Top 10 Apps for Traveling

In this technology age, discovering the best travel tips and information has become as simple as downloading an app to your smartphone. Here at the Vacaville CVB, we have come up with a list of must-haves when traveling. Whether you need to book a flight, find the best coffee joint, or check the weather to your upcoming destination, we’ve got you covered.

• Kayak – (Free) Optimized for iPhone and Andriod, this is one of the best travel search engines in the world. The app includes flight and car search, hotel booking, and Flight Tracker and My Trips, so you can easily manage your itinerary.

• Yelp – (Free) With an easy to use interface, this is the definitive food app if you are looking for a great place to eat in your new city. Read reviews from users and decide the best local place to dine. It also uses your phone’s GPS to help you find the perfect place nearby!

• Foursquare – (Free) This app allows for you to check into business, hotels, and restaurants and share across your social media platforms. Foursquare also allows users to leave tips for future customers! Another great perk is that some business allow for special discounts exclusively for Foursquare users! This is a must have for your next trip.

• Google Maps – (Free) Google Maps may seem like a no-brainer, but this application is fantastic for its search capabilities. It also allows for easy to read directions and up to date traffic information. You need this.

• The Weather Channel – (Free) Looking for the most accurate weather information available? The Weather Channel’s staff of 200+ meteorologists, along with their patented ultra-local TruPoint(sm) weather technology, allows them to provide you with the weather tools you need to plan your day, week, or even the next hour. Don’t leave home without it!

• Gas Buddy – (Free) With gas prices these days, it’s important to find the cheapest gas available for your next trip. In one click, GasBuddy locates gas stations near you and their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again!

• TripAdvisor – (Free) Think of TripAdvisor as Yelp for hotels and businesses. This app allows you to read user reviews and see what events are happening at your destination spot. Never stay at a bad hotel again!

• Stubhub – (Free) Tired of those expensive “service fees” at popular ticket websites? Not anymore! Stubhub is the world’s largest fan-to-fan ticket marketplace, allowing you to buy or sell tickets with ease. Say goodbye to overpaying for your favorite concert, sporting event or show!

• Tripit – (Free) Get peace of mind while traveling, by having all your plans in one place.  No more frantic searching for confirmation emails in your inbox – or worse yet – hunting down that pesky manila folder. TripIt “automagically” takes all your trip details and creates one truly helpful itinerary that’s there when and where you need it – on your iPhone or iPad, sync’d with your calendar, and online at tripit.com. When you receive a confirmation email from anywhere you book, simply forward it to plans@tripit.com. TripIt instantly recognizes reservations from 3,000+ booking sites including cruises, restaurants, concerts and more!

• Nor Cal Guide – (Free) If you are traveling in Northern California, this app is essential to getting all the up-to-date information you will need. With this app, you’ll have instant access to everything from destination profiles to events, deals, and exciting points of interest! Get instant access to photos, videos, and comprehensive listings for your next travel destination!

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Vacaville

Here at the Visit Vacaville, we like to inform tourists and our local community about local happenings, upcoming events, and where they can find the outlet malls (hint: its across the freeway from the Nut Tree Plaza). From time to time, it’s important to look back at our towns proud history and explore some important events that shaped the Vacaville you see today. Here. We. Go.

1. Juan Manuel Vaca. This guy is the reason for our towns name. Juan came to California from New Mexico in 1842. He and a friend applied for a ten-league land grant (about 4,500 acres) from Mexico called Lihuaytos. Shortly after obtaining his land, he sold an English league of land to a William McDonald, with a provision being that one square mile was to be named “Vacaville”. Little did Vaca know that he was selling 9 square miles, instead of just one (Vaca could read little English and signed anyways).

Juan Miguel Vaca

2. Electric Car Capital of the United States. Vacaville has the distinction of having the most electric vehicles per capita than any other place in the US. Our town has more 45 electric vehicle charging points distributed around town which makes it a strong candidate for the most “electrifying city” in the country. Solano County even has a Electric Vehicle incentive program which offers up to 6,000 towards a lease or purchase of an electric car!

Electric Charging Station

3. Guess who visited the Nut Tree? Back in the Nut Tree’s heyday, we had quite a few celebrities visit our grounds. You might have heard of: President Ronald Reagan, President Richard Nixon, Queen Elizabeth II, Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. Pretty amazing.

President Ronald Reagan riding a choo-choo train

4. We raise NFL stars. When you think football, Vacaville may not be the first city that comes to mind, but many of our previous residents are now professional football players. Jarret Bush played at Will C. Wood High School and is now a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers (did someone say Superbowl Champion?). Other players include Xzavie Jackson (ex-defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals) and Kyle DeVan (offensive guard for the Tennessee Titans).

Superbowl Champion Jarret Bush

5. We have our Vacaville Museum. In the exhibit is a dress worn by 12 year old Sallie Fox on her journey from Iowa to California. While wearing this apron, Sallie was wounded by an arrow during a Mojave Indian attack in August of 1858. Don’t worry, she survived to tell the tale. For more on the Vacaville museum check out my review here.