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I am planning a September trip to the Maritimes with family. It’s only for 10 days, but there are a lot of little details to track.

First, a disclaimer: I don’t receive any benefits, monetary or otherwise, for mentioning specific apps, services or products by name.

There are many apps that help plan trips. Many offer too many features I don’t need, or I already get elsewhere. But the free version offers just what I need: Simplicity is the major advantage this app offers me. It is called TripIt.

This morning, I completed the last major planning item of securing a rental car for pickup the day after my arrival. Avis sent me a confirming email. I forwarded that email to TripIt, and 5 minutes later, I received confirmation that TripIt had entered all the details into my trip timeline. I checked the website, and there was the update with all the details, including the rental confirmation number.

It’s so nice when everything works. And it was free.

At this stage in my life, reducing the drudgery of certain parts of my life is highly valued. It takes a bit of work and research, but I think it is worth it. I did initial research with an AI tool, Perplexity. With a few questions, it provided key aspects of the car rental landscape. It returned a table comparing costs for all the companies at the airport versus renting in Halifax proper. All for free.

Another service I use daily and pay for is Grammarly. It helps a bad speller and, more importantly, a fellow who struggles with written English. At times, my university education is well hidden. Using it means I am confident in each Blog I write. The app has given me opportunities to write that I wouldn’t have dared to try without it.

A lot of technology can be overwhelming. How many different YouTube channels should I watch to help me use Procreate for my digital art? I’m learning to gather a collection of sources on a topic. I narrow them down to one or two. For better or worse, I stick with these few.

I had to take down the bathroom fan to clean it, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out. I went to my YouTube channel for minor home repairs and solved the problem right away.

I remember, as a youngster, that walking was faster and more efficient than riding the new-to-me technology of a bike. Fortunately, it was normal and age-appropriate, and the reinforcing messages from parents and friends helped me learn quickly, so I fully adapted to “the bike.”

I value technology that makes my life easier. But the trick is in the details. Which ones will help, which ones will hinder? What is safe to use? I spend invest my time to find the answers. 

Please give this a bit of a think. What is a favourite technological solution you’ve found for a problem you encountered? What is a recurring problem you haven’t yet found a solution?

Please comment: Send me an email with your bit of a think. I am curious about your thoughts.

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

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