How To Stay Connected Out On The Road

 

Photo by Kathleen Howell

The flowers are blooming, the grass needs cutting, and travel season is around the corner.   Staying connected on the road can be a necessity or a choice, whether it’s business communications or sharing photos of your kids with Mickey Mouse.  In today’s online world, there are a plethora of connectivity options, which allow you to connect with colleagues, share your experiences with friends and family, or gather useful information as you navigate your route.  

As a blogger, photographer and avid motorcycle rider, all that’s been on my mind is the upcoming 2012 riding season.  Details for planned trips are coming together, hopeful trips are being added to the yearly bucket list, and subject ideas for my photos are forming.  As I type this post, Facebook dings periodically with messages from the group of riders that we’ll be spending Sunday with, as we make our plans to cruise out to the Irish Hills area for the first day trip of the season.  

Technology continues to make it easy for me to stay connected while on the road. I’m looking forward to sharing our experiences on my photoblog this year, in addition to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.  The epitome of our summer comes in late July, when we pack up the bikes and make the 1300 mile trip to the land of our dreams, Spearfish, South Dakota, for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  This year, our trip out west will be different, as my plan is to blog from the road using the WordPress App for Android on my Motorola Xoom, rather than compiling our two-week story from a tattered journal upon arriving home, sunburned and tired.  Our campground has Wi-Fi, and I look forward to typing out our daily adventures each evening next to a crackling campfire and a cold beverage.

I purchased my Motorola Xoom tablet last fall, and it’s become an extension of my left arm.  As a social media coordinator by day and communications volunteer for several groups, I’ve found it much easier to check in and live tweet from events and places versus using my smartphone (when available), rather than tapping (backspace, re-tapping!) out content.

On the road, these social platforms are a great way to share and receive information, of course, when there is a signal.  During a recent car trip to Florida in early March, apps such as GasBuddy and Hotel Finder were very useful in finding the location and best deals as we made our way down I-75, not to mention the built-in GPS feature when we took an hour-long detour through the mountains of Tennessee.  Checking in and reading the tips at restaurants on Foursquare gave us insight into recommended choices.   And on the road, tethering my tablet from my phone using Mobile AP provided on-the-go access. Meanwhile, I was able to get a head start on my blog post, right as it was forming in my mind.  With my camera in tow, my passions take me off the beaten path, and I love that social media allows me to share them even further.  The technology not only enables this, but also provides helpful knowledge as I set out for my next adventure.

So what’s in your forecast this year?  Do you look forward to time “off the grid” or is staying connected a part of your relaxation, or perhaps a requirement?   What are your tools/technologies of choice that make your travel communications easier? 

Guest post by Kathleen Howell. Kathleen is a Social Media Coordinator/IT Recruiter for Custom Business Solutions and a volunteer for the Social Media Club – Detroit and the Michigan Council of Women in Technology.  Her photos have appeared in several issues of American Bagger Magazine and articles in Thunder Roads of Michigan.  Find her blog & photos at kathleenhowell.com or follow her on twitter at @howelltracks.