With summer just around the corner, you’re probably gearing up for a trip full of fun and adventure. But nothing puts a damper on a vacation like a shortage of cash. Fortunately, some of the best travel apps can help you save money on your next trip. From tracking flight costs to scoring free audio tours, here is a list of the nine best travel apps that will get you and your dollar far this summer. You can find all of these apps in the iTunes App Store.
If you plan on taking a road trip this summer, this is one of the best travel apps to download before you head out. GasBuddy will find the closest gas stations to your current location and provide a list of the various prices at each one so you can choose the most affordable option. The app even tells you details about the stations, like if you can pay at the pump or if there are ATM machines available.
Depending on the city, you could end up spending way too much on a guided tour. But with TourPal, you can get an audio tour without draining your wallet. Created by professional tour guides, the app offers hundreds of voice-guided tours from countries and cities around the world and supports multiple languages. London, Paris, New York, Washington, DC — you can discover many sights and attractions just by using your mobile device.
Isn’t it frustrating when the airline ticket or hotel room price drops after you’ve already booked your trip? Before your next vacation, download Yapta. The app tracks flight and hotel prices using FareIQ and RoomIQ intelligent price tracking and sends alerts when prices and rates drop. According to Yapta, the net average of savings per ticket for airfare is $260; the net average of savings per stay for hotels is $109.
With HotelTonight, you can find last-minute deals on top-notch hotels tonight, tomorrow and up to seven days out. In just three taps and a swipe, you can book a room in various countries and cities around the world.
One of the worst parts about taking a trip is figuring out what to pack — especially if you are trying to avoid a baggage fee. PackPoint takes the stress out of packing by curating a list of all your travel essentials. Simply provide details about your trip, and PackPoint will create a custom packing list based off your needs, activities planned and your destination’s weather. Never again will you be forced to make a quick Target run after you get off the plane because you left your umbrella at home.
GoogleTranslate deciphers 90 languages to help you communicate in foreign countries. You can translate images and photos, or simply write or type in text. You can even speak into your smart device to hear a translation. You’ll never be confused over prices or directions again.
Slickdeals aggregates information from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial so users can find the best local deals all in one place. Download this app to find special offers from restaurants, hotels, events and other happenings in the city you’re vacationing in.
Seasoned travelers know that not all countries have the same tipping policies. Fancy Tips, however, can help you navigate the tipping etiquette in the country you’re visiting. The app features a tip guide for 240 countries and regions. So if you’re in France, for example, you’ll discover that at a restaurant it’s custom for patrons to round up or add an additional 5 percent to the 15 percent service charge.
Scoutmob helps people in select big cities find deals at a variety of eateries, local shows and happenings. So far the mobile deals are only available in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC and Nashville, but hopefully more cities will come soon.
Just because you’re on vacation, that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune. Download these travel apps before you depart on your trip, and enjoy the savings.
Touring Treasures offers an extraordinary private jet tour which takes you Down Under on a luxurious 21-day trip. The price tag is definitely hefty, but it really is the trip of a lifetime! #LuxeLife. #LuxeLife More on Travel: Las Vegas Vacation Secrets Only Insiders Know The Best and Worst US Vacation Cities for Your Wallet...
YouTube is a search engine, a social media platform, and a video sharing tool. But did you know that you can use YouTube as a video player on your own site? Not a bad idea. But wait, do you know how to embed a YouTube video in WordPress? No? The good news is, it’s not that difficult.
If you have a website, you absolutely should be embedding your YouTube content into your blog posts and on your website. We’ll walk you through how to embed a Youtube video in WordPress and then touch on why it’s so important to embed a YouTube video on your site.
Learning how to embed a YouTube video in WordPress is easy. Just check out these quick steps and then read on for the step-by-step.
Ready to get started? Let’s do a quick walkthrough before we touch on all the benefits associated with embedding video on your site.
You don’t have to have an account with YouTube to embed videos. All you have to do is navigate to the video of your choosing.
Since the embed code is still in your clipboard, all you need to do is determine where in the post you’d like to embed the video. Click on the Text editor and add the code.
Always preview your changes before publishing any updates to make sure it looks good on the front end. You might have to adjust height and width depending on your blog’s layout.
Once you’re satisfied with the way it looks, click on Update or Publish within the post editor, and you’re done!
Now that you’ve learned how to embed a YouTube video, it’s time to talk playlists. If you have a series of related videos, put them in a playlist. Playlists can be embedded on your website and set to autoplay each video, one right after the other.
In addition to embedding your own videos, you can embed relevant videos from other content creators as long as they allow embedding. By default, YouTube allows for videos to be embedded, so most creators don’t toggle this feature.
Let’s pretend you sell a tool that could benefit from some demonstration. You could create a playlist with a mix of your videos and content uploaded from customers. It’s always nice to see a product in action, and viewers might appreciate the honest consumer opinion.
Note: If you’re using a different platform or a do-it-yourself product, the process might differ. Be sure to follow instructions for your specific setup.
Ads will show on embedded videos that are monetized unless you choose to turn this functionality off. Embedding your videos on your own site creates another sources of views for the ads, potentially increasing your YouTube ad revenue.
Five years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to start making videos and create a YouTube channel. The biggest hurdle was to get over my fears (excuses) and just start making videos. Five years and more than 700 videos later, I’ve made thousands of dollars in income from my videos, and I’m regarded as a YouTube resource in my niche.
If you toss aside your excuses and fears, you probably have everything you need to get started with videos right now. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you begin:
You can shoot videos with your smartphone, edit them with free apps, then upload them to YouTube without ever getting onto a computer. Plus, YouTube has some limited editing capabilities directly within the platform that are sufficient for beginners. And if you want to try your hand at editing on a computer, there are plenty of options:
Adobe is great, but it comes at a cost. I recommend that you start with free software and apps. You’ll be able to start creating right away, learn which edits and transitions you like, and determine your long-term goal with videos before justifying the cost of advanced editing software.
String holiday lights across the wall behind you to create backlighting when you’re shooting video of yourself talking.
As your skills improve, you can upgrade to better equipment, but it’s not required. You might be surprised to learn that many YouTubers create video with the same phone they use to make calls and Instagram posts.
Every time I make a new video, I try to learn a new skill or technique. Try shooting with two cameras to get a different angle, or try a new transition between clips in your editing software. It’s easier to learn complex editing software if you’re learning one tool or task at a time. The rest will come naturally as you start to build out more and more content.
If you want music in your videos, you don’t need to create it yourself. You just need to abide by the rules and laws for using music from others in your own content.
If you use music that you do not have a license for, the license holder can monetize your YouTube videos for themselves or worse — you can be sued for using their copyrighted material without proper permission.
YouTube provides music with limited, commercial-use licenses in the YouTube Audio Library. Some of the music can be used without attribution, while other tracks and artists require it.
If you want to use music for a different platform — let’s say Facebook — you’ll need to find music with a commercial-use license from another platform. I like to use FreeMusicArchive.org to find free, non-attribution, commercial-use music for videos, but there are several other platforms. You can also purchase licenses for music.
Before you start making videos, enroll in YouTube’s free Creator Academy. YouTube is invested in the success of creators using the platform, and all the content in the Creator Academy is geared toward helping you create a successful channel.
Once your channel reaches a certain number of subscribers, you’ll have access to additional resources from Youtube, such as in-person classes and access to the YouTube Spaces around the globe.
As far as help with editing software, lighting and so on, search for it on YouTube! Someone has probably created a video tutorial about the problem you’re having, so always check YouTube for solutions (for free) before purchasing help.
If you find that creating videos is really not in your wheelhouse, hire it out to a firm or creative who can generate the content for you. It’s still a good idea to get familiar with the process, and you’ll likely still have to embed a YouTube video here and there. Plus, you can never be too safe when it comes to the dos and don’ts for music licenses. Knowing these details makes it that much easier for you to communicate your wants to the videographer.
Enjoy one of the complete tour packages in Flores which include a visit to Rinca and Komodo Islands, swimming and snorkeling in Bidadari Island, visiting a number of traditional villages in Flores, and enjoying the countryside and mountainous areas of the region including a visit to three colored Kelimute lake, Soa hot spring, and lots more.
Arrive at Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo, West-Flores. Our english speaking guide will pick you up at the airport and will take you directly to the pier of Labuan Bajo. The boat there will leave for the island of the dragons, Rinca. Lunch is provided on board during the two-hour-sail to the home of the Komodo Dragon. Once arrived at Rinca Island a trekking tour of approx. 2 hours awaits, that is the best opportunity to see the unique dragons and their prey, passing the dragon nests and out into the sunshine across an exposed savannah studded with lontar palms. Reaching the top of the exposed slopes you will be rewarded with breathtaking views. In the afternoon you return to your boat. Dinner and overnight on the boat.
Early in the morning you sail to Bidadari Island for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing at the white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. Afterwards the boat takes you back to the pier of Labuan Bajo and you continue the trip by AC-coach to Ruteng. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at MBC Susteran Guesthouse in Ruteng or similar.
After the breakfast you visit Golo Curu with its very nice scenery over Ruteng town and the rice fields. After that, you proceed to the traditional village of Ruteng Puu before you leave for Bajawa. On the way there you will make several stops in Ranamese lake, Aimere the centre of “Arak”-production and the traditional village of Bena. Dinner at Lucas Restaurant, overnight at Villa Silverin / Sanian Hotel / similar.
In the morning you receive another impression of the local culture in the traditional village of Luba and then you will continue to Penggajawa to see the blue stone beach. Lunch will thereafter be provided in Ende. Before you drive up to Moni, you have the chance to visit the local market. Dinner and overnight at Kelimutu Moni Eco Lodge / similar.
In the early morning at 04.00 am the car takes you to the three colored lakes of Kelimutu, one of the most spectacular and mysterious sights in Indonesia. You will witness a beautiful sunrise. Then you return to the hotel and have breakfast. After that you visit the traditional village Jopu and then proceed to Paga and Maumere. Dinner and overnight at Sea World Club Maumere
(Another option is to go to ENDE instead of MAUMERE at day 5, overnight there and take the flight to Denpasar from the Ende Airport at day 6)
Enjoy Wae Rebo trekking and Komodo Dragon tour which includes a visit to Rinca Island, swimming and snorkeling in Bidadari Island, visiting a number of traditional villages and many more.
Morning flight from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo (West Flores), Upon arrival you will be met by our Guide and transfer to the Local Restaurant for Lunch, after lunch by ac coach drive up to Ruteng. Dinner at Agape restaurant and overnight at MBC guest house Ruteng
Early morning after breakfast departure from your hotel to discover southern part of Manggarai, first visit Golo cara village, the best place to see rice field in web spider form, from there drive to Todo traditional village, soft trekking in the rice terrace and enjoy the beautiful landscape near Narang Village. Lunch will be provided at local Family house in Narang. Afternoon drive through the southtern costal to Dintor and Denge (some stops are possible en route). Dinner and overnight at Family house in Denge or in Dintor.
After light breakfast, start your 4 hours tracking to Wae Rebo village, the Authentic Housing of Manggarai, located about 1100m above sea level, in the middle of mountain. All are traditional houses, with really high roofs and they are on 5 levels - the top four are mainly used for storage and all the living areas are on the bottom. We will stay in a house which built for visitors. Here you have chance to keep in touch with the people and learnt by seeing, asking, and feeling their culture, life and activities. Sleeping mattresses will be provided. Dinner and overnight will be at the local villager’s house.
In the morning after breakfast at your hotel, transfer to the pier of Labuan Bajo, then by boat cross to Rinca island for two hours, Treks on Rinca Island start from the ticket office at Loh Buaya to Waewaso for about 2 hours, the best opportunity to see dragons and their prey, passes the dragon nests and out into the sunshine across an exposed savannah that is studded with lontar palms. and a permanent waterhole in Waewaso, across steep, exposed slopes that offer breathtaking views. Return to your boat and proceed to Bidadari island or Kelor island for swimming, snorkeling or relaxing, afternoon back to Labuan Bajo. Overnight and Dinner at Puri Sari beach hotel.
Morning free program at your hotel, before transfer to the airport for the flight leaving for Denpasar.