The turning of the calendar to reveal a brand new year brings with it all kinds of tasks. There are resolutions to make (and subsequently break), there's Christmas money to spend on all the stuff you wanted but didn't get as gifts, and learning how to use the gadgets you did find under the tree.
And, of course, there are travel plans to make.
This is one of the busiest times of year for travel planning, as people come off the chaos of the holidays and focus with renewed emphasis on the places they'd like to go in the coming year. Perhaps you're gearing up for an epic spring break trip from college. Maybe you're gauging where you'll go by some of the 2011 travel predictions you've read. Or maybe you've resolved to stick to a budget this year, making budget travel tips the most important ones you'll read.
If you were lucky enough to receive a new tech toy for Christmas, then be sure to look into ways to make it work for you as a travel tool. You don't even have to have a smartphone to start using Twitter for travel (although smartphones do make it easier), and by following helpful people you can get insider tips on whatever location you're visiting as well as get money-saving advice from people who know the area.
There are a quadrillion iPhone apps out there (seriously, it feels like that when you're navigating the App Store), so it's probably not surprising that many of them are travel-related. What might surprise you, however, is how many of these travel iPhone apps can help you travel smarter, cheaper, and with less stuff in your bag. The iPhone is an incredible multi-tasker that can serve so many purposes you may be able to leave several of your old tech tools at home next time you hit the road.
What travel-related or tech-related ways are you ringing in the start of a new year?