Travel Tips: Documenting #1

This post is related to my old post "How to keep your plan?"

Now a day, we have a lot of tools to keep our memories. In the movie "On the Road,"one of the heroes   always had a notepad, and recorded what they do on the way. Now you have the best video and photo taking tools named "smartphone" and "tablets"

These years, smartphones are developed very well. Especially, after Apple released iPhone, and Google released Android(Free OS for mobile phones), they have become very convenient.


Here are things people felt heavy in our ancient time :-)

Taking Photos / 8mm Films

We needed to wait to print after our travel. We needed to order to develop all photos at once. For 8mm Film, people needed to edit. They needed very expensive equipments. We needed a lot of time when we share with friends.

Sound Recording

We needed to bring a small voice recorder with small tapes. They sometimes went wrong and broken. The speed of recording and playing were not stable. They didn't always remind us the impressions on the travel.

Notetaking:

Notetaking is always with notepads and pens. Naturally, we can annotate for our writings, attach a lot of items directly onto the journals or diaries. However, it was very difficult to share with friends.


From Now On:

For all of these, we needed separately to have things such as a camera, film camera, camcorder, tape recorder, voice recorder, notepads, pens etc. These were a lot stuff on our travel, weren't they? Now we can use just a small smartphone on our hands, and it solves all the problems.

Well, now I'm talking about "Documenting." I introduce what we should do.

"Documenting" is very easy. In fact, everyday, we do. You may keep your diary for years, and record what you do on your work on your journal. You also keep your housekeeping book. These are also your documenting.

One very different thing about documenting on your travel is that you have your specific purpose/theme for travels. For example, if you have a vacation now, you think what you want to do. Maybe they are that you visit snow resorts, or you enjoy your reunion.

Here is what to do:

1. Taking photos

You can use your smartphone and take photos for all your interests. This includes very small ones. If you like the wall clock on your hotel room, you just take it. If you find some local candies or materials, you just take it. It's the simple way to remember everything.

2. Taking videos

If your smartphone has video functions, use it as possible as you can. Cameras on your phones are not always the best qualities, but you can record some important things called "impressions" at the moment. You record your favorite things with your comments. You can also take your comments and your friends' thoughts about the travel.

3. Notetaking with Cloud Apps

If you have some apps such as Evernote and OneNote on your phone, you can take notes for everything even your phone is offline. You can sync all notes when you are in WiFi Hotspots. Also you can upload all your materials such as videos, photos and audio on the same cloud service. (For audio, normally, smartphones have voice recorder functions, you can record and keep them on the same ways.)

Recently, there are some software such as Day One(for iPhone), Quick Office Pro, Office Suite Pro 6, etc., they can sync with cloud drives such as Dorpbox, Box.com. Sugarsync, and SkyDrive. We can use the same format such as Microsoft Ward and Open Document Format(ODP). They are also can read with desktop applications. If you don't have anyway to sync, or don't have the internet line. You can keep your memos on your phone.


Or, For More Current People

You can use Social Network Services, such as Google+, Facebook, Socl, Instagram, Foursquare and Pintarest to update your things. You can share all things you do on the way your travel. However, I don't recommend to update about your travel on SNS because it means your house may be "empty." If you live alone, it's a good signal for thieves.

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New Year's Day has already come to some countries. In some countries, people are just enjoying their new year moment. Maybe these are good ideas to document the first scenes in 2013.

This song was included U2's album "War," released in January 1, 1983.

"New Year's Day" 

by U2 (1983)

Rarely, I try to read blogs written by other people. This is an example. An Asian person visited Germany, Denmark and Sweden. She took a lot of photos, and attached small memos and thoughts for them. She was inspired by the sturdy live of German people, design of IKEA and the fine costless lives. After she was back from her travel, her life was completely changed. Before her travel, she kept a lot of waste stuff in her room. Now she have a very clean room. She rearranged her room, and cleaned all the messes. Originally, her travel was for her vacation. However, gee.., she found one her fundamental.

Happy Holiday!

First, why I wanted to start this blog is just I wanted to know what blog was. I was wondering what kind of people came and went. Still I'm thinking about the way how to know about them.

Now one thing I thank is that this blog constantly has some visitors :-) There are many blogs in the world, and most of them are sleeping on the Internet. This is not like those.

I wrote a lot of things, and maybe a lot of people read these posts. I'm not sure how much these information are useful. If you take advantage of these, I'm happy. Especially, if you use for this holiday travel, it's nice!

Thanks for your coming!

Happy Holidays & New Year!

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(Regularly, I'll keep updating posts in the future too. However, I may shift to a website because, at least, here, nobody comments for my posts, and I have some materials like photos, videos, and images. "Website" may be better than this blog. When I decide it, I'll tell on this.)

Christmas Trees (Extra)

I went to Los Angeles. Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the United States. There are a lot of luxury shopping malls, and also a lot of Christmas displays.

During I went down to downtown, I found a place to sell Christmas Trees in a corner of the block.

This place is near the Venice Beach at the big cross. Then I needed to get other cities. I was hurry. I didn't stop there. However, inside the famous Big Blue Bus, I saw some cars with big Christmas Tree on the passenger seats.

If you read this blog with images, you can see the palm trees behind the Christmas Trees. It's something like Southern California, isn't it?

"Little Saint Nick" by Beach Boys (1963)

Christmas is the world event. However, this year one more big one is in Peru. In ancient time, people in Peru, called Mayan, used their special calendar. It called "Mayan Calendar." This calendar ends soon on Dec. 21.

Now many people think about the meaning. Will it be the end of the world, or come the new age? To think about the meanings, it's maybe a special gift from the ancient Mayan people, isn't it?

Holiday Notice

Update(12/12): This Los Angeles' Metro' s Holiday service has specific time. This free hours starts from 9pm on both 12/24 and 12/31. These are until 2am on through on midnight.

I also need to be careful :-)

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'Day Trip' is one of the fun for everyone. Naturally, we have desires to have a break. However the tragic jams are always our worries.

I wrote these before the thanksgiving day. However, please check once more!

In fact, Christmas is a big day in the world because many of them believes new or old testaments. Without wolves in the cities, people tend to stay with their family. Especially, in small towns in the United States, public services stops for the traditions because people won't go out.I live in a small town. I really suffer from this inconvenience.

However, in the urban area, there are some special services. For example in Los Angeles, the days before holidays on Dec. 24 and Dec.31 Will be free ride.

If you travel now in the world, please take care of your plans.

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In fact, now I'm on a travel for my things. I can find a lot of holiday information around the city. If I can take some photos between my things, I'll post the holiday atmosphere.

Next week, we face the end of the Mayan calendar. How do we survive for this? We should think about future world.

Hanukkah(Jewish Holiday)

Christmas Dat is one of the holiday in the world. Christian people celebrate it every year. One of the best part of the Christmas is the gifts. Some people thinks how to get a lot of gift. That's true. If you have a lot of gift, you may have a lot of family members and relatives. Anyway, the family reunion is the most important gift for them. If they have good relationships, they can get a lot of god's gifts.

On the other hand, there are some more traditional days in the world. One of them is "Hanukkah." This is for Jewish people. For the historical things, please check History Channel, "Origins of Hanukkah."

If you watched TV show "The O.C.," Seth's parents are Jewish and Christian. Then they celebrate "Christmahhah." In the story, his ground mother visits the family, they talk like the tradition from the dusk of the Hanukkah day.

According to the Internet, these are not traditional things, but they have "Hanukkah Gifts"(like Christmas Gifts) "Hanukkah Songs"(like Christmas songs), and "Hanukkah Bush"(like Christmas Tree).

When Hanukkah Day comes, Jewish people lights candles on Hanukkiya. Children plays with tops named "Dreidel." They have some special food like Buñuelo and Sufgabuyah(they are similar with donuts including fruits jams).

In the United States, one of the most Jewish concentrate place is Manhattan, New York. There may be a little different atmosphere in this season.

Santa's Travel

There is one famous person who travels in the world once a year. His name is "Santa Claus." He is a very special guy because he can travel all around the world for 24 hours. Especially, kids are wondering how Santa Claus travels. NORAD solves the question.

Every year, North American Aerospace Defense Command(NORAD) tracks Santa Claus on Christmas Day, and show the progress on their Homepage.

For this year, the homepage starts on Dec 1.

• NORAD Tracks SANTA

This site is a little attractive for travelers. It has a lot of quick fix games. They appear one per a day. Therefore, people who visit it, everyday try a new games. It's good for killing time.

Where does the Santa Claus live? The answer is also mysterious.

• Santa Claus Village (Finland)

In fact, a lot of countries insist about the Santa Claus such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, etc. They are a kind of the Arctic countries. In addition, some places have Santa Villages such as Hiroh, Hokkaido(Japan).

This year, still you don't have any plan for the vacation, Santa Villages are maybe one of good ideas.

Wait.. If people visit Santa Village on holiday, there is no Santa claus!?

Travel Tips: Cloud Computing

When people travel, many people take photos. Some people write their journals. They make friends, and exchange their contacts. These are common ways for memories.

However, also many people loose these happy memories because of wildfire, tsunami, quakes, computer crash and so on. Old days, people needed to give up for these. Now people can use "cloud drive" to keep the memories.

Many people already have tried these kind of cloud drives. Some weeks ago, I wrote some processes to plan your travel. Also these web apps can keep your memories.

On your travel:

• You can upload a lot of videos on Youtube, Vimeo and so on.
• You can print photos from Picasa/Snapfish, and send them to your home.
• You can write your travel journal online with your blogs, Evernote, or OneNote.
• You can store your favorite sound on cloud storages like Photos and Videos. 

After your travel, you can rearrange all of them as one big memory with your computer. You can print all. You can write a digital book for other travelers. The most important thing is that you can keep all things for your future on the cloud.

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Jack Kerouac, who is the writer of "On the Road," used a lot of journals on his travel. According to some internet sites, he wrote "On the Road" with his travel journals.

If Jack Kerouac is the current generation, he may use iPad to write and keep them on iCloud. He may keep photographs and videos on Photo Stream :-)

I think everyone can be next Jack Kerouac with cloud computing. If you loose everything on your travel, you can recover with web apps.

"On the Road" (2012)

Here is one film. "On the Road"(2012) is open December 21 in the United States. Sal, Dean and Carlo are good friends in New York. By sheer chance, they decide to travel together with Dean's girl friend, Marylou. Sal aims to be a writer, and write the progress of the travel on his journal. They go across the United States, and experience a lot of fortunes. If you watch this film, Sal and Dean's crossroad of their lives are very impressive.

In youth time, everyone feels some sweet and bitter moments. You must remind such the moments, and force to think about your life.

Garrett Hedlund, is the mysterious Dean Moriarty. He shows some "knacks" in the film. Kristen Stewart is Marylou. If she is not in the story, it may be a little broody. Sam Riley is the writer, Sal Paradise. He is a little shy and reasonable.

Maybe, you long to be a backpacker when you watch this.

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Personally, I have already watched this at a film festival. I remember a lot of guys who passed by. They grow with their generation, and be gentlemen. For me, it was a little sweet bitter chocolate.