It's hard to say what came first, traveling or travel documenting. There are accounts of travelogues dating to the Song Dynasty in China (960-1279) through Medieval times and into recent history. The Italian poet Petrarch described in personal terms his experience of climbing Mount Ventoux in 1336. A few years later, Moroccan world traveller Ibn Battuta wrote ‘Rihla’ (The Journey), A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling. Source: The Travel Tester Ships logs, journals, diaries, journalism, and until recently, postcards and letters have served to carry compact, condensed perspectives of an individual’s travel experience to others, either loved ones or strangers. A city seen through the eyes of another is a different city. When you travel it will more often than not be solo, certainly if you travel frequently, for business, or take a number of extended trips to different destinations in a year. You may have time on your hands in some of these places, but how much of that is used up working out details once you arrive? Travel article apps are a fun and pressure-free option for exploring intended locations in advance, as you prepare to go away or while you’re en route. And while they will save you time by giving you directions, they will also enhance the pleasure of exploration and discovery. Like the places you visit, each individual guide has its own flavor, context or story. You can mix and match, and come away from even the most rushed stay in a new place feeling like you’ve actually connected with the destination. You’ll be both relaxed and enriched, because the time you’ve spent there was well spent. | There is always a single writer. Travel writing is by definition a solitary activity, much like the experience of travel itself. But it is an activity that strives to reach out and connect another person to that same very subjective and personal experience. What is a GPS-guided travel article? A GPS-guided travel article embeds GPS coordinates of locations mentioned in the article, along with a map guiding you from place to place. There are thousands of articles available from more than 700 cities at GPSmyCity that you can upload free of charge, to read at your leisure without wi-fi. There is a small fee to upgrade ($1.99) to access the GPS-guided article you would like to select for your trip. For just a few dollars, you can plan your entire downtime itinerary within minutes, according to your interests, without having to search any further than a few key words. |
Like virtual postcards transcribing different individual perspectives, travel article apps can be superimposed and shuffled, depending on your time and interests. You might follow a map in one area of a city simply because it surrounds your hotel, then choose a guide that is a little more specific and to your tastes. Bookstores and great coffee? There’s probably an app for that. It’s a great way to quickly get to know a place you’ll be returning to time and again or to throw a different light on familiar territory if boredom sets in.
Niagara. Enigma. is a GPS-guided article that takes you on a walk up Clifton Hill, an attraction that will masterfully distract you from the waterfall when you wander out of the conference center for coffee one morning. The waterfall IS grandiose, but there is a whole other side to this town that deserves an introduction. From November 14-20 you can upgrade the app for FREE at GPSmyCity.
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