APPY FAMILY
How tech hacks can save your vacation (and sanity)
TRAVELING with children means saying goodbye to midnight tapas and hello to in-flight diaper changes. While apps can’t help with the airborne mess, modern parents can leverage a slew of online companies to solve other challenges on the road. A little creative smartphone use can make trips with kids seem almost like . . . trips without kids. On a recent journey to Washington, DC, I wanted to try a buzzy barbecue joint, Federalist Pig — with two rug rats in tow. It was a hike from both the train station and our hotel; it doesn’t take reservations and often has a line down the block; it only serves until the day’s batch of slow-cooked meat runs out. But the sharing economy saved the day: On the train ride down, I had a virtual assistant from FancyHands (from $30/ month) make sure the restaurant was open that day, placed our order online, then used TaskRabbit to hire someone to pick up and deliver our food. When we arrived at the hotel, lunch was waiting. Here, some more services to know.
Why stuff your suitcase with diapers when, with a little forethought, you can use Amazon Prime to send a couple of packs right to your hotel. (Give the property a heads up.) Plus, Airbnb guests can pick up deliveries at Amazon lockers all over the US, in parts of Canada and much of Europe. On-demand babysitting app Chime lets you book childcare from $14/hour in New Jersey, Boston, Chicago and Washington, DC, without having to conduct interviews or ask friends of friends for recommendations. Then, Luggage Forward is one of the many online services that will pick up your gear and ship it to your destination. It’s pricier than airline baggage fees — domestic round-trip shipping for a small bag starts at $79 — but far more convenient than dragging bags through multiple airports. And just because you’re traveling with kids doesn’t mean your only options are Pizzeria Uno and room service. Caviar, which operates in more than 15 US cities, delivers from trendy restaurants like Pok Pok in Portland, Ore., and Boqueria in Washington, DC. In London, Supper shuttles food from the Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Tamarind. And UberEats has been expanding across the globe, picking up food from nice eateries in more than 200 cities, including Warsaw and Rio de Janeiro. — Sara Clemence