Goldstar (Free for iOS and Android)
What it is: It’s a way to save money on tickets to live events, including theater, concerts, sports, festivals and foodie tours. Typically, the discount is at least 50 percent.
How it works: The app uses your phone’s GPS to detect your location to search for events, or you can specify a location where you are planning a trip. It automatically shows you featured events, but you can specify exact dates to buy tickets before a trip.
Why it’s great: It is easy to use and can help stretch vacation dollars, especially if you are on a family vacation and need tickets for four or more people. In New York, you might be able to take in a game at Yankee Stadium plus a Broadway show instead of attending only one event at full price. Some events may be a welcome surprise, such as the Wynwood Food Tour in Miami or discounted tickets to an ice-skating rink in Brooklyn. Goldstar has listings in about 30 cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and they are always working on more cities.
Mobile Passport (Free for iOS and Android)
What it is: a mechanism created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to speed travelers with U.S. and Canadian passports through customs at U.S. airports.
How it works: First, you must input your passport information and take a picture of yourself. You create a pin to open the app for future trips. You answer CBP questions in the app, then go to special “Mobile Passport Control” kiosks at customs. You can answer the four questions in advance, then open the app after landing. Although only two airports currently have these special kiosks, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Miami International, additional airports will be added soon.
Why it‘s great: If you don’t have Global Entry, you will want this app. A Delta flight attendant told me his crew sometimes beats him through customs even though he has Global Entry. When I used Global Entry and my friend used the app in Atlanta in January, it was a dead heat. She still had to answer a few questions from the passport-control officer, but she avoided a long customs line.
Why you may resist: You may want to wait until Mobile Passport Control kiosks come to your home airport.
Foto Sketch (Free for iOS with in-app purchases for additional features)
What it is: It’s an entertaining photo app that lets you fake being a sketch artist.
How it works: You snap or import a picture that the app turns into a black and white or color sketch. The color feature costs 99 cents. After selecting your image, you choose the size of your “pen.” Then you brush your fingertip diagonally or vertically on your phone’s screen until the sketch is revealed. Then you add music and set the speed for the video recreation of your “artwork.”
Why it‘s great: You won’t be bored at the gate or in a hotel room with this app. And you can entertain friends with your newly found artistry because Foto Sketch helps you share the image or a video of its creation via text, email, Facebook, Google+, tumblr, YouTube, etc. I learned about the app from a friend’s Facebook post. After she bragged about being the fastest sketcher ever, I wanted to see if this app could make me an artist. It did; it’s fun.
