Evernote and I have been going strong together for over 8 years, and once again, it comes to the rescue in helping me plan a major trip. As I write this, I am just two days away from a trip to Japan that my husband and I have been looking forward to ever since we found out that our son, a junior in college, was going to be studying near Osaka this fall.
I grew up living in Southeast Asia and Africa, and even spent a year in South Korea, but have not been back to this part of the world since 1976 – that’s 40 years! I have traveled extensively since then through Europe and have been comfortable in that part of the world, as I speak French, Spanish and a smattering of Italian, and can at least make myself understood in most European countries. But Japan is a different story. Everything about the country, including its language, customs and culture are completely foreign to me. Planning a trip there felt like planning a trip to Mars. I had a lot of research to do, but now, two days before departure, I feel as if I am finally ready (both mentally and physically) to visit this beautiful country and not feel completely overwhelmed – thanks to Evernote!
As an Evernote power user, I ended up planning pretty much all of my trip in this versatile app. Here’s what I did:
- Created a notebook in Evernote called “Japan 2016”
- Forwarded my email confirmations of airline and hotel reservations directly into Evernote, using @Japan 2016 following the subject line of each email
- Used the Evernote Web Clipper to save all the hotel information from the various booking sites I was using, tagging each note Hotel, so that I could compare prices, dates and locations before making a final selection
- Clipped websites on the major tourist attractions, including all the temples, shrines, museums and gardens that I would like to visit
- Clipped websites on such information as Japanese customs (e.g., no tipping, and when to bow), where to exchange money, and restaurant recommendations
- Created a “Japan Itinerary” note for our 10 day trip with links to the notes pertaining to each day’s activities
- Set up my Japan 2016 notebook for offline use on my iPhone and iPad, so that I can edit notes while I’m without wifi (such as during the 13 hour plane ride to Tokyo).
I am very excited (and just a tad nervous) about our upcoming trip; but I know that with Evernote’s help, it will be a lot smoother, easier and fun!
I have recently become an Evernote Certified Consultant and would love to help you in person or remotely with all your Evernote needs, both business and personal.
