Travel Resources for Professors  By

Travel Resources for Professors

Whether you are heading out on sabbatical, a research trip or for pleasure travel, the smoother the experience goes, the better. And it’s easier done when the details are in place. At this point, you have probably secured housing for your stay or found a tenant for your home.

Hopefully you found a match for one or both on SabbaticalHomes.com, and now you’re ready to fine tune your travel plans. Here are some ideas and resources to make the most of your trip.

Related: Travel Resources for Graduate Students

The Flight: Plan ahead to Enjoy Reading and Streaming while Traveling

If you are facing a long plane ride, having good reading material is essential. While books are wonderful, they are bulky and heavy to pack. Instead, consider a Kindle, Nook, or other e-reader. The nice thing about some of these is you don’t necessarily have to buy the hardware to use them; instead, you may install the free apps on your phone or tablet and use them there.

Another tip? Make sure your favorite books or that movie you have been looking forward to watching is pre-downloaded. That way, if you don’t have a flight with WiFi, you may still use it. Some flights have complimentary WiFi, but most charge by the flight, or even by the hour.

Another creature comfort for the plane is to pack your favorite dry tea (just make sure it’s readily identifiable, so you don’t encounter trouble at security). Then, when you are settled on the plane, you may ask the flight attendant for hot water and enjoy your heart-warming treat.

Organization: Keep Track of your Itinerary & the Weather

Why worry about remembering all your itinerary details? There are several apps out there to help. TripIt puts together the confirmation emails you send to it, gives you a master itinerary, and allows you to access it on or offline.

Another great helper is called Citymapper. This award-winner shows you real-time transportation departures and arrivals, routes, directions, alerts, and of course, maps.

Google maps works on a larger scale, helping with the same kinds of information, but focusing more on roads and byways.

Lastly, if you want to know weather conditions, but you don’t know where to go for your local weather, try the app favored by the likes of travel guide Rick Steves, called AccuWeather. Over 1.5 billion people use this service, and it’s available as an app or website. It will give you current weather, forecasts, and regional patterns.

Learning Local: Discovering Hidden Gems with Travel Apps

Of course, it’s a good idea to get an overview of things to see and do at your destination. But if you want to discover hidden gems, big-name sites might not be on your list. Luckily, there are apps to help.

One such website, Tourist Journey, lets you design a fully personalized itinerary complete with accommodations, tours, experiences, and transport in under 3 minutes.

After you answer a series of prompts to personalize your trip, My Journey Builder’s sophisticated algorithm generates a complete travel itinerary, which you can edit, share, and book instantly.

What would take hours of independent research and planning gets streamlined into one quick, fun, and easy process.

Related: 15 Best Travel Apps

Your Travel Experience: Planning Day Trips and Side Trips

If time permits during your stay, try to plan day trips and side trips to other areas near your home base. Experiencing all an area has to offer is one of the best ways to inspire your work while you are away from home and will help you recharge just by virtue of immersing yourself in a new place or cultures.

Related: Discover Home Rental and Exchange Listings near Universities all over the World

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