New to online marketing? In addition to the Blue Magnet blog, here are 5 other online marketing blogs to make you feel (or at least speak like) an SEO expert!

When I was a fresh face in the online marketing world, I found myself looking for resources to quickly bring me up to speed in online marketing trends and tips. After a quick search, and a lot of time sifting through many we-say-we're-a-marketing-blog-but-this-is-actually-a-sales-pitch-with-no-valuable-information pages, I found a solid group of helpful resources.

Here are 5 blogs that will help you become an online marketing expert, or at least be able to have informed conversations by the water-cooler with the experts:

1. SEOmoz Blog - According to SEOmoz, they have the internet's most vibrant SEO community. With a team of experts to discuss every trend, tip and issue relating to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and a network of over 250,000 members to join the conversation, this is a one-stop shop for everything SEO. One of their recent posts that I bookmarked is Should I Change my URLs for SEO?. The great thing about the SEOmoz Blog is that not only do they have informative blog posts, but the comments section is a wealth of information in itself!
2. SEO by the Sea - SEO by the Sea provides consulting and internet marketing services to websites across the country, and manages to keep a dang good blog while they're at it. This blog focuses on search engine trends and technology, so the content tends to be pretty Google-centric sometimes. This blog also features Outside Resources that can be helpful in your journey to becoming an SEO expert.
3. HubSpot Blog - HubSpot is a marketing software company who focus on in-bound marketing. Their blog covers all aspects of in-bound marketing, including SEO, social media, landing pages and more. What is great about the HubSpot Blog is that they frequently have guest bloggers who discuss a wide range of topics, and they provide links to their free eBooks at the end of most blog posts. It's a great resource for SEO beginners.
4. Simply Zesty - The goal of the Simply Zesty blog, according to the blog founders, is to be an outlet to share tips on how to grow your company using free online tools. They do a great job covering not only fresh marketing ideas, but information that affects all online marketers. If you ever find yourself in a creative rut, this is a great place to browse to get those creative juices flowing again.
5. Google Blog - To be an expert in online marketing, it's a good idea to know what Google is up to. Google uses their official blog to announce new products, trends and technology. Blog posts range from vital information for SEO to interesting search trends, and they publish new blog posts regularly. The Google Blog is not only a good resource as an online marketer, but is also helpful as a general Google user. I've taken away many tips for optimizing my Chrome browser and personal Gmail account. Now, I look and feel like an expert personally and professionally!

Is it just a coincidence that every time I am about to write a blog post Google decides to release a new product or make a big announcement? The answer is “Yes, of course it is.” Why would Google be timing their announcements to my blog schedule? And if they are, how did they get BMI’s blog schedule? …Oh wait! They do own the Internet and all its data, so I guess we’ve answered the second question, but we will probably always remain in the dark in regards to the first. Oh well, such is Google.

Google “Secures” Your Privacy

Google’s newest shocker is about Google Analytics and the data that it will provide in the future. Now, if you do not do the Internet professionally, you probably have never used Google Analytics, and you might have never even heard of it; however, it is probably the most important tool that Google offers Internet marketing professionals in their war against Google. For those that are unfamiliar, the product gives (for Free! Classic Google!) extensive and extremely detailed data about who is visiting your website, where they are coming from, how they got there, what they did there, where they went after, and a lot of other equally creepy sounding information.

Now, Google has announced that they will no longer tell you what keywords users searched to get to your site if they were signed into their Google account when they made the search. Google’s cited reasons for this change are a bit technical, but they boil down to one big claim – This change is to improve the security and privacy of their users. Wow, Google looks out for everybody’s best interest once again...classic Google. BUT WAIT! Before we make any judgments, we need to first use….. (Drumroll) THE GOOGLE TEST!

The Google Test

If you read my last blog post, then, you probably know about “Patrick McCarthy’s 100% Foolproof Google Test” (it also cures warts). Basically, the test runs Google’s actions through three (top secret) algorithms and breaks them down into three categories:

1. What is Google ostensibly up to?
2. What shady stuff are they possibly up to?
3. What are they really most likely up to?

I’ve already covered number one, so let’s move on to number two.

Less Google Analytics = More Google Adwords

In this case, the Google Test spat out the same results for number two and number three, which essentially means that, according to the test, Google really is up to the shady stuff that it seems like they are up to. This is an extremely rare and distressing result. The test spat out this report - “Google values your privacy. In fact, they value it so highly that, golly gee, if they ain’t gonna keep it for themselves and mine it for all it is worth.”

Noted “Internet Doer” Ian Lurie (Rumor has it he’s actually been to The Internet and that it is somewhere in Morocco) seems to agree with the PM100%FGT in a blog post in which he declares war on the Internet... *ahem* ...sorry, I meant “on Google.” Yeah, that’s the ticket.

In his letter to Google, Luries states,

“You've [Google] done this for one reason, and one reason only: To shut out competing ad networks. By removing this data from the referring query string (oh, you didn't think we'd notice?!) you've made it far harder for third-party ad networks to measure and quantify traffic quality.

Plus, you no longer have to justify ranking results, OR Adwords data. Personalization already scrambles the crap out of them. Without accurate search query data, we have no way to check your math on Google Adwords search counts. I guess we have to trust you. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Cough. Sniff. Sob."

Google wants to be the only one that knows what people are really searching for on Google, and if you want to get some of that info, you’re going to have to pay for it by using Google AdWords to run PPC campaigns. That’s right, Google will still give advertisers keyword data on signed-in users if they click on a paid listing.

In essence, Google is telling all of us – “We value your privacy and want to make your information as secure as possible… unless of course, someone pays us for it. In which case, we’d love nothing more than to give away as much of your data as possible.” Or maybe that’s not what they’re saying at all. “Patrick McCarthy’s 100% Foolproof Google Test” isn’t perfect.

As technology continues to grow at an exponential rate, we are rapidly becoming a tech-savvy mobile world.Even grandpa knows what email is now and it’s common to see a young child with a cell phone.As our methods of communicating and interacting evolve, so must our businesses…and hotels are no exception. What does this mean? This means that not only is it important to have an optimized, user-friendly desktop website but it’s almost more profitable for hotels to design a properly functioning mobile-specific website (not to be confused with mobile-friendly). According to Vikram Singh, CEO of eVision Worldwide, user intent is five times higher when clicking on mobile ads than ads on the desktop.It’s also becoming a widely understood fact that mobile users are ready to make a purchase than to merely browse on their phones.

Let’s look at the facts:

• 97% of searches performed on mobile devices are conducted through Google (Techleash.com)
• Click-through-rates are 75% higher for mobile optimized pages than non-optimized pages (Google Mobile Ads)
• 19% of hotel queries are made on a mobile device (Google Mobile Ads)

How can you take advantage of this growing trend?

Not many hoteliers understand the full impact a mobile-specific site can have on their revenue yet, so hotels that do jump on this trend have a good shot at leading the pack. There are a few guidelines to follow to ensure that you optimize your mobile site to its fullest extent.

1. Check Your Site's Mobile Friendliness - To determine the level of your site’s “mobile friendliness,” use W3C’s mobileOK Checker tool. This tool evaluates your site’s basic usability, efficiency, and interoperability and provides you with a “PASS” or “FAIL” result. If your site fails, W3C also provides tips for rectifying any errors so you can run the test again.
2. Simplify Your Mobile Site - Make your mobile site a simplified version of the full-site, including a visible phone number with a click-to-call button and easy booking functionality. Try keeping content above the fold (meaning, architecting your site so everything fits in the screen space without scrolling down), which will require you to only include essential components for mobile users. Most importantly, the steps from entry to booking should be as simple as possible to quickly give users what they’re looking for. Remember, most mobile users are ready to reserve a room, so make it easy for these on-the-go users.
3. Offer Exclusive Deals - Go even further by using the mobile site to offer exclusive deals. Some offers could be receiving a discount for booking through the mobile site, offering guests to opt-in to text message marketing programs, or having guests “check-in,” “Like” or comment on hotel’s Facebook page.
4. No Java. No Flash. - Avoid using Java or Flash at all costs. The main reason for this is that Apple products do not support Flash, so you would be missing out on a big portion of your users. Java needs to be avoided not only because many phones don’t support Java, either, but mostly because it takes too long to load pages. Keep in mind, mobile users want to quickly perform their actions and they simply don’t have time to wait for your page to load. There’s a very good chance you’ll lose that potential booking before they even open your site.
5. Avoid Pop-up Windows - There are several reasons for this, but the most significant reason is that you don’t want to lose your user. Your mobile site should be designed to guide the user to booking a room as swiftly, painlessly, and user-friendly as possible. Pop-ups on a mobile device are not user-friendly. It’s difficult enough to navigate through different tabs and pages on a mobile device, let alone figuring out how to get back to the page the users wanted after a pop-up appears. If nothing else, pop-ups decrease page load speed which also causes the potential for users to leave your site before making a reservation.

Be a leader in the hotel industry and design your mobile-specific site today. The benefit will quickly be evident and your guests will appreciate the convenience.

Are you a Twebie (Twitter newbie) and looking for ways to better your hotel’s Twitter strategy? Sending a message in 140 characters or less seems simple enough, but there are many actions you can take to grow your followers and create interest about your hotel on Twitter. Follow these seven steps and soon you will be on your way to being twitficient (knowledgeable when using Twitter)!

1.) It's All In The Name!

Create a username that is closest to your business name and easy to remember. You will want other twitter users to be able to know what you represent just by seeing your Twitter handle. Consider including the brand name and location in your username. As you grow and connect with other Twitter users you will be mentioned and your messages will be retweeted. It’s best if people remember your name and who you are; the more simple and clear the name the better!

2.) Appearance Is Everything!

Just like your hotel's website, you want your Twitter profile page to clearly represent the atmosphere of the actual hotel. Create friendly background colors and textures and include easy-to-view pictures of your hotel. Let followers know what your hotel looks like and give a picture to your Twitter voice!

3.) Content is King!

This can't be said enough and it's so incredibly true. What you post on Twitter must be relevant and interesting to your followers. Engage your audience with interesting content and you will find more people responding, retweeting, and mentioning you on the network. Tweet about happenings at your hotel, new specials, highlight the on-site restaurant, feature star employees, and anything else exciting about your hotel. Position yourself on Twitter as an expert on the local area. Make recommendations for local attractions, the best spots to dine, and all upcoming events in the area. Within your tweets include links to informative sites, pictures, hashtags and Twitter lingo to connect with your followers and gain even more!

4.) Interact!

There’s more to just sending messages on Twitter; it’s a great place to listen to other Tweeters and join in on the conversation. Connect with past guests, current guests, potential guests, travel enthusiasts, other hotels, local businesses and attractions, sports teams…the list is endless! Respond directly to their tweets, ask them questions, retweet interesting messages, give a shout out to another Tweeter in a message, and follow back other accounts. There are many ways to interact with other Tweeters and it only helps to establish your hotel as a significant Twitter account. Twitterers will easily find you on the network, see you are an active and captivating Twitter account and quickly hit the follow button.

5.) Talk to Your Guests!

It’s as simple as asking your guests to follow you on Twitter. Just like you want a good review left on TripAdvisor, you want your guests to follow you on Twitter. Let the front desk be an additional voice and advocate of your Twitter account. When you have a satisfied guest inform them of your Twitter account and ask them to follow you! Stay in front of your past guests on Twitter, and they will remember you and make you the hotel of choice in your area. Plus past guests can recommend your hotel with a mention on Twitter and continue to interact with your tweets about the hotel.

6.) Create Hype!

What better way to grow your network than create an incentive to follow you. Offering a prize will grow interest and followers on your page. You will find new followers that are interested in the prize, but create a new customer by captivating them with your content, promotions, hotel specials, and events.

7.) Promote!

Go beyond creating your account, tweeting good content and connecting with travelers, businesses, and community. Promote your Twitter account through offline channels and sites apart from Twitter. As mentioned above, gain followers from guests at your property. Besides asking guests to follow, create flyers to place on property with information about your Twitter page. Even direct them with a link or use QR codes for guests with smart phones to immediately connect with your page. Add a link to your Twitter page on all hotel personnel’s email signatures. Add Twitter widgets to the hotel’s webpage for travelers searching the hotel to connect with on Twitter. Don’t forget about other social media networks. Use Facebook as a platform to direct current fans to your Twitter page. Get creative and promote your Twitter page through different channels and watch your followers grow and interactions increase!

What is Quality Score?

If there is one segment of pay-per-click that keeps me tossing and turning at night – it’s Quality Score. For those of you familiar with Quality Score, you understand its importance in saving you money and displaying your ad at a higher position. Quality Score is a numeric value between 1 through 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest that is given to each keyword within your PPC campaign. This number is determined by a very complex algorithm that Google has created in order to help rank how relevant your keyword is to your ad text and user’s search query.

Why Use Quality Score?

Just imagine if every business using PPC was able to control their ad solely by how much they were willing to bid on each keyword - that's a pretty scary thought! This methodology would mean that the company with the highest PPC budget would win, even for keywords that they weren't relative to. This scoring system is in place to ensure that there is an even playing field amongst businesses and helps users find the most relevant information.

Tips to Improve Your Quality Score:

1. Create Very Targeted AdGroups
   One of the biggest mistakes PPC marketers make is that they try to clump all of their keywords into the same AdGroup. If you want to improve your Quality Score, separate them as much as possible. For example – accommodation keywords, lodging keywords and hotel keywords should all have separate adgroup. I would bet you could break down the your hotel keywords to be ever more specific!
2. Use Your Keywords in Your Ad Title and Copy
   You don’t have many characters to play around with when writing your ad, so make sure to use keywords contained in the AdGroup you’re writing for. This will make your ad more relevant to what search terms are triggering your ad and make it more likely to be clicked.  
   
3. Optimize Your Display URL
   Something as simple as adding a keyword to the end of your display URL can help your ad stand out. For example if you’re targeting boutique hotel keywords make your display URL www.example.com/boutiquehotel. Remember keywords are bolded when they match the users search query.
   
4. Send Them to a Relevant Landing Page
   Get out of the habit of sending every ad to your home page. If your ad is targeting "suites", send them to a landing page that has ample information about your suite rooms. Also, let’s not forget what the main goal of your campaign is – to convert to a sale. Quality Score aside, you want users to find exactly what they are looking for when they click on an ad directing them to your site and you want to provide them with relevant information when they get arrive without having to look around.
5. Create More Than One Ad
   Don't put all your eggs in one basket! Create numerous ads per AdGroup and test them to see which one has the best click through rate and then use that copy moving forward.

If you really want to work on improving your Quality Score, get in the minds of your consumers and write copy that is compelling, interesting, informative, targeted and most importantly, makes them want to click. The goal is to get your click through rate as high as possible as this has a direct influence on your Quality Score. The more often your ad shows and is clicked on you are positively effecting your score.

If you make changes and start noticing that your click through rate is improving but your quality score doesn’t change don’t get discouraged! Your campaigns historical click through rate factors into your Quality Score so give it time to improve your average - think big picture!

Google is the Search Engine King

Either you live under a rock or don’t own a computer if you’ve never heard of Google. Since you are reading this blog it is safe to assume you know and probably use Google daily. Google Places is a primary resource for local searches, and Places pages are key to helping hotels (and local businesses in general) rank better on Google. Everyone wants to be at the top of the search results for keywords in their industry; it’s where all the action is! Over 50% of all clicks go to the first four organic results on a page, and nearly 70% of searchers don’t even click on the second page.

How to Optimize Your Google Places Page

Every local business has the opportunity to create or claim a Place Page, and there are several factors that influence ranking. From our experience, and the general consensus among various other experts, is that the following factors can have some of the greatest impact on local search rankings:

1. Physical address of the business in the city that's being searched
2. Has the Google Places listing been claimed and verified by the business owner?
3. Is the business associated with relevant categories?
4. Volume of traditional structured citations (Internet Yellow Pages, Data Aggregators, etc.)
5. Crawlable business name and address match info on Google Places listing

Is Your Business Name the Same?

Google’s goal is to provide searchers with the most relevant and trusted results. An important best practice in optimizing for Google Places listings is to ensure the business name, address and telephone number are correct on the Places page and match what's listed on the business's website verbatim. This means that if your address on your website spells out the word "Street" you should not list your address as "St" on Google Places. Providing a link to the actual business website is necessary. As search engine spiders crawl the Places page and read the link to the business page it will pull the meta-description into the blended organic search results. The listing on the search results page will then display even more information: the title tag, link, meta description, address/phone number and even reviews.

Fill in the Blanks

Optimize the Google Places page by filling in as much information as possible. A more complete page will help it rank higher than lesser-filled Places pages. When filling in descriptions be sure to use specialized keywords a searcher may be entering to find your business. The categories are just as important. For example, with a hotel you would want to enter all facets of the hospitality industry beyond being a hotel/motel. Categories such as wedding venue, meeting space, and conference venue are extremely relevant and will help your business appear in the search results of those targeted keywords.

Review Your Reviews

Another important section of Google’s local search-blended results page is the reviews. Google will pull in reviews from several other local search sites in addition to reviews left on the Google Place Page. On the results page at the bottom of the listing, reviews from sites like TripAdvisor, Priceline and Yelp (just to name a few) will appear along with the number of reviews per site. It is extremely crucial to have your business listed on these local search sites. The more reviews a business has, the higher it tends to rank on the results page (particularly if the majority are positive reviews).

The Evolution of Google’s Local Search

Just a year ago the 7-Pack (local listings next to a map on Google's organic listings) was replaced by the Places page and a floating map to the right of the results page. Now Google Places "local" results blend in with the organic listings when conducting geocentric searches (ie, "New York hotels"). By claiming and optimizing the Places page, more information is able to pull into the results and thus help the business rank higher on the page.

It will be interesting to see what Google does next with Local Search. Now that Google+ has been released, it will definitely be a game changer. Searchers will soon find their own networks recommending businesses within the results page; creating yet another factor that will influence the rankings of results on a more personalized level. Plus, Google is crafting another opportunity for a business to create a brand page on the Google+ social network. Local search is ever evolving, so make sure you are staying current on the trends and continually optimizing your listing to boost it to the top of the results page.

Your hotel’s website is search engine optimized and ranking number one on Google for your most competitive keywords; the website is enhanced with incredibly riveting content; the hotel’s pay-per-click program is performing exceptionally well; hotel review sites are filled with positive comments glorifying your hotel's service; and the property is engaging with the community on major social media channels.  In short, your hotel is an online marketing pro.  But why isn’t it bringing in more reservations through these online channels?  Maybe it's time to take a look at the hotel’s photos.

Travelers Searching Online for Hotel Photos

A major source of all hotel reservations results from online channels.  Travelers search and compare hotels online before making a reservation.  Studies show the top two main factors in the decision process are reviews and photos.  People look online for visuals of what will be offered at the hotel.  Beyond the textual content, photos create the first impression of the hotel for travelers. Professional photos accurately depicting the hotel’s exterior, lobby, guestrooms, restaurants, recreational areas, local attractions and other features the hotel may offer can make all the difference.

Even the number of photos a hotel offers can influence the searcher.  The more high quality photos the better.  Additional photos keep potential guests engaged with the hotel online.  Twenty photos are recommended, and according to Brian Payea from TripAdvisor, hotels with over twenty photos see travelers 150% more engaged with the online listing.  As sites realize how important photos play in the booking process more attention has been given to photo opportunities.  The VFM Leonardo VScape tool increased the number of photos from 20 to 50, and Google Places now allows 10 photos instead of 5 to be added to the page.  Trends prove the more photos a hotel displays the greater the engagement and reservations made through the hotel's online channels.

Don’t Forget About Hotel Photography on Other Travel Sites

Loading new and improved photography to the hotel’s website isn’t the final step.  Hotel photos need to be monitored across all travel sites.  Travelers search and review hotel photos on third party travel sites, review sites and social media.  On these supporting sites it is important to verify all photos are up to date and match the imagery presented on the hotel’s official website.  Any old and unprofessional photos can hinder the hotel’s conversions by diverting searchers away from the page and to other hotel listings with better photography and more pictures to browse through.  Some sites like TripAdvisor even allow guest photos to be posted.  While these are not professional photographs, they are visual reviews of the hotel and should be monitored as a part of the hotel’s reputation management strategy.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Hotel photography can convey a thousand words about your hotel.  Supplement your online marketing plan with professional photos and numerous images of room types and public areas in the hotel.  The imagery presented online is the first tour guests will take of your hotel.  Guests are looking to place themselves walking through the lavish and welcoming entrance, relaxing in warm and comforting guestrooms, socializing in the beautifully decorated common areas, taking a dip in the large, clear blue pool and finding entertainment at nearby local attractions.  Make sure your hotel photography is enticing and not distracting the traveler with outdated styles, poor lighting and blurry images.  Make a professional photography shoot fit the hotel’s budget to further enhance your online marketing efforts.  The online marketing initiatives you are employing create the traffic and attention your hotel needs; now show off your hotel through proper and stunning imagery and convert searches to more bookings.

Thinking your hotel needs some updated photography? Here at Blue Magnet Interactive we partner with Ira Wexler, an excellent hotel photographer who has worked with a variety of hotel brands across the country. Regardless of who takes your hotel's photography, make sure that they have experience conducting professional photo shoots.  Nothing screams Bates Motel quite like an amateur Polaroid of your hotel gift shop.  Spend the extra cash to make sure the photos are done right.  Your revenue manager will thank you in the end!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
– St. Augustine

Nowadays, it is rare to see a traveler bring a book on vacation or to a business meeting, but it is almost guaranteed you’ll see them carrying a Kindle, iPad or smart phone.  Through these electronic devices comes a world of new applications designed to make our lives and activities simpler and streamlined.  Some of these apps are invaluable to helping make travel easier and more affordable, with tools that feature everything from monitoring flights to finding good restaurants or clean bathrooms.  With hundreds of thousands of apps out there, it’s hard to determine which are indispensable and which will waste more time than they are worth.  We've compiled a list of the best apps we have used and tested that we recommend for the business or leisure traveler.  Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments section below this post.  We wish you happy and stress-free travels!

Social Media

First, if you are part of the social media community and have a Facebook or Twitter account, log on and search for the hotel and the brand of the hotel you’ll be staying at during your trip and “friend” or “follow” them.  This will give you a direct link to the hotel.  You’ll be able to learn about specials, things happening in the city, and you can let the hotel know you are coming which opens the door for direct communication and assistance if needed.  Not all hotels utilize social media, but some of the cities, travel bureaus, airlines or local businesses do!

Applications

Your Hotel or Hotel Brand’s Mobile App

Individual hotels and hotel brands are developing their own mobile apps complete with all the information a guest or potential guest would need regarding the hotel or brand, including contact information, amenities, outlet hours, in-room dining menus, maps and even the ability to make a reservation.

Packing (+TO DO!)

Packing for a trip causes high anxiety for some travelers.  Become a packing expert with this easy app.  You can create lists of all necessary and luxury items you need to bring and you can check them off as you go.  It’s an easy tool to help you remember all the items you need to bring that might get left behind – i.e. “I forgot to bring my camera….”

Cost: $0.99

TripIt

Keeping track of all your travel documents, confirmation numbers, and itineraries can be a hassle.  The TripIt app allows users to organize your entire trip details into one compact itinerary, access it whenever you need to and share it with other members of your traveling group.  The app also sends you email alerts about flight delays or last minute changes, so you are informed before you start your journey.

Cost: Free

Where

Looking for the best nearby places & things to do wherever you are? This app shows you what’s around your location from Starbucks to movie theaters and show times.  A great app to discover great local places and offers, customized to your location.

Cost: Free

Wi-Fi Finder

Instantly find FREE Wi-Fi Internet hotspots wherever you are in the world online or offline!  The app uses your phone’s GPS and network triangulation capabilities to locate free Wi-Fi.  Wi-Fi Finder tracks over 200,000 hotspots in 135 countries.

Cost: Free

AllSubway HD

This app features subway maps for about 128 different cities around the world.  Each map is available offline, which is perfect for navigating from the web of the metro, “El”, or “T” as it is called in different cities.  Even though the maps are not interactive, it is great to be able to pull it up whenever you need it without looking like a tourist.

Cost: $0.99

Google Translate

Traveling to a foreign place can be intimidating if you are unfamiliar with the language.  Luckily there is Google Translate which can translate words and phrases into 57 different languages using voice recognition software.   You can speak or type words or phrases and the translation will appear on the screen.  Audio playback is also available for certain languages.

Cost: Free

Expensify

This one is for the business travelers or road warriors – automate your entire expense report process with the Expensify app.  You can track purchases as they happen or take pictures of your paper receipts and the app will pull out the pertinent information and add it to your report.  All your work is already done by the time you get back to the office!

Cost: Free

SitOrSquat

The ultimate restroom finder.  There are more than 99,000 restrooms mapped out for you with details like hours and changing-table availability.  Great to help plan the next pit stop or emergency bathroom break.

Cost: Free

Urbanspoon

Urbanspoon can help you decide where to eat if you are having trouble and it makes it fun! Search options are displayed through a slot machine by neighborhood, cuisine, and price.  You can search nearby restaurants or explore a particular neighborhood or cuisine on your own.  It also offers critics reviews and menus.

Cost: Free

Trip Journal

Scrapbook anytime, anywhere by documenting all your vacation experiences and sharing them with your friends and family immediately with the Trip Journal app.  It offers trip tracking, recording, documenting and sharing features!  Let the adventures begin!

Cost: $2.99