There are iPhone apps that blow our minds like Shazam which can tell you the name of nearly any song it hears.  There are also cool apps like the Yelp app that use augmented reality to allow the user to hold their iPhone up and see ratings for nearby restaurants.  Today we came across a travel app that combines the benefits of augmented reality with the wow factor of Shazam.  Word Lens allows users to hold their iPhone up to a sign and translate it to their preferred language. 

The video below shows a best case situation in which everything is translated correctly.  We downloaded the app, which is free, then added the Spanish to English translation dictionary which was $4.99.  As we surfed the web looking for Spanish signs we found that often the translation gave us a better understanding of the meaning but did not provide as strong of a translation as we see in their demo. A co-founder Otavio Good admits "The translation isn't perfect, but it gets the point across."

For a traveler this app could be beneficial in helping you find your way around a foreign city or help you make sense of a menu in a foreign language. 

This app has a ton of potential. As they continue to hone the apps functionality over time this could become one of the most vital travel apps for travelers visiting foreign countries where they are not familiar with the language.  Currently the English to Spanish and Spanish to English sets are available.  According to a TechCrunch interview with Good it sounds like French will be next and Italian and Portuguese are on the horizon.

Anne Fairlie, Manager of travel sales for iExplore, is spending a week in Chile--including a trip to Easter Island. Check out her latest Easter Island blog post! 

Touring today with Marcelo who is also the owner of the small inn where we are staying. I guess this is one way to supplement the family income: leave the wife to tend to the housework and he takes the tourists for a drive.

Image via Wikipedia

One of the many superstitions that we learned about is this: the MOAI have fallen down for a reason, so do not attempt to bring them back on their feet. 

This seemed quite reasonable until we moved on to another part of the island where, we were told, the Japanese donated a huge pile of money to rebuild an AHU (platform) and place the MOAI upright again.  

So I guess, in Easter Island like many places, superstitions are good excuses sometimes.

I wanted to visit Costa Rica before winter came to Chicago.  The thought of lush greenery, incredible flora and warm sunshine was my thought to help get through the gray and cold of the Midwest winter.  And, so far, it has worked!  

I traveled our Costa Rica Experience program and must say that it was just as incredible in person as the photos clients have sent back for years.  

It's a destination close enough to most of us living in the US that the flight connections aren't a problem and the time change is minimal so jet lag isn't a problem.  That became really important the day after arrival when hiking up the mountain to view the Arenal area from the hanging bridges or even the following day to zipline (see video below) through Monteverde Rainforest.  

The hotels on the program are exceptional.  Several of them are destinations onto themselves and I really do recommend spending more time in each area to take advantage of  the wonderful amenities (including spa facilities) offered at most of them.  And the food was delicious at each one.
 

Hurricane Tomas, which devastated the Caribbean, became Tropical Storm Tomas in Costa Rica.  It created mudslides and wrecked several villages, also washing out the road leading to Manual Antonio National Park which was to be my last stop.  The itinerary was changed while I was there to substitute the Guanacaste region.  The weather there is considerably different and the beach was a lovely diversion from the mountains. 

The proud people of Costa Rica are welcoming and hospitable in each area I traveled.  While not all speak English, it's not a problem to get a point across.  Of course, it definitely helps to have a driver/guide!  I was lucky to have an exceptional person guiding me who has traveled with our clients in the past.  

This is a wonderful destination, a great getaway, and a memory to carry for a long time after.