I know it's hard to record things as you are traveling. What we were doing was trying to get from point A to an unknown point B at an unknown time in an unknown town. Getting breakfast and making sure socks weren't left behind in the laundromat and carrying enough water and taking pictures and not getting run off the road by campers and avoiding rain and blah blah blah all came before recording each and every thing that happened along this journey. But I TRULY BELIEVE that you will REGRET looking back and seeing a blur of these adventures because they weren't recorded. First of all... I'm sure it took planning, and anxiaties, and determintation, and hard work to get your butt on the road for whatever kind of adventure you went on. THEN you were in it, slammed with the realities of the day to day life you were living, in a strange place with strange people. THEN you need to rest. THEN get up and do it all again.
So where can you find the time to record all these places and memories? How can you look back at those days with some kind of clearity without stumbing over the where's and the who's?
Well, there's this little thing called technology that has come around these days. I'm sure you are familiar with it. And as much as I'd love to go straight hippie on this world and unplug... the truth is I can't. My iPhone apps have helped me put this blog together in the form of some kind of order and to keep in contact with those we left at home. I'm sure there are may more apps I don't have or know about that could allow for easier ways of travel, but this is all I had/have and it's good enough for me!
Facebook was a great way to keep the families updated on where we were and what we were up to without having to explain it individually. For this trip it kept our worried moms from calling every day (love you guys for being so good at that!)
When you go to the places tab at the top, it will bring up the place you tagged on your status updates. I know it can be stupid annoying to see where everyone is at all the times, and think, "man, if I were a creeper you'd be a goner," and for the most part I'd agree. BUT while traveling, I could not stress enough how helpful these places tags will be in the future! If you focus closer or click on the dots, it will bring up your status update and the picture you uploaded at that time. I like it because if I were planning on visiting again, for memories sake, I'd be able to find out exactly where I was.
Instagram... A photo-only status update app. My Instagram is more personal then my Facebook page. It feels more intimate, so I allow for that in this social network. You can tag where the picture was being taken, and again... this is such a great idea to do while traveling. Just go to the Photo Map page on your homepage and it will pull up a map, then keep clicking on your pictures and it will bring you closer to where exaclty you were, like the middle of Jedidiah State Park in Northern California.
I like the photos app for the iPhone because without even tagging them, they will record where the pictures were taken. So if you don't want to be part of a media group with your actions and pictures, just stick with this one. The pinpoints will group your pictures together, click on them for a closer glimps and it will bring up those photos from that area.
When travelling with a foodie, this app is important. And even though I don't include every meal (you'd be full just reading my blog if I had) we had on this trip, this app allows us to look back at the incredible places we ate at along the west coast. I know that neither of us want to forget this pizza place we were at while wondering the streets of San Francisco. I am not kidding when I say we ate like royalty. Blake's thoughts: When will we ever be back here? Let's enjoy it! ...Ok, lover, as you wish. We learned the definition of "comfort foods" on this trip.
Editing Apps
Now, for my obvious favorite apps that puts the cherry on top... There are sooooooo many out there, it's hard to choose a select few. My top picks so far are Afterlight, Diptic, and Over. Afterlight has great filters and frames and is easy to work with. Diptic frames multiple photos in one photo in different layouts. Because I had so many pictures from our trip, combining multiple images allows for the blog posts not to be forever long, and it also breaks up the eye from one image to the other. Over allows you to put text with different fonts on top of your photos. This one's great for labeling or quotes (and right now I am so into typography.) The best way to know which ones work best for you is to just play around with them. Everyone has a little creativity inside them...why not test the waters with the photos you've been taking on your adventures!
Whether you believe in social media and smart phones or not...they are out there; easy to get and easy to use. My view is to just use what we've got while we've got it. If it keeps your families in the know half way across the globe, or entertains your creativity, or keeps things on record you can use it to your benefit, especially while traveling. I highly suggest the places tabs because you WILL look back at these adventurous days and it's so fun to get close enough on a map to remember the miles along with the images.
Dream Big Ride Far my traveling friends!!!
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