New Mobile Apps to Make Your Summer Travels a Breeze

The MyCityWay app can help you find free activities, including cultural centers, landmarks, museums, art galleries and parks in New York City and dozens more around the world © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

An app that clues you into happenings in 100 cities around the world, let’s you book a theater ticket in the Great White Way or on stages around the country, an app to help you navigate European train travel or calculate whether it is cheaper to fly or drive – these are just some of the new mobile apps now available to make your summer vacation travels, whether by car, plane, bus or boat, a breeze.

MyCityWay, New Mobile App, Helps Visitors Navigate 100 Cities Worldwide

Travelers have a new mobile app to help them navigate a city: MyCityWay is a situationally-aware smart app available for use in over 100 cities worldwide including 40 U.S. cities.

Bringing in the utility of more than 30 different Apps, MyCityWay applies artificial intelligence technologies once reserved for high-powered algorithmic trading to making navigating a city easy, fun and personalized.

Funded by the City of New York and BMWi Ventures (the venture capital company founded by BMW Group), the MyCityWay app harnesses information from hundreds of content partners, cross-references it to ensure validity and instantaneously prioritizes information according to the users’ needs and preferences by uniquely marrying location, intent, timing and information from their social graph.

MyCityWay helps travelers quickly and easily…

· Move: Find local transportation options, schedules and routes

· Shop: Discover the best boutiques by category, neighborhood and location and find sales and deals close by

· Play: Purchase tickets to tours and attractions across the city and identify free activities, including cultural centers, landmarks, museums, art galleries and parks.

· Eat: Choose the best restaurants by neighborhood or cuisine, read reviews, make reservations and get directions

· Party: Learn about the best a city offers after-hours – nightclubs, lounges, sports bars or comedy clubs

· Take care of business: Pinpoint nearby bathrooms and WiFi hotspots

To download the app, visit iPhone/iPad, Android, Blackberry, Nokia or MyCityWay Download Page (mycityway.com).

New Broadway League App, Website Offer One-Stop Shopping for Theater Tickets in NYC and Across North America

A trip to the Big Apple is not complete without taking in a show on the Great White Way. In fact, summer travels are enhanced by taking in a show on the summer stages across the country.

The Broadway League has launched Broadway.org a comprehensive resource dedicated to providing theatre-goers around the world with information about all Broadway shows—both in New York and across North America.

Broadway.org combines two previously existing sites: ilovenytheater.com, specifically targeted to Broadway shows in New York, and touringbroadway.com, which was the League’s official website for Touring Broadway productions in nearly 200 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. With improved functionality, the new site continues to be the official source of information and provider of direct access to all things Broadway.

“Broadway.org furthers the notion that Broadway is a state of mind rather than a set geographical location. Our ultimate goal is to provide a premier one-stop consumer site for show information and official ticketing links, combining Broadway and Touring Broadway in a central location and under a single site identity,” says Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. “If you want to see a Broadway show, regardless if you are home or out-of-town, you can go to Broadway.org to find out where and when it’s playing and easily buy your tickets from the authorized source.”

The new site features a deep integration between the New York City and touring shows. Site users can locate theatres across North America where Broadway shows are playing, and link to their official sites for more information. If they are on the page for a Broadway show, they will also be able to easily view its upcoming tour stops; and when on the page for a show on tour, will be able to see that it is also playing in New York and get information on that production.

The new site provides up-to-date show and theatre information in six languages, a guide to hotel and dining options in Manhattan’s Theatre District, and general information about Broadway theatre-going. It provides access to show tickets at all price points to current and upcoming shows, direct from the theatres’ official ticketing offices in real time, without broker markups.

The thoroughness and simplicity of the new site can be demonstrated with numerous features that are easy to navigate including: Google Maps and social media integration, the ability to search by location, an interactive map of the NYC theatre district and multi-media galleries. The League will be able to communicate timely announcements such as holiday schedules, weather advisories, updates on programs such as Kids’ Night on Broadway^®, and more.

The site also features a mobile app for Broadway in New York and later this year an enhanced app to include touring data is being planned. The League’s Digital and Technology team created the new site with the aid of website design firm Lounge Lizard.

For more than a century, Broadway has been considered the pinnacle of live theatrical entertainment. Broadway is where America’s greatest playwrights, composers, lyricists, actors, singers, dancers, directors, designers, and choreographers bring great plays and musicals to life. Touring Broadway encompasses first-class, professional productions that bring these shows to fans across North America.

BeFrugal.com Introduces Fly or Drive Calculator

Say you are planning to travel to from New York City to Montreal. Is it cheaper to fly or drive?

When planning a trip, start with a free online tool to decide whether flying or driving makes more sense to get from point A to point B. The Fly or Drive Calculator (http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/) factors in time taken, cost and carbon emissions. Use the Fly or Drive Calculator from money saving website BeFrugal.com to determine the best travel mode for your next trip in a few minutes or less.

You enter your starting location, destination, travel dates, number of travelers and whether or not it is a one-way trip. Next you can fast forward to results or insert more detailed, optional information such as the vehicle you would drive, number of hours to drive daily, hotel cost per night, tolls, airports, time at the airport, flying costs (transportation to and from the airport, checked bag feeds, plane ticket pricing, etc.). Then you view your customized results. A detailed comparison of your travel options is shown to compare the door-to-door time, total cost and CO2 impact.

Besides helping you calculate whether to fly or drive, BeFrugal.com offers discounts on travel through coupons, deals and cash back with Travelocity, Marriot, Avis, Expedia and more travel merchants, with average coupon savings of 27% per order for online purchases plus an average rate of 7% cash back”

Codes are posted for online coupons
Deals are also posted (these do not require a promo code).
Cash back is a portion of an online purchase that is deposited into a free BeFrugal.com account. When you are ready, get paid by PayPal or a check in the mail: http://www.befrugal.com/cashback/

For example, you can see the BeFrugal page for Marriot http://www.befrugal.com/coupons/store/marriott. Codes, deals and cash back are all available.

You can see a list of travel merchants BeFrugal can help travelers save at http://www.befrugal.com/coupons/category/travel

Rail Planner App Helps You Plan a European Trip

Using a smartphone to plan your European trip by train has become easier and cheaper since the launch of the Rail Planner App.

Originally conceived for InterRail and Eurail Pass holders, the Rail Planner App ensures that pass holders and other rail travelers have offline European timetable information at hand while avoiding expensive roaming costs.

City maps and country facts for all participating countries are included and it’s possible to find your closest railway station with the handy built-in augmented reality feature. Pass holders have also access to a list per country of extra benefits such as free and discounted boat and ferry trips, hotel and museum discounts

Over 30,000 travelers have benefited from using the Rail Planner App since its official launch in February, which represents almost 25% of all pass holders in the first few months of 2013. InterRail Pass holders from the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway are among the top users of this innovative travel resource. Additionally the Rail Planner App has been selected by RailwayTechnology.com as one of the best apps for rail passengers.

Launched by Eurail Group, Rail Planner App is available in the App Store and Google Play and was developed by HaCon, the leading European player in planning, scheduling and information solutions. HaCon have also provided mobile applications to the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn), the Austrian Railways (ÖBB), and the Railteam Alliance, among other major railways and transportation companies.

Eurail Group is the organization dedicated to the management of Eurail and InterRail Passes on behalf of its members; a large number of participating European railways and shipping lines. InterRail Passes are available for European residents via InterRail.eu and the participating railways, and Eurail Passes are available for non-Europeans through a network of authorized sales agents.

Visit www.eurailgroup.org/railplanner for more information.

National Geographic Maps Now Available on Avenza’s PDF Maps App

More than 500 National Geographic maps are now available for free through iTunes via Avenza’s PDF Maps app.

How is this different from other digital map apps? This particular app lets travelers -especially those internationally– access maps offline while still being GPS interactive with mobile devices…all without roaming charges. It’s a new way to travel especially in an unfamiliar country, hiking through mountains, flying or boating – places where there usually is no cell reception.

National Geographic Maps, one of the most trusted names in cartography for nearly 100 years, has joined with Avenza Systems Inc. to offer a new channel to access its rich map content. The alliance enhances Avenza’s digital map database by adding more than 500 maps from National Geographic, a world-renowned source, and furthers National Geographic Maps’ established reach with mobile consumers.

The Avenza PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology and allows travelers, recreationists and map lovers to view, acquire and interact with maps on their mobile devices, including iPhone and iPad, without worrying about data accessibility and international roaming charges. In addition, PDF Maps offers an in-app store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of those maps, consolidating, in a digital format, consumers’ access to hundreds of maps from multiple publishers.

“In the last decade, advances in technology have shifted how consumers receive and use information, and we have responded by making our rich map content available on a variety of platforms,” said Charles Regan, senior vice president and general manager, National Geographic Maps. “Avenza’s PDF Maps app provides a unique way for consumers to access our content with an easy-to-use in-app map store and a set of robust features that will enhance the map user’s experience.”

Hundreds of maps from National Geographic Maps’ extensive library are now available in Avenza’s PDF Maps system, including popular travel and destination titles covering five continents, historical and thematic maps, and educational and reference titles. The app provides constant access to geographic information and points of interest, with additional interactive tools such as measuring, place marking and location tagging. PDF Maps operates without the risk of lost reception, due to cell tower proximity – making it the ultimate traveling tool, as it does not rely on an Internet connection.

“Avenza PDF Maps provides the ability for anyone to share map-related information by documenting locations with customized notes, photos and descriptions,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “This expands the utility of a map beyond location guidance, as it is also a tool to share experiences and locales with notes and photos. We continue to strengthen our community of map publishers and further advance the mapping tools consumers demand, and we look forward to seeing how the industry evolves in a digital age.”

PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal use. National Geographic maps can be accessed via the PDF Maps in-app store. For more information about the app, visit the Avenza PDF Maps website at www.pdf-maps.com or Avenza’s main website at www.avenza.com. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher, and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps in-app map store.

For information, visit natgeomaps.com

Free Roaming App i-Mobb Includes Support for Android Devices in Latest Update

i-Mobb, a free roaming app ideal for world travelers who own Smartphones, tablets, and iPod Touch devices, is announcing a new version now available for download which enables Android users to travel the world without paying fees for international calls.

Accessible online at http://www.i-Mobb.com, the latest update of the popular application includes support for Android operating systems in addition to iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad.

i-Mobb uses advanced VoIP technology to allow subscribers to make and receive unlimited calls as though they were at home. The app is designed for seamless communication and precludes the need for roaming fees or other unnecessary charges. With the latest update, the app now supports devices running the Android 4.0 operating system or newer, allowing travelers to save money no matter which Smartphone they use. The Android version of the free roaming app includes all of the features that have made i-Mobb a bestselling travel application.

Before embarking on an international trip, i-Mobb users can sign up for a subscription and customize it for their own travel plans. Unlike many of its competitors, i-Mobb does not require travelers to enter into restrictive long-term contracts, and customers can sign up to use i-Mobb for as little as one week at a time. This policy allows frequent travelers to save on each individual trip. Subscribed users can also set up many of the app’s functions prior to departure to make traveling as convenient as possible. For example, by setting up an international voicemail inbox and forwarding a domestic number to the designated i-Mobb local number, customers can make optimal use of their travel cell phones while abroad.

During trips abroad, the popular free roaming app allows users to make international calls without changing their SIM cards, so that customers can keep their familiar hardware and software preferences. i-Mobb also allows travelers to use their existing contacts and even to organize them as either personal or professional, making the app convenient for those traveling for business. After returning home, users can remove the application or renew their subscription for any future trips.

i-Mobb is currently available for individuals residing in eight countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and Japan. Users can sign up for i-Mobb on its website, and the free roaming app is currently taking applications from travel agents and vacation companies who wish to join the company as resellers. These agents will be able to provide their clients with the application and offer the latest communication technology as part of their packages.

For more information about i-Mobb, visit http://www.i-Mobb.com.

___________________

© 2013 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin, www.examiner.com/eclectic-traveler-in-long-island/karen-rubin, www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com. Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures.