other users can access it.

Expedia To Go lets you send your flight itinerary and hotel confirmation info to your cell as a text message so you don’t have to keep up with a paper copy. When you are buying tickets, Expedia's Fare Calendar widget is a helpful tool. Put it on your Google home page and you can enter origin and destination information and instantly see the best flight deals recently found by Expedia travelers, helping you pinpoint the prime travel dates.

At your fingertips

Whether you are looking for the nearest four-star restaurant, a AAA-approved hotel, or the public transit system schedule, you can get the info you need on your phone or mobile device.
New sites are popping up daily to fit every travel niche. iPhone has 122 travel-related applications listed for its service with new ones added continually.

For example, if you are traveling to France, load your phone with a French language dictionary from Ultralingua Mobile and information about the Parisian transit system.

Staying safe

The GPS chip in many cell phones and mobile devices can help locate you, even when you don’t have a clue as to where you are. For companies with employees in unstable parts of the world or even individuals on vacation in unfamiliar towns, the GPS in your phone could save your life.
In the U.S., the "e911" system enables emergency personnel to locate the origination point of cell phone calls to the 911 system.

Increasingly, business travelers using company-issued phones could have their movement tracked via GPS software or hardware installed in their phones. Companies could keep up with employees to make sure they are on the job or locate them in case of emergency.

Virtual room keys and the future

Exciting new features are coming to your smartphone that will make travel easier and safer.
One intriguing idea already in market tests is using your phone as a "virtual room key."

Using RFID technology, Vingcard, a leader in security,  has designed a system that lets hotels guests with specially enabled phones securely receive an encrypted room key, bypassing hotel check in/out.

Your phone is the only key you need. See the video here.

In the future, travelers will rely on their smartphones and cell phones as their personal assistant, tour guide, homing beacon, and room key -- all in one handy little package.