Now I am no spring chicken so I need all the help I can get! I love phone apps! It makes traveling so much easier.  Want to take a picture without fooling with your camera?  You can take pictures several ways on your phone!  Want to have directions to the museum, restaurant or hotel?  There is an app for that.  How about a map of the city?  I don’t know about you, but it is easy to spot a tourist with the big map, guide books, white tennis shoes and huge camera around their neck standing in the middle of the sidewalk blocking the way and looking very puzzled. I know, I’ve been there. Time to move on…… go to apps!  At least with a phone and most of your favorite apps at your disposal you can get to them quickly.  Or if you need to study something in your app sites, sit down and have a latte (great shot of that) and pull yourself together. One of my favorite apps is the City Guides  from Trip Advisor. ( Yes, them again and no I do not work for them) If I could take just one app (I would never survive that) this would be the one! First pick your destination.  They have the larger cities well covered in all the continents. From your picked destination it will download your personal maplet.  For instance, this year I am heading back to Rome, so I picked Rome as my destination. Now I have at my fingertips a Map, Restaurants, Hotels, Attractions, SUGGESTED ITINERARIES, Nightlife, SHOPPING, Tours and Tickets.  Click on any of these areas for detailed information.  Let’s take SUGGESTED ITINERARIES.  Let’s say I pick Vatican City. The first thing it says is suggested time to allow.  Now I am a talker and questioner and slow, so I add more time than is suggested.  I’m just sayin’! It will also show how many stops or sights to be seen, and the distance covered. It starts with an overall description of what you are going to see.  Then press GO. There will now be a map with all the stops marked and numbered. As you visit each site, a picture and a short description will pop up so you know exactly what it is you are looking at. There is so much to see so it’s good to know which building or statue or whatever, that they want to point out.  Sometimes I have not been sure, so having a picture is a big help. Then you can press the CHECK IN button and snap your own photo and add a description if you want to.  Then go to number two and so on until the tour is finished. Absolutely wonderful!

Now for SHOPPING. Pick the entire city or just the neighborhood you want. Now choose OPTIONS and a Filter will pop up.  Do you want all shopping, or narrowed down to department stores, flea markets, antiques, clothing, etc?  Choose one or all. Now search whatever shop appeals to you. The picture of the store will pop up, a description, a map, a “point me there arrow”, a contact with phone number, address, and more. Also, how to get there, and what mode of transportation  you are closest to, to get there from where you currently are. Could not be easier!

In the Tours and Tickets area I picked “Eating Italy Food Tours in Rome.”  Again, there is a map, contact, address and phone number, description of the tour and why it was liked. Press BUY TICKETS do to so. The City Guides is so helpful and updated frequently at Trip Advisor. You can also rate anything you choose to do and that allows other followers to know what you think of a particular spot. As usual I’ve talked on and on, so more to come!

Next…… How to take a photo on my phone and what to do with it when I do…….

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