shipping news
#16 - September 2023 (another travel issue)
welcome
Welcome to issue 16 of shipping news, my occasional newsletter of things of interest. Typical headings are analog, apple, cool tools, film and TV, in the garden, history, localism, nature, pen and paper, reading and writing, software and technology. And the interplay between them all. Thanks to everyone’s who been reading, and liking. I hope you enjoy something in this edition.
Given that I’m heading overseas soon, this is another TRAVEL ISSUE, focusing on some of the apps and tips that I’ve been using in planning this trip. Eagle-eyed readers might remember I did a Travel Issue for Issue 11, so I’ll try to keep this all fresh and new. This is also focused on travel tools that work on your phone and can take with you on your trip. Check back on that old issue for more tips if you like.
Apple Maps and the guides feature
In Issue 11 I wrote about how I used Apple Notes to create a notebook for each trip containing PDFS, receipts, planning agendas and much more, all shared with those on the trip.
Apple Maps has a nice planning feature too, called ‘Guides’. As I’m planning a trip I put in my accommodation, places of interest, restaurants etc and add them to a ‘guide’ for that trip, which I can then easily share with others. While not as genuinely collaborative as Google’s version, called ‘Lists’, I find the Google maps over-busy, ugly and ad-heavy. One nice feature of ‘guides’ is being to sort by proximity so, even if you have places of interest from all over Europe, for example, you can always get a handy list of what’s nearby.
There’s detailed instructions about how to set up your first ‘guide’ HERE. or a brief guide from Apple HERE
ferryhopper
All over Europe it seems they're a fair trips available to exotic and interesting places. And you can book all of them through one app, and website, Ferryhopper. The interface is simple and easy to use and it’s great having all your trips in one place. It’s amazing, looking at the map below, just how much of Europe is service by ferries.
flighty
I know I mentioned Flighty in Issue 11, and I know I promised to keep it fresh, but I hadn’t really used in with real flights in action yet. There’s something compelling and useful about watching your (or your friends) flights arriving and departing in real time. Add that to features like gate numbers, delay notifications, weather updates and it becomes really useful. You need to subscribe to get most of the pro features, but you can subscribe weekly and just cancel when your trip is over.
google translate
Google has a habit of giving and takeingaway. Sometimes its apps come out, look pretty good, and then disappear. I see you Google Reader!
But Google Translate has been around for a while and is essential in deciphering those parking signs, those menu items (are they really snails?) and what medicine is that anyway? It can even speak things for you in that other language but in my experience people don’t’ tend to love that.
Available on the web as well as a stand-alone app.
packing cubes
I’ll give a better review of this concept when I get back but this trip I’ve invested in a set of packing cubes for better organisation of my tiny suitcase. You can compress the clothes down smaller and things stay organised (or that is the plan) There’s an article here on how to use them HERE
You can get them lots of places, but my set came from Amazon. $22AUD. Analog only!
packing lists
I’m someone who's known to love lists. I've tried a variety of packing apps and list makers over the years but, most recently, I’ve opted to go with the plain text file in Drafts categorised and able to be reused. I've got one master list for overseas trips and another for domestic road trips. Categories include: analog, bags and cases, clothes, digital devices, documents, medical and personal. That system seems to work well for me, though I have a track record of accidentally leaving out one whole category of clothes!
If you do go if you do want to go down the route of a specific purpose built app, some alternatives are PackPoint and PackingPro
rail Europe
A bit like Ferry Hopper above, railEurope seems to be the best aggregator of trains in Europe. Trains are easy to find and book and you generally get the ticket as an email immediately. For me, there’s nothing quite like rail journeys in Europe as a way of getting around. You have lots of choice and you always end up in in the middle of the city, not in an airport miles away.
However, there is a bigger fan than me, and that’s not Michael Portillo! The Man in Seat 61 is a railway fan site giving minute details about many European routes and beyond! Worth looking at, even if just for seeing how obsessive someone can become about train travel!
tripit
Tripit used to be the bees knees, I thought. It’s reliable, steadfast, unchanging. I’ve got trips in there going back 14 years! But, maybe it should have changed a little more. Adding details to your trip remains laborious.
They say:
Imagine checking one place for your travel details and getting a heads up as things happen throughout your trip. See why life without TripIt is a distant memory for millions of travelers.
Unlike other travel apps, TripIt can organize your travel plans no matter where you book. Simply forward your confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and in a matter of seconds, TripIt will create a comprehensive itinerary for every trip.
xe currency converter
This app does all sorts of fancy things I’m sure, but I’ve used it for years for one thing: translating Australian dollars to other currencies. The Australian dollar isn’t that great right now and sometimes the best advice is NOT to keep checking the exchange rate and second-guessing every purchase, but this app is great for the detail and, I’ve found, for that complicated thing like: ‘So, how much am I going to pay for this record in Australian dollars?’.
I’ll be away for a while, so I’m not sure just when issue 17 will be out, but back to normal transmisson then.
Meanwhile, enjoy this spring weather! I’m just waiting for the rain to stop so I can mow the lawn.
🥶