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Photos :: Best of 2015
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Introducing: The Trip Styler Store
Introducing: The Trip Styler Store

Travel Apps

Travel Apps :: Happy Hour

happy hours in the USAWhether you call it happy hour in North America or chicetti in Italy, sitting down for a bev and some appies in late afternoon is a fun way to bring in the eve. And speaking of Italy, the Italians have it figured out. Chicetti isn't just a drink, but a ritual where you buy a drink, and in doing so, gain access to a large spread of carb-induced pasta dishes, rice salads, bruchetta, pizza and much more.

If you aren't able to try the ULTIMATE happy hour in Italy anytime soon, here are some great apps that point you to the best happy hours in the US of A. Sorry Canada, there doesn't seem to be any happy hour apps for us right now.

Free Happy Hour Apps Happy Houred US-based service with multiple happy hours listed for big cities, plus a user-generated info.

Happy Hours Although this is one of the most comprehensive happy hour apps, you can only download it through the US App store. Also available for Blackberry and Android smartphones. Another way to access the same info is through their mobile site: http://www.gotime.com/m/cities

Cocktail Compass - Seattle This Seattle-focused app lets you find the best happy hours in the Emerald City! Don't miss the Cocktail Compass app for other major US cities as well...

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Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

Travel Apps :: Fairmont

fairmont iphone appThose who peruse this blog more often than not know my love of Fairmont is fairly obvious, as is my healthy obsession with travel apps. So you can imagine my excitement upon learning that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts just launched their first iphone app! Finally! {For our third Travel Beauty Month contest, win some fab travel-sized Tarte products by engaging with our Facebook group.  Details Here. Contest ends this friday.}

Providing access to booking, reservations, hotel information, packages, destination recommendations, social sharing and President's Club (Fairmont's loyalty program); this app effectively, but not overwhelmingly, provides an easy way to plan, book and research your upcoming trip on-the-go.

Fairmont describes the app as a "concierge in your pocket." I couldn't agree more.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts App Details

  • free
  • works with iPhone, iTouch and iPad.
  • according to their twitter account, Fairmont is looking into developing the app for Blackberry and Android which would be a smart move since I suspect most of their target market are Blackberry users. Just sayin'... For now, other smartphone users can peruse Fairmont's mobile site (which will display automatically when browsing Fairmont on a mobile)
  • uses GPS technology to learn about the area around your hotel (requires wifi or data plan)
  • upload photos you take to Fairmont's Everyone's an Original network
  • find restaurants, events, shopping and more
  • provides exact directions whether you’re walking or driving

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

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Travel Apps :: enRoute Dining Guide

enroute magazine dining guide travel appSeek and you shall find tasty and trendy Canadian restaurants from coast to coast recommended by enRoute’s expert panel. Searching through Air Canada's enRoute dining guide app's Vancouver options, the selections are mostly bang-on and remind me of some local eateries I need to visit or re-visit.  My challenge with this app is it only allows you to search by region, not city.  For example, if you are looking for restaurants in Montreal, the restaurant list is only for the Province of Quebec, so you have to click into each selection to see where it is.  Also, given the restaurants are recommended by enRoute, you'd think there would be a write-up for each, but there isn't; all that's listed is the type of food, address, tel, website and map.  Either way, it's nice to have a free restaurant app which inspires your taste buds.

enroute App Details

  • free
  • works with iPhone, iTouch, iPad and Blackberry (no word on if/when it will be available for Android)
  • directory of enRoute recommended restaurants across Canada
  • mapping functions to help you get there
  • push-to-talk feature to call the restaurant directly
  • quick links to learn more about select restaurants
  • featured wines presented by Penfolds

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

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Travel Apps :: Epicurious

epicuriousTravel and food go together like savoring a croissant and petite cafe in Paris. It's just meant to be.  I can't even think of a destination I've visited without salivating as I remember it's food---unless that destination is Venice. Just ask Rachel Ray, who before her talk show and magazine fame, combed the globe eating in international hotspots for only $40 A Day. Coming to you from the geniuses at Conde Nast, the epicurious recipe app helps you reconnect with "that" pasta you savored in Tuscany or "that" tres leches cake from Cabo.

Epicurious App Details

  • free
  • works with iPhone, iTouch, iPad and Android (no word on if/when it will be available for Blackberry)
  • 28,000 professionally tested recipes from renowned magazines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet, popular cookbooks, top chefs and leading restaurants
  • browse recipe collections from "Weeknight Dinners" to "Cool Cocktails"
  • search food or drink recipes by keyword, or swipe through icons to filter by what's in your fridge, what's healthy, what's in season, and more.
  • access hundreds of thousands of recipe ratings and reviews from Epicurious members
  • like what you see? save the recipe to your personal Favorites list
  • take it to the grocery store with interactive shopping lists that let you check off items as you find them at the store
  • email "that" madeleine recipe you cherished in Paris to your friend in San Fran

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

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Travel Apps :: BorderWait

border wait borderwait appTravel between Canada and the US often? Gone are the days when the radio was the only border wait time resource. Now, you can get info about the major US-Canada border crossings on-demand with the BorderWait app. If you don't want to pay $0.99 for BorderWait, you can also find the information on twitter! Just in time for cross-border summer travel, the Canadian Border Services Agency has launched a pilot program posting border wait times on twitter. Here's a list of major Canada/US border crossings' hash tags. For those in Vancouver/Seattle, Pacific Highway crossing's tag is #CBSA_PCH, and the Douglas (Peace Arch) crossing's tag is #CBSA_DPA. Another resource for dual-direction border wait times is @News1130radio.

As I was re-familiarizing myself with the details of BorderWait (which I use and love), I came across another similar app called BorderTimes. The best parts: it's free and provides specific info on passenger, nexus and commercial lanes, as well as number of lanes open, border hours and time of last update. I just downloaded it!

BorderWait App Details

  • $0.99 (used to be free, now they charge)
  • works with iPhone, iTouch, iPad (no word on when similar Blackberry or Android apps will be developed)
  • access the most recent wait times at vehicle crossings on the Canadian/American border
  • provides maps to help you find your way to the closest crossing

*If you have an Android phone you can download the WSDOT app for northbound Canadian border wait times, among other things.

Other Travel iPhone Apps we’ve Reviewed

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