travel technology

Killing Time At The Airport: Spin The Hamster

All of us have spent time at the airport spinning our wheels and going nowhere while waiting for a delayed flight. Now, the airline SAS has created something to help you while away the time you spend cooling your heels in the terminal: The SAS Time Killer game app. SAS developed the app to tout [...]

Travel Fun: Riding Heathrow’s “Pods”

England

On my 2006 and 2009 trips to Europe, I flew in and out of London’s Heathrow Airport because the four daily non-stop flights between it and San Francisco International Airport increase the odds of being able to snag a “free” (more or less) cushy seat in Business or First Class and all of the neat [...]

Queue Up For The New iPhone 4S

Apple’s latest iteration of its popular smartphone, the iPhone 4S, will be available from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint next Friday, October 14th. But if you can’t wait out the week, starting today you can pre-order the new phone directly from the Apple Online Store. Here’s some of what is coming to the iPhone with release [...]

iPhone 5, Can You Hear Me? Where Are You?

iPhone

Living Abroad In Costa Rica

By Dick Jordan Some days, particularly when the mainstream media is flooded with reports on the machinations and misstatements of potential U.S. Presidential candidates, I feel impelled to leave the country permanently (or at least for a long vacation). Fortunately, there’s an app for that: Costa Rica Trip Ideas (iTunes App Store, $1.99, for iPhone [...]

Skypeing Via TV? Not For Everyone, Not Yet.

“Skype on an HDTV is cool – makes you feel like Capt. Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise arguing with a Romulan general intent on wiping out the Federation”, says San Francisco Chronicle Technology writer, David Einstein, in his Monday, September 12, 2011 column. While I wanted to be an intergalactic traveler ever since [...]

Be a “Roving Reporter” Using the “iSaidWhat?!” iPhone App

Apple’s iPhone isn’t just for playing games, checking e-mail, surfing the Web, or taking photos and posting them on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. It has become an essential reporting tool for journalists. On Wednesday, I am going to work on my skills doing research, interviewing, and note-taking “in the field” when I travel out to [...]

Buying iPhone, iPad E-Books Gets Harder

Thumbnail image for Buying iPhone, iPad E-Books Gets Harder

Tuesday I flew home from the Hawaiian island of Maui where the speed bumps I’m used to bouncing over in California have been turned into wider “speed tables” so you’ll heed the advice Hawaiians give Mainlanders: “Slow down, you’re on Maui now.” The next day, Barnes & Noble sent me an e-mail telling that I’m [...]

Zapping Apps to Your iPhone

Promises, Promises Earlier this month, Apple announced over 200 new features that will be available to owners of iPhone 3GS and 4 models, and the iPad and iPod Touch, when the company releases the newest version of its mobile operating system, iOS5, sometime this fall. But one of those new and super-useful functions is available [...]

Being A “Connected” Traveler

(Dick Jordan attended The Connected Traveler Technology Showcase in San Francisco on May 23, 2011. Here are some brief comments on software and hardware products he saw at the show.) Make A New (Trip) Plan, Stan Taking a trip is fun, especially if someone else has done all of the tedious, time-consuming trip planning for [...]

Jetsetter.com Offers “Personal Travel Planning”

Travel News Updates

(The following information is from an announcement sent to Tales Told From The Road via PR Newswire, a media service for journalists.) “Jetsetter.com , the leading members-only travel site, today launched Personal Travel Planning, a service that provides travelers a personal consultation with one of the 200+ experienced travel writers who serve as Jetsetter’s correspondents. [...]

“Eyeballing” Your iPhone From Behind The Wheel

Making or answering a call, or texting, with your iPhone in your hand when you are behind the wheel isn’t the safest way to head down streets and highways, and in at least some places is a traffic offense that can cost you money if law enforcement catches you “in the act.” But suppose you [...]

Airport Parking iPhone Travel App Released

(The following comes from a press release which Tales Told From The Road from PR Newswire, a news service for journalists. We have not tested the free AirportParking iPhone application described in the press release). “AboutAirportParking.com® (www.aboutairportparking.com), the leader in airport parking reservations, announced the launch of the “AirportParking” iPhone travel app, making it easy [...]

Live from The Connected Traveler Technology Showcase (Monday, May 23)

On Monday, May 23rd, from 5 – 8 pm (PDT) Dick Jordan used his iPhone 3GS and the Qik Video Connect PLUS iPhone app to stream live video from The Connected Travel Technology Showcase to the Tales Told From The Road travel blog. The Connected Traveler tech and travel event (which was open only to [...]

“Juicing Up” Your iPhone’s Battery

History may well name the iPhone as one of the greatest inventions ever made: This pocket sized computer (it probably should be called the “iPocket” since it is its data processing ability, with a few hundred thousand mini-programs to choose from, not its telephonic function, that sets it apart from the original hand-held cell phones) [...]

Learning to Write iPhone and iPad "Apps"

Creating and publishing an “app” for Apple’s iPhones, iPad, and the iPod Touch seemed to me a daunting task until I took the “App-Happy” class taught by travel writers Laurie McAndish King and Suzanne Rodriguez on April 2nd in San Francisco. Even if you’ve got a brilliant idea for the “content” of the app and [...]

“Zapding” From The Road With Your iPhone

If you’ve been reading Tales Told From The Road you know its a “blogsite” (“Web” + “log” = “blog”—an electronic journal) with features of both a blog and an “ordinary” Website. Tales Told From The Road runs on the WordPress.org platform using the Thesis “theme” which I had to buy. The site is“self-hosted” meaning I [...]

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Raves and Praises

...creative, adept at expressing himself in writing...easy to work with and always flexible... — Spud Hilton, Travel Editor, San Francisco Chronicle
Your blog is fun. I enjoy your posts. — Linda Ballou, author of "Lost Angel Walkabout: One Traveler's Tales"
His blog is excellent, and his travel writing is powerful and quite clever. — Sandy Sims, Freelance Travel Writer
Dick is quick ... a step ahead whether it's travel or tech. — Linda Watanabe McFerrin, poet, travel writer, and novelist, author of "Dead Love"
...an enthusiastic traveler who enjoys sharing his experiences with others through his writing...a good ally on the journey through life — Inga Aksamit, Freelance Travel Writer
...I really enjoy Dick's writing style... I would recommend Dick to editors looking for a highly dedicated and motivated freelance travel writer or photographer. — Alex Leviton, Editorial Director, Gogobot
...my go-to guy for expertise in travel writing. — Elisabeth Ptak, Professional Writer and Editor
...a hard working, diligent, detail oriented travel writer... a great communicator and interesting writer. — John Montgomery, Montgomery Photographic
...highly ethical, very intelligent, and has the most delightful wit... love reading his travel advice and posts on Tales Told From the Road. — Kristine Carber, Director, 53 Media
Your writing is amazing! — Travis Katz, CEO & Co-Founder, Gogobot
Dick Jordan has a knack for seeking out unusual books about place - or in which place is a central character... — Michael Shapiro, author of "A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration"
...Dick is one of the few people I know who make their blog sing...and he’s always on the cutting edge of new technologies... — Erin Van Rheenen, author of "Living Abroad in Costa Rica"
...an entertaining and prolific writer. — Marc Longwood, Marc Longwood Photography
Through his writings and photography, Dick takes you on amazing journeys at home and around the globe... — Cheryl McLaughlin, Founder, The Buzz Professor
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Dick's Other Blogs
- Meandering In Marin
- Tales Told From The Road on SFGate.com
News & Information Site Contributor
- Book(ed) Passage
- CNN iReport
- Gogobot Featured Bloggers
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Member, National Book Critics Circle
Where I’ve Been

I've been to 167 cities in 11 countries

Caribbean

British Virgin Islands: Road Town

Europe

Austria: Reutte

Austria: Salzburg

Austria: Vienna

Czech Republic: Prague

France: Bayeux

France: Beaune

France: Chartres

France: Chenonceaux

France: Paris

France: Ribeauville

Germany: Baden-Baden

Germany: Berlin

Germany: Dresden

Germany: Munich

Italy: Assisi

Italy: Florence

Italy: Milano

Italy: Orvieto

Italy: Panzano

Italy: Poggibonsi

Italy: Radda in Chianti

Italy: Rome

Italy: San Donato in Poggio

Italy: San Gimignano

Italy: Siena

Italy: Venice

Italy: Vernazza

Netherlands: Amsterdam

Switzerland: Luzern

United Kingdom: London

North America

Canada: Montebello

Canada: Montreal

Canada: Quebec

Canada: Vancouver

Canada: Victoria

United States: Ajo

United States: Alamogordo

United States: Albuquerque

United States: Alturas

United States: Anaheim

United States: Ashland

United States: Astoria

United States: Atlanta

United States: Aztec

United States: Bakersfield

United States: Bend

United States: Bishop

United States: Boise

United States: Boston

United States: Bozeman

United States: Bryce Canyon

United States: Burney

United States: Burns

United States: Carlsbad

United States: Carmel-by-the-Sea

United States: Charleston

United States: Chicago

United States: Chinle

United States: Clarkston

United States: Coeur d'Alene

United States: Coloma

United States: Coos Bay

United States: Cortez

United States: Corvallis

United States: Davis

United States: Durango

United States: Eureka

United States: Everglades City

United States: Ferndale

United States: Ferndale

United States: Flagstaff

United States: Florence

United States: Fresno

United States: Friday Harbor

United States: Gallup

United States: Grand Canyon

United States: Grand Junction

United States: Great Falls

United States: Hilo

United States: Honoka'a

United States: Honolulu

United States: Jackson

United States: Jamestown

United States: John Day

United States: Kahului

United States: Kayenta

United States: Klamath Falls

United States: Kīhei

United States: Lakeview

United States: Las Vegas

United States: Lee Vining

United States: Lewiston

United States: Lihue

United States: Lone Pine

United States: Los Angeles

United States: Madera Canyon

United States: Makawao

United States: Mammoth Lakes

United States: Marysville

United States: McCloud

United States: Medford

United States: Merced

United States: Miami

United States: Mileses

United States: Moab

United States: Monterey

United States: Monticello

United States: Moscow

United States: Mount Shasta

United States: Mystic

United States: Oakland

United States: Ojai

United States: Oroville

United States: Pacific Grove

United States: Paia

United States: Palm Desert

United States: Paso Robles

United States: Petaluma

United States: Phoenix

United States: Placerville

United States: Port Townsend

United States: Portland

United States: Prescott

United States: Quinault

United States: Quincy

United States: Redding

United States: Redmond

United States: Reno

United States: Sacramento

United States: San Diego

United States: San Francisco

United States: San Mateo

United States: Sandpoint

United States: Santa Barbara

United States: Santa Cruz

United States: Savannah

United States: Seattle

United States: Sebastopol

United States: Sedona

United States: Sierra Vista

United States: Sonoma

United States: Sonora

United States: South Lake Tahoe

United States: Spokane

United States: Stockton

United States: Summer Lake

United States: Surprise

United States: Tacoma

United States: Taos

United States: Telluride

United States: Three Forks

United States: Torrey

United States: Truckee

United States: Tubac

United States: Tucson

United States: Tulelake

United States: Twentynine Palms

United States: Ukiah

United States: Vallejo

United States: Waimea

United States: Washington

United States: Willcox

United States: Willow Springs

United States: Yachats

United States: Yreka

United States: Zion Lodge

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Blogs I Follow
- A Traveler's Library
- Budget Travelers Sandbox
- Christopher Elliott – Travel Consumer Advocate
- Gogobot Blog
- Kyle The Vagabond
- Linda Ballou Talking to You
- Rick Steves' Blog Gone Europe
- Rolf Pott's Vagablogging
- Spud Hilton's "Bad Latitude"
- Steve's Travel Guide
- Terry Travels
- The Vacation Gals
- TravelnWrite
Travel Communities
- BootsnAll
- Gogobot
- Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum
- Travel Blog Exchange
- Tripatini
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