Your travel buddy

These phone tricks can make you save money and so much more

When you're traveling, your phone is the ultimate Swiss Army knife in your pocket, and knowing the right tricks can turn a stressful trip into a breeze.

Did you know that a quick call to your carrier before you board could save you from coming home to an expensive bill? Or that you can download entire city maps before you leave so you’ll never be lost, even without a cell signal? These and other tricks will help you use that device in your hand to travel smarter, safer, and with much more confidence.

You can save Google Maps for offline use before your trip, meaning you can navigate even when you have zero cell service. Just open Google Maps, search for the city or region you're visiting, tap the three dots in the corner, and hit "Download offline map."

Data roaming abroad can cost you a small fortune, and even domestically, rural areas have spotty coverage at best. With your map saved offline, you can still find that charming diner on Route 66 without burning through your data plan.

Before you board that flight, call your carrier and ask about an international plan. Most carriers offer temporary add-ons that let you use your phone abroad for $10–$15 a day without coming home to a bill that looks like a ransom note.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can also pick up a local SIM card when you land. It’s cheaper for longer trips, and locals at the airport kiosks are usually happy to help you swap it in.

Share your itinerary with a family member back home using a simple app like "Find My" (iPhone) or "Google Maps location sharing" (Android). It lets someone you trust see where you are in real time, which is genuinely reassuring for everyone involved.

Also, take a photo of your passport, travel insurance info, and hotel address, and store it in your phone's photos or email it to yourself. If your wallet gets stolen or you just can't find things in a panic, having those details one tap away is pure gold.

Both iPhone and Android phones have a built-in "Wallet" or "Google Pay" app where you can store digital boarding passes, hotel confirmations, museum tickets, and more. Airlines and most booking apps will offer you an "Add to Wallet" button. Tap it. Done.

It sounds like a small thing, but having everything in one place makes airports and train stations so much less stressful. Still, it’s worth keeping a physical backup, since your phone can run out of battery, lose signal, or glitch at the worst possible moment.

Your smartphone camera is probably better than you think. A few simple habits make a huge difference: tap the screen to focus on what matters, hold the phone steady with both hands, and when possible, shoot with the light in front of you, not behind your subject. Cloudy days actually make for beautiful, soft photos.

Also, remember to clean your lens. A quick wipe with your shirt before a big shot removes the fingerprint smudges that quietly ruin your vacation photos.

TripAdvisor and Yelp have "Locals’ Picks" filters, which can steer you away from tourist traps and toward places where actual residents eat. Just search the area you're in, filter by rating and distance, and read a few recent reviews.

Bonus tip: Google Maps offers photos taken by real customers, not just the restaurant's glossy marketing shots.

Nothing ruins a trip memory quite like losing all your photos because your phone fell in the hotel pool. Turn on automatic cloud backup before you leave. iPhone users should check that iCloud Photos is turned on. Android users should enable Google Photos backup.

With this turned on, every photo you take uploads to the cloud whenever you're on WiFi.

Google Translate is free, surprisingly good, and genuinely fun to use. You can type words, speak into it, or point your camera at a sign or menu and watch it translate the text in real time right on your screen.

Download the language you need for offline use before your trip (same idea as the maps). That way, even if you’re in a cute restaurant in Tuscany with no WiFi, you can still read the menu.

Your nephew's group text about fantasy football and those promotional emails from every store you've ever visited need not interrupt your gondola ride in Venice. Turn on "Do Not Disturb" mode, which silences all notifications except calls from people you designate as favorites.

On an iPhone, swipe down from the top right and tap the crescent moon icon. On Android, it's usually in the quick settings panel (swipe down twice).

Cold weather, heat, and heavy use all drain your battery faster than normal. Travel with a portable charger: they're inexpensive, small enough to fit in a purse or jacket pocket, and they've saved many a traveler stranded in an airport with a dead phone and no gate information.

Also, put your phone in "Low Power Mode" (iPhone) or "Battery Saver" (Android) when you’re out exploring and know you won’t be near an outlet for hours.

Deep-fried dreams: 10 state fairs that define the American spirit

Delicious treats, prize-winning livestock, neon-lit midways, and the roar of a big crowd: few things are as quintessentially American as the state fair. Originally conceived in the 19th century as a way to promote agriculture and bring rural communities together, these events have evolved into massive, multi-week spectacles that draw millions of visitors each year. While almost every state has its own celebration, a select few have grown into entertainment beasts. Here is a deep dive into the 10 biggest and most iconic state fairs in the United States.

Image: albertoadan

Everything is bigger in Texas, and its state fair is no exception. Held at the historic Fair Park in Dallas, this event typically runs for a staggering 24 days, making it the longest-running state fair in the country.

The fair is famous for its "Texas-sized" food competition, where vendors showcase outrageous deep-fried creations like fried butter or fried bubblegum. It also hosts the Red River Showdown, the iconic college football game between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma. The undisputed face of the fair? Big Tex, a 55-foot-tall talking cowboy statue that greets visitors with a booming "Howdy, folks!"

Image: Brooke Balentine

Known affectionately as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together," this fair consistently rivals Texas for the highest total attendance, often surpassing 2 million visitors. Unlike Texas, which lasts nearly a month, Minnesota welcomes its crowds for 12 days, ending on Labor Day.

The Minnesota State Fair is a foodie’s paradise, legendary for its "food on a stick" culture, where you can find everything from alligator to salad on a stick. Cultural highlights include the Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter sculptures, in which a royal figure is carved from 90-pound blocks of butter in a refrigerated rotating booth.

Image: Boston Public Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Formally known as the Eastern States Exposition, this fair is unique because it represents all six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

"The Big E" is held in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The highlight of the fair is the Avenue of States, which features life-sized replicas of the six original statehouses. Inside each building, visitors can sample the signature foods and crafts of that state, such as Maine lobster rolls or Vermont maple syrup. It is a massive regional celebration that brings the distinct flavors of the Northeast together in one sprawling fairground.

Image: Denisse Leon

While many fairs take place in the heat of summer, the Arizona State Fair waits for the desert to cool down, typically running from late September through October. Since its inception in 1905, it has grown into one of the most attended events in the Southwest.

The fair is known for its high-energy concert series and massive midway. Because of Phoenix’s central location and large population, the fair serves as a major cultural hub, blending traditional agricultural competitions with modern, high-tech exhibits and extreme carnival rides.

Image: Josh Turner

The Tulsa State Fair is a massive 11-day event that draws more than a million people annually. Its slogan, "11 Days of Awesome," reflects its focus on family entertainment and high-end carnival attractions.

One of the fair’s most recognizable features is the Golden Driller, a 76-foot-tall statue of an oil worker that stands outside Expo Square. The fair is particularly well regarded for its livestock shows and its massive indoor exhibit space, which provides a welcome reprieve from the Oklahoma sun.

Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Located just outside Milwaukee, the Wisconsin State Fair is a celebration of all things dairy. It is perhaps best known for its world-famous Cream Puffs, which have been a staple of the fair since 1924. The fair sells hundreds of thousands of these pastries every year.

The Wisconsin State Fair also prides itself on its "Agricultural Oasis," where visitors can get up close with farm animals and learn about the state's massive dairy industry. It’s a perfect blend of a traditional agricultural show and a modern urban festival.

Image: Xavier McLaren

Formerly known as the Puyallup Fair, this event is the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Its catchy jingle, "Do the Puyallup," is a staple of regional culture. The fair is split into two events: a smaller spring fair and the massive 20-day celebration held each September.

A visit to the Washington State Fair isn't complete without a Fisher Scone, a warm, fluffy biscuit served with raspberry jam and whipped butter. The fair also features a major professional rodeo, drawing some of the best riders in the country to compete under the shadow of Mount Rainier.

Image: Circe Denyer

The North Carolina State Fair is the largest annual event in the state and a major draw for the Southeast. It features impressive displays of North Carolina-grown produce, including giant pumpkins and watermelons that often weigh hundreds of pounds.

The fair is also a hub for unique Southern food. In recent years, it has gained internet fame for its deep-fried innovations, ranging from deep-fried Jell-O to Krispy Kreme burger sliders. It’s a place where Southern hospitality meets carnival charm.

Image: Matt Benson

While Tulsa has its own massive event, the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City is the official state-sanctioned celebration. It is known for having one of the best midways in the country, featuring a staggering array of rides and games.

The OKC fairgrounds are unique for their extensive equestrian facilities, often hosting world-class horse shows alongside standard fair festivities. It also features indoor shopping and Made in Oklahoma products, making it a major economic driver for the region.

Image: jackmac34

If you want to see the "soul" of the American heartland, the Iowa State Fair is the place to go. It is perhaps the most famous fair in the country for political reasons; every four years, presidential candidates flock to the "Political Soapbox" to court voters over pork chops on a stick.

Beyond politics, the fair is also the setting for the classic novel and film State Fair. Its most famous attraction is the Butter Cow, a tradition that dates back to 1911. Sculptors use roughly 600 pounds of salted butter to create a life-sized bovine masterpiece that remains a symbol of Iowa’s rich agricultural heritage.