foXnoMad » Tech

4 Ways To Track And Recover Your Stuff If It Gets Stolen When Traveling

Anil P. — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:50 +0000

We’re beginning a new era in the cycle of travel theft in favor of the victim despite the amount of coverage of what thieves can do to you with technology. Yet, our stuff that is so tempting to steal, is also getting smart enough to protect itself, fight back, and find its way home. You’re probably carrying smaller, more expensive electronics today than you ever have – two good reasons to prepare yourself in the craftiest ways possible.

1. All Around Laptop, Tablet, Mobile Phone Recovery: Project Prey

I am a huge fan of Project Prey and if there’s one solution you should use as part of a physical security plan for your gadgets, Project Prey is it. This free piece of software runs on your laptop (Windows, Mac, and Linux), mobile phone (iPhone and Android), and tablet (yes, iPad too); remaining hidden until you activate it. If your gadget gets stolen, you activate Project Prey remotely (through a free account on their website) and you can track it, get secret screenshots, steal passwords, and even get pictures of the crooks covertly with any built-in camera. Need more convincing? Project Prey helped Matthew recover his Macbook Pro in Panama.

Mac users can also take a look at iCloud (although it doesn’t work nearly as well).

2. Set A Decoy Wallet Trap To Surprise A Pickpocket

I’ve talked about decoy wallets before as part of a broader travel security plan to reduce your loses if you’re unfortunate enough to be pick-pocketed. Decoy wallets also make good dummy targets but if you want to add a small chance of catching the thief, be sure to leave an unused – but activated – credit card in yours. This won’t work in every country but if the pickpocket decides to use that credit card somewhere and you’ve reported it stolen, police can use surveillance footage from stores to track them. More criminals are caught this way than you might think. Plus your credit card company likely won’t hold you liable for unauthorized transactions.

You probably won’t get your wallet back but justice may still be served.

3. Find Lost Or Stolen Luggage With An Inexpensive GPS Tracking Unit

Although controversial, GPS tracking units are often used to follow the movements of criminal suspects in many countries around the world. These small-palm sized devices broadcast radio signals that can be used to track them from a computer. ~~Place~~ Hide one of these (the Winplus AC13268-72 Beacon GPS Tracker is $29 or the Telespial TrackStick $149) in your backpack or checked luggage to find out where it is when it’s not where it’s supposed to be.

4. Keep A Digital Eye On Your House With Your Desktop

There are plenty of uses for that clunky desktop when you’re traveling; one of which is to act as security guard. Both Yawcam (Windows) or iAlertu (Mac) can snap and email you photos when they detect any motion – especially useful when things should be motionless. A picture of a potential burglar may help you get your stolen things back. Plus, you’ll finally know if you’ve really trained your cat not to jump on tables when you’re at work.

In addition, iAlertu (and Laptop Alarm for Windows) can put some muscle on your laptop so it sounds a loud alarm if moved. Useful for those times you’ve just got to hop up for a napkin or your 6th cup of coffee in a cafe with your laptop just within visual range.

Hope For The Best But Plan For The Worst

No security is absolute – the first rule of security – and that’s why any plan without a backup is doomed to fail eventually. Remember, your data is more valuable than any piece of electronic equipment you own so don’t screw up your vacation by preparing for mini-disasters. Recruit your gadgets and technology to work on your side for protection and preparation just in case.

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My 2012 Travel And Technology Predictions

Anil P. — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:00:49 +0000

When we were looking back at your and my travel predictions for 2011 we were mostly on the money with our guesses. Not to sell our prophecies short, but we had a lot of help from the momentum of the trends we saw building in 2010. This year though, things are different. There’s uncertainty in the air – the kind that often leads to opportunity.

As for who picks up those favorable morsels, let’s have to look into my crystal iPad and see what the future may have in store for the present.

Airline Fees Drop And Disappear (Yay!) But Ticket Prices Go Up (Boo)

First of all, don’t get completely crazy and run off with the title – some airlines will drop minor fees throughout the coming year. They’ll do it in such a way that makes it seem like you’re saving but don’t forget airlines follow the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition, “once you have their money, never give it back.” Drink fees for example may go away with some baggage fees reduced, but watch those airfares creep up to compensate. [ED: I wrote this article before this news came out but I'll take it as a good omen for my predictions.]

Americans saw about a 6% increase in prices last year around peak travel times even though more people are now flying than ever. The problem is a combination of rising fuel costs, the use of online aggregators (e.g. Kayak), and prices that don’t reflect the real price of flying through the air in a heavy metal tube. So this year you’ll go (a bit) closer back to the golden days when there weren’t luggage fees or 8 dollar cans of Coke but instead plane tickets that cost 5-8% more.

Tablets Are Going To Kill The Kindle (Fire And All)

I’m a big fan of the smaller 7-inch tablet variety, especially the Nook Tablet and not-so-much the hastily-put-together Kindle Fire; but they’ve really paved the way for their own demise. I can’t see either device dominating that space in the current market. Those devices can’t move up into the larger screen, more expensive/versatile market where iPads and Samsung Galaxy 10.1s hang out. But the big boys can and will come down to bully the current 7-inch tablets off the digital playground.

Now that improved displays optimal for reading (nearly-at paper resolution) are falling in price, you’ll start to see iPads (as rumored) with retina-displays and watch the current iPad 2s drop about $100 (also rumored). One thing that’s definitely not going away are the smaller form tablets like the Nook and Kindle Fire, but they’re now occupying an ecological niche on an island just waiting for some feral 7-inch iPad mini-cats to be dropped off to wipe them out.

A Serious Skype Rival Emerges

The ever-useful Skype is one of several free programs you shouldn’t travel without. So while they’ve added 3-way video calls to the Mac (finally) and a few other features to the video chat client everyone loves (me included) I can’t help but feel that entire genre of software has been static too long. You might be thinking, “well, what more could they do?,” and well, I’ve got my hunches someone or some company is going to answer that question this year.

Countries On The Rise: Ruckus In The Caucus(es)

As I noted last week, Turkey has seen a healthy jump in tourism over the last year, aided by travelers scared off by the Arab Spring. Turkey this year will follow a trend that’s very common in national tourism – start cheap, people visit > get more expensive add more tourist offerings > cheaper bordering countries become new “low-cost” alternatives. (Think Thailand compared to Laos or Cambodia.) Istanbul is already in the expensive phase nearly all year round now – not without good reason – but people are going to begin discovering alternatives in the region during 2012.

The Eurovision contest in May might draw in some interest in Azerbaijan with both nearby Armenia and to a lesser extent Georgia seeing indirect spillover from Turkey’s tourism boom. I’ll stretch my prediction to include Iran as well. Finally, to get specific – Oman will see a 5-6% increase in tourism, Colombia 12%, and Chile 8%.

Dogs In The Skies (Yes, Cats Too)

As Amy mentioned in her prediction last year, there will be more restaurants, hotels, and generally pet-friendly options on the ground. In the skies…well, not-so-much though I’ll disagree a bit on this one. There won’t be any better options (pets not in the cabin are basically treated like cargo) but more people will take to the skies with their pets. (If you happen to be one of them check out The Ultimate Guide To Traveling With Your Pets or these 5 great pet travel sites.)

I would hope that more pets flying would cause the airlines to get creative with their offerings but since bankruptcy hasn’t done that I think we’re out of luck for 2012.

More Bloggers, Less Traveling

Wow, wow, wow, there are about a zillion travel blogs online now. Many are dead zombies, left quiet after their creators have finished a one-year RTW. Many more are born every day as travel journals or money-making hopefuls. The travel blog market though, generally, has become a static factory churning out top 10 things to do in Paris posts and photos of the day. This all said, the travel blogosphere is new and uncertain – like I said before – that’s an environment ripe with opportunity for something unique. You’ll see that this year my crystal iPad says (or this bottle of Jack Daniels, sometimes they sound alike.)

Without getting too deep into the world of blogging you’ll see many more bloggers slow down their travel pace. That will lead to an improvement of the quality of what they produce, whether it’s writing, photography, or video. I’ll also predict independent travel blogs will see some very strong competition from a large outside force.

Where Do You See 2012 Going?

End of the world? The year we finally find out the pyramids were built by aliens? Do we discover time travel is possible from a visitor who arrives from the future?

I’m ready to hear your travel predictions for 2012 large and small in the comments below. We’ll meet up here again in, say, a year from now to find out how we did. Taking bets optional.

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Low Budget Travel Tricks You Can Use To Overcome Big Budget Problems: Part 3

Anil P. — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:00:36 +0000

Now here you stand great traveler, with all of the power in your hands, expertly wielded with your mind. Nature was subdued in Part 1 and nicking nicked in Part 2. But with great power comes great temptation on the journey we travel. You’ll need to make new allies and rely on ancient texts to guide your quest as lord of the wings.

Upgrade Your Tech For Free From The Inside Out

I really wish I could send all of you a few thousand dollars to buy a bunch of new fancy gadgets but until I can, let’s talk about upgrading what you already have. Remember, gadgets are hardware and software – and software is often you can do something about right away. When it comes to unlocking your phone – Android, iPhone, or otherwise I’ve got you covered with my complete guide to unlocking mobiles. You can do things like add multi-tasking, games, and other apps not available directly for your version of phone. On top of that, you’ll get the added benefit of being able to choose any carrier you want around the world and at home.

Going Apple? – I’ve mentioned a few times before that several PC netbooks are compatible enough to run Mac OS X – with some modifications. If you’re up for creating a Hackintosh that’s one thing but when it comes to tablets it’s another.

Talking Tablets – iPads aren’t the only tablets on the market – Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 is a nice competitor – but basically the same price. Rather, if you happened to get a Kindle Fire or (in my opinion superior device) Nook Tablet over New Year’s you can root either (Nook Guide – Kindle Guide) to access to the full Android store. A solid tablet for $250 less than you might pay otherwise. (On a side note, the next version of the iPad will be released by April this year and it’s rumored that the current iPad 2s will drop $100. So, if you can wait until spring, your wallet will likely thank you.)
Extend Your Battery Life And Wireless Range – Both are easier than you may believe.

Get Better Alarm Clocks Across Timezones – These 3 methods work across laptops, phones, and other portable devices if you’ve been oversleeping one too many times.

Take Better Photos With The Same Camera – Software can go a long way to improving your travel photos too.

Finally, if you’ve got a desktop at home, the office, or your parents house you can create your own mini cloud to backup, speed up downloads, and get around Internet censorship. Here’s how to make the most out of your desktop while traveling.

Airlines Beware Nerdy Ninjas Await

The airlines have money and can make metal tubes fly across oceans but you’ve got the world’s largest collection of knowledge at your disposal. First though, let’s go old school. Very, very, old school.

The Art Of War - Whether it’s literally (don’t fight uphill battles) or figuratively (don’t fight uphill battles) Sun Tzu’s timeless advice can help you win many battles at the ticket counter. (And elsewhere, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read; I highly recommend it.)
Get More Frequent Flyer Miles – In 8 minutes for the reluctant of you out there.
Weave Yourself Around Airline Fees – For free you can fly with baggage without the fee.

Now let’s bring out the big guns. Here’s how to use the entire Internet to stand up to the airlines when you need to.

Beat The Bling, Fight Temptation, And Shave Your Hairy Budget

When you’re already off on vacation or traveling it’s easy to dismiss the impact ATM, foreign transaction, and other miscellaneous fees can have on your budget. Avoid wasting your funds unnecessarily (imagine how many beers you could buy) by choosing the right bank before going overseas. In case that’s too late or you’re just extremely diligent, for all its faults, Mint.com does a heck of a job notifying you of fees you’ve paid but could be avoiding. From credit cards to coupons, Mint will also automatically suggest improvements based on your spending. Why think when a technology can do it for you – focus those brain cells on beautiful sunsets or amazing views – it’s what travel is all about.

Miss Flights For Free – I have a tendency to never be on time and this is a skill I’ve perfected over a lifetime of being late and skipping college exams.
Exchange Cash The Star Trek Way – Need to borrow a few bucks from a friend or perhaps want to payback your friend Pat Stewart for all of those Romulan ales? Well, Paypal for one lets you bump phones to give and take cash. It’s one of many apps using Bump Technologies.

How much would a week in Indonesia cost you? Budget Your Trip knows the answer to that and many other destinations. Remember preparation and anticipation is what makes the difference between a guy who gets beat up and Batman.

The road is a long one for a traveler without shoes, stamina, or smarts. You are now not one of them, armed with the knowledge of Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

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The Complete 2011 foXnoMad Travel Gadget Gift Guide

Anil P. — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:00:06 +0000

The only thing that moves faster than you and your traveling peers is the rate at which new gadgets are released, updated, and desired. Buying any electronic, whether it’s a laptop or digital camera, is largely a personal decision – there is no one “best” in many cases. Just like there’s no one “best shoe” for every lady but there is one out there your mom is sure to love. It comes down to asking the right questions, knowing how your traveler gets their gadget on, and having a few suggestions to help you narrow the choices down.

I’ve got the categories of tech you’re most likely to be looking at, along with my personal favorites added in for good measure. From expensive to cheap, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for your traveling techie.

Laptops: From Small To Ultra-Small

When it comes to laptops for travelers we often think smaller is better; but really it depends on how you use it. For some background reading you can catch up with the traveler’s guide to choosing the right laptop, but when it comes to size, most travelers go with either an ultra-light netbook or a laptop in the 13-inch range.

The major difference for a traveler? Screen and keyboard space; photo editing buddies may prefer an extra 3 inches of screen to work whereas your email-only/Facebook types would probably prefer ditching 3 pounds from their backpack. (Shopping for backpacks? – I’ve got you covered there too.)

13-Inch Laptop Category

Toshiba Portege R835-P81 (~$799) – An impressive mix of power and size in a 13.3 inch laptop; this Toshiba only weights 3.2 pounds (~1.45 kilos), has an effective 7 hours of battery life (9 hours by manufacturer specs), and comes loaded with 6 gigabytes of RAM.
13-Inch Macbook Pro (~$1199) – If given the choice between a Macbook Air 13.3 inch and the 13-inch Macbook Pro; I’d go with the $100-less Macbook Pro. Sure it’s a little thicker (.3 inches extra) and weighs about a kilo more, but you get much more machine with components that can be upgraded for less.

Netbooks

Dell Mini 10v (~$399) – This older, heavy (1.9kg – 4.4lbs), netbook might seem an unusual choice to go at the top of this list. The Dell Mini 10v is here because it’s hardware still holds up for casual use but more interestingly, that hardware is compatible with Mac OS X. That means the Dell Mini 10v can act as a poor man’s Macbook without the added $600 investment. (Here’s how to hackintosh your netbook.)
ASUS Eee PC 1018-P (~$410) – For all of their faults (poor instruction manuals, manic-depressive customer support), the Acer Eee line of netbooks are durable little machines. They’re not the fastest (typically the processor’s are lagging behind other brands by 15%) but they’re not meant to be overworked with photo-editing or graphic-intensive games either. One bonus is they’re particularly efficient at dissipating heat; good for laptop longevity – especially if you’ll be hanging out in the tropics or be that guy who’s always working on the beach.

Laptop Accessories

You might not be the one buying a new laptop for a friend but can help spice up the one they’ve already got with these (much) less expensive accessories.

SwissGear Computer Backpack ($59) – The backpack I’ve been using to carry my electronics for over 4 years now, the SwissGear line of backpacks are not only extremely durable, but come loaded with a large number of pockets. (Geeks love pockets.) There’s also a laptop compartment (making it easy to remove in airport security lines) and back cushioning for long walks around town.
Encrypted USB Drives (~$70) – Added protection built-in to USB drives that tend to get lost easily. The IronKey S200 (~$69), Corsair Flash Padlock (~$49), or the Patriot BOLT (~$15) are good options to look at.
Klear Screen Cleaning Kit (~$10) – Apple stores around the world use this solution to get your greasy fingerprints off of display models everyday. Klear works on screens or all sorts, keyboards, and mobile phones as well.
USB Squid (~$9) – Adds 4 more USB ports to a laptop, making it easier for a traveler to charge all of their electronics at once.

eReaders: The Nook Vs. The Kindle

It wasn’t so long ago that there were some important differences between the Kindle and nook for international travelers. Since that time though things have mostly evened out – and you’ve got Amazon’s Kindle line competing with Barnes & Nobles’ nook – both taking up most of the eReader market. Things are quite even between the two – if you’ve already got a Kindle or nook and looking to upgrade best advice is to stay with the same company – otherwise these are the major selling points of both.

Non-Color Display Winner: Amazon

Kindle Touch (~$139) – The shape of the competing nook Simple Touch is a bit too wide for my tastes and if you’re not committed to either online bookstore yet, the Kindle Touch makes a great eReader.
Verso Clip-On eReader Light (~$20) – For any eInk (aka non-color) eReader you’ll find these invaluable on night trains, flights, and hostel dorms.

Color Display Winner (With Geek Award Bonus): nook Tablet

Nook Tablet (~$249) – A smoother display, more digital horsepower, and quite hackable with an active community, the nook Tablet is a slick tablet eReader. To sum it up, it’s an overall better computing device than the Amazon Kindle Fire; but lacks the online music and media cloud that Amazon offers. Still, head-to-head, I give my preference to the nook Tablet – which unlike the Amazon Kindle Fire – supports the ePub format.

Digital Cameras And Accessories

Let’s take a short look at 3 categories of digital camera, starting with the point and shoot I use.

Point & Shoot

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 (~$250) – A Leica lens with an amazing 24-384 millimeter range, this camera takes spectacular photos and decent HD video. This is the only dedicated camera I use (the other non-dedicated being an iPhone 3G.)

Micro 4/3rd

Olympus PEN E-P3 (~$800) – I recently saw one of these in the hands of Jodi (aka. Legal Nomads) and was impressed with the photos I caught a glimpse of (here’s a taste from Morocco.) Jodi’s using the Panasonic f1.7 20mm lens (~$345) to snap those amazing pictures.

DSLRs

This is a gigantic category that I could devote multiple websites to; these are just some suggestions that might fit what you’re looking for and if they don’t – can help you get started.

Nikon D90 Body (~$1,100) – Many travelers I’ve spoken with have or are using this as their first DSLR on the road. But while preference of the Nikon bodies vary, nearly all frequent travelers will tell you the 18-200mm Nikkor lens (~$879) is the most versatile they’re carrying.
Canon 550D Body ($1,299) – When it comes to video the Canon’s tend to be much better at picking up audio, and this camera came highly recommended by several of you when I asked on Facebook.

The shot below from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey can only be gotten if you throw yourself off the top balcony (ouch) or use an xShot Extender (~$25). This monopod lets you take good photos of yourself with background and company included – perfect for the solo traveler who only has photos of their face close-up from a million places around he world. Also, like I mentioned above, you can get photos above a crowd and over physical barriers as well.

You’ll notice I haven’t jumped into video here and that’s for two reasons. The first being that I don’t do much video work and the second being that for general shooting when traveling, a digital camera or newer smart phone does a pretty good job. That said, what makes any travel video better is good sound and a wireless lapel microphone ($20-250) can be your first big improvement.

Mobile Phones

Although I’m someone who hasn’t had regular mobile phone service in over 3 years, I test, take apart, and crack a surprisingly large variety of them. (Mostly companies sending them my way for testing.) So which phones are the smartest? Well, the one you pick of course…

iPhone 4 ($679 – no contract) – Forget about the “S” for now because as sexy as Siri is, she’s getting an upgrade in a few months. Take this with a huge grain of salt…but back in August Apple is rumored to have sent iPhone 5 specs to China for manufacturing. Apparently scrapped due to design flaws, a potentially “radical” redesign in the iPhone 5 may appear next June at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Event (WWDE).
Samsung Galaxy S II (~$549) – Thinner but with a larger screen, this is one of the slickest mobiles I’ve come across in a long time. The screen resolution is incredible and the apps run remarkably smooth on its Android 2.3 operating system. Add a 8.1 megapixel camera and 1080 HD video and it’s a powerful phone package.
HTC Amaze 4G (~$650 – no contract) – Lots of processing power under the hood in addition to a vibrant display.

Whichever phone you go with, if it’s got a fancy screen you ought to invest in good protection for it. The ZAGG Invisible Shields (~$20) for phones and more were once used to protect the blades of military helicopters and do a heck of a job on digital screens.

Connections, Coils, And Cables: Going MacGyver

It’s the little, simple items in our backpacks that go unnoticed but work so hard to make our techie lives easier on the road.

Organize Your Cables – Keep those cables organized so they’re easy to manage using either Applecores (~$7) or UT Cord Wraps (~$7).
V-MODA Vibe Earbuds (~$35) – I’ve been using V-MODA to listen to my music, movies, and podcasts for several years now. They eliminate outside noise extremely well and provide exceptional audio quality.
Duct Tape (~$5) – Combined with dirty socks can help reduce mosquito bites, along with countless other uses.
All In One Charger (~$3) – A permanent resident in any frequent international traveler’s bag as is this Belkin mini-surge protector (~$12), turning one outlet into 3 plus 2 USB ports.
Alfa USB Wireless Antenna (~$40) – Geek out and extend your laptop’s wireless range by 3-5 times.
Stereo Audio Cable (~$1) – Anyone who spends a decent amount of time in rental cars will appreciate being able to plug their iPod or mobile phone in to listen to their own tunes.
Garmin Forerunner 405 Water Resistant Running GPS (~$175) – Wherever I am in the world I run, and I run a lot. These GPS come in handy for athletic, hiking, and calculating travelers who might want to keep up with how many calories they burned sightseeing.
Flip-It Plugless USB Charger (~$16) – That outlet isn’t really full; a great find on Legal Nomads’ resources page as is the JuiceBar Pocket Solar Charger (~$50).

Travel eBooks That Come In Paper Too: Recommended Travel-Nerd Reads

Of course the best gadget in the universe sits between your ears – and enthusiastic minds deserves some good hacking too. These are books (all come in handy digital Kindle, nook, etc. formats) that are a bit travel and a bit geek; some of my favorite recent reads you may enjoy as well.

Incognito: The Secret Lives Of Brains By David Eagleman (~$15: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – One cubic centimeter of your brain has more neurons than our galaxy has stars. Find out what your brain is actually doing when you’re starring off into space on a long layover.

The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us By Francis Tapon (~$10: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – One of the best history, culture, travel books, period, I’ve read in a long time. Here’s my full review.

The Dervish House By Ian McDonald (~$10: Kindle/nook/Paperback)- Leap forward to the year 2027′s Istanbul in this science-fiction story that is based in much of today’s fact.

Long Way Round By Charlie Boorman & Ewan McGregor (~$13: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – In many ways this journal by Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor led to the journey I’m on now, it’s still one of my favorite all-time books and one of these motorcycle best.

The Post-American World: Release 2.0 By Fareed Zakaria (~$15: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – An insightful look into the “rise of the rest” and how world powers are shifting; what that means for economics, people, tourism, and more.

From Eternity To Here By Sean Carroll (~$14: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – Why does time time flow in one direction? Scientists don’t know exactly but the possibilities may explain where our universes (yes, more than one) came from.

The Survivors Club By Ben Sherwood (~$10: Kindle/nook/Paperback) – A book I’ve referenced in several posts that looks at how to survive plane crashes and what you can learn from super-survivors.

Finally, I’d like to show you over to my eBooks page with more of my recommended reads (and two written by me.)

Accept What You Buy Will Get Old Fast But Keep Receipts In Case It’s Too Fast

Keep in mind that there never is a “best” gadget – it’s more like a “best for the moment and best for you” gadget. Technology gets updated quickly but it doesn’t mean that a previous model isn’t the perfect deal and if you do happen to buy a large ticket item, keep the receipt as occasionally new versions get released a bit sooner than any of us anticipated.

Have any questions or gadget recommendations? Add you additions to the comments below!

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Turn Your Smelly Socks Into Mosquito Traps After A Long Day Of Traveling

Anil P. — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:00:59 +0000

It turns out that your stinky socks may deter your hostel-mates, significant other, and often yourself, but are irresistible to blood-sucking mosquitoes. Attracted by a compound of 8 chemicals (primarily carbon dioxide and octenol) that combine for a pungent cocktail in our shoes, mosquitoes are 4 times as likely to go for smelly feet than elsewhere in the body. There is now enough data behind this phenomena that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $775,000 to developing traps with feet smell as the lure.

You, however, don’t have to wait for a trap when you can make your own – or at least use the latest research about the mosquito olfactory system to give yourself some relief from their itchy bites.

When You’ve Got Room To Breath

Mosquitoes use their noses – in a sense (receptors are found around the abdomen) – to find out where you’re hanging out. That long-range detection system is then tuned to the highest concentrations of carbon dioxide and other smells in the immediate area. The mosquito is looking to get the best blood meal for the risk it takes of being smashed out of existence by swatting hands.

A mosquito’s sense of smell is about 30 meters (100 feet) wide; so if your concentration of pests in that radius is low, your best bet is to eliminate odor, not intensify it. (More on that in the next section.) When you do have a bit of space to work with, or have other bodies attracting mosquitoes with you in the same room (like a hostel dorm) you can mislead mosquitoes at close range.

By wrapping duct tape, with the sticky side out, around a pair or two of your worst smelling socks you may be a 75% less attractive mosquito target than others sleeping in the same room. This method isn’t completely effective but it can divert a number of hungry mosquitoes to the duct tape trap rather than the back of your neck.

In Empty Rooms, Go Mosquito Stealth

When you’re staying in a dormitory with several other human beings, you can essentially guarantee that your collective smells will have already broadcasted the blood-buffet you represent to mosquitoes nearby. When you’re the only human around however, it doesn’t hurt to mask your scent to reduce the number of mosquitoes that can pile in through an open window overnight.

What’s the answer in a bottle for mosquitoes you ask? Vodka, which can kill smells, stinky feet, mosquitoes and your sobriety if there’s enough left over.

3 of the 4 great travel uses for vodka can help you mask your smell, effectively reducing the number of mosquitoes who will pick up on where you are sleeping. Vodka, when sprayed on socks, kills the bacteria that makes them smell like gross feet. Vodka can also be used to actually clean your feet, disinfecting them at the same time. Finally, if a mosquito happens to be bold enough for a face-on confrontation, one good spritz will send them to mosquito heaven.

Repelling Who You Want To Attract And Visa-Versa

Depending on how far you want to take your mosquito protection, knowing the effect that foot odor has on the pests can at least help you plan where you leave your dirty laundry. Sealing your dirty clothes in plastic bags can make you slightly less attractive to mosquitoes and less repulsive to other human beings who you may be sharing a room with. Finally, there are countless things you can use duct tape for so that roll in your backpack isn’t likely to go to waste on your next trip.

[top sock photo by bark]

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How To Learn To Speak Tourist Before Your Next Vacation

Anil P. — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:00:42 +0000

When traveling to other countries where they speak a language you don’t, fluency isn’t typically required to get around. Yet the first few lessons of a language course may turn out not to be as useful as you would have hoped either. A specific dialect is more relevant for your vacations: the language of tourist.

Travelers use language for very specialized functions where you can focus your educational efforts – with the right technology – to become functionally more fluent than learning language in linear fashion. You’ll not only be able to get around words, but streets better as a result.

Don’t Start At Step #1

The advice to “pick up a language” when going on vacation is a bit misleading since you’re only ever learning parts of it at a time. You’re not going to “pick it up” like a box from the ground to the back of a truck – you’ve got to start thinking that there is no truck. The true masters of language acquisition – children – aren’t concerned about some hypothetical perfection of communication, they just want to get their ideas across. Once you accept that, you’re well on your way to learning tourist.

Focus On Greetings, Transportation, And The ~~Five~~ Three Double-Yous

Hello and goodbye are language essentials; though “what is your name” might not be the logical next step for a traveler. You’ll want to pin down directional words and those specifically referring to the most common methods of transportation you’ll be using. Car, bus, train can seems simple enough until you’re in the middle of Oman and nobody knows what you’re talking about.

Of course, languages aren’t purely spoken and you can pick up a general idea of what gestures to expect the free site Travel Etiquette. Combine that with the nifty site Fasten Seat Belts to learn how to count to 10 with one hand in Chinese or figure out the Turkish mini-bus (dolmus) system.

Much like bulking up your muscles, work your brain cells in pairs. These are 4 word combinations to begin your tourist tongue eduction in because our minds work better with groups. Double words and double, well the “W” triplets of what, when, where. Who and why are optional if you really what to boil it down.

Where To Learn The Words That Are Coming Out Of Their Mouths

There are so many good, free online language resources it almost makes it difficult to find the right one for you. I’ve covered my favorite free online language courses in the past and later updated it to include these free language social networks. Practicing with a partner online can help reduce your anxiety about speaking that language before your next trip and also help you pick up 3 things that turn you from a stumbling tourist into a confused local.

Learn To Curse, Pick Up Filler Words, And Talk With A Lisp If You Have To

Let’s face it – the dirty curse words of any language are often the most memorable and fun to learn. Also, they tend to be coupled with body parts, family members, and animals which come in handy too. You Swear is an ad-heavy site that’s good for it’s digital worth in filthy language to balance out the nice greetings you’ve already picked up.

Filler words like “um” in English, “yaw” in Swedish, and “eh” in Italian are technically called disfluancies. Those words which seem useless to us adults actually help children learn their mother tongues. That’s because a disfluancy (aka. filler word) indicates the word to follow is one we are less familiar with. Research from the University of Rochester shows that children tend to take special notice of the words that come after fillers. The fillers highlight what’s unknown and worth learning – and since we’re thinking like children – can do the same for us.

On the flip side, you can use this Wikipedia list of filler words in various languages to put natural stops when speaking in a foreign tongue. You’ll sound more fluent while searching for the next term you’re looking for. Also, while there’s no solid research on it yet – filler words may subconsciously highlight words you need to pay attention to and recall in the future.

Most Spaniards speak Spanish with a variation of a lisp (substituting a “th” sound for a “s”). In Bulgaria people nod backwards and in the United States south, people tend to use “ya’ll” for “you-all”. Paying a little extra notice to those local deviations and adding them to your own speech make you sound more natural – and may endear you even more to locals. People appreciate you how much effort you put into learning their language, when you take the time to also include their local version it goes that much further.

Use The Universal Translator In Your Pocket

While there are many smart phone translation apps, the future is a Star Trek Universal Translator – the first version of which is Vocre for the iPhone. It’s not perfect by any means – limited to to around 10 languages and requiring an Internet connection to work. (Plus it’s noticeable lack of an Android version.) Still, if the stars align for you, Vocre might be a good addition to your iPhone.Upcoming improvements and competitors mean we’re only seeing the beginning of dynamic translators to come.

Aside from practicing your speaking skills with your online buddies (see above) you can check your pronunciation with Free Pronunciation Checker for Android or Forvo for iPhone.

Also, you can try switching you Facebook account over to the language you’ll be visiting for a few minutes each day. Learning words by associations (you might not have noticed it say “Home”, “Photos”, and “Friends” all up there but you’ll likely recognize them in another language without even thinking about it.

Don’t Be Afraid To Use What You Know

When using the language or tourist – or just when traveling in general – it’s understood that you’re foreign. Get over it – much like a little kid doesn’t care she’s not getting it quite right and just wants her damn cookie – your objective is to get to the train station or find out how much that camel ride costs. The first step of language is the most important for communication – if you don’t take it, you’re not traveling quite as far as you could be.

[top photo of men talking by: dobrych, F*CK license plate by batigolix, word decree shirt photo by RLHyde]

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What Is The Best Travel Laptop?

Anil P. — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:00:13 +0000

A laptop is the single most versatile piece of technology you can travel with. Despite the gains that tablets like the iPad and Nook Color have made, they don’t have the hardware flexibility or storage capacity (not to mention computing power) of a most laptops quite yet. Though that day will come (I’m guessing in about 2 years), for the moment, many of you are probably still carrying around some type of portable computer when you travel. Perhaps you’re in the process shopping around for one right now.

I’m asked “what is the best travel laptop” and it’s a topic I’ve covered from other angles before; though that specific question is much like “what will make me happy?” The answer depends a lot on you so let me be your digital therapist and together let’s find your laptop nirvana.

Get Your Categories Straight

Your basic laptop comes in one of 3 travel flavors: netbook, PC, and Mac. There are others but this gross oversimplification is most of what you need to find a good machine to travel with.

Netbook – What defines this class of laptop is size. Typically less than 25 centimeters (~10 inches) across and less than a kilo in weight (~2.2 lbs). All standard netbooks run Windows or Linux; the closest laptop in size Apple has is the Macbook Air. (I can help you hack that netbook to run Mac OS X however.)
Laptop PC – Larger than netbook size and everything not Apple, often referred to as notebooks.
Macbook – Apple laptops coming in the Macbook Pro and Macbook Air varieties, running some version of the operating system OS X.

So how can we break these different types of laptops into he simplest terms without going into much detail at all?

Netbooks are cheap, small, and have long battery life but can be a pain to stare at the small screen for too long. The keyboards aren’t the most ergonomic either. Laptops have more comfortable monitors and keyboards but are typically 20-40% larger and heavier than a netbook. Part of that added weight are built-in components you might use, like a DVD player or hard drive with lots of capacity to store more travel photos. Finally, Macbooks and their operating systems are built to work together. That means increased reliability but at higher cost.

The programs that run on Windows, Mac, and Linux all vary and while some are made for all, others may not. CNET’s version tracker can tell you which applications run on different platforms. (Use the “Search” tool in the upper right and select Windows, Mac, or both.)

What Would You Really Use A Laptop For?

Many of us don’t like to admit we’re part of the Facebook, email, occasionally type some documents crowd. It’s uncool and nerds like me might try and convince you a more powerful laptop can do magic – letting you run Photoshop smooth as butter or open 15 applications at a time. That’s all fine and good but if you have never opened Photoshop in your life (and don’t plan on it) or aren’t playing graphic intensive video games on while you travel – save yourself the money.

Those of you using a laptop for more than 2-3 consecutive hours a day while traveling probably want to avoid the some of the repetitive stress injury postures common with netbooks or consider getting something larger altogether. Gizmodo has rated the best notebooks of 2011 if you’re leaning in that direction. As a general rule you’re not looking for the best laptop in terms of power – you’re looking for the best laptop to meet your needs and budget.

Check Multiple Sources For Realistic Battery Life

The battery life manufacturers list on their websites and manuals are theoretical maximums inflated by 50-100% in many cases. That’s not very accurate if you do things like use monitor or travel to places are aren’t constantly 21 degrees Celsius. Battery life also degrades over time an within about a year of typical use you’ve lost 10-20% of original capacity. All of that said, you should deduct 40% off any battery life stated by an manufacturer and flex some Google muscles to get comparisons from reputable tech sites like PC World.

If you’re using a laptop already Battery Bar for Windows and iStat Pro for Mac (both free) can tell you how healthy your battery is and these are 7 ways to extend what you’ve got.

That will help give you an accurate measure of battery life – second to weigh in importance (in my opinion) if you travel frequently. If you want a head start, PC World has a good rundown of the top 10 ultra-portable laptops.

Replacement Parts And Other Things To Consider In What Is Ultimately A Personal Decision

Macbooks are great (a 15-inch Macbook Pro is one of the two laptops I travel with) but finding replacement parts for Apple products is difficult. Aside from being hardware specific as I mentioned earlier, the fact remains than only 10-15% of people use Macs worldwide. Parts are typically more expensive so many smaller computer stores around the world don’t stock Mac components like hard drives that may go bad. (Here are 2 ways to get advance warning of hard drive failure.) That’s where PC users have an advantage and something to consider if you’ll be traveling for extended periods of time and a dead laptop could effect your business or general mood.

Along those same lines reliability is important. Research by SquareTrade has found one-third of all laptops fail within 3 years and netbooks are 20% less reliable than their bigger cousins. The full report by SquareTravel, including the top brands (available as a PDF download) can help you make the sturdiest decision. Once you have that laptop be sure to protect it from the effects of traveling.

I could have come up with a list of what I think are the top net, lap, and Mac books (and still may) but those tend to get dated quickly. This advice is much more consistent over time; at least until we start bringing in tablets for a serious discussion.

What laptop do you carry and recommend? Have any opinions for those who may be shopping around or looking to upgrade? Share your best laptop tips in the comments below!

[top laptop photo by mikecogh, ruler photo by Auntie P]

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How To Accurately Calculate How Many Calories You Just Burned Sightseeing

Anil P. — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 06:00:14 +0000

As we found out last week, human beings like all of us, are really terrible at estimating things (check out #5 on this list); with it get worse when we’re talking about ourselves. In short, our Paleolithic brains tend to convince us we’re right all the time and doing stuff – like burning calories – much more than we really are.

Fortunately our biology has some silicon allies that can accurately let us know how many calories we’ve actually burned wandering around Berlin so we don’t overindulge in schnitzel afterward.

A Crash Course In How Calories Work

The (extremely) basic premise of calories is they are a measure of energy our bodies use to do things like walk, travel, and do silly dances when we get drunk. We get calories from food and drink, burning them away when we do anything. (And I mean anything – reading this post alone you’ll burn an average of 5 extra calories.) Assuming we’re good so far, there are some basic rules in how you burn:

The more energy you exert, the more calories you burn.
The more you weigh, the more calories you burn.
The more athletic you are, the more you burn overall.
Men burn about 10% more calories per activity and at rest that women.
The older you are, the fewer calories you burn.

Keep in mind these are general rules to give you an idea of how it all works, in case you needed a brush up. I’ve probably given some nutritionists and doctors chest pains by oversimplifying this much so let’s move on to the calories you’ll burn sightseeing.

Map It Out

Have you ever sat down in a cafe after a few hours of sightseeing and exclaimed, “I must have walked 10 kilometers today!” (Afterword wolfing down 10 danishes?) Most of us have probably uttered something along those lines without realizing the walk wasn’t as nearly as far as we thought.

To get an idea of how much you’ve walked after-the-fact you can use Map My Run. You’ll need to create a free account for this tool, which lets you draw a trail on a Google Map mash-up, calculating the distance you’ve covered. Map My Run also has a mobile version (iPhone, Android, Blackberry) you can fire up while you’re actually walking. Another good option for calculating walking distances is Gmap-Pedometer. You can’t begin to accurately calculate how many calories you’ve burned if you don’t know how far you’ve really walked.

To make your sightseeing efforts more accurate, count the number of steps you climb and go down throughout the day, and jot them down somewhere.

Use GPS For Sightseeing Precision

Using online maps can give you good estimates for distance covered, but a more accurate tool is probably something you already carry in your pocket. The free SportyPal available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry turns your mobile phone into a pedometer, keeping track of distance covered, meters climbed, and the rate at which you do so. (Thanks TurkeysForLife for the recommendation.) [The aforementioned Map My Run mobile app does something similar, but doesn't take full advantage of the built-in GPS in mobile devices with cell service deactivated.] Another in the free price range, Run Keeper (Android, iPhone) is another app to consider.

Of course, walking around with mobile phone isn’t always practical and in some places not the best idea to whip out. Serious traveling runners and walkers can take a look at the various nondescript GPS watches like the Garmin Forerunner 405 for accurate distance measurements.

Adding To All Up, With Bonuses

We now have three of the four key variables (pace, distance, and time) to calculate how many calories you’ve burned. The last thing you’ll need is your weight. Most online calorie counters will let you input only 2 of the 4 variables, and this calorie calculator from About.com is the most straightforward. (Unfortunately it’s English units only.)

The most accurate figure per kilometer or mile, assuming an average walking pace, is using either of these formulas:
For calories burned per kilometer: Multiply 0.67 x [your body weight in kg]
For calories burned per mile: Multiply 0.3 x [your body weight in lbs]

The key ingredient to this mix of course being the accurate measurement of how much you actually walked. Calculators based on time miss things like reading maps, toilet breaks, and other stops that can have us seriously overestimating the amount of time on our feet.

I hope you kept track of the stairs I mentioned above, add .11 calories to your total for every stair up and .5 for every stair you walked down.

Finally, for a bit of travel workout boost, you can add approximately 34 calories for every 5 minutes you spend shivering in cold climates and potentially 50 calories spent walking in temperatures about 40c (~104F). And don’t forget that day pack if you’re carrying, add 10 calories per hour if it weighs 2.25kg (~5lbs).

Good For Your Waistline And Future Travel Planning

A good assessment of your steps can not only help you keep that cute belly of yours in check by not overcompensating with too many delicious calories but give you an idea of what you can realistically sight-see in a day. Most of us unconsciously do this, mapping out an entire city, only to end stopping halfway our route to eat, people watch, and relax. Chances are, by accurately tracking how much ground you cover in one day traveling, you’ll have a better sense of what you can see (and eat!) in future trips.

[photos by: lululemonathletica (top photo of woman in blue shirt)]

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Gray Hat Travel Tech 101: Everything You Need To Know About Unlocking Your Mobile Phone

Anil P. — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:00:37 +0000

Unlocking your mobile phone has become ubiquitous with a travel-tech thing you should do but is a process not nearly everyone understands completely. There’s actually quite a bit of confusion as to what “unlocking” actually accomplishes, how it’s done, and why you might even want to bother doing it at all. So today, as part of a series on tech hacks that break warranties but not laws (hence, “gray hat”) I’ll give you a crash course on unlocking phones, breaking them out of jail, and enough to win $1,000 on Jeopardy if the category ever comes up.

Why You May Need To Unlock Your Phone

Although things are changing in the United States, the primary group of people needing to unlock their phones have service in that country. (North America in generally where you’ll find locked devices.) Basically, the cell phone providers like T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. ship phones that can only be used with one provider – themselves. Thus they “lock” in the phones to their service, which means if you’re traveling outside of the US (or simply want to take your phone to another company) you can’t. Your options at that point are either use the expensive international service the companies offer, or simply unlock the phone by restoring the software it was designed to run.

Once unlocked, your phone can use SIM cards from any provider around the world locally, which can save you a considerable amount of money on international roaming phone calls and data usage.

How To Unlock Your Phone (Oh, How Little Effort It Takes)

Most standard ‘dumb phones’ (aka. not-smart-phones) are easily unlocked by getting to their maintenance modes through a series of codes typed into the keypad. For example, Nokia security code cracks are notoriously prevalent (unlock your Nokia here) and Samsung is a walk in the park – either method taking about 5 minutes each.

Keep in mind you’ve got about 5 chances to unlock in many cases, after which a hard reset of the device is required. That means a cable must be connected to the phone and reset via a laptop or other specialized device. For about $20-40 around the world you can get most unofficial mobile phone vendors to do this for you. It’s also an alternative if you don’t want to mess with unlocking yourself.

When it comes to smartphones, things are a bit different and since they have more complex software, the unlock is slightly more involved…but not much.

The Difference Between Jailbreaking And Unlocking (And Rooting)

This is the biggest point of confusion when it comes to modifying your phone for travel so let’s clear it up right now with the essentials.

Unlocking – The process of allowing a phone to be used on multiple carriers. (e.g. Having an T-Mobile contract in the New York and being able to use Orange mobile in London).
Jailbreaking – The process of installing 3rd party applications on an iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple iOS device. Jailbreaking lets you bypass the App Store and it’s a process required to unlock the iPhone as well.
Rooting – The same thing as jailbreaking, except it refers to Android devices.

Now, just like unlocking, jailbreaking and rooting breaks most manufacturer and mobile phone provider warranties. We’ll get to keeping your warranty intact shortly, but first, let me show you how to free your phone from its corporate shackles.

How To Jailbreak Or Root Your Phone

There’s a lot you can do with a jailbroken or rooted phone (these are 25 good examples) but we’ll stick with the feature we’re after – unlocking – for now. The most important thing to remember about unlocking a smartphone is you need to get the hack for the specific version of phone software you’re running. Phones are updated all the time (like an iPhone via iTunes) and hacks are usually released a few days after.

How To Jailbreak – Here’s a tutorial I wrote on using the Pwnage tool and this Lifehacker jailbreaking guide is constantly updated when new software is released.
How To Root Your Android – PCWorld has this technical overview and Lifehacker also has a continually updated rooting guide. (If you have any Android questions along the way, Tinkerdroid is a good place to get them answered.)

Either of these processes have potential pitfalls – like potentially locking up your phone or erasing data – if you take a misstep or simply have bad luck. You’ll want to backup your data and settings in case that happens so you can reset your phone to the way it was.

How To Keep Your Warranty From Going Bad After Unlocking

Manufacturer’s warranties against defects typically last only a year and if you’ve had your phone longer than that you can probably skip this section, although this concept is quite useful for most gadgets you hack. Start by checking both your manufacturer’s warranty (quick check for iPhone users) and any added ones you may have purchased, including any your mobile phone provider may have given you.

Remember, the only time a company is going to check your device for tampering is when you give it in for repair, recall, or if a defect is found. Never admit to modifying your phone anytime you cross paths with the manufacturer and don’t tell a travel insurance company if you’re filing an electronics claim either. It’s not necessarily lying if you never bring it up in the first place.

To insure that your warranty or insurance isn’t denied on your unlocked phone should you ever happen to need it, backup your phone’s data, and reset it’s original program.

How To Reset An iPhone
How To Reset An Android Phone
To Reset A Nokia – The process varies by individual model, but both Google and Youtube should have the answer for you by typing “How to reset a Nokia [model number] to factory settings”; the same goes for Samsung and other phone brands

That’s the general warranty rule to follow for any electronic you’ve modified or hacked – never admit to anything and reset what you can to its original state before turning it in.

The Benefits To Your Wallet And Social Life

Even though companies like AT&T are now selling unlocked iPhones for a cool $649 in the US, you can purchase a used or regular one with a contract for less than a quarter of that price by unlocking it yourself. Generally, for most people, on your first unlock you might be nervous that your phone will completely be unusable if you screw things up. At worst you may end up having to reset your phone, or visit that slightly-shady mobile phone store down the street to get things right, but nearly always it’s going to be cheaper than making international phone calls as you travel around the world.

[key photo by Jillian Anne Photography, photo of child daydreaming by ZeRO`SKiLL]

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How To Take Better Travel Photos Without Getting A Better Camera

Anil P. — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:00:10 +0000

You might be browsing through travel photos in magazines or travel blogs and wondering why some pictures turn out so much better than yours. Surely it must be the camera you think – but almost all of what makes a picture good happens after it’s taken. Just like a new car won’t make you a better driver, the fanciest camera in the world won’t give you better photos, not initially anyway.

That’s not to knock DSLRs or the photographers who wield them like samurai’s do swords, but you’ve got quite a bit of potential in that point-and-shoot or smart phone of yours. Perhaps want to spice up some Madagascar photos for your friends on Facebook, whip up a scrapbook, or take something worthy of hanging on your wall. These are the tools that can help you get there no matter what you’re shooting with.

Don’t Skip This One: You Need To Edit Your Photos [You Want To Improve]

Some people feel that editing photos – especially digital ones – is cheating somehow. Although computers and digital photos have streamlined the editing process, photography has always been a manipulated medium. These days however, instead of darkrooms and developing chemicals, it’s keyboards and mice. There’s nothing to be ashamed of – I mean, Shakespeare didn’t publish his first draft, second, or 5th – and good pictures, like any other art, take time to perfect.

Cropping Isn’t Just For Exes On Facebook

One of the simplest things you can do to make a picture better and easiest function to find in just about any editing software is cropping. As a general rule you want to shoot more in a photo than you actually want. You can always adjust the composition after the fact but adding stuff you didn’t take is impossible.

We tend to focus on getting closer to a subject but many times taking a step back can give you a better photo to work with later. You’ve got the luxury of digital so if you’re not sure what to do, take two pictures. You can always delete the one that’s inferior.

Cropping can help you get rid of washed out sunny skies or a stray camera straps along the edges of your photo. (Vignetting is also a technique that can help overcome those issues. Here’s how to achieve vignetting using a variety of software.) What to crop is certainly the most difficult part about the process but luckily John Thomas Smith has a nifty rule for you to follow.

Use The Rule Of Thirds – Easy To Do Even If You’re Terrible At Math

The word “thirds’ throws many people off (must be those fractions) but it’s a simple photography concept that can improve your pictures at cropping time. (The Rule of Thirds is also a good habit to get into when shooting the pictures as well.) Basically, use your imagination to break up the frame by thirds horizontally and vertically. Then, try to place the important parts of your picture along the lines or at the intersections as shown below.

Keep in mind this is a raw explanation of a general rule that has a number of variations and isn’t set in stone.

Start Culling The Crap

One of the great advantages of digital is being able to take countless photos you can later choose the best from. That advantage also means you might be taking pictures of any and everything you see, no matter how relevant you actually find it. Not every picture is worth keeping or editing; and all those digital images take space up on your hard drive which might be getting bloated with photos you don’t really care for anyway.

That time consuming process of eliminating pictures that are eerily similar to many others you’ve taken can be shortened using the free Duplicate Image Finder Windows or Duplicate Image Detector for Mac (free to try, $29.95 to buy). Those programs can sift through your pictures files and help you detect and decide which ones to delete for good.

Another added step you can take to save space is to compress your photo folders. It’s a two-click process on Mac (here’s how) and just as simple on Windows.

Auto-Edit On Your Smart Phone

The most popular photo-beautifying app you’ve probably come across lately is Instagram for the iPhone (iPod touch, and iPad). Instagram adds a slightly aged, retro-tinge to your pictures giving them a more interesting look and feel. Android users can check out Pool Party for a similar effect and you can instantly Instagram any image using Photoshop.

ColorFX for Android lets you do neat things like selective coloring (seen in this photo of a soldier in Ankara) and ProHDR (for iOS and Android) can give you pictures with high dynamic range, like this one of the Hoover Dam in the US.

Panorama Amazing Views That Make Dull Photos

Long stretches of beach, mountain views, and sports arenas provide our eyes nice views but don’t often translate well into a standard digital picture. More and more digital cameras are coming with a panoramic modes yet still many aren’t intuitive or very time efficient. Rather, you can take 3-6 slightly-overlapping pictures over a wide angle and use (the free) program Hugin to blend them into a single panoramic. Hugin also does a good job of aligning the pictures for you, which is much easier that having to do it on the back of a digital camera LCD.

iPhone users can check out AutoStitch ($1.99); Android users, Photaf 3D (free) can give you similar panoramic results.

Backup Your Photos Automatically And Often

The best digital photos in the world won’t do you any good if you lose them to a bad hard drive or drop your laptop off the cliffs of Cappadocia. The simplest way most people already use to some extent is by uploading a few to Facebook (be sure to read their terms of service first though). Picasa Web is a more robust online sharing and photo backup tool (here are 4 more) but ideally you want to automate the process.

Automated Online Backup Services For Photos – Along with remedies for 3 other common travel tech mistakes this article gives you a number of options for automated photo backup to the “cloud”.
How To Make Use Of Your Desktop At Home While You’re Traveling The World – Whether it’s the old one sitting in your empty home office or your mom’s underused email machine, chances are you can use it as a backup facility.

There are plentiful ways to get backups done but one surefire way to screw it up and set yourself up for disaster. We’re far enough into the digital age that most of us have lost a file or two to a corrupted drive by now but in case you haven’t, spare yourself the grief. Backup!

Don’t Diss The People Or Yourself

Sometimes the only way to insert more personality into a picture is to put yourself in it. We often want to be the invisible observer, avoiding other people around popular tourist sites yet we tend to look at those photos most when flipping back through an album. Ones with people in them – especially people we know and particularly ourselves. This is a habit I have trouble with as well – not taking pictures of myself at places – but gets to be secondhand nature with ~~brute force~~ practice.

The XShot Extender will give you much better angles if you’re traveling solo so your head isn’t always tilted and the background cutoff or non-existant.

Finally, you don’t want to discredit the person taking all of these pictures while you’re traveling – aka. you. Not everything you take will be a masterpiece and it doesn’t have to be, but there’s more talent in those fingers than you could giving yourself credit for. By changing your focus with and without the camera you can vastly improve your travel photos even without professional software.

[kitchen knife photo by: bionicteaching]

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