During the summer of 2018, I discovered the TIMESHIFTER app, which creates plans to lessen jet lag based on your sleep pattern, chronotype and flight itinerary. TIMESHIFTER is a science-based circadian algorithm app developed with a Harvard Medical School professor who works with astronauts and Formula 1 drivers.
I decided to download it and give it a try.
I thought I’d pass along a tip for travelers who depend on their iPhones, in the unfortunate case someone loses theirs.
First, on your iPhone, find the app “Find My iPhone” and activate it. If your iPhone goes missing, you can then log onto iCloud (possibly using someone else’s iPhone) and remotely track your phone and, if necessary, erase the data on it.
However, if you rarely use iCloud, you may not have your iCloud password memorized, so write it down to take on your trip and consider sharing it with a trusted travel companion.
In the letter “Protecting a Bank Account from Theft” (July ’19, pg. 38), a subscriber said that, while traveling, he checks his bank balances online, not by using an unprotected Wi-Fi but using one that requires a password, such as in a hotel.
Avoiding unprotected Wi-Fi is a good idea, but no one should blindly trust a hotel’s computer network.
Using the smartphone app produced by Kerala Tourism (www.keralatourism.org), travelers to the state of Kerala in southwestern India can find the nearest of 750 listed toilets statewide, with information on its type (squat or Western) and location (in a restaurant, hotel, etc.) plus photos. Whether it is handicapped-accessible or not is not specified.
The app also allows users to find nearby sites of interest and to book accommodations and day tours while in Kerala.
Covering some major cities in Canada, Latin America and Europe, the CityMotion app allows users to see real-time updates for nearby public transportation options, along with maps and estimated walking times to stops. Also included are station maps to help users find the correct platform for trains or metros. The app is available for free on Android and Apple.
With Holland America Line’s smartphone app Navigator, introduced on May 3, passengers can book shore excursions, review onboard restaurant menus and make reservations, view account statements, receive activity reminders and more. It’s available for free for Apple and Android.
At press time, the app and its functions were only available once the ship had been boarded. However, HAL plans to expand access so guests can review cruises before taking them.
As my tour group was being driven to the airport in Turkey (June ’19, pg. 20) for our various flights to the US, one member asked, “Do you all have the Mobile Passport Control app?” We all shook our heads ‘no.’ “You have to download it,” he continued. “It’s saved me so much time at Customs.”
Using the app Refundit, free on Apple and Android, travelers can easily apply for and receive VAT refunds in Belgium, with other EU countries to be added soon.
To be refunded, a user first takes a photo of his receipt, then uses the app to upload the receipt along with a photo of his passport and boarding pass. A confirmation should arrive within minutes. There is no need to visit a Customs desk or fill out any forms at the airport.
Using Refundit incurs a 9% handling fee on all VAT refunds.