Tech for Travel Talk Sat Aug 22 - Getting Started with Wanderlog for Travels (online)

Who Should Join This Session

Anyone who is already using Wanderlog and would like to learn new things about it from others.
Anyone considering using Wanderlog for their Travel Planning.

First Half of Session: Show and Tell
- why would I use Wanderlog or travel planning? What does it give me?
- what is it good at doing? what is it not so good at doing?
- what have you learned from using Wanderlog that you can share with others?

Second Half of Session: How To and Technical (optional, for anyone who would like to stay)
- we will walk through the setup

Advance Planning for the Session:
Learn about Wanderlog:
https://wanderlog.com/

If you don't already have a Wanderlog account, you might like to create one.

Join us for other sessions in the Tech for Travel Talk Series:

Getting Started with TripIt:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/tech-for-travel-talk-sat-july-18-getting-started-with-tripit-for-travels-online

I will be there! I think you know my experience but have been using Wanderlog since 2022, and use it more and more extensively with each trip.

I'll try to join, Should be enroute north from Seattle to Vancouver.

I’ll try to join but we will be in Romania.

I am hoping to attend. I just tried to use Wanderlog for the 3rd time and it just feels so clunky and tedious to me, I must be doing something wrong.

I'd love to attend. I use Wanderlog extensively to plan and even more to keep track of schedules while traveling. Happy to share and to learn!

I’d like to join this one.

Hopefully I can make it to this one! Thanks for doing this!
Sara and Evan

I won’t be able to join you as we will be on a Disney cruise with our daughters and their families.

I downloaded Wanderlog but while reading about how to navigate they mention a Gmail account. Presently I do not have a Gmail account and really don’t want to open a New e-mail.
Then I remembered you mentioned that you have a seperate account just for travel. I’ve been thinking on that and realized that is genius. So, that will be my next project, it is a small one, but a project just the same. Thank you for the idea.

I will then Circle back to Wanderlog and try it again.

I did not know that Wanderlog requires a Gmail account. Interesting. Yes, after a couple of cases of European hotel spam filters not recognizing my old timey email suffixes, a Gmail for travel was the easy solution. It makes it easier to focus while I'm traveling.... fewer distractions from non travel emails!

That reminds me of the "you know you're a travel addict when...." thread. Hah, when you have a separate email for travel!!

Enjoy the Disney travel cruise!!

It may be time for the new email for travel. Ha! I do have a folder for each trip and would still do that. Hmmmm.

I am putting August 22 on my calendar - it should work unless an unexpected conflict arises. Thanks!

I have a non- Gmail log in for Wanderlog. I wonder if it is just Google that is pushing the use of 'log in with Google' options?
I have used Wanderlog for 2 years and have several trips on it. I am happy to share what I have, but Interested in how others use it.
Catherine, please add me to this session. Thanks.

Wanderlog does not require a gmail account, and Google is not in any way pushing the "log in with Google" option. Many apps and websites offer that option (as well as logging in with AppleID or Facebook) as a convenience.

When you go to Wanderlog.com and sign up, you have three options: Facebook, Google, or email address and password.

Reminder that this meeting is coming up later in August. I will send meeting details to those who have expressed interest, nearer the date.

I would like to join. I will have company so it depends on what is going on at the time of the meeting. I use it mainly to put my flights, hotels, and itinerary.

I'd like to join. New to Wanderlog, have downloaded the app. Have used Tripit.

I’d like to join. Thank you!

I have sent a message with the meeting details to everyone with an RSVP, above. If I have missed you, please do let me know.

There is plenty of space for anyone who would like to join. If you've been using Wanderlog for trip planning, we'd love to learn from your expertise. If you are new to it, or considering it, please bring your questions!

RSVP for the event
Let me know in your reply what experience (if any) you have with Wanderlog
No experience but I’ll download and try to get a basic knowledge going before.
I currently use google docs and sheets. Perhaps a bit archaic, but I like that I can share it and download it so do not need to be using my data to look at it.

I am late finding this, but I would like to join if possible. Thanks!

Renee and hbuckley (not late at all!)

Welcome to the meeting. Please check you forum messages for the meeting details.

Hi, I’d like to join. Usually I use all purpose GoodNotes but I’ve recently been trying Wanderlog out for an upcoming trip and look forward to hearing other’s experiences, especially hearing about using the journal/trip report feature.

rontayca, interesting that you mention GoodNotes. I use OneNote (Microsoft) as my all-purpose, trip-organizing tool, TripIt for it's specialized calendar features, and I've fiddled around with Wanderlog, primarily for it's integration with Google Maps.

I've just sent you a forum message with the meeting details.

Everyone who has posted an RSVP, above, should have the meeting details for tomorrow. Please send me a forum message if you do not. I will check this thread once more tonight, if there is still anyone who would like to join.

MEETING LOGISTICS
I will open the room 15-20 minutes prior to the meeting start time so that you can join, test your audio/video, and chat with fellow Wanderlog users.

We'll begin the meeting with a show of hands who uses Wanderlog a little or a lot, and who is considering using it. I'll ask a few people to briefly comment on how and when they use Wanderlog as part of their travel planning.

A few of our travelers have offered to screen share to show one of their Wanderlog projects so that you can see how different people use it for trip planning. You can "raise your digital hand" to ask questions during their show and tell sessions or wait to ask more general questions after.

If anyone wants to stay after the formal discussions to talk about their own projects and ask for help with a certain aspect of your own travel planning, you are welcome to do that until we wrap up at 11:30am PT.

Thanks to everyone who shared their Wanderlog expertise, trip planning tips and techniques. And to those who asked great questions to help us newer users learn.

My tiny Wanderlog tip is how to change your password. I've tried and couldn't figure it out, even after asking Google "how to change password in wanderlog." I was always trying to find it while logged in to Wanderlog.

I've just figured it out that you have to be logged out of Wanderlog and then follow their instructions:
https://help.wanderlog.com/hc/en-us/articles/13300872688155-Change-my-password

It's not the usual way to change a password, but at least I figured it out!

MariaF, I was curious about changing the dates of a Wanderlog trip and whether I would have to change every little detail to the new trip timeframe.. I found that if I went to the Overview of a trip and changed the trip dates there, it shifted every item to the new timeframe, without having to adjust the dates for each reservation or activity.

Has anyone on this thread used Polar Steps or Finding Penguins?

CWSocial thanks for the date change details. I do know how to do that type of date change, but that trip has had numerous iterations...longer, shorter, including Doha or some other stopover place. Shifting those around are more cumbersome on a phone....which is what I was primarily using. It is much easier to move dates and locations around on the web version and will use than more often for future plans. Now to see how the web version acts on my Samsung tablet...

I noticed if you click your account icon (upper right on web, lower right on phone) feom rhe main page and choose 'My Profile' you can find that global place map that Lane showed us, but that there are also separate sections foe your Journals or Guides. Creating them may be done separately. That may help with some of those questions that arose today.

CWsocial asked:

Has anyone on this thread used Polar Steps or Finding Penguins?

I've tried both of these in the past.

Polar Steps I rejected because the functionality is limited on the website. You can only add destinations and flights. You need to use the phone app to do more than that. I prefer to do my planning on a computer with a keyboard and a large screen.

Find Penguins (not "finding") is a very cute way to create a travel journal, but it's not really useful as a planner. You have to make a separate journal for each trip you take, and unless someone is following you or knows what to search for, they will only see your journal if they have the link. I decided I prefer to do the blog thing, where all my trips are at the same URL and where I can control the layout and design.

Thanks for organizing the meeting. Even though I consider myself a "power user" of Wanderlog, I learned some new things!

Another suggestion for a tech topic is using Google Maps. There's a lot of things you can do on Google Maps that maybe not everyone is aware of. I found it very useful when I was in Rome. I created a map and organized my schedule by day based on proximity of places I wanted to visit.

I forgot to share another feature of Wanderlog.

Starting around 2 days before each flight, you will get live flight status. And day-of, you'll get gate notifications and delay notifications.